Jewel of Roman Empire Lies Neglected in Libya Chaos

One of the few visitors to the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna in Libya looks at the Arch of Septimius Severus. Mahmud TURKIA AFP
One of the few visitors to the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna in Libya looks at the Arch of Septimius Severus. Mahmud TURKIA AFP
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Jewel of Roman Empire Lies Neglected in Libya Chaos

One of the few visitors to the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna in Libya looks at the Arch of Septimius Severus. Mahmud TURKIA AFP
One of the few visitors to the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna in Libya looks at the Arch of Septimius Severus. Mahmud TURKIA AFP

Once among the Roman Empire's most beautiful cities, Leptis Magna lies neglected and shunned by tourists after a decade of war, but some see its potential for rebirth.

There is no queue at the gate and only a handful of visitors, almost all Libyans, wander among the imposing ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Visiting the area, a former Roman outpost on the south coast of the Mediterranean, is "a voyage in time, a dive into history", enthuses Abdessalam Oueba, a Libyan visitor in his 60s.

Founded by the Phoenicians then conquered by Rome, the city was the birthplace of Septimius Severus, who rose to become emperor from 193 until 211.

The ruler waged military campaigns across Europe and into modern-day Iraq before dying in York, England, far from the hometown on which he had lavished resources.

Perched on a hillside with a striking view of the Mediterranean, the well-preserved ruins include a large basilica, a racecourse and a theatre seating up to 15,000 spectators on arched terraces overlooking the sea.

Among the few visiting tourists are Ihab, from Tripoli, who made the 120-kilometre (75-mile) trip to show his children a site he had visited during his own childhood.

"Leptis Magna is beautiful, the most beautiful Roman site outside Italy," the 34-year-old doctor said under a clear blue sky.

"Yet it's barely been discovered."

- 'Neglect' -
The violence that wracked Libya after the 2011 revolt that toppled Moamer Kadhafi stirred fears for the ancient ruins, prompting United Nations cultural agency UNESCO to place them and four other Libyan sites on a list of global heritage in danger.

But so far, the areas have been mostly spared from the fighting, which has largely paused since an October 2020 ceasefire.

"There haven't been any direct attacks or threats against Leptis Magna, despite the conflict," said Azeddine al-Fakih, head of the site's antiquities department.

Yet it faces other threats: a lack of resources and government support.

"In 2020, we were finally able to launch projects that should have been finished 50 years ago," he said, listing toilet facilities, offices and a perimeter fence.

"But archaeological digs have stopped, and maintenance operations are rushed and superficial."

Fakih admitted that after 10 years of conflict and state collapse, Libya's current unity government "has bigger problems to deal with".

There was almost no tourism in Libya under Kadhafi, whose rule from 1969-2011 depended heavily on the country's vast oil wealth.

Tense foreign relations and sanctions also discouraged foreign visitors.

Kadhafi began issuing tourist visas for the first time in 2003 and even created a ministry of tourism as the regime began mending ties with the West.

But all that stopped in 2011, when a NATO-backed revolt overthrew and killed Kadhafi, plunging the country into years of chaos.

- More valuable than oil -

Now, a year-long lull in violence has sparked hopes the country can move on.

Omar Hdidan, a civil engineer who volunteers to promote and maintain Leptis Magna, believes in its potential for tourism.

"It has always been neglected by the state," the 49-year-old said.

"There are no digs, no new discoveries, no campaign to encourage tourism. But Leptis Magna is more valuable than 10 oil wells."

Fakih agreed.

Leptis Magna "could be a source of income if it was managed properly", he said.

"It could create thousands of jobs, welcome millions of tourists and bring in billions of dollars. There will come a day when the oil runs out, but Leptis Magna will remain."



