Rhapsody :: Excursions :: Libya

Magnificent Leptis Magna

Leptis Magna has deservedly earned a reputation of having the most complete and impressive Roman ruins in the entire North Africa. Leptis Magna was originally a Berber settlement turned into a trading post by the Phoenicians. From the 6th century BC Leptis Magna was probably subdued by Carthage, becoming part of the Roman Empire in 111 BC. As many as 80,000 inhabitants lived in the city and its splendour profited from the love emperor Septimus Severus (193-211) felt for his native town. Much of the best at the present site date back to this period. The town had a steady income from slave trade, gold, ivory, metals, plus agriculture which was richer in those days.

The number of great monuments in Leptis Magna makes it difficult to point out highlights. Undoubtedly the theatre is clearly one, having splendid views from its upper tiers. Its diameter is 70 meters and large parts of the structure have kept their ornamentation with statues adorning the theatre. The Hadrian Baths are still impressive and one of the pools measuring 28 X 15 meters remains intact. This bathhouse was one of the largest ever built outside Rome.

You will also visit the Severan Arch, the Palaestra or Sports Ground, the Nymphaeum, the Colonnaded Street, the Severan Forum, the Severan Basilica, the Harbour, the Arch of Trajan, the Arch of Tiberius and the Market. Take time out at a local restaurant to enjoy a simple but tasty Libyan lunch and continue with a visit to the Leptis museum at the ancient site providing background information and documentation making everything seen earlier much more meaningful.

A short drive to the site’s partly excavated last monument, The Circus, will be the next stop. With its size of 450x100 meters it was one of the largest ever built in the entire Roman world and it is the only one of its kind in Libya today.

A final short stop for photographs at the Old Port of Leptis near the Circus will take place before returning to Tripoli.

Special Notes:
Tour suitable for elderly people who can walk and stand for long intervals.

Not wheelchair accessible.

Comfortable walking shoes, sun hat and bottle water recommended.

Buses are a/c but not toilet equipped.

Toilets are available at the entrance of Leptis Magna site and at restaurant.

No camera or video fees at sites.

Tour Timings:

Tours begin at times suitable for the ship's arrival in port. The breakdown of the excursions is as follows:

00hr00 -> Excursion departs from Tripoli Port

00hr00 -> 02hr00 Drive to Leptis Magna

02hr00 -> 03hr30 Visit main site