GetWiki

{{short description|Port city in Derna District, Libya}}{{Redirect|Darnis|the insect genus|Darnis (treehopper)}}

factoids
official_name	Derna| other_name = | image_caption = Overview of Derna| image_flag = | flag_size = | image_seal = | seal_size = | image_shield = | shield_size = | image_blank_emblem = | blank_emblem_type = | blank_emblem_size = | image_map = | mapsize = | map_caption = | image_map1 = | mapsize1 = | map_caption1 = | image_dot_map = | leader_title = | leader_name = | population_as_of = 2023| population_footnotes = | population_note =		WEBSITE=ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS, 14 September 2023, | pushpin_map = Libya| pushpin_label_position = bottom| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Libya| subdivision_type = Country| subdivision_name = {{LBY}}| subdivision_type1 = Region| subdivision_name1 = Cyrenaica	Districts of Libya>District	Derna District>Derna| subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 =	Eastern European Time>EET| utc_offset = +2	32	49	22	10	region:LY_type:city|display=inline,title}}	Vehicle registration plates of Libya>License Plate Code| registration_plate = 10
factoids

}}}}Derna ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|ɜr|n|ə}}; {{transliteration|ar|Darnah}}) is a port city in eastern Libya. With a population of around 90,000,WEB, 2023-09-14, Whole families drowned in Libya's flood. Many didn't realize the danger until they heard dams burst,weblink 2023-11-20, AP News, en, Derna was once the seat of one of the wealthiest provinces among the Barbary States. The city is now the administrative capital of Derna District, which covers a much smaller area than the old province. Among Libyan cities, Derna has a unique location and physical environment, as it lies between Jebel Akhdar (also known as Green Mountain), the Mediterranean Sea, and the desert and is the fourth most important port in Cyrenaica's northern coast after Benghazi, Bayda and Tobruk. The city is also home to people of many different backgrounds.The city was the location of the famous Battle of Derna (1805), the first victory achieved by the United States Military on foreign soil. Occurring during the First Barbary War, the battle was fought between a force of roughly 500 US Marines and Mediterranean mercenaries and 4,000 or 5,000 Barbary troops.Parts of the city were taken over by Islamic State (IS) militants in October 2014.NEWS, The Islamic State of Libya Isn't Much of a State,weblink 23 February 2015, Foreign Policy, 9 April 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150609220822weblink">weblink 9 June 2015, live, {{subscription required}} In June 2015, the Shura Council of Mujahideen in Derna defeated IS and took control of the town, before being expelled themselves by the Libyan National Army in the Battle of Derna (2018–2019).In September 2023, about a quarter of the city was wiped out by a catastrophic flood caused by the collapse of two dams over the Wadi Derna river against the backdrop of Storm Daniel, resulting in the death of thousands of its residents, although the death toll varies by source. Thousands more are either injured and/or missing.WEB, 2023-09-14, Death toll hits 11,300 in Libyan city destroyed by floods,weblink 2023-09-15, NBC News, en, 2023-09-14,weblink live, Some 10,000 to 20,000WEB, العربية, 2023-09-14, حصيلة مرعبة لضحايا فيضانات ليبيا.. 11 ألف قتيل و20 ألف مفقود,weblink 2023-09-15, العربية, Al Arabiya, ar, 2023-09-20,weblink live, others were reported missing.WEB, 2023-09-13, Bodies wash ashore in Libya as devastated city races to count its dead,weblink 2023-09-14, NBC News, en, 2023-09-14,weblink live, WEB, 2023-09-14, Massive flooding in Eastern Libya kills over 8,000 people,weblink 2023-09-14, Mehr News Agency, en, 2023-09-15,weblink live, WEB, 2024-01-24, Research Terms of Reference - Derna Settlement Based Assessment, Libya LBY2401 (January 2024, V1) - Libya {{!, ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/libya/research-terms-reference-derna-settlement-based-assessment-libya-lby2401-january-2024-v1 |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}

Name

Darnis and Darne were the ancient Greek names for the city.Ptolemy (IV, 4, 2; 5; 6) The form Dardanis is sometimes found, although this is erroneous.{{CathEncy|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04635d.htm|title=Darnis}} Under Rome the city was referred to as Darnis and Derna. Under the Arabs, it was known as Derneh (Derne, Dernah) or Terneh (Ternah).

