Show arf T LS I 1 AR PP map eel 4 k ozz 00 A bedouin girl of italian L bia prepared by national geographic society washington D C service places of worship with several hundred drawings en graved on rocks in the style of from to B C were w ere uncovered recently by a german expedition in the district of ital an lib a i frequent reports of discovery of his torte relics indicate that the italian colony Is becoming more and more a great archeo log cal eat workshop early this year the pages of history were turned back far into the pre christian era at C rene founded by greek greet refugees from islands of the aegean sea about 2600 years ago cirene was born a humble settlement unaware that in a century or two it was to rise to a city of pow er the commands of whose rulers would be felt beyond the borders of Cirena Ciren alca ica cirene once had a population of irom 1 rom the ranks of its inhabit tants came artists poets writers and philosophers who drew intellectual men from many parts of the civilized world of its time its medical school was famous its buildings were archi textural tec tural gems it was called the athens of libia though culture saturated cirene the city never lacked men with an eye for business caravan merchants found cirene a market tor for their goods they also found the city a meeting place to exchange comi commod llod ties with other foreigners then sea trade bed beet boned to cirene A port town rose on the med and a road was built to the cita 17 miles inland both land and sea trade flourished when the port was opened NN ith new revenues cirene which was already a city of ma magn agn fluence continued its costly building but progress was not to be perpetual about two centuries after the first settlers arrived on the cirene plateau the dynasty that had led the city through an era of ress fell and a e was set up the republic republics s path was strewn with tyrants while nature added frequent severe earthquakes thit threatened the city s foundations in 96 06 B C rome took oer oner the government cirene bask basked ed in glory among t an dent clent cities nearly a thousand years but nearly as quid quiet iv as it rose a gem of one an ent art it fell into ruins A dominant city became dominated in the fourth century A D it was left to the elements by the fifth century cirene was in ruins largest italian colony italian libia libla Is the largest of italy s colonies five italian boots could be placed on its map and not cover it completely it was once divided into three parts Tripoli tania Ciren alca and the portion of the giblan desert old roman writers described tri a as extremely fertile per haps they exaggerated and perhaps also the climate and phascal cal condl eions have changed markedly at any rate most of the country Is now des ert v with ith its fertile str ps and oases mattered catt ered in the wastes of sand and stones there is much evidence that the region once knew better days ell mati cally great avenues of stones set on end and numerous circles of monoliths and hons I 1 kf kp the fa stonehenge of en england land testify to a neol thic culture of importance in this section of north africa per haps many shousan Is of years before memphis and babylon were thought of the phoenicians be an the recorded history of the country by establishing cities there perhaps as early as broo R 13 C the fact that these cities and their surrounding country throve them ind tl tf at liter creek and aman rf man cul cut ture flourished unshed flo there ind cites that the country was more favored then than now and sand dunes have encroached through the centuries on much land in the fer tile strip along the mediterranean coast but the relatively poor condi tion of tinia today Is largely due to sociological and governmental actors factors the commercial phoenicians and the colonizing greeks creeks and romans portions were able to make the most of the country antry since the region was over run by the arabs in A D and since it passed under turkish control later however it has been marked to a considerable extent by economic and cultural stagnation in places along the 1000 mile coast of the arid and sands come down to the water s edge but between are fertile areas on which palms olives figs oranges and other fruits flourish 17 farther arther inland among the highlands occur some rather large patches on which olives and fruits and grain ue ire grown then come the vast desert stretches the city of tripoli has been called the gateway to the sahara three historic desert caravan routes have converged there for ages the trail from timbuktu that from lake chad and a southeastern route from the region of the egyptian sudan these I 1 routes were of great importance Import arice tor for the bringing from central africa of ivory ostrich feathers gold dust and perhaps most valuable of all in a prim ilive environment black gold negro slaves this traffic was bly abolished by turkey only in recent years Cirena ica has promise Cirena ica situated on a bold promontory protruding into the crystal clear waters of the mediterranean Is a dry parched land with scarcely a it stream or creek A shelf of limestone hills resembling a gigantic backbone but hardly justifying the arab epithet green mountains stretches across the base of the foreland between this ridge and the blue sea a fringe of fertile fields CO 60 to 70 miles wide ly ing dormant for for centuries now teems with italian colonists and migrating arabs with the help ot of modern arri gatlon gation methods it Is hoped th s region will merit its historical nickname bread basket of rome P visitors to Cire Cirena nalea ica usually sail sall from brind sl st on steamers laden to capacity with italian officers and their families bound for benegasi the prin cipal seaport and capital because of a rocky bottom which prevents dreda ing in the mole harbor pas d into small boats which bob precariously on the swell characteristic of these coastal waters first impression of bengali Is of a bit of europe transplanted since 1911 when Cire Cirena nalen ica was occupied by the ital ans a new town on modern lines has been built alongside the old arab section wide avenues shaded by date palms and lined with neat houses patterned after moorish archi jecture border a public park planted with imported tropical plants and shrubs doni donl eys ays carrying nondescript loads from hooded arabs to bundles of firewood larger than themselves and camels pad padding along vie with motorcycles and automobiles for right of way lovely dark hued debu fresh from rome and paris and proud army officers resplendent in the white tropical uniforms of italy stroll along wide sidewalks in lp striking con to slow moving arabs scurrying red boys and veiled moslem women ornamented with gold coins fine sponges found there from time immemorial sponge and tunny fishing have been the chief in destries dus tries along the coast of C renalda greek greet divers swim down holding a rock pluck a sponge from the bottom and then upon releasing the weigh floit to the surface the Ciren alcan variety being especially fine it is 13 sometimes transplanted to other parts of the mediterranean in ancient days it Is said sponges were put in greek helmets as shock absorbers I 1 for the warriors the principal agricultural and food crop is barley quantities of which are exported to the motherland and scot land henna ilenna olives vegetables fruit and grapes are raised in the more ter fer tile regions while dates figs and skins brought in by caravans from the south are shipped to italy the last to be made into gloves and shoes adap minded person might describe the libian desert as the largest blank area on the map of north africa with a cartographer cartographers s smallest marks andl eating a few oases it Is shut off from the mediterranean by a narrow arrow populated strip which itself sizzles in the hot african sun on the east the fertile nile valley lends the lablan owners moral support by sh ving what might be done with their sand swept land |