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Marj ( ar, المرج, Al Marǧ, The Meadows), also spelt ''El Merj'', generally believed to be on the site of the ancient city of Barca or Barce, is a city in northeastern
p. 237
; in French
According to most archeologists, Marj marks the site of the ancient city of Barca, which, however, according to Alexander Graham, was at Tolmeita ( Ptolemais).
Marj grew around a
Wanderings in North Africa
' J. Murray, London,
{{Authority control Cyrenaica Cities destroyed by earthquakes Baladiyat of Libya
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 the east, Su ...
and the administrative seat of the Marj District. It lies in an upland valley separated from the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
by a range of hills, part of the Jebel Akhdar Mountains.
It has an estimated population of 85,315 (). There are a couple of banks on the main street and the main post office is in the city centre, not far from the Abu Bakr Assiddiq mosque.Pliez, Olivier (ed.) (2009) "Al Marj" ''Le Petit Futé Libye'' Petit Futé, Parisp. 237
; in French
History
According to most archeologists, Marj marks the site of the ancient city of Barca, which, however, according to Alexander Graham, was at Tolmeita ( Ptolemais).
Marj grew around a Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
fort built in 1842 and now restored. During the colonial dominance of Libya (1913–41), the town was called Barce and was developed as an administrative and market centre and hill resort.
During 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
North African campaign, the 1st Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery won a battle for the region of Barce on 5 February 1941. The regiment commemorates this battle by naming the facilities at its base at Enoggera as Barce Lines.
From 1942–1943, the town was the capital of British-occupied 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 ...
.
Most of it was destroyed by a 5.6 earthquake on 21 February 1963, which killed some 300 people and injured 500 more.Hewitt, Kenneth (1983) "Seismic Risk and Mountain Environments: The Role of Surface Conditions in Earthquake Disaster" ''Mountain Research and Development'' 3(1): pp. 27–44, p. 30 Major rebuilding was undertaken about from the old site, and was completed about 1970.
Transport
During the Italian colonization of Libya, Al Marj had been the eastern terminal of . Nowadays, Al Marj is linked withBenghazi
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 Gha ...
by two roads. One runs through Tocra
Tocra, Taucheira or Tukrah, is a town on the coast of the Marj District in the Cyrenaica region of northeastern Libya, founded by Cyrene. It lay 200 stadia west of Ptolemais. Today it is a coastal town west of Marj.
History
Founded by the ...
(part of Libyan Coastal Highway
The Libyan Coastal Highway ( ar, الطريق الساحلي الليبي), formerly the Litoranea Balbo, is a highway that is the only major road that runs along the entire east-west length of the Libyan Mediterranean coastline. It is a section ...
). The other runs through Al Abyar.
Al Marj is linked also with Lamluda by two roads. One runs through Al Bayda (part of Libyan Coastal Highway
The Libyan Coastal Highway ( ar, الطريق الساحلي الليبي), formerly the Litoranea Balbo, is a highway that is the only major road that runs along the entire east-west length of the Libyan Mediterranean coastline. It is a section ...
). The other runs through Tacnis and Marawah. From Tacnis it leads to the Charruba–Timimi Road.
See also
*List of cities in Libya
This is a list of the 100 largest populated places in Libya. Some places in the list could be considered suburbs or neighborhoods of some large cities in the list, so this list is not definitive.
''Source:Amraja M. el Khajkhaj, "Noumou ...
Notes
Further reading
* Hamilton, James (1856)Wanderings in North Africa
' J. Murray, London,
External links
{{Authority control Cyrenaica Cities destroyed by earthquakes Baladiyat of Libya