Archive for the ‘General’ Category
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July25
The Berber Ghurfas
In southern Tunisia and northwestern Libya, it is a type of building structure used mainly for grain storage. Ghurfas are long chambers with tube roof, which in hot climates, protect against climate, as well as animals, insects and human thieves.
“Ghurfa” is from Arabic, and the most commonly used word for “room”. In Tunisia and Libya ghurfas are single rooms in a larger structure known as ksar, kasr, ksour, qasr or (rare) qsar, all from the Arabic qasr, “palace”. Still, a ksar is a more general term, representing a fortified structure, which may well not be made up of ghurfas.
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May28
Libya Lifts Visa Restrictions on Americans
Tourists from Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK have all been able to visit, and now the USA can be added to the list.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, May 25th, Libya Expeditions, Libya’s leading tour operator and travel adventure specialist, announced the groundbreaking trade and investment agreement inked between Libya and the U.S., saying that it has resulted in Libya lifting all visa restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to the country.
“Effective immediately, visas are being approved for U.S. citizens for travel to Libya. We are pleased with the new developments and giving the opportunity to U.S. citizens to return to Libya and explore this magical and scenic land,” said Ryad Sunusi, Libya Expeditions Founder & CEO
Libya Expeditions describes itself as a full-service Libya tour operator that provides comprehensive Libya travel services, focusing on escorted Libya cultural, archaeological, and desert adventure tours and holidays; and has rapidly become the leading operator of escorted tours to Libya. Libya Expeditions is committed to promoting responsible tourism – supporting the local Libyan economy whilst retaining respect for traditional customs and way of life.
Although in the USA it’s mainly seen as the fiefdom of Colonel Muammar Al-Gaddafi Libya is also home to five UNESCO world heritage sites:
Archaeological Site of Cyrene (1982) – the oldest and most important of the five Greek cities in the region.
Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna (1982) – The site has been described as one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean.
Archaeological Site of Sabratha (1982) – It has a 3rd century theatre that retains its three-storey architectural backdrop, temples and a Christian basilica, and a museum.
Rock-art Sites of Tadrart Acacus (1985) – this mountain range in the desert of western Libya is part of the Sahara. The area has a particularly rich array of prehistoric rock art.
Old Town of Ghadames (1986) – a small oasis town with unusual architecture.
It should be noted that according to Wikipedia, In response to 9/11 attacks Gaddafi condemned the attacks as an act of terrorism and urged Libyans to donate blood for the US victims. As it turned out, donating blood would do no good, but the condemnation of the attack is an indication that the country wants to rejoin the international community of nations.
In 2004 Bush had lifted the economic sanctions on Libya and official relations resumed between Libya and the United States. Libya then opened a Liaison office in Washington, DC and the United States opened an office in Tripoli.
Libya recently announced an ambitious strategy to attract 1.5 Million tourists annually by 2012; and to that effect, loosened tourist visa procedures so visas for most nationalities can be obtained on arrival.
Now citizens of the USA will be able to visit. This is an important step in both international relations and, well, our ability to travel to new and exciting places.
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April10
Qasr Haj
One of the more interesting architectural oddities found in Libya are the ‘Qasrs’; Berber constructions used as fortifications, dwellings and granaries. One of the most famous and unique is Qasr Haj, located in the breathtaking Nafousa mountains.
Qasr al Haj is a fortified storage location that has been in use by the local people of Barber for hundreds of years. It was built more than 800 years ago to store grain, olive oil or possessions of locals and nomadic people of the area. It is the only granary still in use. The granary is a hive of 114 cells hewn from the mud and rock walls. The structure has four levels; a basement level and 3 stories above ground. Steps have been formed from the mud and rock walls as well as primitive looking ladders, allowing access to the different levels.
Traditionally each family owns one cell – the sizes of which vary from tiny to roomy caverns. A caretaker of the Qasr would open the gates at certain times each day so that food stocks could be stored or withdrawn. These types of structures are found in other areas of Libya as well as the neighboring country, Tunisia.
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March14
The Uan Muhuggia Mummy
The mysteries of the ancients has always fascinated us – from the logic-defying Stone Henge to the grand mystery of the Pyramids. The Egyptian mummies were once thought to be the oldest preserved mummies in the world – until the Black Mummy was found in Libya, a mummy so well preserved, it amazed scientists and archaelogists.
