LIBYA:
Archaeology and Culture

Off limits to most Americans and Europeans since the mid-1980s, Libya’s rich history and culture have been little experienced by western tourists. This country boasts five UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Sabratha, the old town of Ghadames, and the rock art sites of Tadrart Akakus in the southern desert - and is a virtual treasure trove of archaeological remains. Its advantageous harbors and rich soil drew colonists from Phoenicia and Greece, and later attracted Roman, Byzantine and Arab conquerors. The legacy left behind by Libya’s past occupants - impressive temples, magnificent theaters, exquisite churches and formidable castles, all preserved to an astonishing degree - serve as a magnet to draw visitors today. Of equal fascination is the opportunity to experience modern Libya, its towns and villages, mosques and market places, which reflect an appealing mix of Arab and Berber culture.

Among the many places we will visit on this 15-day trip are the dramatically situated ruins of Cyrene, according to legend founded by a Greek named Battus in order to cure his stutter, and Leptis Magna, a Phoenician port re-founded as a Roman colony and later lavishly renovated by it most famous son, the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus. We will wander through the Berber oasis town of Ghadames, the “Jewel of the Sahara,” where the unique building plan protected residents from the strong sun, blowing sand and heat, and will also experience modern Libya, with a visit to “The Great Man-Made River,” a remarkable series of pipelines built by Colonel Qadhafi in 1984 to transfer drinking water for hundreds of miles.

Join a classical archaeologist and only 17 others to traverse this fascinating land.

ITINERARY: (B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

Day 1: Depart from New York's JFK Airport for our flight to Tripoli, Libya.

Day 2: Upon arrival into Tripoli, transfer to our hotel where we will stay for two nights. Gather this evening for our festive welcome dinner in a delightful local restaurant. (D)

Day 3: This morning's walk takes us to the Jamahiriya Museum, al-Saraya al-Hamra, built into the southeast corner of the city wall, overlooking the harbor. The existing plan of the main complex is Ottoman, with a mosque, harem and many courtyards, but the castle is undoubtedly built on the foundations of earlier fortresses. The intricate network of paths within the castle reflects the style of winding arcaded streets seen in the old city. The castle was renovated and re-opened in 1988 as the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Museum, housing cultural artifacts from all periods in Libya's history. This is Libya's primary archaeological museum. Sabratha, Leptis Magna, and Oea, now buried beneath the streets of Tripoli, made up the three cities of Tripolitania. Our explorations take us west of Tripoli this morning. Originally a Phoenician trading-post that served as an outlet for the products of the African hinterland, today the ruins of Sabratha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies spread along the glorious beach overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Still visible are the remains of the city's impressive buildings including the majestic amphitheater that dominates the site. With its fluted Corinthian columns and stunning bas relief carvings, it is considered the finest sites along the North African coast. After visiting the site and the adjacent museum, return to Tripoli. (B/L/D)

Day 4: On our drive to the Berber village of Ghadames, we will visit several interesting sites. Qsar al-Hajj, is not a castle but instead is a Berber granary. Tarmeisa is an abandoned ancient stone village sited on the peak of a mountain with spectacular views across the landscape. In Jadu the local people have created a private museum housing an ethnographic exhibit. Overnight two nights in the new Dar Sahara Hotel in Ghadames. This lovely hotel was designed in the Berber style and completed in 2004. (B/L/D)

Day 5: This morning we will walk through the ancient section of Ghadames, a living bridge between traditional and contemporary architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Known as 'The Jewel of the Sahara' this oasis town is certainly well preserved. The unique design of connecting roofs with covered alleyways between them allowed the inhabitants to pass freely from house to house without having to expose themselves to the strong sun, blowing sand and heat.All the walls are painted white to reflect the sun and give an additional cooling effect. In contrast to the stark appearance of the town's exterior, the insides of homes are beautifully decorated with intricate and colorful designs. In the evening we will drive outside of town to a picturesque spot in the Ras al-Ghoul (Mountain of Ghosts) to watch the sun set over the desert. From here we can see Algeria and Tunisia. Along the way we stop to explore the ruins of Qasr al-Ghoul (Castle of the Ghost), believed to be haunted by the specters of the Islamic soldiers who died here during a 7th century siege of the fort. (B/L/D)

