Ajdabiya أجدابيا | |
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Town | |
![]() Ajdabiya | |
Coordinates: 30°45′20″N20°13′31″E / 30.75556°N 20.22528°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Region | Cyrenaica |
District | Al Wahat |
Elevation | 7 ft (2 m) |
Population (2020) [2] | |
• Total | 416,000 |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
License Plate Code | 12 |
Ajdabiya ( /ˌɑːdʒdəˈbiːə/ AHJ-də-BEE-ə; Arabic : أجدابيا, romanized: Aǧdābiyā) is a town in and capital of the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya. It is some 150 kilometres (93 mi) south of Benghazi. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of and capital of the Ajdabiya District. The town is divided into three Basic People's Congresses: North Ajdabiya, West Ajdabiya and East Ajdabiya. [3]
During the Libyan Civil War, the city changed hands several times between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces, with the anti-Gaddafi forces finally securing the town in April 2011. As many civilians had fled the fighting, one March 2011 report described the city as a "ghost town." [4]
Later, during the Second Libyan Civil War, the city was seized by the Ajdabiya Revolutionaries Shura Council until it was taken over by the Libyan National Army on 21 February 2016. [5]
Ajdabiya is situated in central northern Libya near the Mediterranean Sea coast at the eastern end of the Gulf of Sidra. It is located on an arid plain about 6.4 kilometres (4.0 mi) from the sea, 850 kilometres (530 mi) from the Libyan capital of Tripoli and 150 kilometres (93 mi) from Libya's second largest city, Benghazi. The city is the site of an important crossroads between the coastal road from Tripoli to Benghazi and inland routes south to the oasis at Jalu and east to Tobruk and the border with Egypt. [6] Ajdabiya lies close to the Sabkhat Ghuzayyil, a large dry region below sea level.
Ajdabiya has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). For a location very close to the Mediterranean Sea it is very prone to strong heat waves and has reached above 47 °C (117 °F) as early as in April in spite of the sea having mild surface temperatures that time of the year. This is due to hot winds from the Sahara Desert bringing extreme temperatures north. In summer Ajdabiya is similar to interior climates in Southern Europe, except drier. Winters are mild, with occasional rainfall.
Climate data for Ajdabiya | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 27.5 (81.5) | 36.7 (98.1) | 39.0 (102.2) | 47.2 (117.0) | 47.4 (117.3) | 46.7 (116.1) | 46.0 (114.8) | 45.6 (114.1) | 45.2 (113.4) | 40.3 (104.5) | 35.6 (96.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 47.4 (117.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.3 (66.7) | 22.0 (71.6) | 26.2 (79.2) | 30.3 (86.5) | 33.3 (91.9) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.8 (91.0) | 32.0 (89.6) | 29.0 (84.2) | 24.0 (75.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 26.5 (79.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.5 (54.5) | 13.7 (56.7) | 16.0 (60.8) | 19.7 (67.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 26.1 (79.0) | 25.8 (78.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 25.3 (77.5) | 22.5 (72.5) | 18.1 (64.6) | 14.1 (57.4) | 20.3 (68.5) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) | 8.0 (46.4) | 10.0 (50.0) | 13.2 (55.8) | 16.4 (61.5) | 19.0 (66.2) | 19.5 (67.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 18.7 (65.7) | 16.1 (61.0) | 12.1 (53.8) | 8.9 (48.0) | 14.1 (57.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) | 0.2 (32.4) | 1.8 (35.2) | 3.9 (39.0) | 7.2 (45.0) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.2 (52.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 9.2 (48.6) | 7.0 (44.6) | 3.6 (38.5) | 1.9 (35.4) | 0.2 (32.4) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 40 (1.6) | 23 (0.9) | 6 (0.2) | 1 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 8 (0.3) | 22 (0.9) | 27 (1.1) | 129 (5.1) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 9 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 35 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 68 | 65 | 54 | 47 | 43 | 47 | 54 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 57 | 66 | 55 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 206 | 216 | 250 | 267 | 312 | 344 | 377 | 360 | 301 | 273 | 230 | 191 | 3,327 |
