Zawiya, Libya

In the Libyan censuses of 1973 and 1984, the city counted about 91,603 inhabitants; it was then – and possibly continues to be today – the fourth largest city in Libya by population (after Tripoli, Benghazi and Misrata).{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14521323|title=Libya conflict: Rebels battle Gaddafi troops in Zawiya|work=BBC News|date=14 August 2011|access-date=20 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118124618/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14521323|archive-date=18 November 2018|url-status=live}} In 2011, Zawiya was estimated to have a population of about 200,000 people,[http://www.aljazeerah.info/News/2011/March/6%20n/Libyan%20Revolutionaries%20Repel%20Qaddafi%20Dictatorial%20Forces,%20US-EU%20TV%20Networks%20Lose%20Battle%20to%20Al-Jazeera%20and%20Al-Arabiya.htm Libyan Revolutionaries Repel Qaddafi Dictatorial Forces, US-EU TV Networks Lose Battle to Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007190919/http://aljazeerah.info/News/2011/March/6%20n/Libyan%20Revolutionaries%20Repel%20Qaddafi%20Dictatorial%20Forces,%20US-EU%20TV%20Networks%20Lose%20Battle%20to%20Al-Jazeera%20and%20Al-Arabiya.htm |date=7 October 2011 }} Al Jazeera(6 March 2011)[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/02/libyan-anti-government-forces-brace-for-new-fight.html Libyan Anti-government Forces Brace for New Fight; U.N. Imposes Sanctions ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122184000/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/02/libyan-anti-government-forces-brace-for-new-fight.html |date=22 January 2014 }} PBS NewsHour(27 February 2011) most of whom were concentrated in the city. Zawiya has a university named Al Zawiya University, founded in 1988. There is also an oil field near the city and Zawiya has one of the two most important oil refineries in Libya. Zawiya was the site of some of the fiercest fighting in the first Libyan Civil War, as it controls the vital route between the national capital Tripoli and the Tunisian border.

Historically al zawiyya was built by the abd al nabi Sanhajan{{Cite book |last=خليل |first=ابن غلبون، محمد بن |url=https://www.google.com.ly/books/edition/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B0%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86_%D9%85%D9%84%D9%83_%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8/OiFIAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A&dq=%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A8%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A&printsec=frontcover |title=التذكار فيمن ملك طرابلس وما كان بها من أخبار |last2=خليل |first2=بن غلبون، محمد بن |date=1998 |publisher=مؤسسة الكتب الثقافية، |language=ar}} who sought refuge of the Hafsid dynasty around 1250 AD and was able to gain small Zawiya as regional ruler along with his descend. Around 1354 AD. His descend abd al mawla extented the religious institution of into Kikla, And was involved in resistance against the Republic of Genoa.{{Cite book |last=Abd allah |first=Ahmed |title=The efforts of Libyan scholars in spreading the sciences of Sharia during the Almohad era and the Hafsids (6th-10th century AH) |publisher=university of musrata |date=2024-11-12 |pages=13}}{{Cite book |last=إبراهيم |first=غدامسي، صولة بن |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7kslAQAAIAAJ&q=%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF+%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%88%D9%84%D9%89+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%8A+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D8%A7%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9 |title=الحوار الإباضي المالكي |date=2006 |publisher=وزارة التراث والثقافة، سلطنة عمان، |language=ar}}{{Cite book |last=Habib al rajabani |url=https://archive.org/details/20250410_20250410_0631/page/n2/mode/1up |title=نسب الكرداسة |date=2025-01-11}}

Zawiya has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).

