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This Is The Leptis Magna Page Of Libyan Travels
We
checked out of our rooms at the Funduq
Andalucia in Khums, mercifully this was not such a major operations as checking in, where we had dined and stayed
the night before. We left our bags in the reception
area. It was only a half hour walk to the Leptis Magna
ruins so it was pretty convenient. Leptis Magna, near
Khums, is about a 120 kilometers east of Tripoli, the capital
of Libya.
The
author in the local museum, standing in front of a poster of Colonel Muamar Qadafi,The Leader of The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab
Jamahiyrar or GSPLAJ for short.
The
morning was pleasantly warm and as we walked the couple of
kilometers to the ruins we passed some camels on the way.
It's funny no matter how often you see camels in the
Middle East, North Africa and The Gulf they still seem interesting.
It's rather like seeing men in bowler hats in the city:
unusual but not unusual though I must admit I don't normally
photograph city gents. The weather was pleasant with
no rain clouds in sight.
There was the smell in the air of pine and eucalyptus sap
which reminded me of the mountains of Northern Portugal where
I had spent many pleasant times. Our plan was to walk across the Leptis Magna Site to reach The Roman Hunting Baths which were by the sea. As you can see from the pictures below the interior of the baths is decorated with beautifully hued, rich coloured murals painted around 700AD. The baths, in the mists of time, had been completely covered by a sand storm and were only discovered hundreds of years later when another storm blew all the sand away.
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These beautiful Murals in The In The Leptis Hunting Baths have survived since Roman times. Some of The Murals
depict hunting and war. In some
of the murals the animals are clearly recognisable.
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| Before we entered the Ruins of Leptis Magna we visited the splendid local
museum. This
is a cool modern marbled building full of precious Roman
artifacts, statues, mosaics, and decorative friezes. There
are statues towering over two metres high representing gods
and goddesses, plutocrats and nobility and there are fine
examples of pottery and sculpture.
The museum is well laid out and organized but it looks
like somebody got bored with labeling the exhibits half way
through the job.
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Many statues toppled over in an earthquake and their heads fell off |
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After
several hours in the museum we found a tourist style restaurant
nearby and had a satisfying lunch of roast chicken, chips, rice
and Shorba before walking to the ruins. The community of Leptis
Magna has a history dating at least 200 hundred years BC.
It was probably a Berber settlement originally and then a trading outpost
for the Levantines and later the Phoenicians. At the time the people of the
city were paying taxes of sorts to Carthage and it appears the
ancient Greeks also passed through at some time.
It is estimated that by 150 BC there was a population
of 15,000 living from trading between the African interior and
the outside world. Fertile
land, a protected coastline and rainfall contributed towards
its success. Its
growth and expansion was linked to the Roman empire of which
it became a part around 115 AD when the first Roman construction
work was carried out, most importantly a public forum and a
harbour. A hundred
years later still thriving though having to deal with constant
wars with the local desert tribesmen a new Roman Emperor took
an interest in it.
Although Emperor Septimius Severus died in Europe in the northern
city of York in England he was in fact born in Leptis which
by then had had Roman citizenship on conferred on its inhabitants. His interest in his 'home town' led to a massive building
programme and the establishment of better defenses leading to
the defeat of hostile tribesmen from the interior.Under Severan influence there was a civic expansion and
a public works campaign building up an urban society using the
best materials and the best craftsmen.
We approached the site
first visiting the ornately decorated four sided Severan Arch
which is a monument dedicated to the emperor and his family.
Friezes and marble carving adorn this structure.
We then walked on to the Hunting baths.
The interior of the baths are decorated with
beautiful murals. The old roman cobbled road is intact
as are many buildings in various degrees of preservation.
We passed the Hadrianic baths, the sports hall attached
to them known as a palaestra and on through the Nyphaeum which
by the semi erotic carvings may have been an 'entertainment'
area. The old street and the ruins were peppered with beautiful
wild flowers.We passed a Byzantine church and a bassilica on our way to the forum. I am disapointed to say that nothing amusing happened, en route..
We arrived at the forum, without amusing mishap. It is a massive imperial forum littered with masonry and sundry stonework. It
dominates the immediate area and is decorated with enormous heads of Medusa. Having marveled at the forum we then moved
on to the gigantic 'New Basilica' used first as a Roman court
and then later converted to a church.
Built from granite with towering columns it is decorated
with carved representations of the myths of Hercules.
Hercules is seen strangling a lion, wrestling with a
giant, fighting with a centaur and dallying with a nymph.
There is a pulpit located at one end and an altar at
the other. We then visited the 'Old Forum' which has a series of connected
building including temples and churches. Again, an amusing incident was not forthcoming.
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The black
dot in the centre of the picture is me in the pulpit of the
large basilica |
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The
fish market
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We
then made our way
via the theater, the old market and the arch of Marcus Aurelius
to the hunting baths.
The Leptis Magna Arch is larger and
grander than the Arch
of Marcus Aurelius in
Tripoli but
I prefer the
latter.
The Hunting baths are a set of domed building still
intact having been covered in sand for years.
The Mural inside show Gladatorial Combat and River scenes.
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We
then returned via the harbour before leaving the
site. On the way I stopped to photograph my shadow. |
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We visited
the gift shops for post cards and
then hustled a lift to our next destination,
Zliten about thirty kilometers away. |
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