Walk through Gaddafi's hometown

 　　Entering Libya

　　

　　from the Seyam Pass On December 9, 2006, when I drove into Libya from the Selum Pass in the northwest of Egypt, the reason why it took a long time to pass the customs and the customs was that the local people were inefficient. Another reason is the need to change the license plate. Libya's license plate is wider and shorter than China's. It is generally green on a white background, with a line of Arabic on the top and a few simple numbers below. One of them has a license plate number of 9465. I joked that the homophonic sound is "that's Liu Wu." I'll put this license plate on the car I'm driving. By the way, I took a photo with this license plate to verify my identity.

　　The Salum Pass is about 500 kilometers from Benghazi, passing through Tobrugg and Bayda. It was almost 2 o'clock in the afternoon when we arrived in Beda the next day. Four local officials came to receive us. After shaking hands one by one, the leading official said humorously, "I know you are all hungry, so hurry up and eat. , our welcome ceremony is over." Everyone laughed and walked into the restaurant for dinner.

　　This meal gave me the first taste of Libyan soup with a local flavor. This soup is called Sherba, which looks a bit like borsch, with beans, potatoes and other things in it. It tastes a little special and very delicious. According to the bodyguard Hollido, this is a famous dish in Libya, and it is even served at state banquets. I think its status is roughly equivalent to Chinese tomato and egg soup, very common, and most people make it.

　　Although it is generally believed that Arabs don't eat spicy things, I found that garlic doesn't seem to be included in the fasting list. Basically, all the countries I have visited can eat garlic, but they are rarely like the northern Chinese. Eat raw. Libyans are also accustomed to adding garlic flakes when making soup, and it is said that they also use garlic as an "elixir" to prevent disease.

　　The Libyan diet is not much different from other Arab countries in North Africa, but it is a fusion of Arabian and Mediterranean cooking styles, and some aspects are heavily influenced by Italy. Generally, there will be Italian food on the hotel menu, such as pasta. According to its religious regulations, ugly and unclean things are not allowed on the table. Their meat is mainly chicken, duck, cattle, sheep, etc. It is said that the most expensive is roasted whole lamb. Lamb meat is relatively expensive in all countries in North Africa. In Libya, a live sheep can be sold for more than 100 US dollars. Later, we had a meal in a mountain village more than 130 kilometers away from the capital Tripoli. The grilled lamb chops that came up were absolutely delicious. The lamb was extremely tender and crispy, without any smell of mutton, and it would melt if you chew it in your mouth. That was the best lamb I've had on this Arabian trip.

　　In addition, Libyan tea is also quite distinctive. The locals like to add mint, sugar or lemon to the tea, and sometimes even add some peanuts, thinking that it can quench their thirst and refresh their minds. Imagine the cool taste of T mint, add a little sweetness or sourness to mask the astringency of the tea, this is Libyan tea.

　　

　　Encountered strange things in Benghazi

　　

　　Leaving small town of Beda, we continued to drive to Benghazi. At that time, the distance was still more than 130 kilometers. On the way, we passed a bridge over a mountain stream, which was quite beautiful and spectacular. The mountain stream is bottomless, and the mountains on both sides are steep. A bridge flying over connects the two mountains, just like the location in a thrilling movie. If you catch up with the thick fog in the mountains and drive across this bridge, you will suddenly feel like walking in the clouds. Continuing westward, it is still green and charming along the way, red earth and colorful clouds are dazzling.

　　It was more than 6 o'clock when we arrived in Benghazi, and we were staying in a hotel by the Mediterranean Sea. I found that this hotel is like many hotels in Europe. The elevator is very small and can only seat 4 people. The worst thing is that it will get out of control, the door will not open, and the floors will not stop. I couldn't stop pressing any button in the elevator, but the elevator stopped in the basement where I didn't press, so it's not scary. In the end, I decided not to take the elevator and would rather climb the stairs.

　　Benghazi is located in the Gulf of Sirte on the Mediterranean Sea, on the 32nd parallel north. It is the second largest city in Libya, the capital of Benghazi District, formerly known as Bilinchi, with a population of just over 600,000, equivalent to a county-level city in China. It belongs to the agricultural area of ​​Libya, and the famous local green hills are very charming, even in winter, the grass is green and the shade is woven. I watched the city from the seaside, it was quiet and peaceful, without any noisy atmosphere, the Mediterranean Sea in front of me was as blue as a huge carpet spread into the distance, and the harbor tower in the distance was hanging high, but there was no whistle or mechanical roar. The buildings on the coast are up to seven or eight stories high, and most of them are not capped, as if they will never be completed.

　　Although Benghazi is a small city, it has a long history, dating back to the ancient Greek era in the 5th century BC. At that time, it was named after the characters who contributed to the prosperity of the city. Since ancient times, it has been a caravan trade town leading to the African inland, and it is also the only way for Libya to pass from east to west. The importance of its location is self-evident. Egyptians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantine Arabs have occupied here successively, and since 1578, the Turks have ruled here for 300 years. It was then occupied by the Italians from 1912 to 1942. During World War II, the Allies and the Axis Powers fought fiercely here. Benghazi changed hands five times. Finally, the British army occupied the city in November 1942.

　　Hearing Hollido talk about an interesting story, it was probably a few years ago that coincided with the 90th anniversary of Italy's invasion of Libya, Gaddafi went to the National Fatiha University to deliver a speech, announcing that this day was a memorial day, demanding that airports, ports and Telecom's international business was closed for one day in commemoration. A lot of people who didn't know what to do were surprised that day. Why couldn't the phone get through, the plane didn't fly, and the ship didn't leave. Did it catch up with the U.S. blockade again?

