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Durham E-Theses The Western coastal zone of Tripolitania a human geography Bulugma, Hadi M. R. How to cite: Bulugma, Hadi M. R. (1960) The Western coastal zone of Tripolitania a human geography, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10292/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk TEE VESTW COASTAL 20KE OF TRIPOLITANIA A mi'JI GEOGRAPHY By Hadi U.R. Bulugma Thesis submitted for the degree of M. Litt. of the University of Durhan, June I96O. 11 PEEFACE Tliis thesis has 'been prepared during the past two and a half years for the submission for the degree of lister of Letters in the University of Durham. The selection of the suhject resulted fron the desire to acq.uire detailed knovrled^-e of various problems of the human geo;:p:aphy of an area of Eiy country. Hinnan studies in Libya on a regional basis are rare and also vital for rational economic and social development. Ilany vrere those who helped me in different v;ays. Lly grateful aclaiovdedgments are rendered to Prof. W.B. Fisher \'iho accepted me as a postgraduate research student in his department of geography in the ]>.irhan Colleges. Through his encouragement an early start '.vas possible, To Dr. J.I. Clarke thanks are given for his generous supervision, his always helpful attitude a:id his unfailing patience, which hcxi rendered an invaluable assistance withou.t which it wouJ.d have been voi-^r difficvJt for me to progTess in my research. To the great number of individuals and institutions who helped the provision of statistics, reports and mr.ps I also offer my grateful thaiil:s. H.M.R. BULUam 111 co::Ti:.:t3 Preface Introduction 1 - 6 PART I TIE EOTIROiOITT Chapter I The Land 7 - 19 " II Climate 20 - 52 " III Watei- Resoi.irces 55-48 PART II THE ESOPLS Chapter I Ethnic Elenents in the Western Coastal Zone 49 - 66 II Aduinistrative & Trihal Strvictuxe 67 - 92 III A DenoGTaphy 95 - 110 B Health 119 - 125 C Education 127 - 153 17 Settlement 159 - 169 V Italian Colonization 170 - 182 PART III TEE ECOIIOMr Chapter I Cultivation 185 - 205 " II Livestock 206 - 217 " III Afforestation 210 - 223 " IV Industry 224 - 240 ConcluEion 241 - 244 Bibliograplay 245 - 247 Suniiaary 245 Photographs 249 - 265 IV LIST OP HIPS J)Ik(im'£ Pis ..1 Sinplified ceolog;'- of the Tdiole Jefara II 2 Geological Sootion across the Jefara - After Lipparini, It 5 " " " " " - After Arcliaubavat. » 4 L?n.clforLis of tlie Vfcstom Coastal Zone. It 5 Rainfall. It 6 Artesian ?fctor Zones. It 7 Distribution of the najor etiinic elonento - three parts. II 8 Appro:d.':i!ate linits of the YJostem Coastal Zone It 9 Distribu-tion of Zanaur district tribes - tv/c parts, II 10 " " Zavia & Sormn tribes. II 11 " " Agelat & Sabratha tribes. II 12 ". " Zv^ra district tribes. It 15 " " Schools in the •.Testom Coastal Zone. It 14 Recent e;:cavation of Sabratha. II 15. Distribution of Settlement. It 16 Savia tomi. II 17 Zuara air photographs. It 18 Ztiara old tovrn. It 19 Lend given in'Concessions. It 20 Land acquisition. 11 21 Italian Concessions. It 22 Oliveti Elite denographic farns. II 25 Oliveti I.IT.P.S. " " It 24 Approidr-iate distribution of ^forests. II 25 Tuiana,ra Installations. LIST OF PHOTOgRAPHS I - The Dalu, the water lifting bag, Zavia. II - Cows provide the water lifting power, 2a.via. III - A typical well with two storage tani^is, Zavia. 17 - Wind mills are also means for lifting water, Sorman. V - Concrete ditches are practically confined to Italian farms, Oliveti. VI - Sprinkler irrigation system. VII - Part of Savia Eye Hospital. VIII - The tent and the camel are al\7ays essentials for serd-nomr-ds, Agelat. IX - Sidi el-Beshet, the seed of el-Hara growth. X - A plot of t\70 Italian houses, Zavia. XI - The main water reservoir in Zavia. XII - The main road in Zavia. XIII - A tj'p)ical ITative garden v/ith the house aaid the well at its centre, Zavia. XIV - A typical Native house in Zavia with the cow kept nearby. XT' - The Zariba is a cor:imon dwelling type for ITatives, Zavia. XVI - The main square in Zuara. XVII - The administrative centre or the Kairanakamia in Sabratha. XVIII - A t^TJical railway station, Sabratha. XIX - Sabratha, modem market. XX - Part of the famous antiquities of Roman Sabratha. XXI - Stone and cement are the r.