We are not the new Indiana Jones and we do not want you to become Indiana Jones in order to search the "lost City".

It is so amazing and beautiful when you decide to travel around for excursion and you discover new places and interesting sites that no one have talked about before or have been mentioned in any books.

The theatre of such discoveries and rare beauty is again the "Jabel El Gharbi" were several cities are built on the rocky mountain. Some are well preserved; some due to the geological conformation of the structure of the terrain are partially collapsed but all maintained their own dignity.

On my last excursion I made couple of new discoveries which I wish to share with you. The target was to look for the old mosque of "Buyahia" in Al Rujban and I found the new one since the old one collapsed.

From here I moved to Awlad Attia where a very old mosque Al Manara (dated 1100 circa) is preserved and surrounded by the new Madrassa. The next stop was Yefren where the old city is well preserved and lay in the escarpment below the new one.

The visiting, admiration of these unique examples of dwellings was not over. My major discovery is still to come.

Leaving Yefren I decided to head towards Gharian by using the secondary road and suddenly appears to my vision something which is incredible and difficult to describe. Although I am having the classical "mirage" typical of the desert but as closer to the place I get and overcome the foggy scene I find myself staring at the "lost City".

Another beauty and another amazing site. While Tarmisa is constructed at the top of a cliff, my lost city is constructed on both sides of the gorge created by the mountains, starting at the top and ending at the bottom where a wadi was formed.

The habitants had to evacuate their city, because of the partial collapse of the mountain and in fear of further settlements, erosion and rock detachment; the city was abandoned and remained as jewelry on the ring.

The old little mosque is also a masterpiece of construction and remained intact avoiding by miracle the big rock rolling down. The water well still produces water which is used by the villagers.

The new city was constructed on the top of the mountain and all the residents of the old city have moved here. The new city was named as the old, Ghila.
The old Ghila was a real find. You can walk around and each corner is a surprise, each angle of view is a beauty and you remain enchanted. Ghila did reserve other surprise; in fact while driving back, my eyes were caught by something stunning, on my left hand side.

From far away the first though was an obelisk than when I got closer I did realized that another Roman treasury was left behind. It was a simple Roman Mausoleum: the Mausoleum of Ghila

Many were the nice emotions we had in one day in a beautiful part of Libya. We will keep and treasure the experience preparing for a new one.


By Franco Caparrotti
(Photo by F. Caparrotti)