The Emirate of Cyrenaica ( ar, إمارة برقة) came into existence when Sayyid Idris unilaterally proclaimed Cyrenaica an independent

Senussi The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi ( ar, السنوسية ''as-Sanūssiyya'') are a Muslim political-religious tariqa (Sufi order) and clan in colonial Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi ( ar, السنوسي ...

emirate on 1 March 1949, backed by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Sayyid Idris proclaimed himself Emir of Cyrenaica at a 'national conference' in

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...

. The recognition by the UK failed to influence the attitude of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

, and Britain and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

were directed to prepare Libya's independence in a resolution passed on 21 November 1949. The independence of the

Kingdom of Libya The Kingdom of Libya ( ar, المملكة الليبية, lit=Libyan Kingdom, translit=Al-Mamlakah Al-Lībiyya; it, Regno di Libia), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa which ca ...

was declared on 24 December 1951, and on 27 December, Emir Idris was enthroned as King Idris I. The black flag with white star and crescent symbol was adopted by Idris as he was proclaimed Emir in 1947. The flag became the basis of the flag of Libya of 1951, with the addition of a red and a green stripe, representing

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

and Fezzan, respectively. Idris as

king of Libya King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

kept the flag of the emirate as his personal Royal Standard, with the addition of a white crown in the upper hoist. On 6 March 2012, mirroring the events 63 years earlier, a similar kind of meeting was held in Benghazi, calling for more autonomy and federalism for Cyrenaica.

Ahmed al-Senussi Prince Ahmed Al-Zubair al-Senussi, also known as Zubeir Ahmed El-Sharif, ( ar, أحمد الزبير الشريف السنوسي) (born 1934) is a Libyan member of the Senussi house and a member of the National Transitional Council representing po ...

, a relative of King Idris, was announced as the leader of the self-declared Cyrenaica Transitional Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyrenaica, Emirate of History of Cyrenaica States and territories established in 1949 States and territories disestablished in 1951 Former emirates