Libya: Photographs from Rich, Vibrant and Historic Times · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.
British-Libyan surgeon and humanitarian who writes under the pen name Amal Al-Leebi went nostalgic and published some old pictures from previous visits to Libya on his Twitter account, @libyansrevolt, to show the Libya he remembers.
@libyansrevolt: Just looking back at some old #Libya pics from previous visits…
Marcus Aurelius arch by night in Tripoli old city. Photo by @libyansrevolt.
He began with photographs of the coastal city of Tripoli – photos showing the city markets where vegetable vendors are located by roadsides, brass workers in the alleys or “Zangas” of the old city, and even those who sell ostrich eggs.
In addition, he shares other photos which show the historic features of the city, such as the Ottoman castle Al-Saraaya Al-Hamra (the Red Castle) which is located Tripoli old city, and hosts a national museum of Roman architecture, mosaics and sculptures.
Other photos showed Gaddafi's slogan and banners all over the city, Martyrs Square, which Gaddafi changed its name later to Green Square.
Ousban, a famous Libyan dish similar to spicy haggis. Photo by @libyansrevolt.
He then goes to Leptis Magna, which was a prominent city of the Roman Empire, and its ruins are located in Al Khums, 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. He took many photos of the ruins there:
The Colosseum of Leptis Magna Libda, a common landmark in many Mediterranean cities. Photo by @libyansrevolt.
Leptis Magna is one of UNESCO World Heritage sites, and this is what made Amal recommend anyone to pay it a visit if they ever travel to Libya, and he also added: “If any of this place is damaged whoever is responsible should pay”.
Antique Mosque – Dates back to the year 668 AD. Photo by @libyansrevolt.
He then added photos of his uncle's farm, the Libyan desert with its sand dunes, palm trees, dams and thousands of years old clay cities.
GaberOun oasis in the middle of the Libyan desert. The water is saltier than the Dead Sea! You just float! Photo by @libyansrevolt.
Qasr Elhaj, an ancient grain granary from the inside in Jebel Nafusa. Photo by @libyansrevolt.
Finally, he was also taken by a local to a mountain where he photographed an ancient cave art that dates back to 5,000 ~ 10,000BC. He added that there are many of cave paintings from ancient times, especially in Acacus mountains, however, unfortunately, some have been damaged with graffiti.
This post is part of our special coverage Libya Uprising 2011.