Political Tourism

  Libyan tourism industry 

Experience shows that there is a serious danger of destruction during times of social upheaval. It has taught us to look out for looting by unscrupulous individuals that often damages the integrity of artifacts and of archaeological sites. Careless dealers who buy these objects and fragments are in fact inciting more looting. It is therefore crucial that the international antiquities market be particularly wary of objects from Libya in the present circumstances,”

Irina Bokova cautioned. The Director-General of UNESCO urged the people of Libya and all those involved in the international art and antiquities trade to protect the country’s cultural heritage.

That is  a pre- alarm  and good initiative by the head of UNESCO but what was the state of these sites during Gaddafi`s long years?

Ahmed Fergiani writes:

Touring the coastal Roman and Greek sites reflects Libya`s real hidden face and brilliant past, the North African country is  a home to a mesmerizing variety of archaeological cultures and remains that range from the Paleolithic to the Medieval era, the great ruins of Leptis Magna( the Rome of Africa),the  Greek ruins of Cyrene the native land of the first man who measured the circumference of the ground Eratosthenes, the mosaics of Quasar Libya , one of its panels represents the unique evidence of Alexandria`s light house ,rather than its open museum of the prehistoric paintings and carvings at Akakus area and many Berber granaries along Nafusa mountains. The excavations of these ruins were carried  out during the Italian and the Libyan Kingdom period, But Archaeology in Libya took a back seat or disappeared after Gaddafi 1969 revolution although some foreign archaeologists continued working, making  great finds like the polish archaeological mission at Ptolemais who discovered a large villa with impressive mosaics. The Italian mission of Urbino university at Cyrene who restored lavishly the Temple of Zeus the largest in the whole Africa! But the bitter truth is those sites have suffered a long neglecting in the last four decades.

"It's been neglected by the regime for quite a while. At one time it was seen as not Libyan heritage as such but imperialist," ,"

said Hafed Walda, a Libyan who advises the country's department of antiquities and once led an excavation at Leptis Magna.

During my long tours with the American travelers of Travoca the leading company of the cultural tours and other Italian and French tours I had no words for the frequently asked questions especially after the visit of the Hellenistic-Roman site of Ptolemais which suffers more than any other site in Libya…
Ahmed, why don’t you cover these lovely Mosaics?
Ahmed, has Gheddafi ever been to this site??
Ahmed, do your people appreciate such treasures?
Ahmed, ma perche` non fate qualcosa?
Ahmed, mais pourquoi vous ne pas  les restaurer?
I remember on the way back to Benghazi from that site , I had to give a long speech mainly criticizing the Libyan authorities and exposing the ugly face of the Libyan regime.
The Roman villa of Silin in Leptis Magna is always been closed for restoration according to the department of archaeology of Leptis Magna but  when the visitor gets there, he found no sighs of restoration… I have not received my salary for the last six months… one of the villas`s care takers comments about the restoration…Gaddafi son was here last week as he seems to build a village  on these sandy beaches.. Adds bitterly  the guardian!
 As an archeological guide worked with many nationalities but mainly with Travoca tour leaders like, Yvonne Buheiry, John Wotton, Sharon Zimmerman, we had to hold our breath with the nonstop obstacles in Gheddafi`s Libya, rather than the government minders who were just pioneers in sleeping at the back of the coach, me and Salah Rabeea a long experience in the Libyan tourism industry had to fight with airline companies, Hotels, restaurants, museum attendants.
nevertheless the above mentioned sacrifices , me,Salah and many other Libyan Colleagues are jobless since the outbreak of the Libyan war, but  Now as Libya begins a new Era of its history through the youth revolution of change ,are these sites  included of this positive change? will they see a better treatment?......Inshallah!