Shopping

As you wander through the meandering streets of the market, pause to admire the range of exquisite crafts produced the traditional way – by hand. There are hand-crafted copper, brass and silverware, top-quality leather and jewellery items to suit all tastes and pockets in the Medina and if you want a truly unique momento of your trip, why not consider a tailor-made Arabic outfit, a box of Libyan sweets or even a traditional water pipe?

Gold is a particularly good buy at present, a carpet will last you forever and if it’s presents for friends and family you are after, Libya’s famous traditional olive oil-based soap is said to do wonders for the complexion.

Souq al Attara, just off Green Square, is the best place for textiles and clothing, Souq al-Ghizdir will supply you with beautiful copperware, and Souq al-Turk is the largest general marketplace in the old town. Ben Zeglam, situated in the carpet bazaar, offers a range of textiles and pottery as well as floor-coverings.

Don’t worry too much if you’ve lost track of time amidst the fascinating souks and bazaars. The shutters won’t go down until around  2100 or 2200 hrs, later if the shopkeeper wants to chat and offers you tea, but if you do need to hurry back to your hotel for an engagement, the Medina is close to the area known as Al-Tall; the heart of the public transport network and the terminus for most taxi routes.