I recently learned about this beautiful place while watching the news. I'd never heard of it and in 2:40 minutes I was extremely awed and extremely concerned. The news story was titled "Is Gadhafi Putting Ancient Ruins at Risk?" - check it out. Leptis Magna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This map shows the site's layout.
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| Amphitheatre |
Right by the sea, it is one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean. The city appears to have been founded by Phoenician colonists sometime around 1100 BC.
This report that Leptis Magna is being used as a cover for tanks and military vehicles by pro-Gaddafi forces is a serious concern. When asked about the possibility of conducting an air-strike on the historic site, NATO refused to rule out the possibility of such an action saying that it has not been able to confirm the rebel's report that weapons are being hidden at the location. (Source.) But as the news video stated, that is almost impossible to imagine, "it would be like bombing the Coliseum in Rome", its too important of a site. Here are some still shots if you haven't seen the video...
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| The Basilica |
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| Arch of Septimus Severus |
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| The Forum |
Hopefully the people of Libya, and the world, do not lose something so beautiful.
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