Unique Places in Libya

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After days in the desert, all we had seen of Libya's wildlfe was a lizard on a rock, a few birds and myriad footprints in the sand around the lakes of the Ubari Sand Sea and our campsite in the desert. Our Tuareg guide pointed out jerboa and gerbil prints, as well as fennec, desert hare, centipede, millipede, scorpion, snake, skink and lizard tracks but that was it. The advent of a "ghibli" - the sand-laden wind of a Saharan Spring - meant our last day was spent in a thick, dust haze as we drove back to Sebha. Visibility was drastically reduced, which meant we couldn't head back into the dunes as we had planned. Driving was slow but we still had some time up our sleeve. Our driver knew how to fill some of it. He took us to a small zoo.

I was a little wary - having worked in a zoo for several years, I have no problems with them in principle, but they must be well-run and the animals well-cared for and I was a bit afraid that this might not be the case. This place was fine. The animals had really good-sized enclosures that were clean, well-kept and well-provided with shade. The dry food was well-stored, fresh and abundant and there was fresh browse available as well. One of the foxes disappeared down a hole in the ground - obviously they were able to dig as they would in the wild. The sheep had rock piles to climb. All good signs.

What did we see? Rock hyrax; Rupell's sand fox; jackals; camels; gazelle; ostrich (yes, they do occur in Libya) and the critically endangered al wadan - Barbary sheep. Added to the birds - brown crows, moula-moula (white-headed wheatear), doves, birds of prey and a vagrant stork - we'd seen quite a lot of Libya's rapidly declining fauna.

The zoo is located in the Wahat Fezzan campsite, a few kilometres outside Sebha past the airport. The campsite itself is very pleasant, with various sized (and no doubt, priced) thatched huts, very clean ablution blocks, gardens, teahouse and swimming pool.

I visited Libya last year on a business visa for a trade show and all this talk about not being able to go anywhere without a guide is nonsense.

One morning I walked out in front of my hotel and started stopping taxis to see who wanted to take me and co-worker to Leptis Magana, after 20 minutes we found a good price and used the same driver another day to drive us wherever we wanted to go. Enjoy!

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More than 90% of Libya is a desert landscape. But i can assure you that this desert is beautiful
Four days 4x4wheel traveling in pure nature with his own rules, habits and regulations.
Setting up your own hotel room (tent), views through natural windows of rocks, looking for flora in oases - just name it, it is an experience without business stress.
Pictures are all made by my travel accompanions Lieven and Frank

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Since Libya opened the frontiers for tourism, and in the very near future for mass tourism -
"off the beathen paths" will become "local customs tips"
Not only sand and beautiful sunsets, but also some remarkable oases and it's typical plants and fruits will become the recommanded highlights

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Whoever the Roman gentleman was who built Villa Sileen, he - and his family - knew all about gracious living. It's hard to imagine a more idyllic spot., right by the sea about 25 km from Leptis Magna. This was a very rich man's house - relatively modest in size but adorned with exquisite frescoes ( delicately painted white herons on warm red walls in one room, sweet little cherubs in another) and gorgeous mosaics of gods, animals, the circus, dwarfs and crocodiles hunting each other. There's a bathhouse complete with hot and cold pool, more frescoes - and quite sophisticated plumbing for a shower. Mosaic pavements in a multitude of geometric designs form terraces - all with lovely sea views - and more mosaics - wonderfully lively animals - are to be found all through the garden.

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 now - 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.

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The Qasr Libya Museum houses the superb collection of mosaics taken from the floor of the nearby, Byzantine, Eastern Church. These mosaics, laid between 529 and 540 AD, were discovered by Libyan dam workers in 1957.

50 mosaic panels, each measuring half a metre square, are displayed in groups of five on the walls, with informative labels in both Arabic and English. On the floor of the museum is one large mosaic, depicting Nile scenes, taken from the eastern end of the church's northern aisle.

Opening hours: 8.30am-5pm
Admission: 3 LD + 5 LD per camera

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The Eastern Church is the one that the fifty famous mosaics were removed from. You can see the floor and the mosaic borders left behind. There is also a side chapel with a section of mosaic floor, depicting birds, rabbits and fruit, still in place. The church and mosaics date back to 529-40 AD during the reign of Emperor Justinian I. The church is about 50 m down a footpath from the museum.

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The Turkish Fort stands on a hilltop, outside the small town of Qasr Libya, 45 km west of Al Bayda. It satnds on the site of an earlier Byzantine fort and houses the museum with the famous mosaic collection.