Gilded escalators and crystal champagne glasses, Armani and Versace suits and rows of unworn designer shoes are all that remain of Muammar Gaddafi's children's luxurious seaside compounds.
The luxurious villas on the beaches are proof of the fact that the Gaddafis not only ruled Libya, but also owned it, and treated its oil wealth as their own fatherland.
However, the cars now parked in front of those gilded mansions are no longer rows of limousines, but a motley collection of jeeps and pickup trucks with mounted machine guns belonging to the disorganized army of civilians who revolted and ousted the Gaddafis.
The hidden tunnel in Gaddafi's villa
And now those fighters sleep in rooms furnished in Italian style with Pierre Cardin carpets and Barberi couches, spending the last days of the Muslim month of Ramadan in rest.
"The day we dreamed of all our lives has come. This beach was reserved for Gaddafi's sons, their families, friends and the ruling elite," said Kabet, who was a legal adviser to Libya's economic council before joining the revolution in February. "They are the ones who enjoyed the Libyan wealth, not us. The Libyans were not getting any of that."
"Libyans could never bathe here, nor approach these gates. The fate of anyone who dared to approach these walls was known - he would be killed," Kabet said.
The first Eid without Gaddafi
For almost all of them, the holiday that ends the month of fasting will be their first Eid without Gaddafi, whose 42-year rule has shaped their lives.
This gated complex known as the Regatta is one of two sun-drenched mini-cities built along the sandy Mediterranean beaches west of Tripoli – sheltered private resorts done to their easy-going designs.
There are supermarkets and diving centers, tennis and soccer fields, restaurants and clinics. Some of Gaddafi's family members had personal gyms and swimming pools. Motorboats are anchored nearby.
"This is just a drop of their wealth, the many houses here and abroad and the billions they have," said Abdel-Salam Kilani, an officer who defected from Gaddafi's forces in February.
Cashmere coats, branded ties and shoes
In Saadi Gaddafi's villa, suits, cashmere coats, ties and shoes from almost all the world's famous brands were scattered on the floor. The cupboards were wide open, indicating that they had left in a hurry.
The Gaddafis, it seems, had a passion for luxury goods and were less interested in books.
The only book found in the villa of Mohamed Gaddafi who fled to Algeria was "The Escape of Soul and Body", a meditation book. His house was decorated with photos of sports clubs, flags - memories of sports events - and photos of his family members.
The new tenants are comfortable in Aisha's elegantly furnished 13-bedroom home. Each of the fighters occupied one room. The rebels packed up all but one of her photo albums, containing photographs of her and her father from her younger days, which they set on fire.
The owners left in a hurry
It is clear that the owners of this carefree complex left in a hurry, or in the middle of some party.
In some houses there were still glasses of wine and champagne on the terraces. Children's bicycles and toys lay abandoned in the narrow streets.
Only close friends, numerous family and key associates could enter their world
The closed Regatta complex, about 12 kilometers west of Tripoli, is just one part of Gaddafi's houses. Only close friends, numerous family and key associates could enter their world.
Outside the compound, hidden behind the walls, Libyans live in poor and dilapidated houses, on low or modest wages that barely make ends meet.
Rebel Najib Kabet (47) said: "Look! Where do you think the Libyan wealth went? The Gaddafi family owned Libya."
"They sucked the blood out of this country"
Although these lavish mansions reveal the Gaddafis' misuse of Libya's wealth and highlight the country's social inequality, few people knew of their existence until they were discovered by rebels.
Most of the fighters in the complex came from the poor mountains of the west of the country, but, as Reuters reported, they were not greedy. Most of them didn't even seem impressed by the abundance they found themselves in.
"This way of life means nothing to us," said Ibrahim Madani (26) from Zintan. "Let them know that all the millions they have are worthless. People paid for freedom with their blood. The most important thing is that the people got rid of them. Let the new generations enjoy a better education, a better country and a better life."
"They sucked the blood out of this country," Madani said at the end.
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