Musaid

Musaid امساعد Imsasd, Msaad
—  Town  —
Musaid Location in Libya
Coordinates: 31°34′33″N 25°2′23″E / 31.57583°N 25.03972°E / 31.57583; 25.03972Coordinates: 31°34′33″N 25°2′23″E / 31.57583°N 25.03972°E / 31.57583; 25.03972
Country	Libya
District	Butnan
Population (2006)[1]
- Total	7,139
Time zone	UTC+2

Musaid or Imsaad (Arabic: امساعد‎) is a town in Butnan District in eastern Libya. Alternates names include: Oistant, Msa'ed, Imsa'ed, and Musa'ed. Musaid lies approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Tobruk and is the major border crossing between Libya and Egypt.

History

Musaid was the site of heavy fighting during the brief Libyan–Egyptian War of 1977. This war, the break-off of Libyan-Egyptian diplomatic relations, and the resultant trade embargo with Egypt, had a very negative impact on Musaid. For example, Musaid's population shrank from 4,330 in 1973 to 3,200 in 1984 (-26.1%)^[2], while overall Libya's population rose in the same period by 60.30% ^[3]

Culture

Nearby is the Sidi Shahir Ruhih shrine.^[4]

Economy

Musaid's economy depended heavily on trade between Egypt and Libya. After the 1977 war and the follow-on trade embargo with Egypt, this was replaced in part by smuggling, aided by the close tribal ties across the border.^[5] In 2008, the Libyan government acted to suppress the smugglers.^[5]

Border crossing

As of autumn 2010, a large suite of new border facilities is under construction.

Notes

1. ^ Amraja M. el Khajkhaj, "Noumou al Mudon as Sagheera fi Libia", Dar as Saqia, Benghazi-2008, p.120
2. ^ El Hadi Mustapha Bulegma, & Saad Khalil Kezeiri (ed.), " Al Jamahiriya: Dirasa fil Jughrafia", Ad Dar al Jamahiriya lil nashr wa tawzee wa e'lan, Surt, Libya , 1995, pp. 414, 418
3. ^ Subhi Gannus (ed.), "Libia ath Thawra fi Thalatheena Aaman", Ad Dar al Jamahiriya lil nashr wa tawzee wa e'lan, Misrata, Libya, p.67
4. ^ "Sīdī Shāhir Rūḩih, in Ţubruq, Libya" Travelingluck.com, accessed 9 May 2009
5. ^ ^{a b} "عاجل : وجود تمركز مكثف لقوات الأمن العام ( الدعم المركزي ) بمنطقة ..." ("public security forces concentrated in Oistant border region") 14 November 2008, Panorama Libya, in Arabic

See also

• List of cities in Libya

External links

• "Musa`id, Libya", Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
• Satellite map at Maplandia.com