Marzuq

Murzuk مرزق Murzuq, Murzak, Murzaq
Murzuk Location in Libya
Coordinates: 25°54′49″N 13°55′01″E / 25.91361°N 13.91694°E / 25.91361; 13.91694
Country	Libya
District	Murzuq
Time zone	UTC + 2 (UTC)

Murzuk, Marzuq or Murzuq (Arabic: مرزق‎) is an oasis and town in south west Libya,^[1] and one of the main settlements of the Murzuq district. It lies on the northern edge of the Murzuq Desert, a desert of great sandy dunes. The town developed around the oasis, a stop on the north-south trade route across the Sahara. In 1310 a fort, now in ruins, was built and the town prospered for six hundred years. The town declined with the advent of modern transportation. In 1960 it had a population of only 7,000.^[1]

Overview

Murzuk was a major fort, and was termed the "Paris of the Sahara".^[2] It was occupied by the Ottomans in 1578 and served as the capital of Fezzan off and on. Although the Ottomans frequently had a garrison there^[3] control was under the Sultan of Fezzan.^[4] The Ottomans ceded Fezzan with the rest of Libya to the Italians in 1912, however Murzuk was not occupied by the Italians until 1914.

In the early nineteenth century Murzuk served as a jumping off point for multiple British expeditions to find Lake Chad and the legendary Timbuktu. Explorers such as the 1822 Denham, Oudney and Clapperton expedition went from Tripoli to this city where they attempted to get both protection and supplies for the trip south. Murzuk was considered unhealthy by many British explorers and led to illness for many killing some and forcing others back to Tripoli.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

• FallingRain Map - elevation = 501m

Coordinates: 25°54′N 13°54′E / 25.9°N 13.9°E / 25.9; 13.9

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