READERS WRITE

Libyans are welcoming, charming and natural people with all the innocence that a lack of tourism to their country brings.

When visiting Libya take a stroll inside the walled medina. There the narrow streets, alive with the buzz of thousands of people bartering and shouting, will enthral you.

You don’t have to worry about sleeve-tugging, tourist-grabbing merchants here. Libyans hardly notice you as you wander through the souks. You feel welcome, part of the culture and, most importantly, safe.

Have an Arabic coffee near the copper souk and watch the craftsmen creating fabulous copper pots. Head out into Green Square, where Colonel Qadhafi gives long, detailed speeches on the anniversary every September of the 1969 bloodless coup that brought him to power.

Walk down Mizran Street and you’ll stumble on Hajj Fathi’s café, where he sells 2,600 ‘baryush’ everyday, a croissant-like Libyan delicacy warmed in the oven and crammed full of nuts and fresh honey from the south.

For dinner, avoid the hotel restaurants and go to the old fish market. There you can select your fish from any of the stalls and traders who have hauled in their fresh catch just a few hours ago. The fishmonger will take your purchase to your choice of restaurant next to the market where it will be cooked to perfection on the open charcoal fires and brought to your table. And all for a price that would buy you less than a hamburger in London. Follow dinner with a cup of green tea with almonds from the car park stall. It is magical.

There are plenty of other things to do in and around Tripoli. Some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins lie at Leptis Magna, a couple of hours drive to the east along the coast. An equally stunning Roman city called Sabratha is a similar distance to the west. Imagine the Forum in Rome, but 50 times the size.

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