Libya - Crossroads of History Trivia Quiz

Answer: False

North Africa that is now dominated by the Sahara Desert was actually quite different in prehistoric times. It was covered by lush green vegetation with many lakes and rivers. Archeological evidence indicates that the coastal plain of Libya was inhabited as far back as 8000 BCE by Neolithic peoples who were skilled in raising cattle and crop cultivation. The rock art found at Wadi Mathendous and the Acacus Mountains are considered the best evidence of what this prehistoric world was like and they paint a picture of a pastoral culture with many rivers, grassy plateaus and abundant wildlife. Since 1985, the Acacus Mountains have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of the significance of this rock art to understanding North Africa's prehistory. This art has recently come under threat by the search for petroleum in the area and the use of seismic hammers in the hunt.

Around 3900 BCE, the 5.9 kiloyear event caused the beginning of the aridification of the region and brought an end to this Neolithic period with the spreading of the desert. Populations were forced to migrate to where the water was which led to the rise of the first highly organized civilizations in the Nile Valley.

Answer: Pentapolis

Cyrene was first a Greek colony and then a Roman city. It was located in what is now the modern city of Shahhat. Cyrene gave the Pentapolis its more common name of Cyrenaica, a name that the region still goes by today. The other four Greek cities were Barce, Euhesperides, Taucheira, Balagrae, and Apollonia.

Barce would become the modern city of Marj, home of the Abu Bkr Assiddiq Mosque. Euhesperides would become Berenice and is now the present-day city of Benghazi. Benghazi will be discussed later in the quiz. Taucheira would become Arsinoe under the Ptolemies but then reverted back to Taucheria, which is its current name.

Balagrae would become present-day Bayda, the fourth largest city in Libya. Bayda is known for having the tomb of Ruwaifi bin Thabit al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. At one time Bayda was supposed to become the capital of Libya and many government buildings were constructed. Those plans were eventually dropped.

Apollonia's ruins are found in the modern city of Susa. Evidence shows Apollonia was probably destroyed by the tsunami that resulted from the Crete earthquake in 365 CE. A museum in Susa contains many artifacts from Apollonia. There are also ruins of a Greek theater that stand by the sea outside the old city walls. The palace in Susa was first used as a Roman commander's house and then the Byzantine Duke's Palace. The ruins of three Byzantine era churches are also found in the city.

Answer: Leptis Magna

In 1215 CE King John signed the Magna Carta, which hopefully helped led to the answer Leptis Magna. In 1982, the ruins were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city started out around 1100 BCE as a Phoenician colony named Lpqy. In 146 BCE it became part of the Roman Empire as Leptis Magna. In 193 CE it came to prominence with the ascension of Severus to emperor. During his reign it became the third most important city in Africa, next to Carthage and Alexandria. This was the height of the city's existence. By 650, it was basically abandoned only to be swallowed up by the sands of the desert.

In 1818, part of an ancient temple from the ruins was moved to the Fort Belvedere royal residence in England, where it remains as part of Windsor Great Park. More recently, archeologists have been working to recover the ruins from the sand. The UNESCO site claims the city "is still one of the best examples of Severan urban planning." It goes on to say "the ancient port... still exists with its quays, jetties, fortifications, storage areas and temples." The market also still exists relatively intact, including all of its architecture. The ruins further boast a forum, a Severan forum, a circus, an amphitheatre, theatre, baths, and temples. In 2005, it was revealed that five colorful mosaics 30ft. in length were discovered that date back to the 1st and 2nd century CE and rival the Alexander Mosaic in Pompeii in quality.

Source: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/183

Answer: Sunni

Libya is a mainly Sunni Muslim state although in the past it has been ruled by the Shias. The Sunni Umayyad caliphate was the first Arab Muslim state to send troops into North Africa, including Libya, in the 7th century CE. The indigenous Berber tribes resisted the Arabs and Islam at first but by the 8th century most resistance had ended. The Shia Fatimid caliphate ruled over Libya from 909 to 1171. In 1171, Saladin returned control of this area to the Sunni Abbasid caliphate and Sunni Islam has been the dominant branch of Islam in Libya ever since.

Although Libya is Sunni Muslim, the Islam practiced throughout North Africa is punctuated with indigenous Berber traditions. Under Gaddafi, Islam maintained a central role in the life of the country but Gaddafi still controlled religion as he controlled all aspects of Libyan life. With Gaddafi's death, the National Transitional Council has said it wishes to establish a constitutional democracy based on Islamic principles.

Answer: The Barbary Coast

The Barbary Coast is the only one that fits both descriptions. The coast actually encompassed parts of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. The name comes from the Berber people and was used by Europeans to describe their lands in North Africa. The term Barbary by itself referred to all of the lands of the Berbers, not just the coastal areas. Tripoli was considered a major city of the Barbary States and the pirates that sought refuge there.

Although the exact origins of the Berber peoples are not known, many surmise that they came from the prehistoric tribes of Libya. Prehistoric cave paintings found in Libya in the Acacus Mountains date back 12,000 years and other archeological finds show a thriving civilization in Libya from 8000 BCE. This civilization declined however with the 5.9 kiloyear event. The first mention of the Berbers comes from the ancient Egyptians during the New Kingdom (1600-1100 BCE) who fought against two Berber tribes - the Meshwesh and the Libu. There are not many pure Berber tribes left in Libya, most have been blended with the Arab tribes who conquered the area beginning in the 7th century CE.

The Barbary Coast in San Francisco became notorious during the years of the California Gold Rush (1848-1858). It became known for prostitution, gambling and crime. At first it was called Sydney-Town because it was dominated by British convicts from Australia. It did not gain the name Barbary Coast until sometime in the 1860s and was named in honor of the pirates from the original Barbary Coast in Africa.

