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|subdivision_type1 = Region|subdivision_name1 = CyrenaicaDistricts of Libya>DistrictAl Wahat District>Al Wahat|subdivision_type3 =|subdivision_name3 =|subdivision_type4 =|subdivision_name4 =|government_footnotes =|government_type =|leader_title =|leader_name =|leader_title1 = |leader_name1 =|leader_title2 =|leader_name2 =|leader_title3 =|leader_name3 =|leader_title4 =|leader_name4 =|established_title = |established_date =|established_title2 = |established_date2 =|established_title3 = |established_date3 =|area_magnitude =|unit_pref =Imperial |area_footnotes =|area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 =|area_water_km2 =|area_total_sq_mi =|area_land_sq_mi =|area_water_sq_mi =|area_water_percent =|area_urban_km2 =|area_urban_sq_mi =|area_metro_km2 =|area_metro_sq_mi =|area_blank1_title =|area_blank1_km2 =|area_blank1_sq_mi =|population_as_of = 2020date=July 2021bot=medic}}|population_note =|population_total = 416,000|population_density_km2 =|population_density_sq_mi =|population_metro =|population_density_metro_km2 =|population_density_metro_sq_mi =|population_urban =|population_density_urban_km2 =|population_density_urban_sq_mi =|population_blank1_title =Ethnicities|population_blank1 =|population_blank2_title =Religions|population_blank2 =|population_density_blank1_km2 =|population_density_blank1_sq_mi =Eastern European Time>EET| utc_offset = +2|timezone_DST =|utc_offset_DST =30202031region:LY|display=inline,title}}Wolfram Alpha {{webarchive >url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512214618weblink |date=May 12, 2014 }}|elevation_m = 2Vehicle registration plates of Libya>License Plate Code| registration_plate = 12}}Ajdabiya ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɑː|dʒ|d|ə|ˈ|b|iː|ə}} {{respell|AHJ|də|BEE|ə}}; ) is a town in and capital of the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya. It is some {{convert|150|km}} south of Benghazi. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of and capital of the Ajdabiya District. The town is divided into three Basic People's Congresses: North Ajdabiya, West Ajdabiya and East Ajdabiya."شعبيات الجماهيرية العظمى " Sha'biyat of Great Jamahiriya, accessed July 6, 2007 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207003234weblink |date=February 7, 2009 }}During the Libyan Civil War, the city changed hands several times between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces, with the anti-Gaddafi forces finally securing the town in April 2011. Although, as many civilians had fled from the fighting, one March 2011 report described the city as a "ghost town."Elisbeth Bumiller and David Kirkpatrick Allies Pressure Qaddafi Forces Around Rebel Cities {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626101841weblink |date=June 26, 2017 }} The New York Times March 23, 2011 Later, During the Second Libyan Civil War, the city was taken over by the Ajdabiya Revolutionaries Shura Council until it was taken over by the Libyan National Army on 21 February 2016.WEB,weblink Army claims advances in Libyan cities of Benghazi and Ajdabiya | Reuters, Reuters, October 5, 2018,weblink September 18, 2018, live,

Geography

Ajdabiya is situated in central northern Libya near the Mediterranean Sea coast at the eastern end of the Gulf of Sidra. It is located on an arid plain about {{convert|6.4|km}} from the sea and is approximately {{convert|850|km}} from the Libyan capital of Tripoli and {{convert|150|km}} from Libya's second largest city, Benghazi. The city is the site of an important crossroads between the coastal road from Tripoli to Benghazi and inland routes south to the oasis at Jalu and east to Tobruk and the border with Egypt. Ajdabiya lies close to the Sabkhat Ghuzayyil a large dry region below sea level.