Day 6: Visit the village of Nalut to see another Berber family granary. And then it's on to Gharyan where troglodyte houses, homes built underground, were shelter from the intense heat. Gharyan is a pottery making town and while here, stop to see exhibits of this craft. Dinner and overnight in Yefrin in the Yefrin Hotel. (B/L/D)

Day 7: This morning's drive takes us east along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to glorious Leptis Magna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Begun as a trading port for the ancient people of Phoenicia around 1000 BC, it later became part of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. Leptis Magna was associated with the Roman Empire for more than 600 years and was known as the birthplace of the legendary Roman emperor, Lucius Septimius Severus.His arch, erected in A.D. 203 to honor the illustrious ruler, contains highly decorated panels alongside Corinthian columns. This monument forms the imperial entrance to North Africa's most renowned city. Centuries of blowing sand hid and protected the stately buildings. Today they stand as a glorious reflection of Rome in Africa. We will spend the afternoon onsite. Overnight at the simple Hotel Zlitan. (B/L/D)

Day 8: Spend the morning in Leptis Magna. After lunch return to Tripoli with stop at Villa Sileen, a Byzantine villa set directly on the seashore. The well-preserved mosaics and painted frescoes of this 20-room villa illustrate the comfort and luxury available to those with wealth. We return to Tripoli with dinner in a local restaurant. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Morning flight to Benghazi. In the afternoon drive to see an ambitious project, called Great Man-Made River, that was begun in Libya in 1984 by the country's leader, Col. Qadhafi. This goal of this ‘river of pipelines’ is to transfer water from deep fossil aquifers under the southern desert for hundreds of miles to the coastal cities. We will visit the project to see the huge reservoirs. Overnight in the Hotel Tibesti in Benghazi. (B/L/D)

Day 10: Today we journey further east and along the way visit two outstanding sites. Teucheira, or Tokra, was founded by the Greeks during the 7th century BC and was one of the five cities of the Greek Pentapolis. In 96 B.C. Teucheira came under Roman domination and flourished during the 1st and 2nd centuries. The beautiful ruined city is sited on the edge of the sea and was celebrated for its worship of Cybele, in whose honor annual festivals were held. Then it's on to Qasr Libya, site of a Byzantine fort and church dating back to the reign of the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD. A floor of stunning mosaic panels was discovered in 1957, the majority of which are now housed in the on-site museum. The mosaics depict pagan subjects as well as human and animal figures, with one panel depicting the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Our final stop is at Ptolemais, or Tolmeita. Named after Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the Egyptian ruler in whose reign it was founded during the 3rd century B.C., it was originally a Hellenistic mercantile city. During the 3rd century A.D., following a decline in the importance of Cyrene, it became the capital city of the region. Archaeological excavations have revealed a forum, parts of the aqueduct, the amphitheater, and an elaborately decorated Hellenistic Palace dating back to the first century B.C. The opulent two-story villa once belonged to a noble inhabitant and contains large rooms with mosaic floors and marble paneling.Dinner and overnight for three nights in al-Manara Hotel on the beach at Apollonia. (B/L/D)

