Under Italian rule, Benghazi witnessed a period of extensive development and modernization, particularly in the second half of the 1930s.
FactSnippet No. 564,070 |
Under Italian rule, Benghazi witnessed a period of extensive development and modernization, particularly in the second half of the 1930s.
FactSnippet No. 564,070 |
On 19 March 2011, the city was the site of the turning point of the Libyan Civil War, when the Libyan Army attempted to score a decisive victory against the NTC by attacking Benghazi, but was forced back by local resistance and intervention from the French Air Force authorized by UNSC Resolution 1973 to protect civilians, allowing the rebellion to continue.
FactSnippet No. 564,071 |
Benghazi remains a centre of Libyan commerce, industry, transport and culture.
FactSnippet No. 564,072 |
Ancient Greek city that existed within the modern day boundaries of Benghazi was founded around 525 BC; at the time, it was called Euesperides and Hesperis.
FactSnippet No. 564,073 |
Benghazi later became a Roman city and greatly prospered for 600 years.
FactSnippet No. 564,074 |
Benghazi had a strategic port location, one that was too useful to be ignored by the Ottomans.
FactSnippet No. 564,075 |
Benghazi population was made up of more than 35 per cent of Italians in 1939.
FactSnippet No. 564,076 |
Benghazi grew to be a modern city with a new airport, new railway station, new seaplane station, an enlarged port and many facilities.
FactSnippet No. 564,077 |
Benghazi was going to be connected in 1940 by a new railway to Tripoli, but in summer of that year war started between Italians and British and infrastructure development came to a standstill.
FactSnippet No. 564,078 |
Benghazi lost its capital status when the Free Officers under the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi staged a coup d'etat in 1969, whereafter all government institutions were concentrated in Tripoli, Even though King Idris was forced into exile and the monarchy abolished, support for the Senussi dynasty remained strong in Cyrenaica.
FactSnippet No. 564,079 |
In February 2011, peaceful protests erupted in Benghazi that were brutally suppressed by Gaddafi's armed forces and loyalists.
FactSnippet No. 564,080 |
On 19 May 2012, residents of Benghazi voted in historic local elections; this was the first time such elections have been held in the city since the 1960s, and turnout was high.
FactSnippet No. 564,081 |
Benghazi Baladiyat is divided into 32 Basic People's Congress administrative divisions, in which the responsibilities of the corresponding political units of the same name fall.
FactSnippet No. 564,082 |
Overwhelming majority of Libyans in Benghazi were of Berber descent until the arrival of Bani Salim.
FactSnippet No. 564,084 |
In modern times, Benghazi has seen a lot of Libyans from different parts of the country move into the city, especially since the Kingdom era.
FactSnippet No. 564,085 |
The conservative Islamic nature of Benghazi creates a strong sense of family life in the city – practically all teenagers and young adults live at home until they get married.
FactSnippet No. 564,086 |
Many Muslims in Benghazi adhere to the traditional Maliki school of religious law, however much less so than in decades past.
FactSnippet No. 564,087 |
The Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicariate of Benghazi's Franciscan Church of the Immaculate Conception serves Benghazi's Latin Catholic community of roughly 4, 000; there is a decommissioned cathedral church.
FactSnippet No. 564,088 |
Benghazi is one of the sub-regions of the area referred to as Cyrenaica, the others being the Jebel Akhdar and the coastal plain running east of Apollonia.
FactSnippet No. 564,089 |
The soil in Benghazi is a rich red colour and very clayey.
FactSnippet No. 564,090 |
Benghazi has a warm semi-arid climate with hot and dry, prolonged summers and mild to cool, slightly wet winters.
FactSnippet No. 564,091 |
Summers in Benghazi are hot and rainless, but with high levels of humidity.
FactSnippet No. 564,092 |
Finance is important to the city's economy, with the Libyan Bank of Commerce and Development maintaining branches in Benghazi; the Bank's headquarters is a high office tower on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street in el-Berka.
FactSnippet No. 564,093 |
Benghazi is a transport hub in Eastern Libya and is an important city on the northern coastal road that crosses the country.
FactSnippet No. 564,094 |
Benghazi port is a vital terminal for the region, and allows for the import and export of national and international goods and food products.
FactSnippet No. 564,095 |
Generally, the city is roughly divided into the following areas: Central Benghazi – includes the medina, and the old quarter, Central Districts which circle the downtown – Al-Sabri, Sidi Abayd, Sidi Hsayn, Al-Berka, Al-Salmani, Al-Hadaa'ik, Al-Fuwayhat and Al-Keesh, Central Suburbs – Al-Laythi, Bu Atni, Al-Quwarsha, Al-Hawari, Coastal Districts – Al-Kwayfiya (North), Garyounis, Bu-Fakhra and Jarrutha (South), and the Distant Suburbs – Gimeenis, Benina and Sidi Khalifa.
FactSnippet No. 564,096 |
Central Benghazi is where the majority of Benghazi's historical monuments are located, and has the city's most popular tourist attractions.
FactSnippet No. 564,097 |
Benghazi is one of the cultural centres of Libya and is a base for tourists, visitors and academics in the region.
FactSnippet No. 564,098 |
Largest Ottoman architectural monument in Benghazi is the late 19th-century Ottoman palace in El-Berka; built during the rule of Rashid Pasha II.
FactSnippet No. 564,099 |
Benghazi came under Italian rule in the early part of the 20th century.
FactSnippet No. 564,100 |
Under the governorships of Generals Ernesto Mombelli and Attilio Teruzzi in the 1920s, the buildings commissioned in Benghazi had an eclectic architectural language that embodied a Western conception of Eastern architecture.
FactSnippet No. 564,101 |
Benghazi was heavily bombed during World War II, and so the majority of buildings in the city are examples of modern or contemporary architecture.
FactSnippet No. 564,102 |
The highest building in Benghazi is the Tibesti Hotel on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street built in 1989.
FactSnippet No. 564,103 |
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, and as such, has some of the best sports facilities in the country.
FactSnippet No. 564,104 |
Benghazi has hosted many national sports events throughout the years, as well as more significant international competitions such as the African Cup of Nations.
FactSnippet No. 564,105 |
The 'Martyrs of Benghazi's Riding Club' boasts a number of female members who, at least until 2016, engaged in sportive competition.
FactSnippet No. 564,106 |
Benghazi is a coastal city, and its beaches are an important location for sporting activities.
FactSnippet No. 564,107 |
Benghazi is home to many distinctive dishes that can be prepared at home.
FactSnippet No. 564,108 |