The hotel where we stayed in Tripoli. Libya is not a poor country and there were plenty of shops, restaurants, internet cafés and bookshops in Tripoli. English was widely spoken.

All shutters and shop doors were painted green, the colour of the Libyan flag since Col Gaddafi's rise to power

Staff from a restaurant near the fresh fish market, Tripoli.

Many miles south from Tripoli, where the desert turns into dunes.

The ancient oasis and camel caravan trading stop of Ghadames in the Sahara. Gold, precious stones, dates, silver and ostrich plumes travelled north; pearls, linen & paper travelled south. Since the 1970s, people have moved out to modern homes, leaving behind an intricate communal life which ensured everyone had enough water and other essentials. Every part of the date-palm was used. This interdependent, co-operative way of life sustained Ghadames for centuries.