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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Libya
Index
An arch from Leptis Magna, built by the
Romans in the early third century A.D.
UNTIL LIBYA ACHIEVED independence in 1951, its history was
essentially that of tribes, regions, and cities, and of the empires
of which it was a part. Derived from the name by which a single
Berber tribe was known to the ancient Egyptians, the name
Libya was subsequently applied by the Greeks to most of
North Africa and the term Libyan to all of its Berber
inhabitants. Although ancient in origin, these names were not used
to designate the specific territory of modern Libya and its people
until the twentieth century, nor indeed was the whole area formed
into a coherent political unit until then. Hence, despite the long
and distinct histories of its regions, modern Libya must be viewed
as a new country still developing national consciousness and
institutions.
Geography was the principal determinant in the separate
historical development of Libya's three traditional regions--
Tripolitania, Cyrenaica, and Fezzan. Cut off from each other by
formidable deserts, each retained its separate identity into the
1960s. At the heart of Tripolitania was its metropolis, Tripoli,
for centuries a terminal for caravans plying the Saharan trade
routes and a port sheltering pirates and slave traders.
Tripolitania's cultural ties were with the
Maghrib, (see Glossary),
of which it was a part geographically and culturally and with which
it shared a common history. Tripolitanians developed their
political consciousness in reaction to foreign domination, and it
was from Tripolitania that the strongest impulses came for the
unification of modern Libya.
In contrast to Tripolitania, Cyrenaica historically was
oriented toward Egypt and the
Mashriq (see Glossary).
With the
exception of some of its coastal towns, Cyrenaica was left
relatively untouched by the political influence of the regimes that
claimed it but were unable to assert their authority in the
hinterland. An element of internal unity was brought to the
region's tribal society in the nineteenth century by a Muslim
religious order, the Sanusi, and many Cyrenaicans demonstrated a
determination to retain their regional autonomy even after Libyan
independence and unification.
Fezzan was less involved with either the Maghrib or the
Mashriq. Its nomads traditionally looked for leadership to tribal
dynasties that controlled the oases astride the desert trade
routes. Throughout its history, Fezzan maintained close relations
with sub-Saharan Africa as well as with the coast.
The most significant milestones in Libya's history were the
introduction of Islam and the Arabization of the country in the
Middle Ages, and, within the last two generations, national
independence, the discovery of petroleum, and the September 1969
revolution that brought Muammar al Qadhafi to power. The era since
1969 has brought many important changes. The Qadhafi regime has
made the first real attempt to unify Libya's diverse peoples and to
create a distinct Libyan state and identity. It has created new
political structures and made a determined effort at diversified
economic development financed by oil revenues. The regime has also
aspired to leadership in Arab and world affairs. As a consequence
of these developments, Libyan society has been subjected to a
significant degree of government direction and supervision, much of
it at the behest of Qadhafi himself. Although the merits of the
regime and its policies were much debated by Libyans and foreigners
alike, there was no question that Libya in the 1980s was a
significantly different country from the one it had been only two
or three decades earlier.
Data as of 1987
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