Awjila

Awjila (Arabic: أوجلة, Italian: Augila) is an oasis town in the Al Wahat District in the Cyrenaica region of northeastern Libya. Since classical times it has been known as a place where high quality dates are farmed. Since the Arab conquest in the 7th century, Islam has played an important role in the community. The oasis is located on the east-west caravan route between Egypt and Tripoli, Libya, and the north-south route between Benghazi and the Sahel between Lake Chad and Darfur. In the past, it was an important trading center. The people cultivate small gardens using water from deep wells. Recently, the oil industry has become an increasingly important source of employment.

Awjila أوجله Augila
Town
A farm in Awjilah
Awjila Location in Libya
Coordinates: 29°6′29″N 21°17′13″E
Country	Libya
Region	Cyrenaica
District	Al Wahat
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
License Plate Code	67

Location

Awjila and the adjoining oasis of Jalu are isolated, the only towns on the desert highway between Ajdabiya, 250 kilometres (160 mi) to the northwest, and Kufra, 625 kilometres (388 mi) to the southeast. An 1872 account describes the cluster of three oases: the Aujilah oasis, Jalloo (Jalu) to the east and Leshkerreh (Jikharra) to the northeast. Each oasis had a small hill covered in date palm trees, surrounded by a plain of red sand impregnated with salts of soda. Among them, the three oases had a population of 9,000 to 10,000 people. The people of the oasis are mainly Berber while Jalu oasis is mainly populated by the Majabra, an Arab tribe, and some still speak a Berber-origin language. As of 2005, the Awjila language was highly endangered.

Climate

Climate data for Awjila
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	19.9 (67.8)	21.9 (71.4)	25.3 (77.5)	29.7 (85.5)	34.7 (94.5)	37.2 (99.0)	36.7 (98.1)	36.9 (98.4)	35.8 (96.4)	32.4 (90.3)	27.0 (80.6)	21.4 (70.5)	29.9 (85.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	5.6 (42.1)	7.0 (44.6)	9.2 (48.6)	13.1 (55.6)	18.3 (64.9)	19.9 (67.8)	21.0 (69.8)	21.0 (69.8)	19.9 (67.8)	16.3 (61.3)	12.0 (53.6)	7.7 (45.9)	14.3 (57.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	3 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	2 (0.1)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	3 (0.1)	2 (0.1)	3 (0.1)	19 (0.7)
Source: Climate-data.org

History

Classical times

The Augila oasis (modern Awjila) is mentioned by Herodotus (The Histories 4.181, c. 430 BCE) as well as the Nasamones were mentioned among other Libyan nomads who lived along the sea coast. Historical accounts indicate that the oases of Augila, Siwa, and nearby oases such as Jalu have long been inhabited by their autochthonous peoples. According to Herodotus (4.182), Augila was located ten days' journey beyond the territory of the Ammonians (modern-day Siwa Oasis in present-day Egypt) in his time (~5th century BCE). He describes it as a place with a hill of salt, a spring of water, with inhabitants dwelling there. Herodotus also outlines the Nasamones' fixed seasonal migration pattern, stating that in the summer, they leave their flocks along the coast and travel to Augila each year to gather dates from palm trees that grow in abundance (4.172). Furthermore, the ancient local oral accounts may provide valuable insights into the historical and linguistic significance of these place names, helping to clarify their meanings and origins. An unreferenced claim stated that the German explorer Friedrich Hornemann (1772–1801) confirmed this distance by covering it in ten days. However, while Hornemann did travel through Siwa and Augila during his 1798 journey from Cairo to Murzuk (a present-day oasis in southwestern Libya, in Fezzan), there is no widely available source confirming that he covered this distance in ten days. His route is documented in Travels from Cairo to Murzuk, the Capital of the Kingdom of Fezzan, in Africa (published posthumously in 1802), but specific details about the travel time between Siwa and Augila remain unverified in primary sources. Additionally, another unreferenced claim suggests that caravans typically took 13 days for this journey, but this figure is not independently verified and may have varied based on conditions and circumstances.

Moreover, Herodotus' accounts, while foundational to historical studies, are often criticized for their reliance on hearsay and secondhand information. Many of his assertions are inexactness and sometimes inaccurate. Hence, it should be approached with a critical eye. For instance, he describes a caravan journey from Thebes to the Swia, stating that it takes ten days. However, the caravan would start from Memphis rather than Thebes. Additionally, Herodotus states that the journey from Siwa to Augila took ten days, a figure that is unsubstantiated and may have been based on secondhand accounts. His mention of various geographical locations, customs, and events is often drawn from tales were reported by locals, travelers or others rather than from direct experience.