History

Classic era and Middle Ages

In the Hellenistic period the ancient city of Darnis was part of the Libyan Pentapolis colonized by the Greeks.Ammianus Marcellinus, (XXII, 16, 4) Under Rome, it became a civil and later the religious metropolis of the province of Libya Secunda, or Libya Inferior, that is, the Marmarica region. The names of some of its metropolitan bishops are found in extant documents. Piso was one of the Eastern bishops who withdrew from the Council of Sardica and set up their own council at Philippopolis in 347. Early 5th-century Dioscorus is known because of a dispute he had with the bishop of Erythrum. Daniel took part in the Council of Ephesus in 431. In addition, John Moschus speaks of a bishop Thedodorus of Darnis as having had a vision of Saint Leo the Great in the mid-5th century.Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103031022weblink |date=2016-01-03 }}, Paris 1740, Vol. II, coll. 631-632Raymond Janin, v. Darni in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410123105weblink |date=2020-04-10 }}, vol. XIV, Paris 1960, col. 89No longer a residential bishopric, Darnis is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 {{ISBN|978-88-209-9070-1}}), p. 879The city was resettled by the refugees from Islamic Spain (Expulsion of the Moriscos) in 1493 on the site of the ancient settlement.

Modern era

Ottoman times

Under Ottoman rule, Derna was initially under the governor at Tripoli, but shortly after 1711, it fell under the Karamanli sultanate until 1835, when it became a dependency of the autonomous sanjak of Benghazi, essentially Cyrenaica, which was governed directly from Constantinople.Vailhé, S. (1913) "Tripoli, Prefecture Apostolic of" Catholic Encyclopedia volume 15, page 59 {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102063817weblink |date=2014-01-02 }} This in turn, in 1875, became the vilayet of Cyrenaica.Hayes, Carlton Joseph Huntley (1919) A political and social history of modern Europe, Volume 1 Macmillan, New York, page 514 {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102063805weblink |date=2014-01-02 }}, {{OCLC|19118611}} In the 1850s, it had an estimated 4,500 inhabitants,Hamilton, James (1856) Wanderings in North Africa J. Murray, London, page 117 {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150117153206weblink |date=2015-01-17 }}, {{OCLC|5659586}} who lived by agriculture, fishing and the coastal trade.The oldest mosque in Derna is Al-masjeed al-ateeq, or the "Old Mosque", restored by wali Mahmoud Karamanli in 1772, vaulted with 42 small cupolas. This kind of vault was in use due to lack of some materials, like timber or stone in the region of Cyrenaica. There is another mosque, named Masjeed az-zawiyah, built in 1846, more strictly curved in the side of a hill.The French admiral Gantheaume landed at Derna in June 1800 in an attempt to reinforce Napoleon in Egypt by bringing troops overland, but was rebuffed by the local garrison.Mackesy, Piers (1995) British victory in Egypt, 1801: the end of Napoleon's conquest Routledge, London, page 162 {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102063855weblink |date=2014-01-02 }}, {{ISBN|0-415-04064-7}}Strathern, Paul (2008) Napoleon in Egypt Bantam Books, New York, page 418 {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102063905weblink |date=2014-01-02 }}, {{ISBN|978-0-553-80678-6}}Derna was the location of the 1805 Battle of Derne, in which forces under U.S. Lieutenant and former Consul to Tripoli William Eaton—who had marched {{convert|500|miles}} across the Libyan Desert from Alexandria—captured the city as part of the First Barbary War.

Italian occupation

File:Mussolini in Derna.jpg|thumb|Italian leader Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniOn 16 October 1911, Italian troops occupied Derna during the Italo-Turkish War. The Italian rule over Derna lasted 29 years, 3 months, and 14 days until it was captured on 30 January 1941 by Australian Troops during the Second World War's North African Campaign.WEB,weblink Derna, 4 July 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150118192530weblink">weblink 18 January 2015, live, On 6 April 1941, German forces retook the city from the British, and on 15 November 1942, British forces recaptured it.