Climate

Ajdabiya has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh). For a location very close to the Mediterranean Sea it is very prone to strong heat waves and has reached above {{convert|47|C|F}} as early as in April in spite of the sea having mild surface temperatures that time of the year. This is due to hot winds from the Sahara Desert bringing extreme temperatures north. In summer Ajdabiya is similar to interior climates in Southern Europe, except drier. Winters are mild, with occasional rainfall.{{Weather box|location = Ajdabiya|metric first = Yes|single line = Yes|Jan record high C = 27.5|Feb record high C = 36.7|Mar record high C = 39.0|Apr record high C = 47.2|May record high C = 47.4|Jun record high C = 46.7|Jul record high C = 46.0|Aug record high C = 45.6|Sep record high C = 45.2|Oct record high C = 40.3|Nov record high C = 35.6|Dec record high C = 30.6|year record high C = 47.4|Jan high C = 17.6|Feb high C = 19.3|Mar high C = 22.0|Apr high C = 26.2|May high C = 30.3|Jun high C = 33.3|Jul high C = 32.1|Aug high C = 32.8|Sep high C = 32.0|Oct high C = 29.0|Nov high C = 24.0|Dec high C = 19.2|year high C = 26.5|Jan mean C = 12.5|Feb mean C = 13.7|Mar mean C = 16.0|Apr mean C = 19.7|May mean C = 23.3|Jun mean C = 26.1|Jul mean C = 25.8|Aug mean C = 26.3|Sep mean C = 25.3|Oct mean C = 22.5|Nov mean C = 18.1|Dec mean C = 14.1|year mean C = 20.3|Jan low C = 7.5|Feb low C = 8.0|Mar low C = 10.0|Apr low C = 13.2|May low C = 16.4|Jun low C = 19.0|Jul low C = 19.5|Aug low C = 19.8|Sep low C = 18.7|Oct low C = 16.1|Nov low C = 12.1|Dec low C = 8.9|year low C = 14.1|Jan record low C = 0.4|Feb record low C = 0.2|Mar record low C = 1.8|Apr record low C = 3.9|May record low C = 7.2|Jun record low C = 9.4|Jul record low C = 11.2|Aug record low C = 10.0|Sep record low C = 9.2|Oct record low C = 7.0|Nov record low C = 3.6|Dec record low C = 1.9|year record low C = 0.2|precipitation colour = green|Jan precipitation mm = 40|Feb precipitation mm = 23|Mar precipitation mm = 6|Apr precipitation mm = 1|May precipitation mm = 2|Jun precipitation mm = 0|Jul precipitation mm = 0|Aug precipitation mm = 0|Sep precipitation mm = 0|Oct precipitation mm = 8|Nov precipitation mm = 22|Dec precipitation mm = 27|year precipitation mm = 129|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm|Jan precipitation days = 9|Feb precipitation days = 4|Mar precipitation days = 4|Apr precipitation days = 2|May precipitation days = 1|Jun precipitation days = 0|Jul precipitation days = 0|Aug precipitation days = 0|Sep precipitation days = 1|Oct precipitation days = 2|Nov precipitation days = 4|Dec precipitation days = 8|year precipitation days = 35|Jan humidity = 68|Feb humidity = 65|Mar humidity = 54|Apr humidity = 47|May humidity = 43|Jun humidity = 47|Jul humidity = 54|Aug humidity = 52|Sep humidity = 52|Oct humidity = 52|Nov humidity = 57|Dec humidity = 66|year humidity = 55|Jan sun = 206|Feb sun = 216|Mar sun = 250|Apr sun = 267|May sun = 312|Jun sun = 344|Jul sun = 377|Aug sun = 360|Sep sun = 301|Oct sun = 273|Nov sun = 230|Dec sun = 191|year sun = |source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (sun 1961–1990)WEB,weblink Klimatafel von Agedabia / Libyen, Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world, Deutscher Wetterdienst, German, 27 March 2016, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171017195327weblink">weblink dead, 2017-10-17, Station 62055 Agedabia, Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration, Deutscher Wetterdienst, 27 March 2016, {{efn|weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171017195318weblink">Station ID for Agedabia is 62055 Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration}}}}

