Memories of Libya 1956 to 1959

Contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A

Libyan History

Libya experienced rule under many different conquerors, but the Romans would probably be the ones who left the most evidence of their occupation when they departed. The sheer scale of their cities can be judged from the following pictures.

Leptis Magna (Lepcis Magna) is two mile east of the coastal town of Homs, now known as Al-Khums. Homs will be remembered by many troops in the fifties and sixties as a training base for the armoured regiments. 3 Royal Horse Artillery was the unit in camp during my time.

Leptis Magna is a world renowned site of Roman antiquity. It’s hard to imagine, looking at the height of the pillars, but the whole site was buried under the sands once it had been abandoned. It was that event that preserved so much of the ruins. It wasn’t until the early 1920s that the wind uncovered the top of a column and excavations started. Whilst I was there the archaeologists had just found a whole new section of the harbour.

This site map shows the location of the Severan Basilica pictured above.

The Frigidarium at Leptis Magna.

The ruins at Leptis Magna	The Theatre.
The Theatre Seating	Gymnasium and Hadrianic Baths.
The Market	The Arcade of the Severan Forum
The Turkish Baths	My Entrance Ticket.
A selection of photos taken on one of several visits to Leptis Magna.

A slightly more modern piece of history is shown by the calendar picture above which is of the monument to Omar al Mukhtar, the leader of the resistance against the occupation of Libya by the Italians. His picture is to the left. He was originally laid to rest there but his body was taken to his home village at a later date. The monument is to be found in Benghazi. My only visit to that area was when I passed through Benina Airport, flying by Eagle Airways on my way to Cyprus. The return trip was a hitchhike with the RAF in a cargo only Hastings from Nicosia, which touched down at RAF El Adem, the take-off from which airfield I still have nightmares about. The few seats which were fitted temporarily for the first part of the flight had been removed and I was requested to sit on the floor, as far forward as possible. Asking the pilot why, the answer was quite terse. “Because if you don’t we won’t get off the bl**dy ground.” He wasn’t far wrong, we were on the ground a long time before lurching into the air. Something to do with the excess temperature at that time of the day. To this day I still cross everything when flying.

The Arch of Marcus Aurelius stood back from the harbour front in the old sector of Tripoli City. It was of unusual construction in that the major parts were of marble, not the normal local stone. It was built around 163 AD. The old city was accessed by passing through the archway in the castle.

Tripoli Castle Museum or The Citadel.	Looking out from the old quarter of Tripoli

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First Published: 1st February 2008.

Latest Update: 15th December 2016.

Libyan History continued.