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{{Short description|Province of Libya}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox settlement {{Infobox settlement
| name = Fezzan | name = Fezzan
| native_name = فزان | native_name = {{native name|ber|ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ}}<br/>{{native name|ar|فَزَّان}}
| native_name_lang = ar | native_name_lang =
| settlement_type = | settlement_type = Region
| image_skyline = | image_skyline =
| image_alt = | image_alt =
| image_caption = | image_caption =
| image_flag = | image_flag =
| flag_alt = | flag_alt =
| image_shield = | image_shield =
| shield_alt = | shield_alt =
| image_map = Map of traditional provinces of Libye-en.svg | image_map = File:Libya (Tripolitania) in 1818 Pinkerton Map of Northern Africa and the Mediterranean - Geographicus - NorthernAfrica-pinkerton-1818 (cropped).jpg
| map_alt = | map_alt =
| map_caption = Fezzan was a governorate within both ] and the ], 1927-1963. | map_caption = The Fezzan region (shown in pink), at the beginning of the 19th century
| seat_type = ] | subdivision_type = Country
| seat = ] | subdivision_name = {{LBY}}
| seat_type = ]
| leader_title =
| seat = ]
| leader_name =
| leader_party = | leader_title =
| governing_body = | leader_name =
| established_title = | leader_party =
| established_date = | governing_body =
| area_total_km2 =551,170 | established_title =
| established_date =
| area_footnotes = <ref>Abdel Aziz Tarih Sharaf, “Jughrafia Libia”, Munsha’at al Ma’arif, Alexandria, 2nd ed., 1971, pp.232-233.</ref>
| population_as_of = 2006 | area_total_km2 =
| population_total = 442,090 | coordinates =
| iso_code =
| population_footnotes =<ref>2006 census, based on the sum of population of districts Murzuq, Sabha, Wadi al Hayaa, Ghat, Jufra, Wadi al Shatii</ref>
| website =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| latd = |latm = |latNS = N | footnotes =
| longd = |longm = |longEW = E | area_code_type =
| coordinates_type = | area_code =
| coordinates_display = | official_name =
| iso_code =
| website =
| footnotes =
| area_code_type =
| area_code =
}} }}
'''Fezzan''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|f|ɛ|ˈ|z|ɑː|n}} {{respell|fez|AHN}},<ref name="Collins">{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fezzan|title=Fezzan|work=]|publisher=]|access-date=26 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Fezzan |title=Fezzan |dictionary=] UK English Dictionary |publisher=]}}{{dead link|date=September 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|f|ɛ|ˈ|z|æ|n|,_|f|ə|ˈ|z|æ|n}} {{respell|fez|AN|,_|fə|ZAN}};<ref name="Collins"/><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Fezzan|access-date=26 July 2019}}</ref> {{langx|ber|ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ|Fezzan}}; {{langx|ar|{{wt|ar|فَزَّان}}|Fazzān}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Krais, Jakob|year=2019|title=Fazzān|encyclopedia=]|edition=3rd|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_27080}}</ref> {{IPA|ar|fazˈzaːn|}}; {{langx|la|Phazania}}) is the southwestern region of modern ]. It is largely ], but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (]s) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable ]. The term originally applied to the land beyond the coastal strip of ], including the ] and extending west of modern Libya over ] and ]. As these ] areas came to be associated with the regions of ], ] or ], the name was increasingly applied to the arid areas south of ].
'''Fezzan''' ({{IPAc-en|icon|f|ɛ|ˈ|z|ɑː|n}}; {{lang-ar|فزان}} ''Fizzān'', ]: '''Fezzan''', {{lang-tr|Fizan}}, {{lang-la|Phasania}}) is a south western region of modern ]. It is largely ] but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (]s) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable ].