Source: Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun 1961–1990) [7] [8] [lower-alpha 1] |
Ajdabiya has been identified as the site of the Roman city of Corniclanum, which is shown on the Peutinger Table of the Roman road network in the fourth or fifth centuries AD. [9] It gained its importance for two reasons: it possessed drinkable water, which made it a useful staging post in an arid region, and it stood on the intersection of two important trade routes, the coastal route along the North African littoral and the desert caravan route from the oases of Jalu and al-Ujlah. [6] The town passed to the Byzantine Empire following the fall of Rome but gained new importance under the rule of the Fatimid Caliphate. After sacking the town in 912, the Fatimids redeveloped Ajdabiya and built a new mosque and palace complex, the ruins of which can still be seen. [10] Around 1051–52 it was sacked again, this time by the Beni Hilal and Banu Sulaym, Arab tribes that migrated to North Africa at the instigation of the Fatimids. It subsequently fell into a prolonged period of decline. [6]
In the 12th century, the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi described Ajdabiya as "a town situated on a flat, stony plateau". He wrote in his treatise Nuzhat al-Mushtaq (published in Europe as De geographia universali):
The town was later revived by the Ottomans to serve as a minor administrative centre for western Cyrenaica. It became an important centre for the Senussi movement in the early 20th century and became the capital of an autonomous Senussi-ruled region between 1920 and 1923 under the terms of an accord with Italy, which had occupied Libya from 1911. In April 1923, however, the accord broke down and the Italians seized Ajdabiya, turning it into an important military outpost. [6] The area was the scene of heavy fighting during the Second World War; during Operation Compass, British forces forced Italian troops to retreat through Ajdabiya (February 1941, Battle of Beda Fomm), but soon later they lost control of it again on April 2, 1941, when Rommel's Afrikakorps counter-attacked. [12] The town finally reverted to Allied control on November 23, 1942, when it was recaptured by the British 7th Armoured Division. [13]
Ajdabiya's fortunes were transformed after the war by the development of the Libyan oil industry at nearby Brega. By 1979 it had become a boom town with a population of about 32,000 people. The bulk of the male population worked in the oil industry, government service or other local service industries. The town acquired a new area of public housing, police stations, educational facilities and a general hospital run by Libya's ally Bulgaria. In other respects, however, it remained comparatively undeveloped – many of the roads were left as dirt tracks without drainage, resulting in them being muddy and flooded in the winter and dirty and dusty in the summer. Libya's predominately tribal society also resulted in an unusual style of urbanisation; nomadic members of the Zuwaya tribe settled on the outskirts of the town and established tent camps, which they gradually replaced with houses. The layout of some areas of the town thus resembles that of nomadic camps, with a senior man in the centre of an area, his married sons nearby, with their younger brothers and their own sons clustered around them. [14]
Ajdabiya was the site of anti-government protests on February 16–17, 2011 in which up to ten people were said to have been killed, some by pro-government snipers. [15] Protesters quickly took control of the city and declared it to be a "Free City" after burning down the local government headquarters. [16] The city subsequently came under attack from the Libyan air force and on March 15, 2011, the Libyan army encircled Ajdabiya in preparation for an assault to retake it. [17] The battle for Ajdabiya was cited as a potential turning point in the conflict on which the fate of the whole rebellion against the Gaddafi government could be decided. [18] After two days of heavy fighting, pro-Gaddafi forces seized the strategic crossroads, gained control of most of the city and pressed on to the rebel-held stronghold of Benghazi.