Day 11: The Jebel al-Akhdar is an extremely beautiful stretch of mountains. Also known as the Green Mountains, this part of Libya is indeed a verdant emerald color due to the higher rainfall than in other parts of the country. Today's drive is through the dramatic scenery of Ras al-Hillal where these towering mountains fall to the azure sea. Our first destination is Ras al-Hillal Church with mosaic floors still intact. Nearby L'Atrun, is dramatically sited on a lofty bluff above the Mediterranean. Within the sanctuary are two exquisite Byzantine churches. The well-preserved Western Church has still-standing walls, and inside, the marble panels and pillars are marked with carved Byzantine crosses. Libya's only known cult shrine that pre-dates the Greeks, Slonta is found hidden high in the mountain forests. Within the stone grotto are carvings of human faces and animals found nowhere else in the country. Nothing is known about this mysterious place of worship, but while visiting this quiet place, we will see that the effort it took to construct the figures lends a sense of its sanctity. (B/L/D)

Day 12: The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Cyrene is a visual feast - gloriously sited 2000 feet above the Mediterranean on the side of the Jabal Al-Akhdar and framed by verdant evergreen forests. Climbing into the mountains, gain glimpses of this Greek city's former grandeur as we pass tombs carved into the hillside and look up to see the striking Sanctuary of Apollo dominating the lower slope.The Great Baths were built along side the Sanctuary, and are characterized by elaborate decoration, marble walls and floors, mosaic and spectacularly vaulted roofs. Higher up the hill, are the major civic buildings, including as well as shops, theatre and temples. Encircled by tall stately Doric columns, the Gymnasium was built in the 2nd century B.C. by the Greeks. The Romans converted it into the Forum. In the main square lies the tomb of Battus, the city's founder. If available, we will join the Oberlin College Project's Prof. Saleh Agab Alhasi of Omar Mukhtar University and spend the entire day with him in the city's celebrated remains. (B/L/D)

Day 13: Begin the day in Sousa, or Apollonia, the ancient harbor for Cyrene. Most of what remains today dates from the Byzantine era when Apollonia was known as the "City of Churches." Continue to Al Baeda to walk through the Temple of Aesclepius, rarely visited by tourists. Silphium, also known as silphion or laser, an extinct plant possibly of the genus Ferula, brought fame and wealth to this area. This important plant is shown on the column capitals in the Temple. Drive back to Benghazi in time for our evening flight to Tripoli. Overnight for two nights. (B/L/D)

Day 14: Tripoli is a beautiful city rich in history and with a wealth of magnificent sites. It is Libya's western capital and biggest port. The city is divided into two sections - the new and old cities. The ancient walled medina has a street plan that was laid down in the Roman period when the walls were constructed on the landward sides against attacks from the interior of Tripolitania. The high fortifications survived many invasions. In the 8th century the Muslim ruler built a wall on the sea-facing side of the city. Three great gates gave access to the town, Bab Zanata on the west, Bab Hawara on the southeast and Bab Al-Bahr in the north wall. Our final dinner party will be in a stylish restaurant overlooking the Bab al-Bahr Gate. (B/L/D)

Day 15: Depart for USA (or fly to Sebha to begin Akakus extension). (B)

TADRART AKAKUS EXTENSION:

The mountainous region of Tadrart Akakus, located in the southwestern corner of Libya, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Scattered throughout many of the area's wadis, great gorges cut into the sandstone by ancient waterways, are spectacular painted and pecked cave art. Thousands of years ago, the barren sands of the Libyan Sahara were lush verdant grazing lands filled with wildlife. Then the climate changed dramatically. The region’s paintings and petroglyphs give evidence of this change.

The reasons to visit the Akakus are many - stunning rock art, dramatic desert landscapes sculptured by the wind into a spectacular world of rock formations, and endless sweeping golden dunes.

Please note that there are no hotels in the Akakus Mountains. Camping is required to visit this World Heritage Area, and to sleep on the soft sand with the night sky's blanket of brilliant stars overhead is an unforgettable experience.

