Although many of the well laid-out city's grandest structures remain intact, only a third of the city has been excavated. In 2005, archaeologists unearthed colorful mosaics of rare condition in a villa's cold water plunge pool that showed a warrior in combat with a deer, four men wrestling a bull and a gladiator looking upon a slain opponent.
On this day, the museum that contained the mosaics was shut, and the one ATM was not working and covered in dust. European airlines, including Air France, British Airways and Alitalia, have daily flights into Tripoli's airport, but they're carrying mostly journalists, aid workers and foreign contractors, not tourists.
The country's chaotic civil war has been over for nearly a year, but it remains awash with weapons and there are occasional outbreaks of tribal violence. Last month, more than a hundred people were killed in clashes, and Tripoli's international airport was seized by an armed group and held for several hours.
(Source: USA Today)