Al-Jaghbub

Al-Jaghbub is a remote desert oasis in eastern Libyan Desert. It is actually closer to the Egyptian town of Siwa than to any Libyan town of note. Supported by reservoirs of underground water and dates, the town is best known for its hard-won self sufficiency.

History

It was once the headquarters of the Senussi Movement and home of a long disappeared Islamic university and the former Senussi palace (which is now in rubble). In February 1931, the Italian occupational government decided to build a barbed-wire fence stretching from the Mediterranean port of Bardia to Al-Jaghbub 270 km away. Supervised by armoured patrols and the air force, the fence sought to cut off the rebels from their supply sources and contacts with the Senussi leadership in Egypt. The construction of the fence began in April and completed in September. This, along with the deportation of almost the entire population of the Jebel Akhdar, was decisive and precipitated the end of the rebellion. The fence still runs along the Libyan-Egyptian border from near Tobruk, finishing at Al-Jaghbub where the desolate Great Sand Sea begins.

The construction of the fence was dramatized in the film Lion of the Desert.