Day 1: Transfer to the airport for the flight from Tripoli to Sabah, located in southern Libya.  Camp for the next seven nights. (D)

Day 2: Begin our drive south in 4-wheel drive vehicles to Wadi Methkandoush. Here, on a towering sandstone cliff-face, fine carvings of numerous animals, some as old as 12,000 years, are displayed. Depictions of elephants, hippopotamus, fighting cats, crocodiles, giraffes and ostriches suggest that in the past there existed a more hospitable climate with abundant water.   (B/L/D)

Day 3: As we drive further into the remote desert, we will skirt the edge of the immense Murzuk Sand Sea, one of the world's greatest sand dune deserts covering an area almost the size of Switzerland.  Then we reach the Akakus region and Wadi Tashwinat. Here countless wadis, or valleys, were created by rain runoff thousands of years ago. Today, these deep gorges are filled with famed painted art.  (B/L/D)

Day 4 - 5: Continue deeper through magnificent scenery into the mountains to view the profusion of superb Neolithic cave paintings. Enjoy lively scenes of people hunting, herding, dancing and even a representation of a woman being dressed for her wedding. The images are exquisite; the ancient artists' ability to create a sense of motion and fluidity in the animals and people they depict, allows a rare glimpse into their way of life. (B/L/D) 

Day 6: As we leave Wadi Tashwinat, drive  through Wadi Awis with a stop to see images of domesticated animals. Then it's on to Ghat. Located on the border with Algeria deep in the Libya Sahara, Ghat was built as a protective outpost and trading center for caravans crossing the desert. Today the old town, dominated by a picturesque Italian fort and the imposing massif of Kaf el Djenun, is mainly deserted. There will be time to explore the village, including the Touareg Mosque. (B/L/D)

Day 7: Today's drive takes us to Germa to visit the ancient walled mud city of Garama and royal cemetery of the great Garamantian Empire. This civilization held power in the Sahara for over 1000 years. Recent archaeological work has revealed that the desert civilization known to the Romans as the Garamantes constructed almost a thousand miles of underground tunnels and shafts in order to mine long-buried fossil water. These remarkable people are the ancestors of the present-day Tuareg, the famed "Blue Men of the desert "- because their robes are frequently dyed indigo blue.

Day 8: Today's change of scenery takes us to the lakes of Ramlat Dawada in the Ubari-Erg area. We will visit several of the beautiful palm-fringed lakes including Mavo, Gabaroun (where there is an opportunity for swimming) Oum al-maa, and Mandara. We take the evening flight from Sabha to Tripoli and overnight. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Join the main tour (or fly back to the USA). (B)

(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

OCTOBER 2008 STUDY LEADER: Dr. Kyra Nourse received her BA (Cum Laude) from Whitman College, and her MA and her PhD in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania. A specialist in Ancient Greece and Rome, Dr. Nourse has taught at Whitman College and University of Pennsylvania. She has received numerous awards including The Robert Y. Fluno Award for Distinguished Teaching at Whitman College. Dr. Nourse is an outstanding teacher with a warm personality. Her expertise in ancient history well qualifies her to lead a tour through a region that preserves some of the finest Greco-Roman buildings in the world.

MARCH 2009 STUDY LEADER: Dr. Jennifer Tobin received her BA in Classical Studies from Stanford University and her PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1991. From 1992-97, she was an Assistant Professor at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey. In 1997, she returned to the United States and is now an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has worked on archaeological projects in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey and is a specialist on both the Greeks and the Romans. Dr. Tobin's enthusiasm and fun-loving personality make her an enjoyable traveling companion.

TRIP DATES:
October 3-17, 2008 (Akakus Extension: October 17 - 25, 2008)
March 13 - 27, 2009 (Akakus Extension: March 5 - 14, 2009)

TRIP LAND COST:
October 2008: $7,295.00 (per person, double occupancy)
March 2009: $8,195.00 (per person, double occupancy)
Land cost includes all hotels; most meals (as listed in the itinerary); entry fees; and land transportation.
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $995.00. Should a roommate be requested and one not be available, the single supplement will be charged.