Libyan Republic and civil war

{{See also|Derna campaign (2014–2016)|Siege of Derna|Battle of Derna (2018–2019)}}In 2007, American troops in Iraq uncovered a list of foreign fighters for the Iraqi insurgency. Of the 112 Libyans on the list, 52 had come from Derna. Derna has the reputation of being the most fundamentalist Muslim city in Libya.Destination: Martyrdom {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124073822weblink |date=2010-01-24 }} Newsweek, April 28, 2008.Following mass protests on 18 February 2011, the city came under the control of the National Transitional Council, breaking from the Libyan government.WEB,weblink Gaddafi defiant as state teeters, 4 July 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110319101656weblink">weblink 19 March 2011, live, WEB,weblink Gaddafi ordered Lockerbie bombing: Ex-minister, 23 February 2011, 2011-02-23,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110226100447weblink">weblink 2011-02-26, live, The city was never retaken before Gaddafi's ouster from Tripoli and the establishment of a new government. In October 2014, local militants affiliated with the Islamic Youth Shura Council publicly pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State.WEB,weblink How a Libyan city joined the Islamic State group, The Big Story, 25 March 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150128054548weblink">weblink 28 January 2015, live, In November 2014, al-Baghdadi released an audio-recording accepting the pledge of allegiance and announced the expansion of his group.WEB, The Islamic State's Archipelago of Provinces,weblink Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 14 November 2014, 17 November 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20141222204803weblink">weblink 22 December 2014, live, On June 28, 2018, forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar claimed to have taken full control of the city, following a two-year siege of the city that culminated in a month-long battle.WEB,weblink Haftar's forces say they have captured Libyan city of Derna, Reuters, 2018-06-28, 2018-06-28,weblink 2018-06-28, dead, {| style="margin: 0 auto;"thumbMausoleum of a Companions of the Prophet before its destruction by Salafi movement>SalafisSalafi movement>SalafisthumbMosque and Shrine of Sahaba in Derna, 2009)thumbBattle of Derna, 2018)

Storm Daniel

On 10 September 2023, Storm Daniel made landfall in Libya near Benghazi. While moving east-southeast, the storm caused torrential rainfall and extreme flooding in Derna, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency for the area,NEWS, Wintour, Patrick, 2023-09-11, Up to 2,000 feared drowned after Libyan city hit by 'catastrophic' storm floods, en-GB, The Guardian,weblink 2023-09-11, 0261-3077, 2023-09-11,weblink live, NEWS, Abdusamee, Mohammed, Kwai, Isabella, 2023-09-11, Hundreds Reported Dead in Severe Libya Flooding, en-US, The New York Times,weblink 2023-09-11, 0362-4331, 2023-09-11,weblink live, after collapses in the early morning of the next day of the Derna dam and the Mansour dam,NEWS, CCTV shows cars swept away in Libya flooding, en-GB, BBC News,weblink 2023-09-15, 16 September 2023,weblink live, which caused floodwaters to inundate the areas of the city around the Wadi Derna.WEB, 2023-09-11, Thousands feared dead in Libya after dam collapse,weblink 2023-09-11, NBC News, en, 2023-09-12,weblink live, WEB,weblink Libyan floods: Derna city alone recovers 1,000 bodies – minister, BBC, 12 September 2023, 12 September 2023, 12 September 2023,weblink live, At least 3,252 people were confirmed dead,NEWS, 17 September 2023, A week after deadly Libya floods, aid effort gathers pace, Aljazeera,weblink 18 September 2023, 18 September 2023,weblink live, with more than 11,300 casualties were initially estimated.WEB, 2023-09-13, Bodies wash ashore in Libya as devastated city races to count its dead,weblink 2023-09-14, NBC News, en, 2023-09-14,weblink live, WEB, 16 September 2023, Libya floods: Death toll rises to 11,300 in Derna, severely decomposing bodies found in the sea,weblink live, 17 September 2023, CNN, 17 September 2023,weblink Meanwhile, a government minister said that 25% of Derna had "disappeared",WEB,weblink Libyan floods: Derna city alone recovers 1,000 bodies – minister, BBC, 12 September 2023, 12 September 2023, 12 September 2023,weblink live, with large parts of the city washed out to sea.WEB, 2023-09-12, Libyan floods: Derna city looks like a tsunami hit it - minister,weblink 2023-09-12, BBC, en, 2023-09-12,weblink live,

