Tajura (), also spelt ''Tajoura'', is a town in north-western

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

, and

baladiyah Baladiyah () is a type of Arabic administrative division that can be translated as "district", "sub-district" or "municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers ...

in the Tripoli Muhafazah, on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast east of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

. From 2001 to 2007 Tajura was the capital of the

Tajura wa Arba' District Tajura (), also spelt ''Tajoura'', is a town in north-western Libya, and baladiyah in the Tripoli Muhafazah, on the Mediterranean coast east of Tripoli. From 2001 to 2007 Tajura was the capital of the Tajura wa Arba' District. Tajura is ...

. Tajura is also known to be the most anti-Gaddafi district in Tripoli and had high casualties in the Libyan revolution.

History

The

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks () were a Turkic peoples, Turkic ethnic group in Anatolia. Originally from Central Asia, they migrated to Anatolia in the 13th century and founded the Ottoman Empire, in which they remained socio-politically dominant for the e ...

established a base at Tajura in 1531. Under the command of

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa (, original name: Khiḍr; ), also known as Hayreddin Pasha, Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1483 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's ...

, the site was selected for its proximity to Tripoli which had come under the

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

in 1530 when Charles V of Spain, as King of Sicily, had given them Tripoli,

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

and

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. Tripoli was captured in the

Siege of Tripoli The siege of Tripoli lasted from 1102 until 12 July 1109. It took place on the site of the present day Lebanese city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Tripoli, in the aftermath of the First Crusade. It led to the establishment of the fourth crusader state, t ...

. Tajura was the center of Libya's nuclear research, with a 10 MWt pool type research reactor (IRT-1) built by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, which came online in 1981.Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2005) ''SIPRI Yearbook 2005: Armaments, disarmament and international security'' Humanities Press, New York
page 636
A fire broke out in an outbuilding in April 2024, which the Libyan Atomic Energy Commission reported as under control. During the

Libyan crisis Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. All figures are from the United Nations Demographic Yearbooks ...

, Tajura has become associated with the insurgency of 101 Battalion. The name Tajoura is rumoured to be named after a princess who lost her crown. "Taj" meaning crown, and "oura" being the name of the princess, the crown was found in this area and so was named Tajoura (Oura's crown).

Districts of Tajura

* Goot Al-Rumman * Abe Al Ash'her * Al-Marouhna * Al Hamidiya * Al Kwateb * Al'aswal * Awlad Al Turki * Be'ar Al Sanyaa * Shatt al-Sidi Othman (Sidi Othman) * Btisp * Be'ar Al Osta Milad * El Atamana * Dakhla * Rima * Diyar Jaber * Almchai - Aribat - and the cemetery Sahaabi and Hada title Almchai * Market - the middle * Goudec * Punishment (the headquarters of the commander Uqba) * Al Knadra * Andilsi * Shatt span * al mashin * Wadi Al Rabie

References

{{reflist Populated coastal places in Libya Oases of Libya Populated places in Tripoli District, Libya Baladiyat of Libya