Libya. Warm sun, warm hearts. A great country with a great history, a country of breathtaking beauty. High mountain chains are just one of the beauties of its fabulous landscape with green fields and sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches. The desert, watered by magnificent oasis, extends far into Africa. Fabulous villages and cities scattered amongst meadows, with oasis everywhere. Historical monuments forests, towering mountains... and a warm Libyan Arab welcome. Libya's strategic, geographical position and profound history make it a vital link between the eastern and western parts of the Arab world, and between Europe and Africa. The country has known its ups and downs, but the historical monuments are a testimony of the great Libyan civilization of old. Look at the engravings of the AKAKUS mountains, the drawings in the MATCHANDOUSH caves. The cities of JARMA, ZAKAKRA, and SABHA' in the south, and the historical city of GHIRZA in the centre. Libya has played host to many civilizations, and has enriched civilization in its turn, with writings, drawings and engravings in the caves of TADRART mountains, and archaeological treasures from ATAFT. The Phoenician, Roman, and Byzantine ports of TRIPOLI, SABRATAH, LIBDAH, SHAH'HAT, SUSAH, TUKRAH, and TALMITHA. The old Islamic cities such as SIRT, DARNAH, and AJDABIYA, and other cities in the heart of the desert, including GHADAMES, ZUWAYLAH, JALU, OJLA, GHAT, and FEZZAN. Not forgetting the places and fortresses of GHARYAN, MIZDAH, AL-QARYAT, YIFRAN, JADU, NALUT, MISALLATAH, and AWINAT. The first site most tourists visit is TRIPOLI, Libya's biggest city, the queen of the seas. It is an historical site. the city of Islamic civilization, Arab art and handicraft, where every monument tells a story. TRIPOLI has changed little since its foundation in the first millennium BC: it is still a lush garden filled with olive trees, palms, grapevines, and orange groves. The city has a wealth of old and new monuments. Travel east or west, to nearby LIBDAH or SABRATAH, and soak up all the history. Shopping is a great pleasure, especially in the popular markets where you can buy a great variety of Libyan handicrafts such as traditional clothes, carpets, handmade gold and silver jewellery, copper and silver dishes, leather goods, and pottery. Every kind of aquatic sport is practised in the resorts along the coast, where you will also find the port of BENGHAZI, which combines magnificent buildings with large, open spaces. In nearby SULUQ stands the mausoleum of OMAR MOKHTAR, hero of the Libyan Resistance during the Italian occupation. Take the highway east to the magnificent cities of the Green Mountain: DARNAH with its falls and splendid coast; AL BAYDA', a quiet city high up in the mountains; ancient SHAH'HAT (Cyrene) and beautiful SUSAH (Apollonia), TULMAYTHAH, TUKRAH, RA'S AL HILAL.... Libya offers you two thousand kilometers of splendid beaches, and some beautiful small cities each with its typical architecture and special characteristics, like AUWARAH, TUBRUQ, MISRATAH, AZ ZAWIYAH, AL-KHUMS, and ZLITAN. Explore Libya's desert in WADI ASH SHATI, the plain of AWAYNAT, BRAK, MURZUQ, and the oasis of AL KUFRAH, ZALLAH and BAZIMAH. Then cool off in AL BAYDA' or near AL MARJ, or on the plain of DARNAH. As you go further and further into the desert, all you meet are waves and waves, "the great sand sea", but then there are the refreshing oasis. The history, the monuments and tales told by the locals make this place unique. It is a feast for the senses.. The jewel of the desert is GHADAMES, a mélange of natural beauty, important monuments and a distinctive architectural style for which it is famous. Libya may be the land of ancient civilizations, but it also looks to the future. It is a country of peace. Libya, a land touched by history.
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