The Greek community of where?! Recently the Patriarch of Alexandria paid a visit to the Greek communites that reside in Benghazi and Tripoli in Libya. (Yes Libya.) Greece has had a long and posiive relationship with Libya, acutally dating back as early as 700 BC when settlers from Crete settled on the northern coast of the country, and Greeks have had a presence mostly in Benghazi and Tripoli for generations.
The visit made us want to learn some more about the Greek diaspora in the country and here are some facts that we wanted to share.
- Benghazi (where the majority of the Greek community resides) is only 400 km south of Crete, and to this date has many residents who have Cretan surnames.
- The ancient city of Cyrene was the largest Greek settlement in the area that is modern day Libya and today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The Greek community is centered in the country's two largest cities: around 500 reside in Tripoli and nearly 1,000 live in Benghazi.
- The Greek community in Benghazi operates its own schools and also has its own small Greek Orthodox church with one priest.
-The Greek community in Tripoli also has one church of its own.
- There are several Greek companies that do business in Libya including Hellenic Petroleum.
DF: Yes the saying is true, we are everywhere!
posted on Thursday, November 13