Marj (Arabic: المرج, al-Marj, "The Meadows"), El Merj in Benghazi Arabic, is a city in northeastern Libya and the administrative seat of the Marj District.[2] It lies in an upland valley separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a range of hills, part of the Jebel Akhdar Mountains, and is generally believed to be the site of the ancient city of Barca.
As of 2004[update], it had an estimated population of 85,315.[1] There are a couple of banks on the main street and the main post office is in the city centre, not far from the Abu Bakr Assiddiq mosque.[3]
History
Abi Zar al Ghifari mosque in Marj.Damage during the 1963 earthquake.
According to most archeologists, Marj marks the site of the ancient city of Barca, which, however, according to Alexander Graham, was at Tolmeita (Ptolemais).[4]
Marj grew around a Turkish fort built in 1842 and now restored. During the colonial dominance of Libya (1913–41), the town was called Barce and was developed as an administrative and market centre and hill resort.
From 1942 to 1943, the town was the capital of British-occupied Cyrenaica.[5]
Most of it was destroyed by a 5.6 earthquake on 21 February 1963,[3] which killed some 300 people and injured 500 more.[6] Major rebuilding was undertaken about 5km (3.1mi) from the old site, and was completed about 1970.
12Pliez, Olivier (ed.) (2009) "Al Marj" Le Petit Futé Libye Petit Futé, Paris, p. 237, ISBN2-7469-2276-2; in French
↑Graham, Alexander (1902) Roman Africa: an outline of the history of the Roman occupation of North Africa, based chiefly upon inscriptions and monumental remains in that country Longmans, Green, and Co., London, p. 312, OCLC2735641
↑Stewart, John (1996) "Cyrenaica" The British Empire: an encyclopedia of the Crown's holdings, 1493 through 1995 McFarland & Co., Jefferson, North Carolina, p. 125, ISBN0-7864-0177-X
↑Hewitt, Kenneth (1983) "Seismic Risk and Mountain Environments: The Role of Surface Conditions in Earthquake Disaster" Mountain Research and Development 3(1): pp. 27–44, p. 30
