Heading south from Tripoli you enter the scrubby semi-desert of the flat coastal plain known as Sahel al-Jefara before turning westward towards the mountain range known as Jebel Nafusa. This is the heartland of the Berber people who claim descendancy from the original inhabitants of Libya and maintain a strong cultural and linguistic identity in this rugged part of the country. Remains of ancient Berber architecture dot the landscape, reflecting a lifestyle that was prevalent until only a couple of decades ago.