Ptolemy (c. 90 – 168) implies that the Greek colonists had forced the Nasamones to leave the coast and take up residence in Augila. Procopius, writing around 562, says that even in his day sacrifices continued to be made to Ammon and to Alexander the Great of Macedon in two Libyan cities that were both called Augila. He was probably referring to what are now El Agheila on the Gulf of Sirte and the oasis of Awjilah. According to Procopius the temples of the oasis were converted into Christian churches by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (c. 482 – 565). The 6th-century geographer Stephanus of Byzantium described Augila as a city.

Early Arab era

12th-century Grand mosque of Atik, Awjilah

The Arabs launched a campaign against the Byzantine Empire soon after Muhammad died in 632, quickly conquering Syria, Persia and Egypt. After occupying Alexandria in 643, they swept along the Mediterranean coast of Africa, taking Cyrenaica in 644, Tripolitania in 646 and Fezzan in 663.

The region around Awjila was conquered by Sidi ‘Abdullāh ibn Sa‘ad ibn Abī as-Sarḥ. He was a companion of Muhammad and standard bearer, and an important saint. His tomb was established in Awjila around 650. A modern structure has since replaced the original tomb. The Sarahna family, who consider themselves the family of Sidi Abdullah, are the protectors of his tomb. When the Senussi center was established in Awjila in 1872, the Sarahna assumed the role of Islamic teachers.

After being introduced in the 7th century, Islam has always been a major influence on the life of the oasis. The Arab chronicler Al-Bakri says that there were already several mosques around the oasis by the 11th century. According to oral tradition, in the 12th century a learned man from the coast of Tripolitania said that there were forty shrines in Awjila, and forty saints hidden among the people of the oasis. By the late 1960s only sixteen shrines remained. Some of the saints in the surviving tombs lived during the early years of Islam, and the details of their life and even their family lineage have been forgotten.

Trading centre

Caravan in the Farafra desert to the east of Awjila

In the 10th century Awjila was a stage on the trading route between the Ibadi Berber capital of Zuwayla in the Fezzan and the newly established Fatimid capital of Cairo in Egypt. The east-west caravan route from Cairo to Tripoli, the Fezzan and Tunis went via Jaghbub, Jalu and Awjila. In the early Mamluk era (13th century), trade from Egypt was along a route that led via Awjila to the Fezzan, and then on to Kanem, Bornu and to cities such as Timbuktu on the Niger bend. Awjila became the main market for slaves from these regions. Most of these slaves supplied domestic needs. Gold was purchased from Bambouk and Bouré in what is now Senegal but then was part of the Mali Empire of the Mandinka people. In exchange, Egypt exported textiles.

During the Ottoman period in Egypt, Awjila lay on the route taken by pilgrims traveling from Timbuktu via Ghat, Ghadames and the Fezzan, avoiding the main Ottoman centers. In 1639 Awjila came under the rule of the Turkish ruler of Tripolitania, who stationed a permanent garrison at Benghazi. In the 18th century, the merchants of Awjila held a monopoly over the trade between Cairo and the Fezzan. Describing the trade between Egypt and Hausaland, Hornemann lists:

... slaves of both sexes, ostrich feathers, zibette (musk from civet cats), tiger skins (sic), and gold, partly in dust, partly in native grains, to be manufactured into rings and other ornaments for the people of interior Africa. From Bornu, copper is imported in great quantity. Cairo sends silks, melayes (striped blue and white calicoes - i.e. milayat, wrappers, sheeting) woolen cloths, glass... beads for bracelets, and an... assortment of East India goods... The merchants of Bengasi usually join the caravan from Cairo at Augila, import tobacco manufactured for chewing, or snuff, and sundry wares fabricated in Turkey...

Caravan routes in Libya, 19th century. Awjila and Jalu in the northeast

States to the south with whom caravans from Awjila traded.

Around 1810 a Majabra trader from Jalu named Schehaymah became lost while travelling to Wadai via Murzuk in the Fezzan. He was found by some Bidayat, who took him via Ounianga to Wara, the old capital of Wadai. The Sultan of Wadai, Abd al-Karim Sabun (1804–1815) agreed with Schehaymah's proposal to open a caravan route to Benghazi along a direct route through Kufra, and Awjila / Jalu. This new route would bypass both Fezzan and Darfur, states that until then had controlled the eastern Saharan trade. The first caravans travelled the route between 1809 and 1820.

