Aerial photographer Jason Hawks flew in a helicopter along the Mediterranean coast of Libya and photographed Tripoli from above, as well as the world famous tourist attractions of Libya - the ancient Greek and Roman ruins at Leptis Magna and Sabrat.
Jason Hawkes has specialized in aerial photography since 1991. He lives in the suburbs of London, and works and publishes around the world.
The ruins of Sabrat - an ancient city in the Sirtik region (later called the Tripolitania region) in the northwest of modern Libya. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
The differences between the country's two main regions - Tripolitania and Cyrenaica - have their roots in ancient times. In the 4th century. BC. Cyrenaica was colonized by the Greeks, then conquered by the army of Alexander the Great, then it was under the control of the Ptolemaic dynasty and already from them in 96 BC. went to the Roman Empire. Crete was also part of the Roman province of Cyrenaica. Tripolitania was initially in the zone of influence of Phenicia, and then Carthage. Ultimately, both areas became the possessions of the Roman Empire, however, with its division, Cyrenaica became part of the eastern possessions, while Tripolitania remained under the direct control of Rome. In 455, vandals attacked the territory of Libya from the west, but in 533 the troops of Emperor Justinian managed to drive them out of the country. In 642–644, the Arab cavalry invaded Libya,and the country became part of the Arab Caliphate, but until the 11th century. the local population was not converted to Islam. After the Arab conquest, Cyrenaica moved closer to Egypt, while Tripolitania became part of the western Arab world (Maghreb).
Between 1517 and 1577 Libya was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and until 1711 was ruled by governors from Istanbul. In 1711-1835, the local dynasty of Karamanli was established in Libya, which nominally remained loyal to the sultan. In 1835 the country came under the direct control of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan personally appointed the wali, who had full power in Libya, turned into a vilayet (province).
The Roman theater, temples of Serapis and Isis have been preserved in Sabrat. The latter is just visible in this photo. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
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Italy, which began to seize on the territory of Libya in 1911, encountered stubborn armed resistance from the local population. Until 1922, the Italians managed to maintain control only over some coastal areas, and only by 1932 did they manage to subjugate the entire country. Until 1934, Cyrenaica and Tripolitania were considered separate colonies of Italy, although they were under the rule of one governor-general. Under Mussolini in 1939, Libya was incorporated into Italy.
During the Second World War, Libya became an arena of fierce hostilities, and in 1943 it was occupied by the Allied troops. Under the peace treaty of 1947, Italy lost all rights to the territory of its former colony, the fate of which was to be decided during negotiations between France, Great Britain, the USA and the USSR. It was envisaged that if within a year the great powers could not come to an acceptable agreement, the fate of the country would be decided by the UN. In November 1949, the UN General Assembly decided to grant independence to Libya until January 1, 1952.
Roman theater in Sabrat. This ancient city is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to the west of Tripoli. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
In 1950-1951, the National Constituent Assembly was held, which included an equal number of representatives from all three regions of the country. The deputies of the assembly adopted a constitution and in December 1951 approved the emir of Cyrenaica, Mohammed Idris al-Senusi, as king of Libya. On December 24, 1951, an independent federal kingdom was proclaimed, which included the provinces of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan.
Independent Libya inherited a very poor and mostly illiterate population. In exchange for substantial economic and technical assistance, the Libyan government allowed the United States and Great Britain to maintain their military bases in the country. Since the country lacked lawyers and teachers, specialists from Egypt were invited to civil service.
This is a general view of the ancient city of Sabrata. In 1982 UNESCO ranked Sabrata as a cultural heritage site. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
The second decade of the country's independent development path was strikingly different from the first. Oil export revenues poured into Libya allowed the government to refuse foreign aid, and it canceled the agreement on the maintenance of American and British military bases on its territory. In 1963, the federal structure was abolished, taking into account the peculiarities of the historical development and traditions of the three parts of the country, and Libya was declared a unitary state.