The city was retaken by rebel forces on March 26, 2011, after air strikes authorised by the United Nations destroyed much of the Libyan army's heavy weaponry in and around Ajdabiya and forced them to retreat to the west. [19] [20] Much of the population fled the fighting in the city, which was reported to have suffered heavy damage. [21]
On April 8, loyalist forces attempted to recapture the city. Taking advantage of a disorganised rebel retreat following the Third Battle of Brega, loyalist troops entered the city and had taken control of most of it by April 9. [22] However, rebel forces soon regrouped and had pushed pro-Gaddafi forces out of the city by April 11, with heavy support from NATO airstrikes. [23] [24] The front line then stagnated outside of the city, 40 km down the road to Brega. [25] Loyalist shells continued to intermittently strike the western gate and outskirts of the city for several days. [26] In April 2011, the citizens of Ajdabiya decided to rename the city's principal square as "Tim Hetherington Square", in honour of the British photojournalist killed in Misrata. [27]
Sirte, also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, almost right in the middle between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups and loyalty to former Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Due to developments in the First Libyan Civil War, it was briefly the capital of Libya as Tripoli's successor after the Fall of Tripoli from 1 September to 20 October 2011. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II.
Brega, also known as Mersa Brega or Marsa al-Brega, is a complex of several smaller towns, industry installations and education establishments situated in Libya on the Gulf of Sidra, the most southerly point of the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in the former Ajdabiya District, which in 2007 was merged into the Al Wahat District. The town is the center of Libya's second-largest hydro-carbon complex.
The battle of Misrata, also known as the siege of Misrata, was a battle of the 2011 Libyan Civil War for the control of Misrata. It was fought between troops loyal to the government of Muammar Gaddafi, and anti-Gaddafi rebels who held Misrata, the third largest city in Libya. Following the initial stages of the uprising, the Libyan government retook most towns in the west of the country, leaving Misrata the only major city under rebel control in Tripolitania. The city soon became the site of one of the war's major battles and the suffering of its citizens gained worldwide attention.
The National Liberation Army, officially the National Liberation Armed Forces of the Free Libyan Republic, formerly known as the Free Libyan Army, was a Libyan military organisation affiliated with the National Transitional Council, which was constituted during the First Libyan Civil War by defected military members and civilian volunteers, in order to engage in battle against both remaining members of the Libyan Armed Forces and paramilitia loyal to the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Its self proclaimed chief commander was General Khalifa Haftar, although the National Transitional Council preferred to appoint Major General Abdul Fatah Younes Al-Obeidi as its commander-in-chief. It had prepared for some time in portions of Eastern Libya controlled by the anti-Gaddafi forces for eventual full-on combat in Western Libya against pro-Gaddafi militants, training many men before beginning to go on the offensive. They have battled for control of Benghazi, Misrata, Brega, Ajdabiya, Zawiya and Ra's Lanuf as well as several towns in the Nafusa Mountains. They finally began the Battle for Tripoli in August 2011 when they attacked from the west of the city, as well as fomenting an internal uprising on 20 August.
Estimates of deaths in the 2011 Libyan vary with figures from 15,000 to 30,000 given between March 2 and October 2, 2011. An exact figure is hard to ascertain, partly due to a media clamp-down by the Libyan government. Some conservative estimates have been released. Some of the killing "may amount to crimes against humanity" according to the United Nations Security Council and as of March 2011, is under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
The First Battle of Brega was fought during the Libyan Civil War. It began when pro-Gaddafi government troops attacked the city, held by the National Transitional Council, in the early hours of 2 March 2011.
The Battle of Ras Lanuf was a two-phase battle in early to mid-March 2011 during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and those loyal to the National Transitional Council. Both forces sought control of the town of Ras Lanuf. The first phase of confrontation followed two days after the First Battle of Brega which occurred in the town Brega, roughly 130 kilometres (81 mi) to the east of Ras Lanuf. After conquering the town on 4 March, the rebels pushed further west to attack Sirte but they were driven back by government forces and on 11 March, government troops reconquered most of Ras Lanuf.
The Second Battle of Brega took place during the Libyan Civil War. More than 10 days earlier, anti-Gaddafi forces beat back an attempt by loyalist forces to take the town on 2 March 2011, in the First Battle of Brega. Following that battle, rebel forces advanced along the Libyan Coastal Highway, taking the towns of Ra's Lanuf and Bin Jawad. However, after the Battle of Bin Jawad and the Battle of Ra's Lanuf, government troops retook all of the territory lost and were once again threatening Brega by mid-March.