Answer: First Barbary War

Throughout its history, Tripoli has been more than just a city. During the time period of Barbary Coast piracy, Tripoli, or more accurately Tripolitania (aka the Kingdom of Tripoli), was one of three Barbary States, the other two being Algiers and Tunis. The Pasha of Tripoli, Pasha Yusuf Karamanli, demanded an increase in tribute from the US to protect its ships from the pirates but the US refused. The First Barbary War (1801-1805) resulted although Algiers and Tunis were not involved. The activities of the navy included blockading most of the Libyan coast from 1801 through 1805. In 1804, the Battle of Tripoli Harbor was fought. In this battle, US Marines used a captured enemy sailing boat to get close enough to a captured American frigate to recapture and destroy it. The action created one of America's first military heroes since the Revolutionary War, Lt. Stephen Decatur, who led the mission. The battle was largely indecisive. In 1805, at the Battle of Derne the US prevailed and the war ended. Derne, or Derna, is located in eastern Libya in Cyrenaica and was the seat of one of the wealthiest provinces in the Kingdom of Tripoli. Today it is a city of about 80,000 people and is famous for its Ottoman architecture.

This was the first major action for either the US Navy or the Marines since independence. A second Barbary War was fought in 1815 but this time the target was Algiers. These two wars ended the need for Americans to pay tribute to stop piracy.

Tripoli was founded in the 7th century BCE by the Phoenicians under the name Oea most likely because of its natural harbor. From there it passed through the centuries to the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arab Muslims, Spanish, Ottoman Turks, and Italians. Since its inception the city has always played a large role in the region. It is the largest city in Libya and home to 1.8 million people. During the 2011 Libyan Civil War it was the stronghold of Gaddafi until it fell quickly on August 21st. With its fall, a rebel victory was ensured even though the war would not end until Sirte fell on October 20th.

"The Halls of Montezuma" refers to the Mexican-American War (1847) and the capture of Chapultepec Castle by the Marines in the Battle of Chapultepec.

Answer: Tobruk

Tobruk is located in eastern Libya and is part of Cyrenaica. Tobruk's naturally protected, deep water harbor made it indispensable to both the Axis and the Allies during WWII. Its deep water meant that it could never be rendered totally useless by bombardment because ships could always harbor there even if the docks were destroyed. This meant there was always a refuge from the storms common to the Mediterranean. Initially held by the Italians it fell to the mainly Australian forces of the British Commonwealth on January 22, 1941. Tobruk was retaken by the Germans on June 21, 1942 and finally recaptured by the British on November 11, 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein.

Today Tobruk is a city of about 120,000. Because it was a stronghold of the king who was overthrown by Gaddafi in 1969, the city was one of the first to rebel against Gaddafi during the Arab Spring. The city contains a port terminal linked to the Sarir oil field.

Answer: Chad

Libya is bordered on the east by Egypt, on the southeast by Sudan, directly south by Chad, to the southwest by Niger, to the west by Algeria, and to the northwest by Tunisia. Directly north is the Mediterranean Sea.

Chad had suffered a civil war since 1965 and Libya under Gaddafi took full advantage of this to try to claim part of Chad, the Aouzou Strip, as part of Libya. By 1978, Libya was directly involved militarily in Chad. This lasted until 1987 when the Libyan forces were defeated and withdrew.

Libya under Gaddafi was very volatile in its international relations. In 1977, a short war broke out between Egypt and Libya with Egypt winning militarily before an armistice was brokered. Gaddafi aligned himself with the Eastern Bloc and opposed Western influence in the region. He also supported terrorism against the West and in support of Arab goals in the Middle East. This led to Libya's diplomatic isolation on many fronts.

Answer: Benghazi

Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya and the capital of Cyrenaica region in eastern Libya. A natural tension exists historically between Tripoli and Benghazi because each is head of its geographically distinct and separate part of Libya. This natural tension boiled over into the Arab Spring uprisings with eastern Libya leading the rebellion against Gaddafi and Benghazi becoming the center of this activity. Gaddafi aimed to crush the rebellion by attacking Benghazi but NATO intervened and stopped his push into the city. With NATO help the rebels eventually ousted Gaddafi.

Benghazi was originally called Euhesperides and was one of the five cities of the Greek Pentapolis. Founded in 525 BCE, it quickly grew in size and importance to the point that by 480 BCE it was using its own coins. During Roman times it came to be called Berenice and finally Hesperides. Under the Ottomans it became Benghazi.

The only intact ancient Greek and Roman ruins can be found just outside the modern city, the rest being buried under later incarnations of the city. The city's architecture reflects the numerous cultures that have ruled the city over the centuries, including Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, and Italian.

Answer: Sirte

Sirte lies on the south side of the Gulf of Sidra from whence it gets its name. In ancient times the Gulf of Sidra was known as Syrtis Major or Gulf of Sirte or the Great Sirte. This region just south of the gulf is known as the Sirtica, a barren desert wasteland that historically divided the area of Tripoli (Tripolitania) in the west from the area of Cyrenaica in the east. Tripoli joined with Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco to form the Maghrib (Berber influenced) while Cyrenaica was at first Greek influenced and then Arab influenced.

When Gaddafi fled Tripoli after its fall in August, he headed to his hometown of Sirte, which he declared his new capital. The rebels then surrounded the city and began a long drawn-out siege of the city for most of September and October. Finally, on October 20th the city fell to the rebels and Gaddafi was caught trying to flee. He was killed within an hour of his capture. Sirte was badly damaged during the weeks of fighting, leaving it unrecognizable.