Libya Trivia

1. In 630 BCE, the Greeks established a colony in Eastern Libya and founded the city of Cyrene. In the following years four more major Greek cities were founded. This region became known by a Greek name that means five cities. Which Greek word is this?

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: Pentapolis

Cyrene was first a Greek colony and then a Roman city. It was located in what is now the modern city of Shahhat. Cyrene gave the Pentapolis its more common name of Cyrenaica, a name that the region still goes by today. The other four Greek cities were Barce, Euhesperides, Taucheira, Balagrae, and Apollonia. Barce would become the modern city of Marj, home of the Abu Bkr Assiddiq Mosque. Euhesperides would become Berenice and is now the present-day city of Benghazi. Benghazi will be discussed later in the quiz. Taucheira would become Arsinoe under the Ptolemies but then reverted back to Taucheria, which is its current name. Balagrae would become present-day Bayda, the fourth largest city in Libya. Bayda is known for having the tomb of Ruwaifi bin Thabit al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad. At one time Bayda was supposed to become the capital of Libya and many government buildings were constructed. Those plans were eventually dropped. Apollonia's ruins are found in the modern city of Susa. Evidence shows Apollonia was probably destroyed by the tsunami that resulted from the Crete earthquake in 365 CE. A museum in Susa contains many artifacts from Apollonia. There are also ruins of a Greek theater that stand by the sea outside the old city walls. The palace in Susa was first used as a Roman commander's house and then the Byzantine Duke's Palace. The ruins of three Byzantine era churches are also found in the city.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: Simon Of Cyrene

Cyrene occupies a prominent position high on an escarpment overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the coastal plain. It is close to the modern city of Derna. Simon of Cyrene was ordered by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus to his crucifixion (Matthew 27. verse 32). Tarsus is located in Turkey, and Saul of Tarsus became the Apostle Paul. Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus for interment, and is mentioned in all four gospels. Arimathea was a Judean city near Jerusalem. Zacchaeus came from Jericho, and is mentioned in the gospel of Luke, chapter 19, verse 10.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: desert

Saying "Sahara Desert" is really tautology as it actually means "desert desert". The Sahara is the world's largest desert, and is about the size of the U.S.A. It forms a major part of the landscape of eleven countries. The Sahara is not all sand however. There are large areas of gravel, clay and rock, and several mountain ranges. The highest point in the Sahara is the volcano Emi Koussi in Chad, which is 3,415 metres (11,204 feet) high.

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: Sunni

Libya is a mainly Sunni Muslim state although in the past it has been ruled by the Shias. The Sunni Umayyad caliphate was the first Arab Muslim state to send troops into North Africa, including Libya, in the 7th century CE. The indigenous Berber tribes resisted the Arabs and Islam at first but by the 8th century most resistance had ended. The Shia Fatimid caliphate ruled over Libya from 909 to 1171. In 1171, Saladin returned control of this area to the Sunni Abbasid caliphate and Sunni Islam has been the dominant branch of Islam in Libya ever since. Although Libya is Sunni Muslim, the Islam practiced throughout North Africa is punctuated with indigenous Berber traditions. Under Gaddafi, Islam maintained a central role in the life of the country but Gaddafi still controlled religion as he controlled all aspects of Libyan life. With Gaddafi's death, the National Transitional Council has said it wishes to establish a constitutional democracy based on Islamic principles.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: six

Libya has borders with Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. In recent years some of these borders have been the subject of dispute, and even conflict. The longest running dispute was with Chad, over an area of approximately ten thousand square kilometres known as "The Aouzou Strip". Eventually this conflict was settled by both countries agreeing in 1984 to a judgment by the International Court of Justice.

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: The Barbary Coast

The Barbary Coast is the only one that fits both descriptions. The coast actually encompassed parts of Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania. The name comes from the Berber people and was used by Europeans to describe their lands in North Africa. The term Barbary by itself referred to all of the lands of the Berbers, not just the coastal areas. Tripoli was considered a major city of the Barbary States and the pirates that sought refuge there. Although the exact origins of the Berber peoples are not known, many surmise that they came from the prehistoric tribes of Libya. Prehistoric cave paintings found in Libya in the Acacus Mountains date back 12,000 years and other archeological finds show a thriving civilization in Libya from 8000 BCE. This civilization declined however with the 5.9 kiloyear event. The first mention of the Berbers comes from the ancient Egyptians during the New Kingdom (1600-1100 BCE) who fought against two Berber tribes - the Meshwesh and the Libu. There are not many pure Berber tribes left in Libya, most have been blended with the Arab tribes who conquered the area beginning in the 7th century CE. The Barbary Coast in San Francisco became notorious during the years of the California Gold Rush (1848-1858). It became known for prostitution, gambling and crime. At first it was called Sydney-Town because it was dominated by British convicts from Australia. It did not gain the name Barbary Coast until sometime in the 1860s and was named in honor of the pirates from the original Barbary Coast in Africa.