Geography

(File:Wadi Derna watershed.png|thumb|200px|right|Map of the Wadi Derna watershed, covering 540 km² in eastern Libya)Derna is located at the eastern end of the Jebel Akhdar, one of the very few forested areas in Libya; due to its arid climate, forest makes up a mere 0.1% of Libya's land area. However, Derna is near the fertile upland area of eastern Libya, which is the wettest region in the country, receiving some {{convert|600|mm|in}} of precipitation annually.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}The city is built along the Wadi Derna, an ephemeral river that is dry much of the year. Historically, the city has been repeatedly damaged by floods.JOURNAL, 10.13140/RG.2.2.27645.26086, Abu-Aziza, Fatma B, Yacoub M El-Barasi, Rebeh O Rahil, Flora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna-El-JabalFlora, Vegetation and Human Activities of Wadi Derna-El-Jabal El-Akhadar-Libya., ContROL, 2023-09-12, 2018,weblink The Abu Mansur and Derna dams upstream of the city were meant to control soil erosion and prevent flooding.WEB, Arsel Insaat, DERNA AND BU MANSUR DAMS REHABILITATION PROJECT (2012),weblink 2023-09-13, 2023-09-14,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20230914172347weblink">weblink dead, Both dams were destroyed by high flow following Mediterranean Storm Daniel in September 2023. The dambreaks appear to have contributed significantly to flood damage and fatalities in Derna.NEWS, Clayton, Chris, Mike Hills, Paul Sargeant, Tural Ahmedzade, Kady Wardell, Gerry Fletcher, Filipa Silverio, Erwan Rivault, Libya floods: Why damage to Derna was so catastrophic, BBC News, 2023-09-14, 2023-09-13,weblink 2023-09-13,weblink live, Derna is linked with Shahhat by two roads; the inner one running through Al Qubah is part of the Libyan Coastal Highway and the coastal one running through Susa and Ras al Helal.

