Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
برقة | |
---|---|
Region | |
Mutasarrıf (1888-1911 AD) (1951-1963 AD) |
Cyrenaica (
Cyrenaica became
Geography
Geologically, Cyrenaica rests on a mass of Miocene limestone that tilts up steeply from the Mediterranean Sea and falls inland with a gradual descent to sea level again.
This mass is divided into two blocks. The
The Jebel Akhdar and its adjacent coast are part of the
Areas of
The southward slopes of the Jebel Akhdar are occupied by the Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe, a transitional ecoregion lying between the Mediterranean climate regions of North Africa and the hyper-arid Sahara.[9]
The lower Jebel el-Akabah lies to the south and east of the Jebel Akhdar. The two highlands are separated by a depression. This eastern region, known in ancient times as Marmarica, is much drier than the Jebel Akhdar and here the Sahara extends to the coast. Historically, salt-collecting and sponge fishing were more important than agriculture. Bomba and Tobruk have good harbors.[7]
South of the coastal highlands of Cyrenaica is a large east–west running depression, extending eastward from the Gulf of Sidra into Egypt. This region of the Sahara is known as the Libyan Desert, and includes the Great Sand Sea and the Calanshio Sand Sea. The Libyan Desert is home to a few oases, including Awjila and Jaghbub.
History
Berber people
The Berbers were the earliest recorded inhabitants of Cyrenaica.[10]
Ancient Egyptian Era
Egyptian records mention that during the New Kingdom of Egypt (thirteenth century BC), the Libu and Meshwesh tribes of Cyrenaica made frequent incursions into Egypt.
Greek colonization
Cyrenaica was colonized by the Greeks beginning in the seventh century BC, when it was known as Kyrenaïka. The first and most important colony was that of Cyrene, established in about 631 BC by colonists from the Greek island of Thera, which they had abandoned because of a severe famine.[11] Their commander, Aristoteles, took the Libyan name Battos.[12] His descendants, known as the Battiadae, persisted despite severe conflict with Greeks in neighboring cities.
The eastern portion of the province, with no major population centers, was called
The region produced barley, wheat, olive oil, wine, figs, apples, wool, sheep, cattle and silphium, a herb that grew only in Cyrenaica and was regarded as a medicinal cure and aphrodisiac.[13]
Cyrene became one of the greatest intellectual and artistic centers of the Greek world, famous for its medical school, learned academies and architecture, which included some of the finest examples of the Hellenistic style. The Cyrenaics, a school of thinkers who expounded a doctrine of moral cheerfulness that defined happiness as the sum of human pleasures, were founded by Aristippus of Cyrene.[14] Other notable natives of Cyrene were the poet Callimachus and the mathematicians Theodorus and Eratosthenes.[13]
Persian rule
In 525 BC, after conquering Egypt, the Achaemenid (Persian) army of Cambyses II seized the Pentapolis, and established a satrapy (Achaemenid Persian province) over parts of the region for about the next two centuries.
Hellenistic era
The Persians were followed by
Roman province
The Latin name Cyrenaica (or Kyrenika) dates to the first century BC. Although some confusion exists as to the exact territory Rome inherited, by 78 BC it was organized as one administrative province together with
The
Christianization
According to the Synoptic Gospels, Simon of Cyrene carried the cross of Jesus Christ to the crucifixion.
According to one tradition,
The Eparchy of the Western Pentapolis was part of the
After being repeatedly destroyed and restored during the Roman period Pentapolis became a mere borough, but was nevertheless the site of a diocese. Its bishop,
Although it retained the title "Pentapolis", the ecclesiastic province actually included all of the Cyrenaica, not just the five cities. Pentapolis is still included in the title of Popes of the
Arab and Ottoman rule
Cyrenaica was conquered by Muslim Arabs under command of
In the middle of the 11th century, several Arab tribes, including the Bedouin
In 1879, Cyrenaica became a wilayah of the Ottoman Empire.[25] In 1888, it became a mutasarrıfiyya under a mutasarrif and was further divided into five qadaas. The wali of Ottoman Tripolitania, however, looked after the military and judicial affairs. The bureaucratic setup was similar to the one in Tripoli. The mutasarrifate existed until the Italian invasion.[26]
Italian colonial rule
The Italians occupied Cyrenaica during the
The Italian fascists constructed the Marble Arch as a form of an imperial triumphal arch at the border between Cyrenaica and Tripolitani near the coast.
There was heavy fighting in Cyrenaica during
Emirate of Cyrenaica
In 1949, Idris al-Senussi, with British backing, proclaimed the independent Emirate of Cyrenaica. This emirate became part of the Kingdom of Libya when it was established, and an independent kingdom on 24 December 1951, with Idris al-Senussi becoming King Idris.
