A view of some of the natural caves in the Valley of Caves.
Location of Wadi Al-Kuf
The valley is located in a fertile area in the Green Mountain
(al-Jabal al-Akhdar), in Cyrenaica. At approximately 8 kilometres long the valley
runs from west to east direction. This without a doubt must have been a prehistoric
city of caves, inhabited by ancient Libyan tribes. Nothing much is known about
these sites, but future research hopefully
will shed more light on this unique valley. The nearby Haua
Fteah Cave, discovered by McBurney in 1950s, is currently being investigated
by the Cyrenaican Prehistory Project. The Wadi al-Kuf caves were used by the
Libyan resistance hero Omar al-Mukhtar during the Italian occupation
of Libya (see below for more details).
Wadi Al-Kuf Bridge
Wadi al-Kuf Bridge (جسر وادي الكوف ) is
found about 20 kilometres west of Albayda, in Cyrenaica's Green Mountain, Eastern
Libya. The project began in 1967, based on a design by the Italian civil engineer
Riccardo Morandi, and was completed in 1972.
Wadi Al-Kuf Bridge
Omar (Umar) Al-Mukhtar Cave
During the colonial occupation of Libya the caves
were used by the Libyan resistance as a hiding place and as a fighting base,
including the elderly Omar al-Mukhtar himself, the leader of the Libyan resistance
during the Italian period. The fierce resistance of the Libyans eventually lead
the colonials to wage war against the entire region, using their superior machinery
to exterminate nearly a quarter of the Libyan population. After the capture
of Omar Almukhtar in 1931 and his subsequent execution at the age of 70 in front
of his followers inside one of the concentration camps, the resistance continued. The
Libyan hero was immortalised by Anthony Quinn in "The Lion of The Desert".
The Cave of Umar Al-Mukhtar: a view from inside the cave.
The Cave of Umar Al-Mukhtar
The Memorial of Umar Al-Mukhtar as seen from inside the cave.
The Memorial of Umar Al-Mukhtar
The Memorial of Umar Al-Mokhtar near the cave.
Other Cyrenaican Caves
The Vertical Cave of Cyrene:
https://www.temehu.com/Cities_sites/the_big_hole_of_cyrene.htm
The village of Umar al-Mukhtar is located in the District of al-Jabal al-Akhdar in Cyrenaica, Eastern Libya. It was named in honour of the Libyan resistance leader Umar Almukhtar, also known as Omar Almokhtar. The village was previously known as Mameli.
