Libya - 8 October 2010 (1)

Cyrene

Sphinx in Museum

The Three Graces in Museum

Breakfast was really nice as pancakes were on the menu. It reminded me of when I lived in Peru and ate pancakes almost every morning. Strangely, I never went off pancakes, even though it took nearly eight years before I could eat omelettes again.  My Peruvian landlady had served them almost every evening.

Statues in Museum

Temple of Zeus

Anyway, enough about Peru. We were all ready to set out at 08.30 for a day packed with ancient ruins.  The drive to Cyrene was up some winding roads and through a pine forest.  It was Friday, but they opened the museum especially for us.  We were allowed to wander inside while we waited for our guide.  There were lots of statues and, most usefully, there were labels to indicate what and who they were.  When Idron arrived, he explained the most important items to us.

Temple of Zeus

Palaestra/Forum

Idron had taught himself English, so often pronounced things strangely.  At first, he was a bit difficult to follow, but I understood him better with practice.  He was very sweet and deserved full credit for making such an effort.

We got back on the bus to get to the Temple of Zeus.  This was a magnificent building, with very thick Doric columns.  Most of it was still standing.  After wandering round the temple, I spoke to three women who were sitting by the entrance.  One asked for my camera and took a photo of the temple.  I wasn’t even in it!

Theatre

Theatre beyond Site

Then the bus took us to the main site of Cyrene.  The first stop was the Greek palaestra, which was later used as the Roman forum, with a basilica attached.  We were given time to explore and went a bit further than Idron had intended, coming across the Odeon behind the palaestra.

Temple of Demeter

House of Jason Magnus

Back in our group, we crossed the main Roman street and its rather incongruous metal railway lines. We joked about how advanced the Romans were, but I guess that they had been used to move heavy stones during restoration work. There were other tracks on the approach to the palaestra and there had been some in Leptis Magna as well.  We visited a theatre and then a huge palace complex, the House of Jason Magnus.  From there we could see over the fence to an adjoining field where there was yet another, recently excavated theatre and the Temple of Demeter.

In Odeon waiting for a Song

Agora

We crossed back over the main street and entered the Odeon from the top of the seats.  We sat down to listen to Idron and have a rest.  Someone suggested that we try the acoustics and a volunteer was asked to sing.  I could not resist, so I made my way to the stage, pretending to be taking photos.  For some reason, the only song I could think of was So Long Farewell, so I sang the introduction to that.  It seemed to go down well and I was asked for an encore, so I sang the first verse of Fever.  This was one of the joys of having the sites almost to ourselves, although on this occasion there was also another couple and their private guide.  They clapped too, so my singing did not upset them.

Naval Monument

Dolphin on Naval Monument

It took quite a while to get to the end of the street because we visited every building of the acropolis.  There were a lot of mosaics left in situ on the left hand side of the street.  Although I tried not to step on them, there was no way to avoid doing so.  It seemed the normal thing to do.  The Acropolis ended at the Agora which contained some statues and a Naval Monument as well as the usual columns.

Caves on Far Slope

Greek Propylaea and Lower Site

At the end of the acropolis, there was quite a steep descent to the lower part of the site.  As we walked down, we could see that the hill on the far side was full of caves.  The descent also gave good views of the lower site and then the Greek Propylaea at the entrance.  Nearby was the Spring of Apollo.  It was a shame that there was so much rubbish as it could have been a lovely spot, with the sound of running water amplified by the caves and several pools and channels feeding off the spring.

Spring of Apollo

Temple of Apollo

The lower part of Cyrene had many temples, a Greek theatre which was converted into a Roman amphitheatre, and an impressive suite of Roman baths.  After exploring the area, we went for a coffee in a nearby café and sat outside.  My legs really appreciated the rest after all the walking we had done.

 

Roman Baths