The trade was disrupted for a while in the 1820s due to political instability in Wadai, but starting in the 1830s every two or three years a caravan would travel the route. Usually there were two or three hundred camels carrying ivory and skins, along with a batch of slaves. Trade increased from the 1860s. The main stations between Benghazi and the southern terminal at Abéché were the assembly point at Awjila / Jalu where the caravans were made up, and the center at Kufra where food and water could be obtained. Later the north-south route again grew in importance due to disruption of traffic on the Nile by the Mahdist revolution in the Sudan.

Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi stayed in Jalu and Awjila before opening his first lodge in al-Baida in 1843. Over the next ten years the lodges of the Senussi became established throughout the Bedouins of Cyrenaica. Later they spread the Senussi influence further south, helping quell violence and resolve trade disputes. Each post on the north-south route, including Awjila, was protected by a Senussi sheikh. As late as 1907, a significant amount of the trade passing through Benghazi was in goods carried over this route, and goods would also have been routed from interior points such as Awjila and Jalu east to Egypt and west to Tripoli.

Recent years

Today the main activities of the people in Awjila are agriculture and working for the oil sector companies, as this area is the cradle of Libyan wealth. The main crops are dates from the many varieties of palm trees, tomatoes, and cereals. The Awjila oasis is known for the high quality of its dates. Starting in the 1960s, the oil industry drove growth in the once-sleepy village. In 1968 the population of the village was about 2,000 people, but by 1982 it had risen to over 4,000, supported by twelve mosques. A 2007 travel guide gives the population as 6,790.

The Great Mosque of Atiq is the oldest masjed (mosque) in the Sahara with its unique style of architecture with rooms that are naturally air conditioned. In the scorching heat of the summer days the rooms are cool and at night they are warm. The oasis was a destination for viewing the Solar eclipse of March 29, 2006.

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

• Asheri, David; Lloyd, Alan Brian; Corcella, Aldo; Murray, Oswyn; Graziosi, Barbara (2007). A Commentary on Herodotus. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-814956-9. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
• "Atiq Mosque: Early Islamic mosque with several strange conical domes". Atlasobscura.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
• "Awjila". Libyan Tourism Directory. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
• "Awjila". MVM Travel. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
• Batibo, Herman (2005). Language Decline And Death In Africa: Causes, Consequences And Challenges. Multilingual Matters. ISBN 978-1-85359-808-1. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
• Chandra, Satish (1986). International Protection of Minorities. Mittal Publications. GGKEY:L2U7JG58SWT. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
• Cordell, Dennis D. (January 1977). "Eastern Libya, Wadai and the Sanūsīya: A Tarīqa and a Trade Route". The Journal of African History. 18 (1). Cambridge University Press: 21–36. doi:10.1017/s0021853700015218. JSTOR 180415.
• Fage, John Donnelly; Oliver, Roland Anthony (1985). The Cambridge History of Africa. Vol. 6. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-22803-9. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
• Falola, Toyin; Morgan, Jason; Oyeniyi, Bukola Adeyemi (2012). Culture and Customs of Libya. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-37859-1. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
• Ham, Anthony (1 August 2007). Libya. Ediz. Inglese. Lonely Planet. p. 132. ISBN 978-1-74059-493-6. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
• Holt, Peter M.; Lambton, Ann K. S.; Lewis, Bernard (1977-04-21). The Cambridge History of Islam. Vol. 2A. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-29137-8. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
• Martin, B. G. (December 1983). "Ahmad Rasim Pasha and the Suppression of the Fazzan Slave Trade, 1881-1896". Africa: Rivista trimestrale di studi e documentazione dell'Istituto italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente. 38 (4). Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO): 545–579. JSTOR 40759666.
• Mason, John Paul (October 1974). "Saharan Saints: Sacred Symbols or Empty Forms?". Anthropological Quarterly. 47 (4). The George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research: 390–405. doi:10.2307/3316606. JSTOR 3316606.
• Mason, John P. (Summer 1982). "Qadhdhafi's "Revolution" and Change in a Libyan Oasis Community". Middle East Journal. 36 (3). Middle East Institute: 319–335. JSTOR 4326424.
• Oliver, Roland Anthony; Atmore, Anthony (2001-08-16). Medieval Africa, 1250-1800. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-79372-8. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
• Petersen, Andrew (2002-03-11). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-203-20387-3. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
• Smith, Sir William (1872). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. John Murray. p. 338. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
• Walz, Terence (1975). "Egypt in Africa: A Lost Perspective in Artisans et Commercants au Caire au XVIIIe Siecle by Andre Raymond". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 8 (4). Boston University African Studies Center: 652–665. doi:10.2307/216700. JSTOR 216700.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Augilæ". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.