{{Weather box|location = Zawiya

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan high C = 17.3

|Feb high C = 18.8

|Mar high C = 21.3

|Apr high C = 24.4

|May high C = 26.8

|Jun high C = 29.5

|Jul high C = 32.3

|Aug high C = 33.0

|Sep high C = 31.4

|Oct high C = 28.5

|Nov high C = 23.9

|Dec high C = 19.0

|Jan low C = 6.7

|Feb low C = 7.7

|Mar low C = 9.7

|Apr low C = 12.8

|May low C = 15.3

|Jun low C = 18.1

|Jul low C = 19.9

|Aug low C = 20.8

|Sep low C = 20.3

|Oct low C = 17.2

|Nov low C = 12.4

|Dec low C = 8.2

|Jan precipitation mm = 53

|Feb precipitation mm = 34

|Mar precipitation mm = 23

|Apr precipitation mm = 10

|May precipitation mm = 3

|Jun precipitation mm = 1

|Jul precipitation mm = 0

|Aug precipitation mm = 0

|Sep precipitation mm = 9

|Oct precipitation mm = 24

|Nov precipitation mm = 34

|Dec precipitation mm = 61

|year precipitation mm= 252

|source = [https://en.climate-data.org/location/3455/ Climate-data.org]

|date=14 March 2018}}

{{main|First Battle of Zawiya}} {{main|Second Battle of Zawiya}}

During the first Libyan Civil War, severe fighting between the Libyan opposition and the government of Muammar Gaddafi took place in and around the city.{{Cite web |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/20112235434767487.html |title=Gaddafi defiant as state teeters - Africa - al Jazeera English |access-date=23 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110319101656/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/20112235434767487.html |archive-date=19 March 2011 |url-status=live }}BBC News (24 February 2011). [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12570279 Libya protests: Gaddafi says Bin Laden to blame.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524223951/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12570279 |date=24 May 2018 }}{{cite news

| url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=12992237&page=3

| title=Protesters Hit by Hail of Gunfire in Libya March

| work=ABC News

| date=27 February 2011

| access-date=7 March 2011

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301040740/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=12992237&page=3

| archive-date=1 March 2011

| url-status=live

}} In a phone call specifically aimed at its residents, Gaddafi said the protesters were young people that had been duped into "destruction and sabotage" with drugs and alcohol. On 8 March 2011, it was reported that Gaddafi forces had 'torn the town to ashes', having used air power, and 50 tanks, to destroy the town. According to one witness, "the city is in ruins...everyone on the street is shot on sight."{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gaddafi-retakes-rebel-city-2235747.html |title=AP report in The Independent |website=Independent.co.uk |access-date=19 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304230942/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gaddafi-retakes-rebel-city-2235747.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live }} According to another report, regime violence began to escalate on the morning of 6 March 2011, and intensified in the following days – " Children have been shot while sitting in front of their houses, the hospital has been bombarded. I don't know where the injured are going to go."Interview quotes from Rhod Sharp's Up All Night, BBC 5 Live, 9 March 2011

On 10 March, the city was retaken by pro-Gaddafi forces.{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixCyR-WVF7l99m8SOdunWxHmzu0g?docId=CNG.27b799659739bb00ab0094711b9d039c.171|agency=Agence France-Presse|work=Google News|title=Libya's Zawiya back under Kadhafi control: witness|date=10 March 2011|access-date=12 November 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205003854/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ixCyR-WVF7l99m8SOdunWxHmzu0g?docId=CNG.27b799659739bb00ab0094711b9d039c.171|archive-date=5 December 2012|url-status=dead}}

On 18 March, it was reported that protests had once again appeared in the city.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}} By early April 2011, the uprising, having been brutally quashed, the city was " back under Gaddafi's thumb after daring to rise up in his very own backyard." The main mosque that overlooked Martyrs' Square where the injured and dying were treated when Gaddafi's tanks and snipers moved in, had been "completely destroyed, not a trace left." Thousands of Zawiyans had been taken away for questioning in the last few weeks, according to rebel sources.Jonathan Rugman, reporting on Channel Four News, 5 April 2011, and The Independent, 6 April 2011, Gaddafi's men try to obliterate traces of massacre in Zawiya, [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gaddafis-men-try-to-obliterate-traces-of-massacre-in-zawiya-2263670.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022032755/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gaddafis-men-try-to-obliterate-traces-of-massacre-in-zawiya-2263670.html|date=22 October 2017}} Un-confirmed reports stated that as many as 10 anti-Gaddafi fighters were buried in the town center. After the battle, no trace of the graves or bodies was seen.

