LIBYA There is no dispute
that the first who has recorded the word "LIBYA" or
"LUBIA", as reported by some Arab historians, it the
hieroglyphic text found among the lefts of the five
family from the Antique Egyptian State, where the
intention of recording the syllable or drawing it in an
exact manner is the reference to a tribe or group of
tribes inhabiting west of the Nile river, and to the
friction and association between them and the Antique
Egyptians. The previous word text
appeared thereafter in more than one Hebrew sources and
more than one Phoenician source, though the name
launching in both cases, as with Egyptians, was aiming
to refer to a specific type of population, without
having any determined geographical meaning or sense. It
did not appear first, but in the Greek texts, where the
poet (Humorous) who was living in the nineteen century
before Christ, has preceded in referring the launching
of the name "LIBYA" in its famous epic (Iliad), as such
with several literaries and poets in subsequent
time.
In the era of the
Hellenic historian (Herodotus) the use of the word
became much more, which no longer means only the
geographical province west of the Nile directly, but
extends to refer to all known in the African continent,
where the use of the last word was not revealed yet.
Here, we are not surprised if (Herodotus) has divided
the known world at that time to three continents:
Europe, Asia and Libya .
Dashing therefrom,
Libya is giving, today, its name as a tangible
historical evidence, witnessing its originality and
antiquity, as a land and also as a people.
The human inhabitation
origins in Libya refer to the period before Christ or to
the last stone age, as from one thousand years to two
thousand years before Christ. Such a period has left
evidences about the human inhabitation in Libya,
represented in the fortune of drawings, rocky engravings
in the mountain caverns existing in general in the
southern part of the country, which illustrate the mode
of life and a group of animals and creatures preceding
the transformation of the green lands to desert
areas. Moreover, a group of
Libyan population and tribes was living during about the
ninth century before Christ, who has trading relations
with the Egyptians. Those people have left a rich
heritage and evidences about their mode of life.
Libya was, because of
its strategic site, always a target of invaders, where
the Phoenicians, attracted by the strategic site of the
African north coast, during the seventh century before
Christ, were residing in each of Sabratha, Tripoli
(Oea), Great Libda near Sirte (Makomadus), and Sultan
city (Sharacus). There are little visual evidences for
their inhabitation.
As for Greeks, who
were accidentally existing with Phoenicians, they have
focused their attention to the eastern part of the
country, and erected their five cities, which are Shahat
(Gorina), Tukra (Tukhira), Sousse (Appolonia), Tolmetha
(Ptolemais), Elmerg (Berka), and other famous cities,
like Benghazi (Breenk). After the Roman domination on
the Mediterranean sea , the Roman influence spread on
the Libyan coast, and fascinating cities were erected in
each of Great Libda and Sabratha. Both thereof were used
as seaports to trade across the desert for ivory,
slaves, precious metal, olive oil and animals trading.
Such a trading were prospered by the fall of Ghadames
under the Roman hands in the year 19 before Christ, and
its development as a stage centre in the middle of
desert. About the last of the fourth century, the
coastal area of Libya became Christian in addition to
the existence of other sects appeared within a given
period of the time, and caused several and destroying
divisions. Then Libya was exposed for a short period to
the occupation of Vandals. By the seventh century after
Christ, the Islamic religion took root in the country,
after the Islamic victory and conquering of the north
Africa.
Furthermore, Libya has
been exposed to a wave of invasions and occupations by
several European powers, represented in Sicilians,
Spanish and Maltese (Saint Johan Cavaliers), then the
country was fall under the domination of the Ottoman
Empire, though this was through a series or a group of
semi-independent governors, especially the progeny of
Elgara Maili, which has been governing Libyan throughout
the period as from 1711 up to 1835 after Christ.
Live in Libya was in
general calm relatively until the Italian invasion, in
1911. the events came successive thereafter until the
English could spread their domination on Tripoli
governorate. The French administration could spread its
domination on Fezzan area until granting the country the
semi-independence by the United Nation, established in
1952. Due to the downfall of the economic and politic
situations in Libya, and public direction towards Arab
nationalism prevailing at that time in the Arab nation,
The Revolution of the September First in 1969 raised by
the leadership of Col/ Muammar Elkaddafi, and the
country went to a new era distinguished with huge
achievements on a wide extent and different politic,
economic and social grounds.