AKAKUS PRE-TRIP EXTENSION COST:
October 2008: $3,195.00 (per person, double occupancy)
March 2009: $3,295.00 (per person, double occupancy)
AKAKUS EXTENSION SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $375.00.

COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: International airfare from New York’s JFK to Tripoli; the separate check for $100.00 to go to 'Oberlin College'; passport or visa fees; airport or departure taxes; beverages or food not included on regular menus; laundry; excess baggage charges; personal tips; alcoholic drinks; telephone and fax charges; or other items of a personal nature.

REGISTRATION: A deposit of $500.00 along with a separate check made out to 'Oberlin College' (with 'to be used for the Cyrenaica Archaeological Project' written in the subject line) is required along with your registration form. Final payment is due 75 days before departure. Upon receipt of your deposit, the donation check, and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and a clothing and equipment list. An information book designed for this trip, including maps of archaeological sites and articles of pertinent interest will be sent upon receipt of final payment.

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS: Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will receive a refund less a $250.00 administrative fee. Cancellations received less than 75 days before the departure date will not receive a refund. If for any reason you are unable to complete the trip, Far Horizons will not reimburse any fees. Upon registering for the trip the purchase of travel protection with both trip cancellation and emergency evaluation is stro-ngly advised.

TADRART AKAKUS EXTENSION: The extension is designed to spend time in the fifth UNESCO World Heritage area, located near the country's southwest border east of the city of Ghat. The region offers spectacular desert and mountain scenery and breathtaking prehistoric rock paintings and carvings, some of which date back 12,000 years. To visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, we must travel in four-wheel drive vehicles and camp for six nights. Please note the dates of the extension to know whether this is a pre-trip or post-trip extension.

PRIVATE TOURS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: The private tours of archaeological sites and talks by specialists are scheduled in advance and include a donation to each. Specialists working at these sites are excited about showing their work to interested enthusiasts. However, please be aware that there may be times when the director or a member of the staff may not be onsite when our groups arrive due to other commitments, or that the date or time of our visit to their project must change.

DONATION CHECK: The cost of the trip does not include the separate donation check for $100.00 (per person) to Oberlin College/Cyrenaica Archaeological Project. As a tour company that benefits from the historical, cultural and natural riches of our destinations, we have a policy of donating to scholars, archaeological and cultural projects, and museums in each of our destinations. This has created a bond with the academic community that allows you to gain an 'insider's view' of work being done in each country. Please see information on the Cyrenaica Archaeological Project on their website - www.cyrenaica.org. Your donation check will go directly to the project's budget.

THE CYRENAICA (CYRENE) ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT After a hiatus of 23 years, the Cyrenaica Archaeological Project is resuming work at the World Heritage Site of Cyrene. Directed by Prof. Susan Kane of Oberlin College, and with a team of international experts, including Prof. Donald White (University of Pennsylvania), Prof. Vince Gaffney (University of Birmingham), Prof. Sam Carrier (Oberlin College), and Dr. Donato Attanasio (ISM-CNR, Rome), the CAP is developing plans for a cultural heritage management system for the city of Cyrene as well as a collaborative landscape archaeology study of the eastern Cyrenaica. The latter study will be done in collaboration with Prof. Saleh Agab Alhasi of Omar Mukhtar University in Al-Beida and his students. With this work, the CAP hopes to characterize the nature, pattern, and dynamics of human habitation and land use in the city of Cyrene and its territory.

NOTE ABOUT TRAVEL IN LIBYA: Libya has been without tourists for almost 20 years and the tourism infrastructure is new and immature. Guides may not be as knowledgeable or educated as we would like. Most of the so-called 4- and 5-star hotels were nationalized and are run by the government; they have not been maintained well, are not always clean, and generally are not up to American standards. Recently new hotels in several cities have been built using private money. When possible, we will stay in these hotels though they are sometimes small and simple. Your flexibility and patience will be appreciated.

LIMITED TO 18 PARTICIPANTS

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