VOA's Middle East Correspondent Elizabeth Arrott has traveled to Libya during the Gadhafi years, the uprising and under the new government. Even during conflict, she was struck by the beauty of what tourist guides now tout as a country re-opening for business.
Libya as a Tourist Destination
This 2009 file photograph shows the ruins of Sabratha, a Phoencian, later Roman port city, that has drawn tourists for centuries. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Rebels accused Gadhafi troops of stashing weapons at Sabratha, a UNESCO world heritage site, so they would not be bombed. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Under Gadhafi, Libya's tribes were both celebrated and manipulated. These tribesmen were photographed in August, 2009. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Camels scrounge for scarce resources near Badri, eastern Libya, in this March, 2011 file photo. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Much of Libya's coast remains undeveloped. This photograph was taken near Berdi, April 2011. (VOA-E. Arrott)
The ruins of Cyrene provide pasture land for local cows. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Pillagers have been stealing from Libya's archaeological sites for centuries. These statues are at at Cyrene. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Italian colonial rulers left an arborial heritage seen near Cyrene. (VOA-E. Arrott)
For those along the coast, and that is most of Libyans, the sea plays a central role, Benghazi, June 2011. (VOA-E. Arrott)
Libyan girls in traditional dress near Benghazi in June, 2011. (VOA-E. Arrott)
A mosque in Tripoli, once reserved for Gadhafi's inner circle, now open to all is seen in this August, 2011 file photo. (VOA-E. Arrott)
A simpler mosque, near Berdi. (VOA-E. Arrott)