After the 1934 formation of Libya, the ] was designated as one of the three primary ], alongside ] to the north and ] to the northeast.
==Name==

''Fezzan'' derives from the region's Latin Roman name ''Phasania'' or ''Phazania'', which may mean "the country of the pheasants"<ref>. Editions du Seuil, 1975; p. 477.</ref> or is related to the Biblical name ].<ref> Imprimerie Nationale, 1881; pp. 864-865 (fn. 1). (In French)</ref>
==Etymology==
In ], ''Fezzan'' (or ''ifezzan'') means "rough rocks".<ref>The Arabic Amazigh dictionary / 3 volumes/ published by the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. (Dictionnaire bilingue arabe-amazigh, tome 1 (1990), tome 2 (1996), tome 3 (1999), Publications de l'Académie marocaine.)</ref> ''Fezzan'' could also be a derivation from the region's Greek name ''Phasania'' or ''Phazania'', which may mean "the country of the ]s".<ref>. Editions du Seuil, 1975; p. 477.</ref>


== Geography == == Geography ==
] ]
Fezzan is crossed in the north by the Ash-Shati Valley (''Wadi Al Shatii'') and in the west by the Wadi Irawan. These two areas, along with portions of the ] crossing the ]ian border and a sprinkling of remote oases and border posts, are the only parts of the Fezzan able to support settled populations. Large dune seas known as ] cover much of the remaining land. Fezzan is crossed in the north by the ash-Shati Valley (''Wadi Al Shatii'') and in the west by the Wadi Irawan. These two areas, along with portions of the ] crossing the ]ian border and a sprinkling of remote oases and border posts, are the only parts of the Fezzan able to support settled populations. The large dune seas known as ] of the ] and the ] cover much of the remaining land of Fezzan.
<ref>. Accessed 31 August 2022.</ref><ref>, temehu.com. Accessed 31 August 2022.</ref>


== History == == History ==
{{Moresources|section|date=September 2022}}
]
From the 5th century BCE to the 5th century CE, Fezzan was home to the ], a state which operated the ] routes successively between ] and the ] in North Africa and ]ian states of west and central Africa. From the 5th century BCE to the 5th century CE, Fezzan was home to the ], who operated the ] routes successively between ] and the ] in North Africa and ]ian states of west and central Africa.


]
Roman generals ] in 19 BCE and ] in 50 CE led ], and Roman explorer ] traveled there in early ]. Paulinus reached Fezzan and went further south.<ref>, p. 26</ref> For two–three centuries after this invasion, Fezzan, as part of the Garamantes State, was a ] of the Roman Empire and benefited from Roman civilization.


The Roman generals Septimus Flaccus in 19 BCE and ] in 50 CE led small-scale ], and the Roman explorer Julius Maternus traveled there in early 1st century CE. Paulinus reached Fezzan and went further south.<ref>, pg. 26</ref>
With the end of the Roman Empire and the following commercial crisis, Fezzan started to lose importance: the population was greatly reduced because of the desertification process of the ] during the ].


With the end of the Roman Empire<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Goodchild|first=R. G.|date=June 1952|title=Mapping Roman Libya|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1791944|journal=The Geographical Journal|volume=118|issue=2|pages=142–152|doi=10.2307/1791944|jstor=1791944 |issn=0016-7398}}</ref> and the following commercial crisis, Fezzan began to lose importance. The population was greatly reduced due to the ] process of the ] during the early ].
During the 13th and 14th centuries, portions of Fezzan were part of the ], while the ] rulers of North Africa asserted their control over the region in the 17th century. In the period of ] (1876-1909) Fizan also used as a place of political exile for ] (Jeune Turcs) because it is the most remote province from ].<ref> </ref>


During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Fezzan became a part of the ], which extended as far as ].<ref>Corpus of early Arabic sources for west African history pg. 259-60</ref> Wars against the ] in the early sixteenth century led to the founding of the ] dynasty, with ] becoming the capital of Fezzan. Around 1565 it was ruled by Muhammad ibn al-Muntasir.
Beginning in 1911, Fezzan was occupied by Italy. However, Italy's control of the region was precarious until at least 1923, with the rise of the ]. The Italians were resisted in their early attempts at conquest by Berber and Arab adherents to the militant ] ] religious order. The ] clans of the region were only pacified by European expansion before the ] and some of them collaborated with the Italian Army in the ].