History

Ajdabiya has been identified as the site of the Roman city of Corniclanum, which is shown on the Peutinger Table of the Roman road network in the fourth or fifth centuries AD.al-ʻĀmmah lil-Āthār wa-al-Matāḥif wa-al-Maḥfūẓāt, Idārah. Libya antiqua, Volumes 8–10, p. xlii. Libyan Department of Antiquities, 1971 It gained its importance for two reasons: it possessed drinkable water, which made it a useful staging post in an arid region, and it stood on the intersection of two important trade routes, the coastal route along the North African littoral and the desert caravan route from the oases of Jalu and al-Ujlah. The town passed to the Byzantine Empire following the fall of Rome but gained new importance under the rule of the Fatimid Caliphate. After sacking the town in 912, the Fatimids redeveloped Ajdabiya and built a new mosque and palace complex, the ruins of which can still be seen.BOOK, Petersen, Andrew, Dictionary of Islamic Architecture, 1999, Psychology Press, 978-0-415-21332-5, 8–9, Around 1051–52 it was sacked again, this time by the Beni Hilal and Banu Sulaym, Arab tribes that migrated to North Africa at the instigation of the Fatimids. It subsequently fell into a prolonged period of decline.BOOK, Azema, James, Libya Handbook The Travel Guide, 2000, Footprint Handbooks, 978-1-900949-77-4, 136–137, In the 12th century, the Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi described Ajdabiya as "a town situated on a flat, stony plateau". He wrote in his treatise Nuzhat al-Mushtaq (published in Europe as De geographia universali): (File:متحف إجدابيا - Ajdabiya museum.jpg|left|thumb|Ajdabiya museum)The town was later revived by the Ottomans to serve as a minor administrative centre for western Cyrenaica. It became an important centre for the Senussi movement in the early 20th century and became the capital of an autonomous Senussi-ruled region between 1920 and 1923 under the terms of an accord with Italy, which had occupied Libya from 1911. In April 1923, however, the accord broke down and the Italians seized Ajdabiya, turning it into an important military outpost. The area was the scene of heavy fighting during the Second World War; during Operation Compass, British forces forced Italian troops to retreat through Ajdabiya (February 1941, Battle of Beda Fomm), but soon later they lost control of it again on April 2, 1941, when Rommel's Afrikakorps counter-attacked.BOOK, Greene, Jack, Massignani, Alessandro, Rommel's North Africa Campaign September 1940 – November 1942, 1999, Da Capo Press, 978-1-58097-018-1, 55, The town finally reverted to Allied control on November 23, 1942, when it was recaptured by the British 7th Armoured Division."Defeat Of The Wehrmacht II – How Alamein Was Planned And Won, The Army Commander's Vital Decisions". The Times, February 18, 1947; p. 5Ajdabiya's fortunes were transformed after the war by the development of the Libyan oil industry at nearby Brega. By 1979 it had become a boom town with a population of about 32,000 people. The bulk of the male population worked in the oil industry, government service or other local service industries. The town acquired a new area of public housing, police stations, educational facilities and a general hospital run by Libya's ally Bulgaria. In other respects, however, it remained comparatively undeveloped – many of the roads were left as dirt tracks without drainage, resulting in them being muddy and flooded in the winter and dirty and dusty in the summer. Libya's predominately tribal society also resulted in an unusual style of urbanisation; nomadic members of the Zuwaya tribe settled on the outskirts of the town and established tent camps, which they gradually replaced with houses. The layout of some areas of the town thus resembles that of nomadic camps, with a senior man in the centre of an area, his married sons nearby, with their younger brothers and their own sons clustered around them.BOOK, Davis, John, Libyan Politics Tribe and Revolution an Account of the Zuwaya and Their Government, 1988, University of California Press, 978-0-520-06294-8, 82–84,

