Libya

Join the Hipporoller Challenge

Help the Travel Guide reach 20,000,000 characters and we'll donate 63 hipporollers worth over $6000. Read more.

Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Tripoli

Population

5,499,000

Government

Jamahiriya/military dictatorship

Religions

Islam (Sunni)

Languages

Standard Arabic

Calling Code

+218

Nationality

Local name

Contributors

• Utrecht (56%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com
• Herr Bert (20%)
  from A Dutchman in Madrid

as well as Peter (13%), dr.pepper (11%)

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Camelride

© All Rights Reserved Andrene1

Its plain green flag belies Libya's multi-dimensional attractions, deriving from its diverse and fascinating history. Libya's location placed it in the radii of Roman, Arab, Turkish and Italian conquering adventures, with the nation finally stepping forth as an independent state in the post-World War years. While the Arabs made the most impressive mark on Libya - Islam -, the others left in their wake architecture, culture and (in the case of the Romans), some fine archaeological treasures. Today, this provides for a wealth of stunning attractions.

Brief History

The coastal region of Libya was inhabited as early as 8,000 A.D. by Berbers. Libya was occupied by a series of other peoples, with the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Persian Empire, Romans, Vandals, Arabs, Turks and Byzantines ruling all or part of the area. Under the Romans Libya was a properous province of the Empire, and was under control of Rome for over 600 years. Libya was conquered by Uqba ibn Nafi in 644 and fully conquered in 655, forming part of the Ummayad Caliphate. This was superseded by the Abbasids in 750. Arab soldiers, spreading their new religion of Islam, entered Cyrenaica in 642 and occupied Tripoli in 643. A succession of Arab and Berber dynasties then controlled what is now Libya. In the 16th century the Ottoman Empire conquered Libya and for the first time united the three states that make up modern day Libya: Tripolitania, Cyrenaica and Fezzan. The complete unification of these three states to one country came in an unexpected way.

In 1911 Italy invaded the three regions, in the Italo-Turkish War, and turned the three regions into colonies. From 1912 onwards, the territory of Libya was known as Italian North Africa. From 1927 to 1934, the territory was split into two colonies run by Italian governors, Italian Cyrenaica and Italian Tripolitania. After 1934 the name Libya became into use. (after the name the old Greeks used for the entire coastal area of Northern Africa in ancient times.) In the years before World War II, King Idris I, led Libyan resistance. After the war, which led to a British occupation after the Italian defeat, the United Nations decided that Libya should become independent before 1952. On December 24, 1951, Libya declared its independence as the United Kingdom of Libya, a constitutional and hereditary monarchy under King Idris I. Although the discovery of oil reserves led to wealth in the new country. But this new found wealth was only for a few people close to the king.

On September 1, 1969, a small group of military officers led by then 27-year-old army officer Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi staged a coup against King Idris and took over the leadership of the country. In the 80's and early 90's the relationship between Libya and the U.S.A. was so bad that it led to a couple of military confrontations, especially after the Berlin Discotheque bombing, and the 'Lockerbie' bombing. In the last years relations between the two countries have become much better.

Geography

Geographically, too, Libya is diverse. The northern shores have that distinctly Mediterranean atmosphere. Head southwards, though, and the story is markedly different, with the hot sands of the Sahara making for a very different kind of attraction. Here, travellers can adventure into the desert on one of the highly popular desert safaris.

Libya shares international borders with Egypt, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Algeria and Tunisia.

Regions

The country can be divided into several historic and geographical regions, as listed below.

• Cyrenaica is the coastal region in Libya's east.
• Tripolitania is a historical region in the north-west. The capital Tripoli lies in this region.
• Sirtica is a barren zone in Libya's north and home to one of the world's largest oil fields.
• Marmarica, a historical region in eastern Libya is where you will find the town of Tobruk, which was the site of several famous battles in World War 2.
• The Sahara Desert occupies a large portion of Libya's south.

Cities

• Tripoli (Libya)
• Benghazi
• Ghadames
• Ghat
• Jalo
• Tobruk
• Kufra

Sights and Activities

Archeological sites

Looking over the Med

© All Rights Reserved Jase007

Libya is a vast country and boasts an enormous cultural treasure. There are no less than three archeological sites to be found on the Unesco World Heritage List. The first one is Cyrene north of Benghazi, which was one of the principal cities in the Hellenic world. It was destroyed by an earthquake of 365 and the ruins have hundreds of years of history and have been famous since the 18th century. The others include Leptis Magna and Sabratha not far from the capital Tripoli (Libya). Leptis Magna was one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire while Sabratha was a Phoenician trading-post that served as an outlet for the products of the African hinterland.