Gaddafi's Arab republic
Since 1 September 1969, when the
In 2007, the Green Mountain Conservation and Development Authority, headed by
For much of the
Episcopal sees
Ancient episcopal sees of the Roman province of Libya Superior or Libya Pentapolitana listed in the Annuario Pontificio as titular sees:[31]
For the ancient sees of Libya Inferior, see Marmarica.
For those of Creta, see Byzantine Crete.
See also
- Cyrenaics philosophical school
- List of kings of Cyrene
- List of Catholic dioceses in Libya
- List of colonial heads of Cyrenaica
- Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe
- Postage stamps and postal history of Cyrenaica
- History of Libya
- Christianity in Libya
- Islam in Libya
References
- ^ "Endgame in Tripoli". The Economist. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- ^ "East Libya declares self-government". aljazeera.com.
- ^ "Eastern Libyan leaders declare semi-autonomy". CNN. 7 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gimingham, C. H. and K. Walton (1954). "Environment and the Structure of Scrub Communities on the Limestone Plateaux of Northern Cyrenaica." Journal of Ecology, Vol. 42, No. 2, Jul., 1954
- ^ "Mediterranean woodlands and forests". WWF Scientific Report [1]. Accessed 27 March 2011
- ^ a b c El-Darier, S. M. and F.M. El-Mogaspi (2009). "Ethnobotany and Relative Importance of Some Endemic Plant Species at El-Jabal El-Akhdar Region (Libya)". World Journal of Agricultural Sciences 5 (3): 353-360, 2009, pp 353-360.
- ^ a b "Cyrenaica", from Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, 1911
- ^ The Report: Libya 2008, p. 134. Oxford Business Group.
- ^ "North Saharan steppe and woodlands" WWF Scientific Report [2]. Accessed 27 March 2011.
- ISBN 9781860649882.
- ^ ISBN 1-884964-03-6
- ^ Details of the founding are contained in Book IV of Histories, by Herodotus of Halicarnassus
- ^ a b Ring, Trudy, Robert M. Salkin and Sharon La Boda (1996). "Cyrene (Gebel Akhdar, Libya)" in International Dictionary of Historic Places, Volume 4: Middle East and Africa. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago and London.
- ^ "Cyrenaica and the Greeks" from The Library of Congress Country Studies: Libya. 2001. [3]. Accessed 27 March 2011.
- ^ Agricole Joseph F.X.P.E.S.P.A. Fortia d'Urban (marq. de), Bénigne Emmanuel C. Miller, Recueil des itinéraires anciens, comprenant l'itinéraire d'Antonin, la table de Peutinger, et un choix des périples grecs, 1845, p. 286
- ^ "St. Mark the Apostle, the Founder of the Coptic Church", Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States, accessed 19 May 2009
- ^ "Atiya, Aziz S. "The Copts and Christian Civilization Coptic.net
- ISSN 1873-9830.
- ISBN 9780791472514.
- ISBN 9780520221581.
- ISBN 9004109552.
- ISBN 978-1-84904-227-7.
- ^ ISBN 9789004298576.
- ISBN 9781139851121.
- ISBN 9781400859023.
- ISBN 9781135245023.
- ISBN 0-7864-0177-X
- ^ Associated Press, 'Libyan Opposition to Khadafy Growing but Fragmented Says Expert,' 17 April 1986.
- ^ Rose, Steve. "Gadafy's green vision". The Guardian 12 September 2007. Accessed 2 April 2011.[4]
- ^ "Two-state solution for Libya?". BBC Today programme. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
- ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), "Sedi titolari", pp. 819-1013
- Westermann Grosser Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German).
Further reading
- Cyrenaica in Antiquity (Society for Libyan Studies Occasional Papers). Graeme Barker, John Lloyd, Joyce Reynolds ISBN 0-86054-303-X
- Sandro Lorenzatti, Note archeologiche e topografiche sull’itinerario da Derna a Cirene seguito da Claude Le Maire (1706), in "L'Africa romana XX", Roma 2015, vol. 2, pp. 955–970.
Sources and external links
- Cyrenaica Archaeological Project.
- Inscriptions of Roman Cyrenaica Archived 18 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Lexiorient.com's article on Cyrenaica.
- Dynamic map of Cyrenaica on Google Maps.
- Worldstatesmen.org's History and list of rulers of Tripolitania, Cyrenaica.
- Hostkingdom.net's History and list of rulers of Cyrenaica.
- Zum.de's History of Cyrenaica.