Marj ( ar, المرج, , "The Meadows"), El Merj 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 ...

and

Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian ( ar, العامية المصرية, ), or simply Masri (also Masry) (), is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic dialect in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and o ...

, is a city in northeastern

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 ...

and the administrative seat of the

Marj District Marj ( ar, المرج ', en, The Meadows) is an administrative division (''shabiyah'' or district) of northeastern Libya, lying on the Mediterranean Sea coast. Its administrative seat is the city of Marj, which was formerly known as Barca. M ...

. 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 ea ...

by a range of hills, part of the Jebel Akhdar Mountains, and is generally believed to be the site of the ancient city of Barca. 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, Paris
p. 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 Tolmeita, Tolmeta or Tolmeitha ar, طلميتة is a village in the northern Cyrenaica region of eastern Libya, some east of Benghazi, near Ad Dirsiyah. Its name is derived from Greek language, Greek Πτολεμαΐς (''Ptolemais''), the name o ...

( 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

North African campaign, the

1st Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery The 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery is a close support regiment attached to the 7th Brigade at Enoggera Barracks in Queensland. The unit was formed in 1914 under the name 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade, part of 1st Division Arti ...

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 to 1943, the town was the capital of British-occupied Cyrenaica. 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 The Italian colonization of Libya began in 1911 and it lasted until 1943. The country, which was previously an Ottoman Tripolitania, Ottoman possession, was occupied by Kingdom of Italy, Italy in 1911 after the Italo-Turkish War, which resulted i ...

, Al Marj had been the eastern terminal of . Nowadays, Al Marj is linked with

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 Gr ...

(part of Libyan Coastal Highway). The other runs through

Al Abyar Abyar (al-Abyā) ( ar, الأبيار ') is a town in the Marj District, Libya, roughly 50 km to the east of the city of Benghazi and 42 km southwest of the city of Marj. (), its estimated population was 32,563. History The town is the s ...

. Al Marj is linked also with Lamluda by two roads. One runs through Al Bayda (part of Libyan Coastal Highway). The other runs through

Tacnis Tacnis or Taknis, Tècnis, also is a small town in Jebel Akhdar region in north eastern Cyrenaica, Libya. It's located east of Benghazi. It is on the inner road between Marj and Lamluda. There is a minor road connecting the town to the north ...

and Marawah. From Tacnis it leads to the Charruba–Timimi Road.

Notes

External links

{{Authority control Cyrenaica Populated places destroyed by earthquakes Baladiyat of Libya

History

Transport

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links