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Libya

Culture & History

WARNING: Libya is currently unstable, please read this travel warning before going!

Personality, Culture, & Identity

Libya tends to gravitate to the news, or perhaps more accurately, the world tends to gravitate to Libya, now and in the past. Beginning with the time of Roman rule, the coasts were home to important trading, economic, and learning centers within the Roman Empire. Today, the country is in chaos as the people are still trying to find that which they seek. It is and always has been a country of extremes filled with people that may not always know what they want, but when they find it, they are persistent.

The people of Libya have almost always been divided from region to region, ethnicity to ethnicity, and political entity to political entity. The desert dwellers in the Sahara have prospered despite the unforgiving conditions, while the people of the coasts always used their resources to thrive. Each group has prospered due to each's willingness and ability to be opportunistic. This opportunistic attitude and competitiveness with other groups has made Libya what it is today.

Libyans generally view themselves by small family, tribal, or regional definitions. Historically, the people clung to their family and neighbors, having never truly been united as they are today, and this local pride has remained. Due to this, each individual may tell you that he or she identifies based on family, ethnicity, language, or region, but things are changing, especially with migration to cities. City dwellers are more likely to identify as a "Libyan," but the Berbers are likely to argue that they are not included in that definition and even many Arabs prefer to attach themselves to a regional, over a national, identity.

History

For much of Libya's early history, the land was occupied by the Berbers. These people were a group of loosely organized people who were later ruled by the Phoenicians, who were based in Carthage, located in modern day Tunisia. After Carthage fell in 146 BC, the Romans took the North African coast and truly took full control in the region of modern day Libya in about 100 AD. The Romans soon had a strong hold on the Libyan coast and built one of their greatest cities there, Leptis Magna.

After Roman influence fell, the next great influence on the coast came in the 600s with the Arab invasion. The Arabs converted most of the locals to Islam, but didn't completely control the region as they settled in relatively small numbers. In the 1000s the Arabs arrived in larger numbers from neighboring Egypt and altered the region's culture and livelihood, while destroying much of the region.

In the 1500s the Ottoman Turks and Spanish fought to control the coast. The Spanish first took Tripolitania (Tripoli and the coastal region around it), but soon after the Ottoman Turks secured Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (modern day Libya's eastern coast). The Ottomans did this with the help of pirates, who were given free reign over the coast. This quickly became a pirate coast, more commonly called the Barbary Coast. This rule continued until the late 1800s when the European powers and the United States wearied of the piracy and battled the pirates, ending their rule over the coast.

After the Ottoman rule ended, the coastal region was locally ruled as the deserts in the south essentially fell into chaos. For the most part, this ended with World War I (WWI) as the Italians and Ottomans fought and the Italians proved their superiority over the Turks by invading and taking what is today Libya. After WWI the Italians expanded the size of their colony at the expense of both Egypt and Tunisia. By the time World War II (WWII) broke out, Italy firmly held the region of modern day Libya and encouraged immigration to the region to secure it.

When WWII did break out, Libya became the base for both Germany's and Italy's North African campaign. Near the end of the war, the region was taken over by the Brits, who invaded from Egypt, which was held by the Brits at the time.

At the conclusion of WWII, Libya was divided between the French and Brits, but was soon given independence. Near this same time, Israel was formed and the Libyans proved to join the Arab nations in protest of the formation of this state. This led to an exodus of both Jews and Italians who once lived in Libya. With the exodus of these people, the new country was left with very few educated people, nearly no healthcare, and a struggling economy.

In the 1960s oil finds were beginning to be exported, improving the economy, but most of the profits stayed in the hands of the government leadership and the Italians who remained behind in Libya as many people saw no benefit to this new source of income. This tension rose until 1969 when the government was overthrown.

The new leader after the coup was Muammar Gaddafi, who led the country from 1969 until his overthrow in 2011. Gaddafi began as a welcomed change as he used the country's oil money to improved infrastructure, education, and healthcare. He also worked with European countries and the United States, but he quickly closed his country off and viewed violence as an effective solution to many domestic issues he was facing. He openly spoke out against Israel, began wars with Chad and Egypt, and neglected the economy as freedoms ceased. In 2011 the people rose up and overthrew Gaddafi and his government.

Today the country's future is uncertain as violence is still widespread and a transitional government is attempting to control the country.

Dress & Behavior

As a primarily Muslim country, there are a number of religious laws which should be obeyed by everyone in Libya, including tourists.

It is considered inappropriate for women to leave their hair uncovered, however this has almost entirely changed in Libya, especially among foreigners. Women covering their heads will show great respect to their culture, however most Libyans understand if you don't cover your hair.

Both women and men are expected to cover their legs and shoulders; showing your knees can be offensive. 3/4 length pants, like Capris and short sleeve shirts are only looked down upon by strict Muslims, however wearing full length pants and long sleeves at all times is the best course of action. Staying at a seaside resort often times allows these rules to be ignored, but follow the example of locals in these places.

Islamic law forbids pork products and alcohol. Being a fairly liberal Muslim country, drinking alcohol is not completely unheard of by the locals, but public drinking or intoxication is strictly forbidden. Pork products are difficult to find in Libya since there is little market for pork. Avoiding these foods is easy due to its inaccessibility. To learn more about dining etiquette in Libya, visit the Libyan Food page.

This page was last updated: November, 2011