The ] rulers of North Africa asserted their control over the region in the 17th century. In the reign of ] (1876–1909) Fezzan was used as a place of political exile for ] because it was the most remote province from ].<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915090836/http://karalahana.com/makaleler/tarih/jon-turkklerin-surgun-yeri-fizan.htm |date=15 September 2012}}</ref>

Beginning in 1911, Fezzan was occupied by ]. However, Italy's control of the region was precarious until at least 1923, with the rise of ]. The Italians were resisted in their early attempts at conquest by tribal Arab adherents to the militant ] ] religious order. The ] clans of the region were only pacified by European expansion shortly before the ], and some of them collaborated with the ] in the ].<ref>Ryan, Eileen.
,
academiccommons.columbia.edu. Accessed 31 August 2002.</ref>
{{anchor|French administration}} {{anchor|French administration}}
] troops occupied ], a chief town of Fezzan, on 16 January 1943, and proceeded to administer Fezzan with a staff stationed in Sabha.<ref name="Berry">Berry, LaVerle Bennette "Chapter 1 - Historical Setting -World War II and Independence - Allied Administration" ''Area Handbook for Libya'' (1987 edition) Federal Research Division, ], Washington, DC; available at: , accessed 17 May 2009</ref> But French administration was largely exercised through Fezzan notables of the family of Sayf an Nasr.<ref name="Berry"/> Disquieting to the tribes in western Fezzan was the administrative attachment of ], and its surrounding area, to French-ruled ].<ref name="Berry"/> However, when the French military control ceased in 1951, all of Fezzan became part of the ]. ] troops occupied ], a chief town of Fezzan, on 16 January 1943, and proceeded to administer Fezzan with a staff stationed in ], forming the ].<ref name="Berry">Berry, LaVerle Bennette "Chapter 1 – Historical Setting -World War II and Independence – Allied Administration" ''Area Handbook for Libya'' (1987 edition) Federal Research Division, ], Washington, D.C.; available at: , accessed 17 May 2009.</ref>


French administration was largely exercised through Fezzan notables of the family of Sayf Al Nasr. Disquieting to the tribes in western Fezzan was the administrative attachment of ], and its surrounding area, to French-ruled ].<ref name="Berry"/> However, when the French military control ceased in 1951, all of Fezzan became part of the ].<ref>, dcstamps.com. Accessed 31 August 2022.</ref>
]
Fezzan was a stronghold for Libyan leader ] through much of the ], though starting in July, ] began to ], taking control of the region's largest city of Sabha in mid-to-late September.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/world/africa/libya-sabha/index.html?hpt=wo_c2|agency=CNN|title=Government forces enter Libya's Sabha, to cheers|first=Ben|last=Wedeman|date=20 September 2011|accessdate=20 September 2011}}</ref>


Fezzan was a stronghold for Libyan leader ] through much of the ], though starting in July, ] began to ], taking control of the region's largest city of Sabha in mid-to-late September.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/20/world/africa/libya-sabha/index.html?hpt=wo_c2|agency=CNN|title=Government forces enter Libya's Sabha, to cheers|first=Ben|last=Wedeman|date=20 September 2011|access-date=20 September 2011}}</ref>
== Administration ==
Fezzan was a province under the ] and ], and a province ('']'') or ] ('']'') of independent ] (alongside ] and ]) until 1963. With the introduction of the new administrative division of Libya in 1963, Fezzan was abolished as an independent administrative unit and was divided into the ] of ] and ]. In 1983, these administrative divisions were abolished in favour of smaller ] or '']''. The Baladiyat-system was reorganized in 1987 and was replaced in 1995 by the '']''-system.


The LF country code (.lf) was reserved "on behalf" of Libya Fezzan (for an "indeterminate period of time") by the ] (ISO).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iso.org/iso/home/standards/country_codes/iso-3166-1_decoding_table.htm |title=ISO 3166-1 Decoding Table |year=2012 |publisher=ISO |quote=LF – Libya Fezzan – indeterminately reserved }}</ref>
]]]
The former Fezzan province contains the ] (''Sha'biyat'') of ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] (other maps allocate ] to the neighbouring region of ]). The historic capital, largest city, political and administrative centre is ].