Uan Muhuggiag is a place in central libyan Sahara, and the name of the mummy of a small boy found there in 1958 by Professor Fabrizio Mori. The mummy displays a highly sophisticated mummification technique, and at around 5,500 years old is older than any comparable Ancient Egyptian mummy.
The culture that produced the mummy were cattle herders, and occupied much of North Africa, at a time when the Sahara was a savannah. Possible links with later Egyptian culture have also been found, including the representation in rock art of dog-headed human figures (resembling Anubis), and a type of pottery decoration later found in the southern Nile valley.
The mummy is currently on display at the Assaraya Alhamra Museum (gallery 4) in Tripoli.
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February5
Libyan Cuisine
Libyan cuisine culture is a mixture of Arabic and Mediterranean, with a strong Italian influence. Italy’s legacy from the days when Libya was an Italian colony can be seen in the popularity of pasta on its menus, particularly macaroni.
A famous local dish is couscous (kuskisee in Arabic), which is a boiled cereal (traditionally millet, now fairly often wheat) used as a base for meat and potatoes. The meat is usually lamb, but chicken is served occasionally. Sharba is a highly-spiced Libyan soup. Bazin, a local speciality is a hard paste, made from barley, salt and water.
Fish is in abundance in Libya, and fresh fish is available every day and night. Therefore it is no surprise that fish dishes are also very popular with Libyans and foreigners alike.
An evening’s visit to one of the great number of restaurants at the so-called Il-Hofra, is an experience no visitor to Libya should miss.
Each and every restaurant at Il-Hof-ra displays a great variety of fish on large trays in front of the restaurant. The customer picks out the fish he fancies, checks the price and then sits at a table inside the restaurant to be served the mouth-watering savoury fish dishes grilled on charcoal normally at the entrance to the restaurant.
Libyans also seem to have a sweet tooth. Everybody seems to like desert, not just after meals. Libyans have all sorts of traditional desert dishes, one of the most popular being the Asida, usually eaten on Eid day. It consists of a dough eaten with melted butter and honey.
Fruit, mostly oranges, is also in abundance in Libya and foreigners are usually impressed by its large size, juiciness and deliciousness.
Libyans prefer to eat at home, except on Fridays, when they enjoy family beachside picnics, or go to restaurants. Many of the eating places have sections specially reserved for family parties.
For the most part, foreigners use restaurants and cafes during the other days of the week. Menus have become more sophisticated and foreigners eating out can find a great variety of mainly Libyan and Middle Eastern cuisine.
International cuisine is also available in the newly opened restaurants and large hotels.
I accordance with the laws of Islam all alcoholic drink is banned in Libya. Bottled mineral wat-er is however widely consumed, as are various soft drinks and international brands of non-alcoholic beer.
Fruit juices, particularly orange, can be bought in season from street stalls. Then there’s Libyan tea, which is a thick beverage served in a small glass, often accompanied by mint or peanuts.
Coffee is also very popular and high-quality brands from Europe and South America are easily accessible. A cup of tea or coffee is normally followed by a glass of water, again, influenced by years of Italian occupation of Libya in the last century.
This article originally appeared in The Tripoli Post.
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January27
Libya Interactive Map – COMING SOON
You’ve asked for it, and we listened. An interactive, detailed, Libya Map based on Google Maps API. It will be added to the site in the “Discover Libya” section very soon – likely within the end of next week, we’ll keep everyone updated and update the post once it’s up.
Google Maps is one of the best open solutions and offers unrivaled versatility – The API provides a number of utilities for manipulating maps and adding content to the map through a variety of services ( like Panoramio and Wikipedia), resulting in a robust and useful map application.
All major Libyan cities and towns can be easily located and will be marked, as well as archaeological sites and points of interest. Panoramio and Wikipedia links will also be available, as well as the useful GPS Coordinates feature, so any point can be pinpointed and GPS coordinates gathered.
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January13
Libyan Currency, Banks, and ATMS
Libyan currency is called the Libyan Dinar and is subdivided into 1,000 dirham (often abbreviated LD or LYD). It is issued by the Central Bank of Libya. Libya paper denominations are 50, 20, 10, 5, 1, 1/2, and 1/4 notes, and depict Qaddafi, Omar Mukhtar, and Libyan themes. Coin denominations (dirham) are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dirham and have a horseman design, and 1/2 and 1/4 dinar coins were issued in 2004 – but for practical purposes, coins are rarely used in Libya, most people using the 1/4 banknote.
