Bayda is a commercial and industrial city in eastern Libya. It is a base to explore the nearby tourist areas such as the Ancient Greek ruins of Cyrene and Apollonia, and Libyan Desert trips south into Kufra.

Understand

Bayda's history stretches back to classical antiquity, when it was known as Balagrae.

The modern city was built in the 1950s. It was originally intended to be the new capital of Libya and most of the necessary government buildings were constructed there. Eventually, the plan to move the capital from Tripoli to Bayḍāʾ was dropped.

The city is famous for the valleys and forests nearby, which are not found in the other cities of the 'Green Mountains'—Akhdar Mountains. It is named the "Green Mountains" because they are covered by dense forests and woodlands, of which the best known are the Hamri, Alpellnj, and Belaid forests. The highest point in the Akhdar Mountains is around 850 metres (2,790 ft), located in the Hamri area.

Get in

• 1 Al Abraq International Airport (LAQ  ^IATA). (updated Oct 2019)
• Bayda is on the historic Libyan Coastal Highway, which runs along the Mediterranean Sea from the Egyptian border to the Thnisian border.

See

• Ruins of the ancient Greek city of Balagrae
• The 2000-year-old ruins of the ancient Greek colony of Cyrene are nearby in Shahat.
• The tomb of a famous companion (sahabah) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Ruwaifi bin Thabit al-Ansari, is located here. For that reason, the city was known as Sidi Rafaa after him. After the arrival of Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi in the area in the 19th century, and the construction of a zāwiyah, the city was renamed az-Zāwiyat al-Bayḍāʾ.

Go next

• Shahhat and Cyrene ancient site