Tarhoona

Tarhoona (Arabic: ترهونة) is a city and region in Libya, in the Tarhuna Wa Msalata Municipality.

Tarhuna (equallyTarhoona), (Arabic: ترهونة, is an old town 80 km to the south east of Tripoli Libya. The city derives its name from that of its pre-Roman-era inhabitants, the Tamazigh tribe. The city became known as al-Boirat during the 19th-20th century, but began to adopt its original name towards the end of this period.

The city has an urban population of about 296,000 (including Region of Msillata) according to [http://en.ljbc.net/online/lypop.htm|2003 estimates. Tarhuna is the leading producer of olive oil, cereals, figs, grapes, sparto grass, and various nuts

Tribes in Tarhuna are one of the biggest in western Libya, with a population density exceeding 50p/km². Tarhuna was one of the leading resistance centres (with Misrata) to the Italian occupation in 1911. Leading figures were Al-Mrayed and Al-Montaser families. Its population was known for brevity and extreme generosity and a down-to-earth simple life style.

Geography

Hilly to mountainous fertile region with relatively high precipitation.

Location: In the north and Tripoli, to its south is Ben Walid.

History

Early historyThere are many archaeological remains in the Tarhuna region. However, these remains are extremely dispersed over most parts of the plateau, as is always in the case of hinterland of any significant ancient city. Another interesting point is that the Gebel Tarhuna was a boundary land between two important ancient coastal centres, Lepcis Magna and Oea. It is possible that this ancient reality may be reflected in settlement patterning. For Lepcis Magna, like many other cities in the Roman world, the city was an integral part with its surrounding territory and its hinterland. Not all resources and items needed at the city could be obtained locally and from an early date Lepcis Magna imported artefacts and other goods from through the Mediterranean. Certainly, these artefacts and goods must be spread in the countryside and were not only distributed at the urban centre.

The archaeological sites of the Tarhuna region were first reported in the nineteenth century by Heinerich Barth and Edwin Von Bary who visited them in 1849 and 1875 respectively (Barth 1857; Von Bary 1883 ). Both these pioneers gave a summary description of some ancient sites on the plateau, which attracted attention of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s travellers and scholars. During the years 1895-6 H. Swainson Cowper visited the Tarhuna plateau and examined in considerable detail more than eighty ancient sites (Cowper 1897). Although he interpreted these sites as prehistoric monuments of religious character (Senams), his work constitutes a significant pioneer survey. It brought to light the archaeological importance of the Tarhuna region as a zone of intensive olive-cultivation during the classical period. Tarhuna Gebel was the area partly surveyed by Goodchild (1951), who had examined a number of ancient sites, specially his excavation in the sanctuary of Ammon at Ras El-Haddagia, and the villa and pottery-kilns at Ain Scersciara (Goodchild 1951: 43-77). At the same time (1949-51) Oates carried out much comprehensive archaeological survey in the area over some 300 square kilometres around Gas red-Daun at the eastern part of the Tarhuna Plateau. By three seasons of work, he revealed a distribution of more than 100 sites, which chronologically extended from the first century to the fifth century AD (Oates 1953). During the mid-nineteenth century, the first century BCE pottery was little-known. However, the Oates’ sites consist for the most part of varying size of farms associated with their water control and supply works, which represent the key to their regional specialization.

Islamic era

Arab migration:

The Ottoman conquest started in 1955BCE (sicsic) and ruled until 1911.

Maltese exile: In 1551, after the order of Suleiman II, Dragut, prominent Turkish corsair, conquered Gozo and enslaved all 5,000 or 6,000 inhabitants, bringing them to Tarhuna Libya

European colonialism

*Battle of El-Shqiqa: A memorial of the battle was installed in the same place of the execution of its hero Ali Swidan Alhatmy in the city centre of Tarhuna, just opposite the Tarhuna mosque.
*Battle of El-Akwam
*Battle of El-Boirat

Modern history

Abu-Baker Na'ama, Tarhuna representative, played many roles during the late 1950s and 60s such as; Ruler of Tripolitania, Minister of Justice and the Minister of Cultural Affairs.

References

1-http://en.ljbc.net/online/lypop.htm