Sailing from Oregon to Hawaii after Quitting his Job Turns a Man with a Cat into Social Media Star

In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger's Instagram account on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii. (Oliver Widger via AP)
In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger's Instagram account on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii. (Oliver Widger via AP)
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Sailing from Oregon to Hawaii after Quitting his Job Turns a Man with a Cat into Social Media Star

In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger's Instagram account on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii. (Oliver Widger via AP)
In this screengrab taken from a video posted on Oliver Widger's Instagram account on Sunday, May 4, 2025, Widger talks to the camera somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as he and his cat, Phoenix, sail from Oregon to Hawaii. (Oliver Widger via AP)

Midway while sailing across the Pacific with just his cat named Phoenix, Oliver Widger reflected on why he thinks his many followers — more than a million on TikTok and Instagram — are drawn to his story of quitting his 9-to-5 job and embarking on a journey from Oregon to Hawaii.

“The world kind of sucks and, like, I don’t think I’m alone in how I felt with my work,” Widger, 29, told The Associated Press on Wednesday via Zoom. “You can be making $150,000 a year and you still feel like you’re just making ends meet, you know what I mean? And I think people are just tired of that and working really hard for nothing and want a way out."

People are inspired by someone who found a way out, said Widger, who is among a growing number of people who have undertaken such voyages in recent years.

Being diagnosed four years ago with a syndrome that carried a risk of paralysis made him realize he hated his job as a manager at a tire company, a job requiring him to be clean-shaven and wear pressed shirts. He heard about people who sailed from California to Hawaii and decided that was the life for him.

He abruptly quit his job with “no money, no plan” and $10,000 of debt.

“I knew one thing: I'm buying a sailboat,” he recalled. “I'm sailing around the world.”

He liquidated his retirement savings, taught himself to sail mostly via YouTube and moved from Portland to the Oregon coast, where he spent months refitting the $50,000 boat he bought.

Now, Widger is harnessing the power of social media to fund his round-the-world sailing dream.

Since he set sail in April, followers have been tuning into his “Sailing with Phoenix” social media posts to view videos of him and his feline first mate battling the waves and bouts of seasickness, enjoying dazzling sunsets, recounting tricky boat repairs or just reflecting on life at sea.

As he discussed his journey with the AP, a netted bag carrying bottled water and snacks swung wildly over his head as the boat rocked.

He recalled highlights of the voyage so far, including marveling at the speed dolphins cut through the water and finding flying fish on the deck. There have been stretches when there were no birds in sight for days. It can be a struggle to sleep when the boat is creaking while being buffeted by waves or to steady a boiling pot for the MREs he has been subsisting on.

There have been harrowing moments like when a rudder failed and the boat tilted sideways in the surf for three hours as he made repairs, and the time he locked himself in the engine compartment and pried his way out with a wrench.

Widger acknowledged he is relatively inexperienced as a sailor, but he has implemented safety measures and communication backup plans, including a satellite phone and an emergency beacon.

Lt. Cmdr. Jesse Harms of the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii hasn't been following the journey closely, but said he is relieved to hear Widger has the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon, known as an EPIRB.

It's a critical tool for rescuers to locate a mariner's position during an emergency, especially in the Pacific, the largest ocean, Harms said.

Widger's journey provides a good opportunity to educate the public about sailing safety, such as the importance of wearing a personal flotation device whenever topside on the boat, monitoring the weather closely and registering emergency tools like the EPIRB, Harms said.

“That's a really critical piece for anybody that's getting motivated by his story to go set off on their own adventure,” Harms said.

Until his arrival, likely in Honolulu, Widger is making sure everything is in place to avoid Phoenix having to undergo Hawaii's animal quarantine. A mobile vet will sign off on Phoenix's health when they arrive, he said.

Widger wasn't aware of the deadly danger of cat feces to the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, but he has been keeping all his trash, including kitty litter, on board. Even though he said he is legally allowed to throw it overboard, seeing so much plastic in the ocean motivates him not to.

In addition to managing the practicalities of daily life on a boat, he is coping with going viral in the middle of the ocean by creating social media content and making decisions about merch his fans want to buy.

He credits it all to his neck issue, which “shook up my world and it changed my perspective on everything.” He also hopes he can be an inspiration for anyone who's in a rut.

“Everything I’ve done I thought was impossible,” Widger said. "Sailing around the world is such a ridiculous dream. Whatever your dream is, just go, just do it.”