The Free Libyan Air Force was the air force of the National Transitional Council during the First Libyan Civil War. It was established by and was a collection of Libyan Air Force defectors with captured aircraft that aligned themselves with the anti-Gaddafi forces in the civil war.
The Second Battle of Benghazi took place during the Libyan Civil War between army units and militiamen loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and anti-Gaddafi forces in Benghazi. The battle marked the start of a United Nations-mandated military intervention in the conflict, with fighter jets from the French Air Force attacking and destroying several pro-Gaddafi units, forcing them to retreat.
The Third Battle of Brega was fought during the Libyan Civil War between government forces and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the town of Brega and its surroundings.
The First Gulf of Sidra offensive was the second major rebel offensive of the Libyan Civil War. It was mounted by anti-Gaddafi forces immediately after their victory in the Battle of Ajdabiya. The offensive was meant to have the rebel forces quickly reach Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.
The Fourth Battle of Brega was a battle in July and August 2011, during the Libyan Civil War, between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and forces of the Libyan opposition for control of the strategic town of Brega and its oil port.
The Battle of Brega–Ajdabiya road was a battle during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the towns of Brega and Ajdabiya respectively and the Libyan Coastal Highway between them.
The Battle of Ajdabiya was an armed battle in and near the city of Ajdabiya that took place as part of the Libyan Civil War. It was fought between anti-government rebels and military forces loyal to the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Following the Second Battle of Brega, in which pro-Gaddafi forces captured the town, Ajdabiya was the only major rebel-held city left en route to the rebel capital of Benghazi. The battle for Ajdabiya had been cited as a potential turning point in the conflict on which the fate of the whole rebellion against the Gaddafi government may be decided. On 26 March 2011, Libyan rebels, backed by extensive allied air raids, seized control of the frontline oil town of Ajdabiya from Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's forces. During the first phase of the battle, pro-Gaddafi forces seized the strategic road junction leading to Benghazi and Tobruk, and captured most of the city. The city centre remained in rebel hands but was surrounded by pro-government forces and cut off from outside assistance. After the second phase, anti-Gaddafi forces recaptured the road junction and cleared loyalist forces from the city, sending them retreating down the Libyan Coastal Highway towards Sirte.
The Cyrenaican desert campaign was a military campaign conducted by the Libyan military in the form of hit-and-run attacks against rebel-held towns and oil facilities in the eastern Libyan Desert that began in April 2011, during the Libyan Civil War. The campaign failed in denying anti-Gaddafi forces control of southern Cyrenaica.
The Libyan Civil War began on 15 February 2011 as a chain of civil protests and later evolved into a widespread uprising against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. On 25 February, most of eastern Libya was reported to be under the control of protesters and rebel forces. Gaddafi remained in control of the cities of Tripoli, Sirte and Sabha. By 15 March, however, Gaddafi's forces had retaken more than half a dozen lost cities. Except for most of Cyrenaica and a few Tripolitania cities the majority of cities had returned to Gaddafi government control.
The timeline of the Libyan civil war begins on 15 February 2011 and ends on 20 October 2011. The conflict began with a series of peaceful protests, similar to others of the Arab Spring, later becoming a full-scale civil war between the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi's government and the anti-Gaddafi forces. The conflict can roughly be divided into two periods before and after external military intervention authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
The Libyan Civil War began on 15 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. However, by 19 March, Libyan forces under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi were on the brink of a decisive victory over rebels in Libya's east. That day, leading NATO members acted on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which authorized member states "to take all necessary measures... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force".
The 2011 Libyan Civil War began on 17 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. After a military intervention led by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States on 19 March turned the tide of the conflict at the Second Battle of Benghazi, anti-Gaddafi forces regrouped and established control over Misrata and most of the Nafusa Mountains in Tripolitania and much of the eastern region of Cyrenaica. In mid-May, they finally broke an extended siege of Misrata.