There are oil wells in Fezzan capable of producing 400,000 barrels per day, but oil companies fly in staff from northern Libya. The local tribes are not getting any money from the oil trade, and so have turned to smuggling migrants from other parts of Africa, which is feeding the ] and is a $1 billion per year industry.<ref name=":0">{{cite news|title=Why the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean is falling|url=https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21728687-one-reason-smugglers-make-more-money-shipping-petrol-why-number|access-date=8 September 2017|newspaper=]|date=8 September 2017}}</ref>
== Population ==
The region's inhabitants include the nomadic ] in the southwest and the ] in the southeast. These pastoralist populations often cross the borders of ], ] and ] freely. In the north, ], ] and settled ] and ] mix. While making up some 30% of the land area of Libya, the Fezzan supports little of its population. Despite this, large towns like ], survive on near-surface water in the wadis of the north and west. The northeast area is dominated by ], a large and unpopulated ].

Fezzan's population has grown rapidly since the mid 20th century along with the overall growth in Libya's population, and the province's share of the national population has increased slightly.

{| class="wikitable" border="2"
! Year
! Population
! Percent of</br>Libya's</br>population
|-
|1954
|align="center" |59,315
|align="center" |5.4
|-
|1964
|align="center" |79,326
|align="center" |5.1
|-
|1973
|align="center" |128,012
|align="center" |5.7
|-
|1984
|align="center" |213,915
|align="center" |5.9
|-
|1995
|align="center" |352,276
|align="center" |7.3
|-
|2006
|align="center" |442,090
|align="center" |7.8
|}
''Source: Gathered from bulletins of censuses 1964, 1973, 1995, 2006.''


==See also== ==See also==
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==Notes== ==References==
{{reflist}}
<references />


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons category}} {{commons category-inline|Fezzan}}
* *
* *
* *
* *


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Latest revision as of 19:42, 25 October 2024

Province of Libya For other uses, see Fezzan (disambiguation). Region in Libya
Fezzan ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ (Berber languages)
فَزَّان (Arabic)
Region
The Fezzan region (shown in pink), at the beginning of the 19th centuryThe Fezzan region (shown in pink), at the beginning of the 19th century
Country Libya
CapitalSabha

Fezzan (UK: /fɛˈzɑːn/ fez-AHN, US: /fɛˈzæn, fəˈzæn/ fez-AN, fə-ZAN; Berber languages: ⴼⵣⵣⴰⵏ, romanized: Fezzan; Arabic: ‏فَزَّان‎, romanized: Fazzān [fazˈzaːn]; Latin: Phazania) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara Desert. The term originally applied to the land beyond the coastal strip of Africa proconsularis, including the Nafusa and extending west of modern Libya over Ouargla and Illizi. As these Berber areas came to be associated with the regions of Tripoli, Cirta or Algiers, the name was increasingly applied to the arid areas south of Tripolitania.

After the 1934 formation of Libya, the Fezzan province was designated as one of the three primary provinces of the country, alongside Tripolitania province to the north and Cyrenaica province to the northeast.

Etymology

In Berber languages, Fezzan (or ifezzan) means "rough rocks". Fezzan could also be a derivation from the region's Greek name Phasania or Phazania, which may mean "the country of the pheasants".

Geography

Wan Caza dunes in the Sahara Desert of Fezzan

Fezzan is crossed in the north by the ash-Shati Valley (Wadi Al Shatii) and in the west by the Wadi Irawan. These two areas, along with portions of the Tibesti Mountains crossing the Chadian border and a sprinkling of remote oases and border posts, are the only parts of the Fezzan able to support settled populations. The large dune seas known as ergs of the Idehan Ubari and the Idehan Murzuq cover much of the remaining land of Fezzan.

History

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From the 5th century BCE to the 5th century CE, Fezzan was home to the Garamantes, who operated the Trans-Saharan trade routes successively between Carthage and the Roman Empire in North Africa and Sahelian states of west and central Africa.

Satellite image of Libya, with Fezzan on the lower left half, showing the large desert

The Roman generals Septimus Flaccus in 19 BCE and Suetonius Paulinus in 50 CE led small-scale military expeditions into the northern reaches of the Sahara, and the Roman explorer Julius Maternus traveled there in early 1st century CE. Paulinus reached Fezzan and went further south.