-iain Italian building materials, Oliveti. XXII - Covfs and horses rri.th \70oden plough for native ploughing. XXIII - Llanui-e is provided locally by most of the Italian farmers5 Oliveti. XXT/ - Zu3,i-a harbour with both fish and sponge boats. XXV - Zanzur Tuna factory, Zansur. XXVI - Lagbi juice is a comr.:on drinl:, Zavia, XXVII - Preparing the palm tree for Lagbi production, Zavia. XXVIII - Limestone quarrying, Tellil - Agelat. XXIX - Clay is-the main material for the construction of Arab houses, lETROmCTlOl] It is customary to think of the vrestern coastal zone of Tripolitania as one of • the most clearly defined and in some respects one of the most tyiucal Tripolitanian agricultural areas. Porthemore, it is also distinguished in it; racial characteristics. It is nithin this coastal strip tliat the only Berber coHiirunity along .the entire Libyan coastline is to be found. In other vjords the racial contrasts between the different ethnic elements is unusual for such a region. Tlie etlmic elements of this region are represented by the Berbers, the Arabs, the Arab-Berbers, the Kologlis, the Negroes and the Italicjis. Most of these elements have been deeply rooted in this sons and of course the whole country since remote times. The Arabs first came to Tripolitania in the "Jth century A.D. although their number was limited and so the Berbers, who were the original inhabitants of the countrjr, remained the dominant racial element.. This situation persisted until the IJth and 14th centuries A.D. when a nev/ element began to appear as a result of the close relations between Arab and Berber caused by the invasions of the Arab tribes Beni Hilal and Seni Suleim in the 11th century A.D. The new element is known as the Arab-Berber element. However some Arab invading tribes avoided mixing with the Berbers and so retained their purity. The Kologlis are a compare,tively recent element. Their existence was entirely due to the Turkish domination starting from the second half of the l6th centurj'- A.D. and ending at the beginning of the second decade of the present centuzy. Their number is not as high as the other elements, apart from the Negroes and the Italians. The Negroes, in all probability, were found before the Arabs. Their existence resulted from the trans-Saharan trade vri.th different parts of central Africa. Tliis trade probably first was carried out on a large scale by the Phoenicians in pro-historic times and continued vintil the 19th century A.D. vhen both England axid France opened Central Africa aaad changed the route of this trade to West Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Also since prehistoric times Jews were found all over North Africa. The crises of Palestine in 1958 caused the native people to attack the Jews which made them migrate to Tripoli City and Israel itself. Consequently the Jevdsh element has entirely left the western coa.stal sone. At present the most dominant element.of the former etln-^ic groups is the Arab-Berber element. No'>;adays and because of the deep effect of the /irab influence, especially from the linguistic and religious points of view, the Arab-Berber element is normally regarded as Arab stock d3spite its Berber racial foundation. However this superficial declaration docs not cliangc the fact tliat about half of the population of the western coa.stal belt is of a Berber origin. A siiiiilar attitude also applies to the Kologlis and the ITegrocs, who because they speak Arabic and follow a different heresy from tliat followed by the Berbers of Zviara consider themselves as Arabs, As far as the Berbers are concerned there are no complications simply because they are still proud of their race, speak the L!?,zih-Berber langnage, avoid mixing with the other elements and follo\: the Kharjets heresy. But the other etlmic elements are less clearly defined as they have a common lang\iage and common religious beliefs. Examples are that apart from Suara Berber community the rest of the western coastal zone popiilation speal: Arabic rnd follow the Ifelikia heresy. More im.portant still,there are no clear phj'^icaJ differences betv/een any of these etlmic groups. It is perhaps the political beliefs which may guide us to trace some of the ethnic differences. For example the Kologlis form a distinct political .group. Hov/ever recent increases in intermarriage with the other elements impede precise determination of the purity of this group.