Climate

Derna features a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) with strong Mediterranean influences: essentially all the modest annual rains fall between October and March. The annual rainfall is around {{convert|275|mm|in|0|disp=or}}. Its maritime location allows it to have an extreme seasonal lag that is incredibly uncommon for a dry climate. However, the influence of the Sahara allows for the extreme record highs to occur months before the average warmest months.In winter, the city's average temperature ranges between {{convert|9|and|20|C|F|1}}. Summers are quite long and effectively rainless with afternoon temperatures averaging well above {{convert|27|C|F|1|disp=or}} between June and October.{{Weather box|location = Derna, Libya|metric first = yes|single line = yes|Jan record high C = 29.6|Feb record high C = 32.8|Mar record high C = 35.8|Apr record high C = 38.3|May record high C = 44.0|Jun record high C = 44.8|Jul record high C = 41.7|Aug record high C = 43.5|Sep record high C = 40.6|Oct record high C = 39.0|Nov record high C = 37.8|Dec record high C = 30.6|year record high C = 44.8|Jan high C = 17.5|Feb high C = 18.2|Mar high C = 19.4|Apr high C = 21.7|May high C = 24.3|Jun high C = 27.3|Jul high C = 28.2|Aug high C = 29.1|Sep high C = 28.1|Oct high C = 26.1|Nov high C = 23.1|Dec high C = 19.2|year high C = 23.5|Jan mean C = 14.1|Feb mean C = 14.5|Mar mean C = 15.6|Apr mean C = 17.7|May mean C = 20.3|Jun mean C = 23.5|Jul mean C = 25.3|Aug mean C = 26.1|Sep mean C = 25.0|Oct mean C = 22.4|Nov mean C = 19.3|Dec mean C = 15.7|year mean C = 20.0|Jan low C = 10.7|Feb low C = 10.8|Mar low C = 11.7|Apr low C = 13.8|May low C = 16.2|Jun low C = 19.7|Jul low C = 22.3|Aug low C = 23.2|Sep low C = 21.9|Oct low C = 18.6|Nov low C = 15.5|Dec low C = 12.2|year low C = 16.4|Jan record low C = 4.4|Feb record low C = 4.4|Mar record low C = 5.0|Apr record low C = 6.7|May record low C = 8.7|Jun record low C = 8.3|Jul record low C = 10.0|Aug record low C = 18.3|Sep record low C = 14.5|Oct record low C = 10.0|Nov record low C = 8.3|Dec record low C = 6.7|year record low C = 4.4|rain colour = green|Jan rain mm = 60|Feb rain mm = 39|Mar rain mm = 28|Apr rain mm = 10|May rain mm = 6|Jun rain mm = 2|Jul rain mm = 0|Aug rain mm = 0|Sep rain mm = 4|Oct rain mm = 32|Nov rain mm = 36|Dec rain mm = 57|unit rain days = 0.1 mm|Jan rain days = 11|Feb rain days = 8|Mar rain days = 7|Apr rain days = 3|May rain days = 2|Jun rain days = 0|Jul rain days = 0|Aug rain days = 0|Sep rain days = 1|Oct rain days = 5|Nov rain days = 6|Dec rain days = 5|Jan humidity = 76|Feb humidity = 72|Mar humidity = 74|Apr humidity = 74|May humidity = 74|Jun humidity = 75|Jul humidity = 80|Aug humidity = 80|Sep humidity = 75|Oct humidity = 74|Nov humidity = 75|Dec humidity = 78|year humidity = 76|Jan sun = 151.9|Feb sun = 189.3|Mar sun = 204.6|Apr sun = 231.0|May sun = 282.1|Jun sun = 297.0|Jul sun = 316.2|Aug sun = 297.6|Sep sun = 237.0|Oct sun = 223.2|Nov sun = 189.0|Dec sun = 145.7|year sun =|Jand sun = 4.9|Febd sun = 6.7|Mard sun = 6.6|Aprd sun = 7.7|Mayd sun = 9.1|Jund sun = 9.9|Juld sun = 10.2|Augd sun = 9.6|Sepd sun = 7.9|Octd sun = 7.2|Novd sun = 6.3|Decd sun = 4.7|yeard sun = 7.7Deutscher WetterdienstHTTP://WWW.DWD.DE/DWD/KLIMA/BERATUNG/AK/AK_620590_KT.PDF WORK=BASELINE CLIMATE MEANS (1961-1990) FROM STATIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD LANGUAGE=DE ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20190327132615/HTTPS://WWW.DWD.DE/DWD/KLIMA/BERATUNG/AK/AK_620590_KT.PDF URL-STATUS=LIVE, PUBLISHER=SPRINGER ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20160304072830/HTTP://EXTRAS.SPRINGER.COM/2007/978-1-4020-4577-6/BOOK_SHAHIN_ISBN_9781402045776_APPENDIX.PDF URL-STATUS=LIVE, |date=March 2016}}

Politics

The entire city council of Derna were dismissed after the flooding.NEWS, 2023-09-19, Libya flood: Derna mayor's house burnt down in protests, en-GB, BBC News,weblink 2023-09-20, 2023-09-19,weblink live,

Architecture

(File:مدينة درنة الليبية .jpg|thumb|right|Panoramic view (December 2020))(File:منظر عام لمدينة درنة.jpg|thumb|right|Cityscape (December 2020))Derna has three main squares. The most popular square is the Maydan Assahabah. This square was always used for mass demonstrations against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The city is also a tourist hub due to its old city (the Medina), which is home to Islamic architecture.

See also

• List of cities in Libya

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• {{Commons category-inline|Derna}}

{{Darnah}}{{District capitals of Libya}}{{Authority control}}