With the end of the Roman Empire and the following commercial crisis, Fezzan began to lose importance. The population was greatly reduced due to the desertification process of the Sahara during the early Middle Ages.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Fezzan became a part of the Kanem Empire, which extended as far as Zella, Libya. Wars against the Kanem–Bornu Empire in the early sixteenth century led to the founding of the Awlad Muhammad dynasty, with Murzuk becoming the capital of Fezzan. Around 1565 it was ruled by Muhammad ibn al-Muntasir.

The Ottoman rulers of North Africa asserted their control over the region in the 17th century. In the reign of Abdulhamid II (1876–1909) Fezzan was used as a place of political exile for Young Turks because it was the most remote province from Istanbul.

Beginning in 1911, Fezzan was occupied by Italy. However, Italy's control of the region was precarious until at least 1923, with the rise of Benito Mussolini. The Italians were resisted in their early attempts at conquest by tribal Arab adherents to the militant Sanusiya Sufi religious order. The Tuareg clans of the region were only pacified by European expansion shortly before the Second World War, and some of them collaborated with the Italian Army in the North African Campaign. Free French troops occupied Murzuk, a chief town of Fezzan, on 16 January 1943, and proceeded to administer Fezzan with a staff stationed in Sabha, forming the Military Territory of Fezzan-Ghadames.

French administration was largely exercised through Fezzan notables of the family of Sayf Al Nasr. Disquieting to the tribes in western Fezzan was the administrative attachment of Ghat, and its surrounding area, to French-ruled Algeria. However, when the French military control ceased in 1951, all of Fezzan became part of the Kingdom of Libya.

Fezzan was a stronghold for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi through much of the 2011 Libyan Civil War, though starting in July, anti-Gaddafi forces began to gain ground, taking control of the region's largest city of Sabha in mid-to-late September.

The LF country code (.lf) was reserved "on behalf" of Libya Fezzan (for an "indeterminate period of time") by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

There are oil wells in Fezzan capable of producing 400,000 barrels per day, but oil companies fly in staff from northern Libya. The local tribes are not getting any money from the oil trade, and so have turned to smuggling migrants from other parts of Africa, which is feeding the European migrant crisis and is a $1 billion per year industry.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fezzan". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. "Fezzan". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press.
  3. "Fezzan". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  4. Krais, Jakob (2019). "Fazzān". Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd ed.).
  5. The Arabic Amazigh dictionary / 3 volumes/ published by the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. (Dictionnaire bilingue arabe-amazigh, tome 1 (1990), tome 2 (1996), tome 3 (1999), Publications de l'Académie marocaine.)
  6. Présence africaine. Editions du Seuil, 1975; p. 477.
  7. Libia. Accessed 31 August 2022.
  8. Fezzan profile, temehu.com. Accessed 31 August 2022.
  9. deGraft-Johnson (1954) African Glory, pg. 26
  10. Goodchild, R. G. (June 1952). "Mapping Roman Libya". The Geographical Journal. 118 (2): 142–152. doi:10.2307/1791944. ISSN 0016-7398. JSTOR 1791944.
  11. Corpus of early Arabic sources for west African history pg. 259-60
  12. Jön Türklerin Korkulu Rüyası: Fizan denen şu yer! (tr) Archived 15 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  13. Ryan, Eileen. "Italy and the Sanusiyya: Negotiating Authority in Colonial Libya, 1911-1931, academiccommons.columbia.edu. Accessed 31 August 2002.
  14. ^ Berry, LaVerle Bennette "Chapter 1 – Historical Setting -World War II and Independence – Allied Administration" Area Handbook for Libya (1987 edition) Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; available at: A Country Study: Libya, accessed 17 May 2009.
  15. Fezzan: French occupation, dcstamps.com. Accessed 31 August 2022.
  16. Wedeman, Ben (20 September 2011). "Government forces enter Libya's Sabha, to cheers". CNN. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  17. "ISO 3166-1 Decoding Table". ISO. 2012. LF – Libya Fezzan – indeterminately reserved
  18. "Why the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean is falling". The Economist. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

External links

Media related to Fezzan at Wikimedia Commons

Historical regions of Libya
Map showing historical regions of Libya Map showing historical regions and districts of Libya

26°19′58″N 13°25′31″E / 26.3328°N 13.4253°E / 26.3328; 13.4253

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