De wereld volgens AnnevO

Reisverslag eclipsreis Libië 11 maart tot en met 1 april 2006

Al ergens in 2004 was het duidelijk: Op 29 maart 2006 zou er een totale zonsverduistering zijn, die het beste in Libië bekeken zou kunnen worden. Dus daar moesten we heen. Na lang wikken en wegen en daardoor bijna te laat zijn werd er geboekt: een 22-daagse rondreis door Libië met Koning Aap.

Ik had het plan een uitgebreid Nederlandstalig versla te maken, maar dat is er nooit van gekomen. Hieronder vindt je dus een Engelstalige versie. Foto’s zijn er ook, die staan op mijn Libische fotopagina.

We knew it in 2004: the total solar eclipse of March 29th, 2006, would be best viewed in Libya. But would it be wise to visit a country that was a pariah-state until recently? After much pondering, we were almost too late to still find a spot on one of the organized tours (which are, at the moment, the only safe option to visit Libya). Eventually, we found a 22-day round trip through most of the country, which would bring us not only the eclipse, but also remnants of prehistoric, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab-islamic and Saharan culture. So, we’d travel Libya, starting March 11th.

Instead of giving you a day-to-day report, I’ll just mention the highlights, since otherwise it would be way too much.

First of all, the Libyan people are great. Tourism is not important for their economy, they have oil. And they do not get that many tourist, so they welcome them as guests. Because of the eclipse there were a lot of people visiting Libya (in one week, they had the number of guests they usually have in five years!), and everything was done in order to please them (to make sure they would spread the word: Libya is great! You should visit!, probably). Sometimes a bit too much: on our way to the eclipse site, we were driving through Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city. All traffic was stopped to let the coaches with tourists pass the busy streets first.

One of the things that baffled me was the amount and extent of Greek and Roman architecture and arts that was to be seen in Libya. During our first week there, we visited Leptis Magna and Sabratha, ancient Roman cities near Tripoli. In our third week, we visited some of the Greek colonies on the north-eastern shore: Cyrene, Apollonia, Ptolemais and Tocra. And on our last day, we went to the Jamahiriya museum in Tripoli, Libya’s national museum, that displays the best statues and mosaics found in the country, amongst many other things. I knew both the Greek and Romans had occupied North-Africa in their days of glory (Crete is only 300 kilometers from Cyrene, for instance), but never had I suspected so much would still be visible. All of the towns were harmed during the earthquake of 365 AD, which also indicated the final decline of the Roman Empire.
Leptis Magna was the birthplace of a Roman emperor, Septimus Severus, who spend a lot of money on the town (as he did on all Libyan and Syrian colonies) when he had the chance, so it’s splendour is still very visible. The site has been very well preserved and restorations take place, so you feel part of a very large and vivid city. Amongst the Leptis Magna highlights are the Hadrianic Baths, the arch of Septimus Severus, the amphitheater and the forum.
Sabratha was build of sandstone and has decayed more over time, but our guide made the city come alive. Here, they reconstructed the theater, which is now used in summer for open air recitals of traditional music. The temple of Isis, near the sea, is very pretty.
Cyrene was the premier city of the Greek Pentapolis and must have been huge. The remains of the temple of Zeus indicate it was larger than the Parthenon in Athens. Among the most interesting structures are the round sanctuary of Demeter and Kore and the house of Jason Magnus, high priest in the temple of Apollo, with splendid mosaics.
Apollonia was the harbour for Cyrene and therefor important. Most of the remains here date form the Byzantine period (for instance, five churches), but it also has a nice theater.
Archeologist think only 10% of Ptolemais has been excavated, yet (for the other towns, estimates are about 35% is on display). As for now, we saw a nice cozy Odeon (musical theater), a large agora with enormous cisterns underneath and several villa’s. On one location, there is a bit of mosaic sticking out of a heap of sand, so there must be more covered up.
In the Byzantine period, Christians rules (parts of) Libya. They did a lot of damage (for instance, they beheaded all statues in Cyrene, because they were made by “savages”), but they also build nice things. Near Qasr Libya, a Byzantine church filled with mosaics was found. Fifty panels, half a square meter each, are now on display. The most remarkable are a picture of the Pharos lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven world wonders, a church, one including the inscription the mosaic was laid in 339 AD and lots of animals.

