Jebel Akhdar (Libya)

Geography

The Jebel Akhdar consists of a mountainous plateau rising to an altitude of 900 m, cut by several valleys and wadis. It forms the north-western part of the peninsula that sticks north into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Gulf of Sidra on the west, and the Levantine Basin on the east. It runs from Bengazi eastward to just east of Derna, fronting the coast for about 330 km. Due to erosion and deposition, the plateau is sometimes as much as 16 km from the shore, but it forms cliffs on the headlands. The final uplift and arching of the plateau was completed in the Miocene.

The region is one of the very few forested areas of Libya, which taken as a whole is one of the least forested countries on Earth. The Jebel Akhdar is the wettest part of Libya, receiving some 600 mm of precipitation annually. The high rainfall contributes to the area's large forests containing Chammari, and enables rich fruit, potato, and cereal agriculture, something of a rarity in an arid country like Libya.

Flora

In marked contrast to the aridity prevailing in most of Libya, there are forested areas in this region totalling around 3200 km2, although approximately a third of the original forest has already been destroyed to make way for agriculture. In addition to the forests there are also large areas of maquis and steppe-like vegetation. Typical maquis species are the Phoenician juniper (Juniperus phoenicea), the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus), the Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera) and the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua). In the drier steppe-like areas, branched asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus), prickly burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum) and white wormwood (Artemisia herba-alba) predominate. More than half of the endemic plant species in Libya are to be found in the Jebel Akhdar and, of these, seven are found only in the region: Arbutus pavarii, Arum cyrenaicum, Bellis sylvestris var. cyrenaica, Cyclamen rohlfsianum, Cynara cyrenaica, Onopordum cyrenaicum and Romulea cyrenaica.

History

Ancient

Documents created during the New Kingdom of Egypt record that to the west there were large populations of metal workers who lived in towns and had plentiful livestock. The only plausible location for these "Libyans" is the Jebel Akhdar.{{cite book | author1 = Peter Mitchell |author2 = Paul Lane | year = 2013 | title = The Oxford Handbook of African Archaeology | publisher = Oxford University Press | isbn = 978-0191626159}}

The ancient Greek colony of Cyrene was located in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar, with the ruins remaining. It was the Greeks who introduced farming to the Jebal Akhdar when they colonised its verdant valleys in around 600 BC.

Italian occupation

During the Italian occupation these mountains were identified as a promising area for agriculture and many Italians moved here in the 1930s. This settlement was interrupted during World War II and the villages and farms were deserted and were later reoccupied by Libyans. The mountain chain was the site of major battles between the British Commonwealth and the Axis forces during World War II.

Liberation

The Libyan leader Omar al-Mukhtar used this heavily forested mountainous region to resist the Italian colonization of Libya for more than twenty years.

Notable people

• Mabrouka al-Tabiba, midwife

Galleries

Landscapes

Image:The outskirts of the city of Bayda - Libya..jpg|Area near the centre of Jebel Akhdar (outskirts of the city of Bayda) Image:Derna 5.jpg|Eastern end of Jebel Akhdar (near Derna) Image:Al Marj escarpment4.JPG|Marj escarpment area Image:Al Bakour bridge1.JPG|Al Bakour escarpment area Image:Al Bakour 1.jpg|Al Bakour at the western end of Jebel Akhdar, near Taucheira Image:Jebel Akhdar deforestation.jpg|An example of the severe soil erosion which can result from deforestation in the Jebel Akhdar (near Wadi el Kuf Bridge)

Flora

File:Quercus coccifera - Kermes oak, Adana 2016-11-27 01-1.jpg|Quercus coccifera (Fagaceae) File:Viburnum tinus. Fiyáu (flores).jpg|Viburnum tinus (Adoxaceae) File:Myrtus communis12.jpg|Myrtus communis (Myrtaceae) File:Ceratonia siliqua Keciboynuzu 1370984 Nevit.jpg|Ceratonia siliqua (Fabaceae) File:Retama raetam Jardin botanico Barcelona.jpg|Retama raetam (Fabaceae) File:Pistacia lentiscus.jpg|Pistacia lentiscus (Anacardiaceae) File:Lycium shawii.jpg|Lycium shawii (Solanaceae) File:Rhamnus lycioides fruits.JPG|Rhamnus lycioides (Rhamnaceae) File:Juniperus phoenicea berries.jpg|Juniperus phoenicea (Cupressaceae) File:Artemisa herba alba floratrek2013.jpg|Artemisia herba-alba (Asteraceae) File:Cichorium spinosum Pembroke Range Malta 05 06 2010 05.jpg|Cichorium spinosum (Asteraceae) File:Limoniastrum monopetalum 2.JPG|Limoniastrum monopetalum (Plumbaginaceae) File:Sarcopoterium spinosum fruit RJP 02.jpg|Sarcopoterium spinosum (Rosaceae) File:Crucianella maritima 1.JPG|Crucianella maritima (Rubiaceae) File:Suaeda mollis kz1.JPG|Suaeda vermiculata (Amaranthaceae) File:Marrubium vulgare flowerhead12 QNR (15715443619).jpg|Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae) File:Cyclamen rohlfsianum02.jpg|Cyclamen rohlfsianum (Myrsinaceae). Endemic species File:Asphodelus ramosus in Haifa.jpg|Asphodelus ramosus (Asphodelaceae) File:Pacratium maritimum Paestum.jpg|Pancratium maritimum (Amaryllidaceae)

Fauna

File:Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) - cropped.jpg|Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) File:Fox - British Wildlife Centre (17429406401).jpg|Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) File:A female common genet in the dining room, Satao Camp.jpg|Common genet (Genetta genetta) File:Herpestes ichneumon Египетский мангуст, или фараонова крыса, или ихневмо́н.jpg|Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) File:Atelerix algirus.jpg|North African hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) File:Petrosaltator rozeti-Zootaxa.jpg|North African elephant shrew (Petrosaltator rozeti)

References

References

1. Carter, Theresa Howard. (1963). "Reconnaissance in Cyrenaica". University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
2. Röhlich, Pavel. (1978). "Geological development of Jabal al Akhdar, Libya". Geologische Rundschau.
3. "Akhdar Mountains". Encyclopædia Britannica.
4. Benzabih, Hosney A.. (1982). "Social and Economic Development of Libya". Menas Press.
5. El-Darier, S.M., El-Mogaspi, F.M. "Ethnobotany and Relative Importance of Some Endemic Plant Species at El-Jabal El-Akhdar Region (Libya)" ''World Journal of Agricultural Sciences'' Band 5, Nr. 3, 2009
6. Al-Sodany, Yassin, Shehata, M.N. and Shaltout, Kamal Hussein "Vegetation along an elevation gradient in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya" January 2003 ''Ecologia Mediterranea'' 29(2):125-138 {{doi. 10.3406/ecmed.2003.1547
7. "Cyrenaica". Livius.
8. "Cyrenaica at 1300m". Hidden Journeys.
9. "A symbol of resistance: Omar Mukhtar". Worldbulletin News.