In Libya, cash is definitely king — Libya is the quintessential cash society. From buying groceries to buying cars and homes with suitcases stuffed with Libyan Dinars, this is a country where plastic and credit is viewed as a curiosity. Libyans call their currency “jnii” (”jneh” in the East), and similarly to how 1,000 is called “1 G”, one thousand dinars is called a “kilo.” The currency exchange rate with the dollar is roughly one 1.23 Libyan Dinars for every U.S. Dollar. ( as of Jan.2010)
ATMS are sparsely found in Libya, most being concentrated in Tripoli in a few banks, and some hotels and upscale shops and restaurants. Visa and Mastercard are accepted cards. It would be wise to bring cash with you when traveling to Libya (EUROS or U.S. Dollars) and converting them at the airport/hotel/bank, as some ATMS may not work properly with international credit/debit cards. If you do bring your card, don’t forget to contact your credit card company beforehand and let them know you’re traveling to Libya as it may be considered unusual by your credit card company to see statements from Libya and it may be denied.
Major banks include Jamahiriya Bank, Umma Bank, Sahara Bank, and the private Bank of Commerce and Development. We recommend the latter, they seem to be the most progressive and “modern” compared to the other banks, and offer more services and professionalism, though others are catching up and modernizing rapidly.
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December31
Happy New Year, from Libya Expeditions
That time of the year has come again ! The beginning of a new year, a time to reflect on the past year (and check the balance book!), and celebrate the new year.
The past year, 2009, has been an eventful and exciting one for all of us here at Libya Expeditions; and 2010 promises to be even better ! We’d like to wish all our customers, readers, employees, friends, family, and partners a happy new year, and a prosperous and healthy 2010.
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December18
Libyan Cartoonist Mohamed Zwawi
Mohamed Zwawi, born in 1936 in Benghazi, is undoubtedly the most famous Libyan cartoonist and caricaturist Libya has produced.
His works have been widely acclaimed and recognized in Libya and abroad for their masterful and satirical depictions of all aspects of Libyan life and his work; released in several volumes, is a deep social and political synopsis of Libya, it’s people and culture.
Zwawi’s work encompasses a range of themes and issues of Libyan culture and society, mainly focusing on political and cultural hypocrisies, and the rift between the deeply conservative and religious older generation of Libyans and their reactions to a changing world and the younger, Westernized generation of Libyans brought up on Western music, TV, and ideals.
Zwawi’s tongue-in-cheek humor and biting sarcastic style has made him the Libyan “King of Satire”.
Check out the below videos to see more of Zwawi’s work -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T0yVMjh52M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVyh2LslIv8
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November29
Libyans celebrate Eid
Eid in Libya
Libyans celebrated Eid (Eid Al-Adha) en masse this past weekend, and it happened to coincide with another holiday … Thanksgiving !
Unlike Western holidays, most Islamic holidays (Eid included) are calculated based on the Lunar calendar - and thus, Muslim holidays fall on different days every year and rotate throughout the seasons. This can mean that Eid starts and ends slightly ahead or before other parts of the world - so EID may start in Indonesia , but not start in Libya until a day later when the moon is sighted.
Eid Al-Adha -- "The Feast of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" -- is the most important Muslim holiday of the year, celebrated by Muslims worldwide over three days to commemorate the act of willingness and obedience to God that Abraham displayed in his act to sacrifice his son - it shouldn't be confused with Eid-Al-Fitr, which takes place at the end of Ramadan and before Eid-Al-Adha.
Eid-Al-Adha can be compared to Christmas and Thanksgiving rolled into one -- it's a joyous time of family, friends, and relatives, food, and merriment. The cries of "Eid Mubarak", which means Happy Eid, are heard throughout the day.The way a turkey symbolizes Thanksgiving, lamb/mutton is the symbolic meal eaten by Muslims for Eid.
The streets are brightened with colorful lights, delicious pastries and sweets and mint tea are served to guests, children and adults wear new clothes, and presents exchanged. Copious amounts of food are served, and children play while adults tend to barbecues and visiting friends and relatives.
Above all, Eid is a time for reflection, a time for happiness, and family.
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