We also visited a lot of places where we saw Saharan culture. We had tea in a Berber underground house near Gharyan, where the inhabitants found refuge from cold winters, hot summers and invaders. We visited Qasr Al-Haj, a round Berber granary, and Nalut, also a granary, but with tightly packed rooms along high walls. Then, we went to Ghadames, “jewel of the Sahara”, an oasis city that is on the Unesco World Heritage list. The old city was build about 800 years ago and consists of seven sections, occupied by one family each. The men used to gather on their family’s square or street, the women would be either inside or ont he rooftops, which connected the whole city. All buildings are white, most passage ways are covered, and natural light is let in by holes and spread by mirrors. They even had a public and a private entrance to town, so caravans would not come in unsuspected. In Ghadames, we encountered the first Tuareg, the desert people famous for their indigo scarfs. On our way into the desert, we visited Germa, base of the Garamantian Empire, a very advanced and forward-thinking community that ruled from 900 BC til 500 AD. They were renown horse breeders and trainers and built their houses from stone, clay and animal dung.
Soon after the revolution, Libya’s government decided that Libya was to be a modern nation. Entire communities from the oases were moved into free, modern houses with sewage systems and electricity. That is why hardly anyone is still living the old-fashioned way, in the towns mentioned here.

Seven days were spent in 4×4’s driving through the Sahara. It may sound weird, but the landscape was changing a lot. We saw sand dunes, rocks, sometimes a tree or bush, goats, camels… The colouring also differed: yellow, orange, black, brown, grayish and all sorts of shades in between. The silence of the desert was overwhelming: no wind, no birds, no insects buzzing… We also heard the dunes sing one day, which was quite special. In the Jebel Acacus, where we were, there is a lot to be seen: natural rock formations such as arches and rock art, which for instance shows that in 10,000-6,000 BC lots of wild animals where living in the area (like elephants, giraffes, sheep and crocodiles). The Ubari sand sea with it’s endless rows of sand dunes was impressive, just like the Ubari lakes. These very salty lakes, in the middle of the desert, make an excellent place for a swim/float.

The total solar eclipse was an event in itself. We were staying in a camp near the four-minute-line, with approximately 20,000 others. The Libyan board of tourism actually had a tourist village there, with Berbers, lizards and dates… I don’t think I can explain the feeling of a TSE; you should take the chance if you ever have the opportunity to experience one. Imagine thousands of people standing gathered in the middle of a desert, all wearing very dark glasses and staring at the sun. First contact was a little past 11, totality started just before half past twelve. It’s really weird if it gets dark during the day. We saw Venus and Mercury, but unfortunately no stars. A lot of great pictures were taken of the many phenomena visible during totality: Baily beads, the corona, solar flares, the diamond ring phenomenon… And then, it got light again. Not gradually, but instantaneous. Our eyes compensate the lack of light somehow. A great experience, hopefully not once-in-a-lifetime…

Then, we went back to the large cities. First Benghazi, where we managed to be taken to the only catholic church still in service, which had been burned shortly after the disaster at the Italian embassy. The home of the Bishop was totally ruined, but most of the church had been saved. We got an African welcome from the group of people that was gathered there (one of the several African groups; there’s also a Philpino and European group) in preparation for the english Mass that morning. They inspired me, that’s for sure.
In Tripoli, we visited the Arch of Marcus Aurelius and, as said, the Jamahiriya museum. Jamahiriya means as much as “state of the masses”, which is part of Libya’s name. In this museum, the highlights of Libyan culture are on display. Reproductions of rock art, original statues from the Punic, Greek and Roman era (including a very nice one of the three graces, an impressive Athena and a very nice older woman), more stunning mosaics, including one from Punic Oea (Tripoli), but also Byzantine and Islamic architecture, traditional clothing and folklore and modern history, like the resistance against the Italians and Revolutionary Libya. There even is a small Natural history section, with deformed stuffed animals.

These three weeks were amazing. They made me realize there is so much more then our own day to day hassle. I’ve learned a lot, had great experiences, enjoyed myself. And now, I still have all these nice memories.