On September 1, 1969, a group of young army officers led by Muammar Gaddafi overthrew the regime of King Idris I. The country was named the Libyan Arab Republic, and all power passed to the Revolutionary Command Council. Gaddafi ruled the country in accordance with his proclaimed principle of "Islamic socialism" and was determined to reduce Libya's dependence on foreign influence. By 1973, 51% of the shares of all foreign oil companies had been transferred to the state. An important step was the nationalization of the retail network for the sale of petroleum products and gas, as well as the introduction of a state monopoly on the export of petroleum products. At the initiative of Gaddafi, the process of strengthening national sovereignty was carried out in the country: foreign military bases were withdrawn from Libya, the nationalization of foreign property was carried out,control over the production and sale of oil was introduced. Many leading positions in the economy and other spheres of life were occupied by the citizens of the country. In the mid-1970s, after the deterioration of relations with Egypt, many Egyptians working in Libya were forced to leave it.
In 1977, M. Gaddafi, who served as Secretary General of the General People's Congress, became the head of state. The country stepped up measures to oust private capital from retail and wholesale trade and eliminate private ownership of real estate. Gaddafi proclaimed a foreign policy course to provide active assistance to “revolutionary movements and regimes opposing imperialism and colonialism,” and supported international terrorism. In 1979, he resigned, announcing his intention to devote himself to developing the ideas of the Libyan revolution. Nevertheless, Gaddafi remained a key figure in the country's political life.
3-storey Roman theater in Sabrat near. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
In the 1970s, oil prices on world markets rose significantly, leading to the accumulation of significant funds in Libya, which was an oil supplier to Western countries. Government revenues from oil exports went to finance urban development and the creation of a modern social security system for the population. At the same time, to increase the international prestige of Libya, huge sums were spent on the creation of a well-armed modern army. In the Middle East and North Africa, Libya acted as a bearer of the ideas of Arab nationalism and an uncompromising opponent of Israel and the United States. The sharp drop in oil prices in the mid-1980s led to a significant weakening of Libya. Meanwhile, the US administration accused Libya of aiding international terrorism, and on April 15, 1986, the US bombed several cities in Libya.
Aerial view of Tripoli and the Royal Palace. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
In 1992, sanctions were applied against Libya after Libyan citizens blew up two passenger airliners. She denied all charges and refused to extradite her citizens suspected of committing sabotage. In late 1993, Gaddafi proposed that the two Libyans accused of the Lockerbie plane bombing should be brought to trial in any country in the world, but the court had to be either Muslim, or the composition of the court had to consist entirely of Muslims. The proposal of the Libyan leader was rejected, and since 1992, UN sanctions have been renewed against Libya every six months, including the termination of military-technical cooperation and air traffic, the freezing of Libyan assets, a ban on the import of certain types of equipment for the oil industry into Libya, etc. After the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled on Chad's right to the Aouzu strip, occupied in 1973 by Libyan troops, Libya withdrew its troops from the area in 1994.
In September 1995, in a sign of dissatisfaction with the earlier peace agreements between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, Gaddafi announced the expulsion of 30 thousand Palestinians living there from Libya.
Martyrs' Square or Green Square is the landmark and main square of the city of Tripoli, Libya. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Well, then almost everything happened before our eyes …
The roofs of residential buildings in Tripoli. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
The large fountain at the Martyrs Square in Tripoli. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Residential areas of Tripoli from above. Every self-respecting resident has a satellite dish. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Ancient ruins on the coast near the city of Homs, Libya. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Leptis Magna is an ancient city in the region of Sirtika (later called the region of Tripolitania) on the territory of modern Libya. It flourished during the Roman Empire. Located near the modern city of Homs. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Due to its layout, the ancient city of Leptis Magna was named “Rome in Africa”. In 2011, during the civil war, the ruins were bombed by NATO aircraft. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Presumably the ancient city of Leptis Magna was founded around 1100 BC. e. View of the former amphitheater. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Leptis was the provincial capital of Byzantium. The photo shows a breakwater and a section of the Byzantine wall. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Leptis has impressive ruins from the Roman period. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Ruins of the ancient city of Leptis Magna. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Basilica of Septimius Severus in Leptis Magna. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
The impressive Roman amphitheater of Leptis Magne. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Roman amphitheater Leptis Magne. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):
Roman theater in Sabrat, Libya. (Photo by Jason Hawkes):