--- description: TIME photographer Christopher Morris documents what Libyan government minders have orchestrated, and beyond, capturing the subtleties of a closely watched society at war with itself. title: Theater of War: Photographs by Christopher Morris image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27a7b6ae31c1f2e4/698682083bc99949bb1a1f5b/cm_tripoli_3_24_11_0038.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [LightBox](/tag/time-section-lightbox/) ## LightBox Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Theater of War: Photographs by Christopher Morris by [Christopher Morris](/author/christopher-morris/) ## Christopher Morris Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 8, 2011 11:04 AM CUT  Hundreds of Gaddafi supporters gathered at a cemetery in Tripoli, March 24, 2011\. Half of the more than 30 coffins were empty. Hundreds of Gaddafi supporters gathered at a cemetery in Tripoli, March 24, 2011\. Half of the more than 30 coffins were empty.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME by [Christopher Morris](/author/christopher-morris/) ## Christopher Morris Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 8, 2011 11:04 AM CUT An announcement blares over the hotel loud speaker, announcing when and where to gather. Television crews, reporters and photographers load onto a bus, and the tour begins. It’s made clear where they are going, but unclear why. In the tightly controlled, locked-down Libyan capital of Tripoli, this is how journalism works. TIME contract photographer Christopher Morris, on assignment in Libya for nearly a month, has been documenting what Libyan government minders have orchestrated, and beyond. Working quickly, often times shooting from inside the tour bus and under the radar of government minders, Morris’s photographs transcend the intent of his guides, capturing the subtleties of a closely watched society at war with itself. At a recent funeral, skepticism and confusion were rampant as half of the more than 30 coffins were empty. An English-speaking Imam offered an explanation that family members had picked up the bodies, and the coffins were merely a symbol. The rage was palpable, Morris said. The men attending the funeral were “extreme loyalists to Gaddafi and the government. Very intense. Very dramatic.” Libyan officials have worked vigorously to show the toll that allied air strikes has taken on civilians. Some excursions haven’t worked out the way they may have hoped. On a trip to a house on the outskirts of Tripoli, Morris said government minders intended to show a civilian house struck by coalition missiles. But other than a small hole in the front yard and pockmarks on the house, there was very little damage and no casualties. “They are desperate to show us something to bolster their message that civilians are being killed,” Morris explained. “But as for now, this has constantly backfired.” More of Christopher Morris’s work from Libya can be seen [here](http://lightbox.time.com/2011/03/21/dispatch-from-tripoli-photographs-by-christopher-morris/ "undefined") and [here](http://lightbox.time.com/2011/03/18/gaddafis-libya/#1 "undefined").  Hundreds of Gaddafi supporters gathered at a cemetery in Tripoli, March 24, 2011\. Half of the more than 30 coffins were empty. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  On the road east of Tripoli, March 28, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Bedouin who fled the town of Mizda after an allied air strike sleep in cars near the highway, March 29, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Outside of the hospital in Mizda, Libya, March 29, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A Gaddafi supporter hoists a green flag from a car in Al Zawiya, April 1, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Inside a hospital in Mizda, March 29, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  According to Libyan officials, several patients were wounded when an allied missile hit the hospital, March 29, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Inside the hospital in Mizda, March 29, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A Libyan official inside the hospital during the tour, March 29, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A motor home inside Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli, March 31, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Supporters inside Gaddafi's compound during a rally, March 31, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A Gaddafi supporter in the city of Sabratha, April 1, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Shuttered stores in Al Zawiya, April 1, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A Gaddafi rally in Sabratha, April 1, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A man prays in Sabratha, April 1, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  A empty can, April 2, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  The director of the Great Man Made River Project in Tripoli explains to the media how if allied air strikes continue, it may damage Libya's water supply, March 3, 2011. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  Inside the headquarters of the Great Man Made River Project in Tripoli, March 3, 2011. 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