Jalo Oasis (or
Jalu
Jalu, Jallow, or Gialo ( ar, جالو) is a town in the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya in the Jalo oasis. An oasis, a city, and it is the main center of the oasis region in eastern Libya. It is located at the confluence of longitude an ...
, or Gialo) is an
oasis in
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...
,
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
, located west of the
Great Sand Sea
The Great Sand Sea is an approximately sand desert (erg) in the Sahara between western Egypt and eastern Libya in North Africa. Some 74% of the area is covered by sand dunes.
Geography
The Great Sand Sea stretches about from north to south an ...
and about 250 km south-east of the
Gulf of Sidra. Quite large, long and up to wide, it supports a number of settlements, the largest of which is the town of
Jalu
Jalu, Jallow, or Gialo ( ar, جالو) is a town in the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya in the Jalo oasis. An oasis, a city, and it is the main center of the oasis region in eastern Libya. It is located at the confluence of longitude an ...
. Jalu was the administrative capital of the
Jalu District Jalu Municipality ( ar, جالو) was one of the Municipalities of Libya, municipalities (''baladiyah'') of Libya from 1983 to 1987. It lay in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital was Jalu. From 2001 to 2007 the area was part of Ajd ...
from 1983 to 1988, at which time the area became part of the
Ajdabiya District
Ajdabiya ( ar, إجدابيا) was one of the districts of Libya. It lay in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital was Ajdabiya. As of 2007 it was subsumed within the enlarged Al Wahat District.
When Ajdabiya District was in existence ...
and as of 2007 is now part of the
Al Wahat District.
Because of its location and as a source of water, it had strategic importance during the
North African Campaign in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and changed hands several times between Allied and Axis forces.
The water at the Jalo oasis is quite
salty (3,880 parts per million).
[Walton, Kenneth (2007) ''The Arid Zones'' AldineTransaction, New Brunswick, New Jersey]
page 109
; originally published by Aldine Publishing Company, Chicago, in 1969, The water is an
alkaline with a
pH of 7.4 and is very hard with numerous dissolved salts in addition to
sodium chloride
Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35.45 g ...
.
Communities
In addition to Jalu, the oasis supports the following communities:
"Lat 29.024 N Long. 21.523 E"
Geonames.org
*Al Hiri
Al Hiri is a town in the Al Wahat District in the Cyrenaica region of northeastern Libya. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of Ajdabiya District.Maplandia world gazetteer Formerly (1983-1987) it was part of the Jalu District (''Districts of Libya#F ...
*Labba
Labbay (Labbai, Labba, Labbabeen, Lebbay, Lebbai), is a Muslim trading community in southern India found throughout the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
Etymology
''Labbay'' means "Here I am", and is used as a titl ...
*Shurraf
Shurraf (Al Shurraf, Ash-Shurraf) is a desert town in Al Wahat District, Cyrenaica region, in northeastern Libya.
From 2001 to 2007 it was part of Ajdabiya District.Maplandia world gazetteer Formerly (1983-1987) it was part of the Jalu District ...
*Masliwa
Masliwa is a Sahara desert town in the Al Wahat District in the Cyrenaica region of northeastern Libya.Maplandia world gazetteer
References
External linksSatellite map at Maplandia.com
Populated places in Al Wahat District
Cyrenaica
...
* Rashida
Notes
Further reading
* Hassanein, Ahmed Mohammed (1925) ''The Lost Oasis'' Butterworth, London
* Walton, Kenneth (1952) "The Aberdeen University Expedition to Cyrenaica, 1951: Part 2: The oasis of Jalo" ''Scottish Geographical Magazine'' 68(3): pp. 110–119
Oases of Libya
{{libya-geo-stub