▁The ▁re jection ▁of ▁Pho en ician ▁research ▁was ▁partly ▁because ▁of ▁anti - S emit ic ▁reasons ▁( the ▁Pho en icians ▁were ▁a ▁Sem it ic ▁people , ▁dist antly ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁Arab s ▁and ▁Jews ). ▁Of ▁special ▁interest ▁were ▁the ▁Roman ▁colon ies ▁of ▁Le pt is ▁Mag na ▁and ▁Sab r ath a , ▁and ▁the ▁prepar ation ▁of ▁these ▁sites ▁for ▁arch ae ological ▁tour ism . ▁ ▁Tour ism ▁was ▁further ▁promoted ▁by ▁the ▁creation ▁of ▁the ▁Tri pol i ▁Grand ▁Prix , ▁a ▁racing ▁car ▁event ▁of ▁international ▁importance . ▁ ▁Contempor ary ▁relations ▁▁ ▁After ▁independence , ▁most ▁Italian ▁sett lers ▁still ▁remained ▁in ▁Lib ya ; ▁there ▁were ▁ 3 5 , 0 0 0 ▁Ital o - Lib y ans ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 2 . ▁However , ▁the ▁Italian ▁population ▁virt ually ▁disappeared ▁after ▁the ▁Lib yan ▁leader ▁Mu am mar ▁G add af i ▁ordered ▁the ▁exp ulsion ▁of ▁remaining ▁It ali ans ▁( about ▁ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 0 . ▁Only ▁a ▁few ▁hundred ▁of ▁them ▁were ▁allowed ▁to ▁return ▁to ▁Lib ya ▁in ▁the ▁ 2 0 0 0 s . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 4 , ▁there ▁were ▁ 2 2 , 5 3 0 ▁It ali ans ▁in ▁Lib ya . ▁ ▁Italy ▁maintained ▁diplom atic ▁relations ▁with ▁Lib ya ▁and ▁export ed ▁a ▁significant ▁quantity ▁of ▁its ▁oil ▁from ▁the ▁country . ▁