Part of the castle has been restored but much work is needed to be done.
The gardens are really special.
Each courtyard had a different style of fountain in the middle.
Part of this area has been restored.
A doorway.
Archways and balconies.
Doorways.
A road in the castle.
A view of a courtyard.
Along the edge.
Looking down into a courtyard.
A door.
Along the roadway on the top front edge of the castle.
Another fountain. It's amazing to see these huge trees inside the castle courtyards.
A carved motif with words of welcome.
A cannonball, they have them all over the place!
All kinds of doors that made you want to just keep exploring. Unfortunately most of the doors were closed. Hopefully one day I will get another chance to see inside the castle. It was a wonderful opportunity today.
I remember the 1st time I came to Libya , we drove through the castle on that road . The castle was still used as a fortress then (a carry over from the Kingdom's time)and wasn't a tourist attraction yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks Khadija for the inside photos you reminded me of the good times I had as a kid in on a school visit there .
ReplyDelete7mada historical sites are all second best in Libya regardless of where they are located :(
Anonymous my parents tell me it was lovely when one could drive through it , the sea used to reach the walls of the castle .
Masha'Allah it's beautiful! Insha'Allah one day I'll get to visit....Keep posting pics sis, I like pretending to be there :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the nice pictures Khadija, It's the first time I see the inside of this castle. You gave me a little hope, I was thinking that there must be an archeological disaster hiding behind those closed doors. Like if the state is using the building in a way or another…I was thinking like many AC's popping out of the historic walls of the castle! But surprisingly, it looked in a good shape for me in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I know the Libyan " Government" is not taking any care of the architectural heritage of this country. But who said we should wait to a bunch of unqualified, uneducated ministers and state officials to take care of our history!!
I have been privileged enough to meet some Libyan people dedicated to this purpose- maintaining as much as possible Libyan historic sites- and you'll be surprised of how great those people are! One of them has even discovered some sites by himself and took the cases of another sites to the courts and yes, He won! and did really stopped the destructing of some sites. We went on a tour and he showed me those sites and all the stories and fights he had to go through to achieve the great goals he set for himself; Maintaining as much as possible of the Libyan historic sites!
It's not an easy task, it sure worth trying, and at the end of the day it's way much better than the famous complaining of the Libyans. We gotta act some day… It's our history and we are part of the crime if insisted on complaining about what the government should/shouldn't do for ever!
Yousef,
ReplyDeleteAt the opening of the event at the castle a man spoke from the Archiological society(I believe that's where he was from) - He was very enthusiastic about preserving the sites of Libya. The problem is a huge task - that needs not only lots of funding but most importantly th specialists to document everythng and also the craftsmen that can do the work.
It must be remembered that these buildings are very old and were built using old methods that are done only by a handful of skilled craftsmen. - But there is hope. He said he is being sent to the US to discuss preserving these sites with specialists in the field of archilogical preservation. There is hope in site!
Youcef,
ReplyDeleteI know for sure that Libya uses much time and money to restaurate the ancient heritage, such as in Lebdah, in Sabrata and in Sousa. And I think the effort is much greater these days due to the new tourism potential.
But much schould (and probably will) be done yet. Last time I visited Sabrata and Labdah I saw both excavation work as well as restauration work take place.
Believe it or not, there was actually a guard running after me because I put my empty cola can on top of a monument in Labdah. He told me to throw it in the one of the trash bins! Yes, I AM talking about Libya...
In Egypt one of the things striking me was the lack of restauration of Islamic Egyptian heritage; while the Pyramids, AbolHul and other ancient sites were cared for, Egyptians failed to do anything about the old Cairo mosques. A sister I was travelling with actually wept when she saw how the Amr ibn alAas Mosque was crumbling.
Thank you Khadija for this great effort. Actually, the tourism authority should pay you for that or at least they should allow you to explore and photograph more of this precious city.
ReplyDeleteTo others who are complaining and criticizing the authorities for not doing much for the restoration and well keeping of the Libyan archeological sites. Glad to see this enthusiasm and care about their national heritage. Generally, we appreciate things when we loose them or need them badly. To invest in such archeological sites you have to expect some revenue as a result. As one of our bloggers already said; Libya is on the track to launch a big campaign to attract tourism. This will justify the expenditure and care that will be devoted to the archeological and cultural treasures. There is a reason to be optimistic.
Thanks Mohamed! - It would be a great honor if I were asked to be allowed to photograph more of the castle and learn more of it's rich history. :))
ReplyDeleteWe should be very happy that the castle is still in existence!Our people simply aren't capable of understanding the presevation of historical sites in Libya.They see it as an extra expense which we could do without!Again what is needed in Libya is PUBLIC AWARENESS!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pics Khadija.
Could you send seed from the tree you got from mothers? We lost that tree in one of the hurricanes and I miss it!
ReplyDeleteI will pick up some of the seeds and send them to you. :)
ReplyDelete