| Tips and photos of unusual, out-of-the-way Tripoli attractions, posted by real travelers and locals. Tripoli Map |
 | Tripoli Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 17 |  |
And when we are back in old England,
When this war is over and won,
Remember the lads left behind us
Under the Libyan sun.
(WWII song)
The graves of 1400 Commonwealth and Allied casualties of World War II lie in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Tripoli. Like all cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, this is a haven of peace and tranquillity, the simple white graves laid out in rows surrounded by immaculate green lawns. Most of the graves are British, but there are also Australians (photo 1), New Zealanders, Canadians, South Africans and Indians buried here as well. There are a few non-Commonwealth graves also. A tall white Cross of Sacrifice (photo 2)in the middle of the cemetery memorializes all who gave their lives, including those whose graves lie unmarked and unknown in the Libyan desert.
The cemetery is located about 2km to the south-west of the medina,between Shariahs al Sour and al Jamhuriyah (photo 3), in the rear section of the Christian cemetery. The cemetery is walled and may look closed but you should be able to push the gates open. Leave a Comment
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Open for viewing: Spacious Gentleman's residence with uninterrupted sea views. Built to the highest specifications utilizing the most up-to-date building methods. Luxuriously appointed and decorated. State of the art plumbing to all bathrooms. Featuring exquisitely frescoed walls together with craftsman-laid mosaic floors and outdoor terraces. Marble-lined private temple. Wonderfully peaceful location 25 km outside the city. A classic home that will stand the test of time.
If ever they find a Roman estate agent's office under the unexcavated mounds of Leptis Magna, this ad for Villa Sileen could well be carved into one of the walls. Whoever the patrician Roman citizen was who lived here, he had found his own little corner of paradise.
All this beauty lay hidden for centuries under the dry, clean sand of the dunes - a wonderful preservative. When it was finally discovered in the latter half of the last century, the Libyan Department of Antiquities took enornous care over its preservation. For many years access was extremely restricted and even today, although the villa is now open to visitors, getting there is not easy. If you plan to make a private visit, your tickets, and a guide, must be collected from the ticket office in Leptis Magna ( and the guide returned there after your visit). Then you have a 25km journey back to the villa down a completely isolated road - public transport is not an option here.
Photography is allowed - the usual camera charge of 5LD applies.
Believe me - Villa Sileen is worth all the effort it takes to get there. The chances of you being there on your own are excellent and the peace and beauty of the place will bowl you over. Leave a Comment
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 by iwys
This Beetle has achieved almost legendary status now and a replica of it is featured in the English opera, "Gadaffi: A Living Myth."where Gadaffi makes his stage entrance and announces his coup against the monarchy by driving his VW Beetle through a paper screen.
Personally, I am not a great fan of VW Beetles, after having suffered the experience of owning one in Malaysia, where its lack of AC, lack even of a radiator to cool the engine, did not exactly endear me to it in the tropical heat. I remember on one long drive down the east coast, the engine caught on fire. But, I must say, to its credit, after I had thrown a bucket of water over it, surprisingly, it restarted. Leave a Comment
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In Gallery 8 on the ground floor of Tripoli's National Jamahiriya Museum is one of the great art treasures of the classical world: the statue of the Three Graces from the Ancient Greek city of Cyrene, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage site in eastern Libya.
This marble sculpture of the three mythical daughters of Zeus, personifying grace, beauty and charm, dates back to the third century BC. A marble relief copy of it, from the 1st century BC, now stands in the Louvre in Paris. But nothing compares to the original version in Libya.
In Greek mythology the Graces, named Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia, were the attendants of Aphrodite and Eros and the companions of the Muses. They sang and danced on Mount Olympus to the music Apollo made upon his lyre. They were believed to inspire artists to create beautiful works of art and in this particular case they appear to have succeeded! Leave a Comment
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High up on the wall of the Red Fort, above the main gateway to the Medina, is a stone relief of St. George slaying the dragon, It was left there by the Knights of St. John in the sixteenth century. The cross which accompanied it was later removed by the Ottomans. Leave a Comment
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In Gallery 11 at the National Jamahiriya Museum are a series of stone reliefs removed from the surface of the Arch of Septimus Severus at Leptis Magna. They are in excellent condition.
Initially, I thought that removing them from the arch was an act of vandalism. But, on reflection, if they had been left in situ, they would have been weathered away by the elements. You only have to look at the eroded stone reliefs on the Arch of Marcus Aurelius to see how badly they fare when left outside. The same applies to mosaics. The ones that have been left outside in their original locations are very badly faded, whereas the ones in the museum are much better preserved. Leave a Comment
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High up on the side of Red Castle overlooking Green Square is the balcony from which Mussolini gave his speeches when he was in Tripoli. Gadaffi now uses the same balcony for his speeches. Leave a Comment
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 This is my reserved space when
it get crowded. by ROCKARIALeave a Comment
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 by iwysLeave a Comment
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 David & Goliath by ROCKARIALeave a Comment
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