Ras Hilal Harbor, Libya

Young men cool off in the harbor at Ras Hilal that was built by Saif Al Islam Al Gaddafi for his own private use. Before the revolution, the public was forbidden from entering the harbor. July 2011.

The Libyan revolution started in mid-February, at the peak of the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’. What began as an isolated street protest in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city, escalated into a call for regime change. Yet as the insurgency progressed, life was put on hold. Schools and universities remained closed, government salaries were not paid, and banks opened just one day a week. The revolution that started with such fervor had turned to stalemate. Despite the troubles, people continued normal life as best they could. But there was tension in the air. The threat of Gaddafi loyalist infiltrators was a constant source of rumor and worry.