Libyan civil war

Ajdabiya was the site of anti-government protests on February 16–17, 2011 in which up to ten people were said to have been killed, some by pro-government snipers.Black, Ian. "Libya's day of rage met by bullets and loyalists". The Guardian, February 17, 2011 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130120415weblink |date=November 30, 2012 }} Protesters quickly took control of the city and declared it to be a "Free City" after burning down the local government headquarters.Spencer, Richard; Ramdani, Nabila. "Middle East crisis: Libyan protests move closer to Tripoli". The Daily Telegraph, February 20, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211014347weblink |date=December 11, 2011 }} The city subsequently came under attack from the Libyan air force and on March 15, 2011, the Libyan army encircled Ajdabiya in preparation for an assault to retake it.Crilly, Rob. "Libya: rebels flee stronghold of Ajdabiya as Gaddafi closes net". The Daily Telegraph, March 15, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122224447weblink |date=January 22, 2013 }} The battle for Ajdabiya was cited as a potential turning point in the conflict on which the fate of the whole rebellion against the Gaddafi government could be decided.Dehghanpisheh, Babak. "The Libyan Rebels' Decisive Next Battle". March 14, 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519141720weblink |date=May 19, 2011 }} After two days of heavy fighting, pro-Gaddafi forces seized the strategic crossroads, gained control of most of the city and pressed on to the rebel-held stronghold of Benghazi.The city was retaken by rebel forces on March 26, 2011, after air strikes authorised by the United Nations destroyed much of the Libyan army's heavy weaponry in and around Ajdabiya and forced them to retreat to the west.Hubbard, Ben; Lucas, Ryan. "Air Raids Force Gadhafi Retreat, Rebels Seize East" The Associated Press, March 26, 2011"Libya revolt: Rebels grab Ajdabiya from Gaddafi". BBC News, March 26, 2011 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905083651weblink |date=September 5, 2011 }} Much of the population fled the fighting in the city, which was reported to have suffered heavy damage.Fahim, Kareem; Kirkpatrick, David D. "Airstrikes Clear Way for Libyan Rebels’ First Major Advance {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915204646weblink |date=September 15, 2017 }}". The New York Times, March 26, 2011On April 8, loyalist forces attempted to recapture the city. Taking advantage of a disorganised rebel retreat following the Third Battle of Brega, loyalist troops entered the city and had taken control of most of it by April 9.NEWS,weblink Qaddafi Forces Press Rebels With Attack on a Key City, April 9, 2011, The New York Times, C. J., Chivers, April 9, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130618030320weblink">weblink June 18, 2013, However, rebel forces soon regrouped and had pushed pro-Gaddafi forces out of the city by April 11, with heavy support from NATO airstrikes.NEWS,weblink Libya Live Blog – April 11, April 11, 2011, April 11, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120316095039weblink">weblink March 16, 2012, dead, mdy, NEWS,weblink Rebels and NATO Strikes Repel Assault on Key Libyan Town, April 10, 2011, The New York Times, C. J., Chivers, April 10, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130618030230weblink">weblink June 18, 2013, The front line then stagnated outside of the city, 40 km down the road to Brega.NEWS,weblink Western Arab nations say Gaddafi must go, April 13, 2011, Toronto, The Star, Adrian, Croft, Maria, Golovnina, April 13, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121024002933weblink">weblink October 24, 2012, Loyalist shells continued to intermittently strike the western gate and outskirts of the city for several days.NEWS,weblink Gaddafi's forces bombard east Libya town outskirts, April 12, 2011, Reuters Africa, Reuters, April 12, 2011, dead,weblink September 11, 2012, In April 2011, the citizens of Ajdabiya decided to rename the city's principal square as "Tim Hetherington Square", in honour of the British photojournalist killed in Misrata.NEWS,weblink Ajdabiya honours fallen British photojournalist, April 29, 2011, April 22, 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110902122600weblink">weblink September 2, 2011,

Transport

• A station on the proposed Libyan railway network may be located here. The interstate line through Tobruk may diverge here from the coastal line to Benghazi to avoid difficult coast terrain and to save distance.Bringinshaw, David. "Libya's First Two Railway Lines Start To Take Shape {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090324112007weblink |date=March 24, 2009 }}. International Railway Journal, January 2001.
• Ajdabiya is on the crossroads of many important roads in Libya:
  • Libyan Coastal Highway
  • Ajdabiya–Kufra Road
  • Tobruk–Ajdabiya Road

See also

{{Commons category|Ajdabiya}}

• List of cities in Libya
• Railway stations in Libya

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist|2}}

External links

• "Ajdabiya, Libya", Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
• "Ajdabiya Map — Satellite Images of Ajdabiya" Maplandia.com
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080421153638weblink">Search for Ajdabiya in the MSN Encarta atlas

{{Al Wahat}}{{Ajdabiya}}{{District capitals of Libya}}