Clay and limestone sculptures bear witness to a rich legacy
Libya boasts "Marcos Arch" and the Red Serail
The Tripoli Citadel, known as the Red Serail, was built on the remains of a large Roman building.
UNESCO classified ancient Ghadames as a historic and protected city.
Emirates today
The exhibits of the pavilion represent evidence of the cultures and civilizations that followed Libya.
picture
A group of clay and lime carvings displayed in the main lobby of the Libyan pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is evidence of the cultures and civilizations that followed the “granary in the east”, the name that was given to Libya at the time of the Byzantine Empire, on which it relied as a trading center. It forms a link between the East and the West, and between Central Africa and the coasts of the Mediterranean.
Libya, in which the Berbers have lived since the Bronze Age, has a legacy of cultures and civilizations spanning thousands of years, as the Phoenicians established trading centers in western Libya, and the ancient Greeks established cities in the east, and the Persians, Egyptians and Greeks ruled it before it became part of the Roman Empire.
As for the Spanish Empire, it occupied Tripoli in the 16th century, followed by the rule of the Ottomans in 1551. Under an agreement between the Ottomans and Italy, Libya became an Italian colony from 1911 to 1943.
Pride in assets
The 21st Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus, who was born in 145 in the city of Leptis Magna, the capital of the Tripoli region at the time, was present among the sculptures of the Libyan pavilion, and historical references confirm his pride and pride in his Libyan origins. He built expansions in markets and theaters, and changed the capital from Rome to Leptis Magna.
During his rule, Libya witnessed a period of prosperity in agriculture and trade.
roman trace
Not far from Severus, in the pavilion appears a sculpture of the "Arc of Marcus Aurelius" located in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, a monument commemorating the Roman emperor who ruled between 160 and 180 AD.
The arch, which was built in 163 AD, is the only Roman monument remaining in the city of Tripoli. It is located in the Bab al-Bahr neighborhood north of the old city and is adjacent to the old Qarji Mosque.
The directions of the gates of the arch of the Roman Emperor Marcus represent the ruins of the ancient Phoenician city, on the ruins of which the Roman city was built.
Visitors to the pavilion will also be able to get acquainted with the Tripoli Citadel, known as “The Red Serail”, which is an ancient witness to the civilizations that settled in Libya, as it was built on the remains of a huge Roman building, believed to have been one of the temples or large baths, indicated by columns and huge marble crowns dating back to The first or second century AD, it was found below the road that passed through the castle from east to west.
palm oasis
The sculptures of the pavilion also overlook the city of Ghadames, located near the triangle of the borders of Libya with Tunisia and Algeria, which is described as a palm oasis, and is linked to the capital, Tripoli, through a 600-km road that passes under the Nafusa Mountains, which is the mountain chain extending from the city of Khums to the city of Nalut.
The old city of Ghadames was classified as a historic and protected city by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Among the evidence in the pavilion is also a model of the frigate "USS Philadelphia", which refers to an era in which Libya showed military heroism. The American frigate sailed off the coast of Tripoli on October 31, 1803, and ran aground in rocks outside the port of Tripoli, falling in the range of defenders. The Libyan escaping from the shore and its warships announced its surrender to the Tripolitans, and its captain and crew fell into the hands of the Pasha of Tripoli.
The crew of the frigate Philadelphia consisted of 307 personnel, including officers, and the ship's mast is still located at the corner of the "Hamra Serail" in Tripoli, overlooking Martyrs Square.
Benghazi lighthouse
The monuments in the Libyan pavilion included a model of the "Benghazi Lighthouse", which was built in 1922 on the Mediterranean coast, and is one of the most prominent manifestations of the Italian era in the city of Benghazi.
The 41-meter-high lighthouse was erected in the center of the modern city above the ancient Greek city of Bernic. The lighthouse lights up in a circular motion every three seconds with a white light, visible from 17 nautical miles away.