　　During the period of Italian rule, the eastern region and Benghazi were largely autonomous, dominated by the Wafala tribe. They are the most populous of the three major tribes in Libya, with about 1 million people. The other two larger tribes are Tuari and Kadafah. The Tuari have a population of about 500,000 and are the second largest tribe in Libya. Qadafi is the direct tribe of Gaddafi, who had previously lived in the Cyrenaica region in eastern Libya. These tribal members live a nomadic life, which directly affects Gaddafi's character and living conditions.

　　After Gaddafi came to power in 1969, he not only moved the capital to Tripoli and shifted Libya's political focus to the west, but also installed many members of the Qadafa tribe in some key military departments. He basically ignored the affairs of the east. manner. Because he was too concerned about the west in economic policy and ignored the interests of the eastern people for a long time, in October 1993, the Wafala tribe held a large-scale protest, making the contradictions between the tribes in the eastern and western regions public. The year I was in Libya, there was yet another fierce conflict between tribes. It's no wonder that when I traveled in eastern Libya, I felt a little bit of inner tension on the surface of peaceful life, such as the security personnel not advising us to travel at night, often seeing military vehicles passing along the way, and in some places there will be armed weapons military alert, etc.

　　

　　Gaddafi's hometown is a small town After a quiet night

　　

　　in Benghazi, we continued on the next day, heading for Sirte. The drive from Benghazi to Sirte is about 600 kilometers. It passes through basically desert areas, and occasionally camels appear. The scenery here is no longer as pleasant as the green mountains I passed before. If there is no reference to the blue Mediterranean Sea that appears from time to time on the right, then my eyes are full of withered yellow, and I will suspect that I have entered the Sahara Desert.

　　On the way, we stopped for a picnic in a desert. Of course, the food for the picnic is very simple, so it is not the first time to eat something in the wild and continue to drive. But I am very interested in that place. There are some dead trees and green trees scattered here and there, there are tufts of hay lying on the ground, and there are several buildings in the barbed wire in the distance. Without a figure, I was also quite puzzled, why did the university come to such a desolate place?

　　After eating and drinking, we continued to run. Next, we ran to Sirte in one breath. When we entered the city, the sun was already setting, and it was too late to take a closer look at the appearance of the city.

　　Sirte, the birthplace of Gaddafi, has a small population of just over 130,000. It is about 400 kilometers away from the capital, Tripoli, and is in the middle of the transition between western and eastern Libya. The Libyan government army has several military bases here. , its important strategic position is self-evident. Although the nominal capital of Libya is

Tripoli, but in essence the government has moved to Sirte, so Tripoli is the legal capital and cultural and economic center of Libya, and Sirte is the actual administrative capital.

　　Unexpectedly, four years later, the Libyan government army and the opposition faced each other in this city, and the city was also bombed by the multinational coalition forces. I stayed in this small town for two nights. From a rough perspective, the buildings in the city are relatively low, there seem to be no tall buildings, and occasionally there are some strange buildings, but the roads here are neatly built, there are not many pedestrians, and there are not many cars. People drive cars fast. Maybe it was because I didn't know much about it, and I saw too few places. At that time, I didn't feel how important the location of the city was, and I didn't see any attractive features of the city. Of course, I didn't ask whether Gaddafi, who was born here, had any former residence for people to visit. Considering that he was born in a nomadic tribe, he might not have any former residence at all. At that time, he might have Born in a tent. If it weren't for the war that happened here a few years later, it's really hard for me to recall what this small town looked like.

　　

　　There are several "grenade buildings" in Tripoli.

　　

　　On December 12, I left Sirte and drove to the capital, Tripoli. This is a more pleasant and eye-catching process than Benghazi to Sirte. After passing through the industrial city of Misurata, the sky began to turn cloudy, and it was raining heavily when I arrived in Homs, which gave me a taste of the Libyan rainy season. At noon, we entered a villa in the mountains to rest for a while, where green trees were blooming, flowers were blooming, and the air was fresh. Looking around, the green grass spreads out along the mountains, olive trees, palm trees, cacti and other unknown plants stand in the scattered mountains, much like a freshly painted oil painting, full of Corot landscape paintings. flavor.

　　Next, the more than 130 kilometers of roads from the villa to Tripoli are full of picturesque and charming scenery. Sometimes we drive on the green mountains, the blue Mediterranean is rippling under the hillside; sometimes we drive on the shore of the Mediterranean, tall palm trees, short white houses and comfortable clouds form a long landscape. painting.

　　At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, we finally arrived in Tripoli and stayed next to the five-star Haimen Hotel. From here, you can see at a glance the five 67-style wooden-handled grenade-shaped buildings. In my opinion, the designers and builders of these buildings are very creative, and they can use this shape to subvert people's habit. thinking. This suddenly reminded me of the building I saw in Khartoum that was given to Sudan by the Libyan government. It was in the shape of a football, with thin ends and a drum in the middle. Compared with this grenade-shaped building, it could be called a "strange building with double walls". wall".

　　Tripoli gave me the first deep impression with such huge "hand grenades". I don't know if these buildings are intact today, and whether they can escape the bombing of precision-guided bombs by the multi-national coalition forces. I hope that these "hand grenades" still stand artistically on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and never explode.