Since Gaddafi's troops took control of Zawiya, the revolutionaries have been using guerrilla action against Gaddafi's soldiers. On various occasions rebels have ambushed Gaddafi's men but had to use night cover to prevent detection.

On 11 June, around one hundred rebels infiltrated the city and claimed that they won control of some sections, marking the first significant clashes between loyalist and opposition forces since it was recaptured by Gaddafi's troops in March. Rebel forces closed down a highway that crosses the town, a key expressway for Gaddafi's war effort.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-idUSTRE7270JP20110611|title=Fighting in Zawiya shuts Libya road to Tripoli|work=Reuters|last=Graff|first=Peter|date=11 June 2011|access-date=11 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611223350/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/11/us-libya-idUSTRE7270JP20110611|archive-date=11 June 2011|url-status=live}} The next day, rebels were pushed out of the city by Gaddafi brigades and the road to the city reopened. As of 6 August, rebels had launched an offensive towards Zawiya, and revolutionaries in the city allegedly said they would rise up in support of the rebels when they reached the city.{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuhOP8v2kc4&feature=feedlik |title=Libya rebels launch push towards Zawiyah - YouTube |website=YouTube |date=6 August 2011 |access-date=2 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629205051/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuhOP8v2kc4&feature=feedlik |archive-date=29 June 2016 |url-status=live }}

In early August, anti-Gaddafi forces launched an offensive into the plains surrounding Zawiya reaching the outskirts of the city but not holding positions.{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-aug-13-2011-0013 |title=Libya - Aug 13, 2011 - 00:13 | al Jazeera Blogs |access-date=13 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107015858/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/libya-aug-13-2011-0013 |archive-date=7 January 2012 |url-status=live }} On 13 August, amid conflicting reports about the outcome of the latest fighting,{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-idUSTRE77A2Y920110813 | work=Reuters | title=Rebels, Gaddafi forces clash near Tunisia: sources | date=13 August 2011 | access-date=3 July 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822005004/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/13/us-libya-idUSTRE77A2Y920110813 | archive-date=22 August 2011 | url-status=live }} Al Jazeera Arabic announced that Gaddafi forces had abandoned Zawiya, and anti-Gaddafi forces had moved in on the same day.

The multi-purpose stadium, Zawiya Stadium, which is mainly used for football, is located in the city.[http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?showstadiums=1&searchcountry=LY&stadium=420 Al-Olympique Stadium] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022032516/http://www.goalzz.com/main.aspx?showstadiums=1&searchcountry=LY&stadium=420 |date=22 October 2017 }} at goalzz.com[https://int.soccerway.com/venues/libya/al-olympic-stadium-az-zwiyah-stadium/ Al-Olympic Stadium] at Soccerway

• List of cities in Libya

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078277/Zawiya Zawiya page on Encyclopædia Britannica Online.]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080228044553/http://encarta.msn.com/map_701518824/Az_Z_wiyah.html Map of Zawiya on the dynamic atlas of Encarta Online (encarta.msn.com).]
• [https://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&t=h&om=0&z=12&ll=32.757252,12.731094&spn=0.133102,0.2314 Zawiya dynamic map from Google Maps.]

{{Zawiya}}

{{District capitals of Libya}}

{{Libyan Oil-ports}}

{{coord|32|45|8|N|12|43|40|E|region:LY_type:city|display=title}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zawiya}}

Category:Populated coastal places in Libya

Category:Tripolitania

Category:Populated places in Zawiya District

Category:Baladiyat of Libya

Category:Ports and harbors of Libya