Sahara Desert

Sand dune, Great Sand Sea

© All Rights Reserved wian

A trip to Libya requires at least several days into the large Sahara Desert. The Libyan (together with the Algerian) Sahara is considered one of the most beautiful parts of this vast area with large sand seas (called erg in Arabic language) and rocky mountainous areas as well. The best way of visiting is with a 4wd vehicle including driver and equipment. Tents and meals are provided and if you want you can sleep under the stars.

Ghadames

Ghadames is the gateway to the Libyan parts of the Sahara desert and is also known as 'the pearl of the desert'. It is a very attractive desert oasis which also functions as the last or first place to have a decent room and shower before or after your desert trip. It is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities and an outstanding example of a traditional settlement and therefore is on the Unesco World Heritage List as well.

Events and Festivals

Weather

Libya has a hot and dry desert climate in most of the country except the north which enjoys a somewhat milder Mediterranean climate. This means hot and dry summers and mild and relatively wet winters although rain is rather unpredictable during recent years. Temperatures in summer are extremely high with recorded temperatures over 50º C not uncommon. From June to September temperatures are almost daily above 40º C and nights are still warm. In winter though, temperatures can drop below freezing but daytime temperatures are still warm with 20º C or more. The coast has lower temperatures during these months but are still well above 30º C and sometimes reach 45º C when the wind blows directly from the desert. The best time to visit therefore is in late autumn (November is a good month) or early spring (March-April).

Getting there

Plane

Libyan Airlines is the national airline of the country and has its base at Tripoli International Airport (TIP). Destinations include several cities in Northern Africa, the Middle East and European cities like Kiev, Rome and London. Afriqiyah Airways has more destinations to Europe though, with Amsterdam, Brussels, Düsseldorf and Geneva among others. It also flies to a number of cities in West Africa. KLM, British Airways and Lufthansa fly to Tripoli as well.
From Benina International Airport (BEN) near Benghazi, Libyan Airlines fly to several countries within the region and to Rome.

By Train

No international trains exist to and from Libya.

By Car

There's no reason to bring your own car, you will have to take a tour anyway and guides are compulsary when entering the country. Also note that borders with Chad, Sudan, Algeria and usually also Niger are closed, though the latter might sometimes be open, though not in both directions!

By Bus

Buses and shared taxis ply the roads between Tripoli and both Tunis (Tunisia) as Egypt (Cairo) and places in between, like Tobruk and Benghazi in Libya, Alexandria in Egypt and Sfax and Sousse in Tunisia. Only citizens of the respective countries can take cross border transport as overland travellers are met by guides at the Libyan border where your organised trip to Libyan highlights will start, including transport!

By Boat

No international boats despite the fact that there is a long coastline and a few port cities.

Getting around

Plane

Afriqiyah Airways flies between Tripoli and Benghazi. Libyan Airlines flies between Beida, Benghazi, Ghat, Sebha, Sirte and Tobruk. Buraqair flies between Tripoli and Benghazi as well.

By Train

There are no domestic trains in Libya, but there are plans to restore the once existing tracks which have been out of order since at least 20 years.

By Car

The main roads are in a good condition, but desert roads are rougher to navigate and require a 4wd. You can hire a car, but usually this means you need a driver as well, as travelling around in Libya is not allowed independently, so you have to arrange tours. If you want to drive yourself a bit as well, be sure to bring your national driver's license. Car hire can be expensive, especially if you are travelling by yourself. Better to share costs.

By Bus

Some bus companies have connections between all major cities and some smaller towns are connected by minibuses or shared taxis. Still, they won't be of much use probably as independent travel is almost impossible and you will usually by 4wd arranged through your tour company.

By Boat

There are no ferry services along the coast, let alone the interior where water is scarce.

Red Tape

Apart from most Arab and some African nationals, everybody needs a visa to enter Libya. Although visa rules have been getting a little loser during the last years, it is still a rather bureaucratic thing to organize. At least you don't need an Arab translation of your passport anymore.
Note that a visa is needed beforehand and you will only get one if you have a prearranged tour, either organised with a foreign tour operator or with a Libyan one. The latter can cause headaches, because Libyan tour operators are notorious for not answering emails and also not picking up phones or giving all the information you need. Because they are not particularly cheaper compared to arranging an organized trip back home, they are mostly still pretty useless.
Als note that any proof of travel to Israel (including the obvious passport stamp) will mean you won't be able to get a visa and/or enter into the country.
To start, here is a list of Libyan embassies, including contact information (click on the respective embassy).

Money

See also Money Matters

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post