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: First Barbary War

Throughout its history, Tripoli has been more than just a city. During the time period of Barbary Coast piracy, Tripoli, or more accurately Tripolitania (aka the Kingdom of Tripoli), was one of three Barbary States, the other two being Algiers and Tunis. The Pasha of Tripoli, Pasha Yusuf Karamanli, demanded an increase in tribute from the US to protect its ships from the pirates but the US refused. The First Barbary War (1801-1805) resulted although Algiers and Tunis were not involved. The activities of the navy included blockading most of the Libyan coast from 1801 through 1805. In 1804, the Battle of Tripoli Harbor was fought. In this battle, US Marines used a captured enemy sailing boat to get close enough to a captured American frigate to recapture and destroy it. The action created one of America's first military heroes since the Revolutionary War, Lt. Stephen Decatur, who led the mission. The battle was largely indecisive. In 1805, at the Battle of Derne the US prevailed and the war ended. Derne, or Derna, is located in eastern Libya in Cyrenaica and was the seat of one of the wealthiest provinces in the Kingdom of Tripoli. Today it is a city of about 80,000 people and is famous for its Ottoman architecture. This was the first major action for either the US Navy or the Marines since independence. A second Barbary War was fought in 1815 but this time the target was Algiers. These two wars ended the need for Americans to pay tribute to stop piracy. Tripoli was founded in the 7th century BCE by the Phoenicians under the name Oea most likely because of its natural harbor. From there it passed through the centuries to the Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arab Muslims, Spanish, Ottoman Turks, and Italians. Since its inception the city has always played a large role in the region. It is the largest city in Libya and home to 1.8 million people. During the 2011 Libyan Civil War it was the stronghold of Gaddafi until it fell quickly on August 21st. With its fall, a rebel victory was ensured even though the war would not end until Sirte fell on October 20th. "The Halls of Montezuma" refers to the Mexican-American War (1847) and the capture of Chapultepec Castle by the Marines in the Battle of Chapultepec.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: Britain and Italy

By June 1940, Britain, France and Italy had major forces in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, but the Franco-German armistice of that month removed the French army from the equation. Under Marshall Rodolfo Graziani the Italians tried to invade Egypt via Libya, which involved overcoming the British bases at Sidi Barrani and Mersa Matruh. British forces under General O'Connor and General Wavell defeated the Italians, leading to the appointment of the German General Erwin Rommell to take command of the Afrika Corps. Rommel arrived in Libya on 12th February 1941.

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: Tobruk

Tobruk is located in eastern Libya and is part of Cyrenaica. Tobruk's naturally protected, deep water harbor made it indispensable to both the Axis and the Allies during WWII. Its deep water meant that it could never be rendered totally useless by bombardment because ships could always harbor there even if the docks were destroyed. This meant there was always a refuge from the storms common to the Mediterranean. Initially held by the Italians it fell to the mainly Australian forces of the British Commonwealth on January 22, 1941. Tobruk was retaken by the Germans on June 21, 1942 and finally recaptured by the British on November 11, 1942 during the Second Battle of El Alamein. Today Tobruk is a city of about 120,000. Because it was a stronghold of the king who was overthrown by Gaddafi in 1969, the city was one of the first to rebel against Gaddafi during the Arab Spring. The city contains a port terminal linked to the Sarir oil field.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: General Sir Harold Alexander

General Alexander was appointed as C-in-C Middle East on 6th August 1942. He replaced Sir Claude Auchinleck who was the previous Commander. Alexander, with the agreement of Winston Churchill, appointed General Montgomery to command the 8th Army. It was the 8th Army under Montgomery which went on to defeat Rommel at El Alamein, and bring an end to German power in North Africa. Sir Alan Brooke was Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and was offered the command of the Middle East and North Africa, but refused, believing he was more useful where he was.

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: Benghazi

Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya and the capital of Cyrenaica region in eastern Libya. A natural tension exists historically between Tripoli and Benghazi because each is head of its geographically distinct and separate part of Libya. This natural tension boiled over into the Arab Spring uprisings with eastern Libya leading the rebellion against Gaddafi and Benghazi becoming the center of this activity. Gaddafi aimed to crush the rebellion by attacking Benghazi but NATO intervened and stopped his push into the city. With NATO help the rebels eventually ousted Gaddafi. Benghazi was originally called Euhesperides and was one of the five cities of the Greek Pentapolis. Founded in 525 BCE, it quickly grew in size and importance to the point that by 480 BCE it was using its own coins. During Roman times it came to be called Berenice and finally Hesperides. Under the Ottomans it became Benghazi. The only intact ancient Greek and Roman ruins can be found just outside the modern city, the rest being buried under later incarnations of the city. The city's architecture reflects the numerous cultures that have ruled the city over the centuries, including Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, and Italian.

From Quiz Libya - Crossroads of History

Answer: Sirte

Sirte lies on the south side of the Gulf of Sidra from whence it gets its name. In ancient times the Gulf of Sidra was known as Syrtis Major or Gulf of Sirte or the Great Sirte. This region just south of the gulf is known as the Sirtica, a barren desert wasteland that historically divided the area of Tripoli (Tripolitania) in the west from the area of Cyrenaica in the east. Tripoli joined with Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco to form the Maghrib (Berber influenced) while Cyrenaica was at first Greek influenced and then Arab influenced. When Gaddafi fled Tripoli after its fall in August, he headed to his hometown of Sirte, which he declared his new capital. The rebels then surrounded the city and began a long drawn-out siege of the city for most of September and October. Finally, on October 20th the city fell to the rebels and Gaddafi was caught trying to flee. He was killed within an hour of his capture. Sirte was badly damaged during the weeks of fighting, leaving it unrecognizable.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: Revolutionary Leader

The only title officially held by Qadhafi was Revolutionary Leader. Some sources claim he held no title, but this is untrue. In spite of this, he was de facto head of state, and commander of the armed forces until he was overthrown and killed during the bloody civil war of 2012. His rank of colonel is Libya's highest achievable military rank. Qadhafi set out his personal political philosophy in "The Third Universal Theory", popularly known as "The Green Book".

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: Great Manmade River Project

The Great Manmade River Project is designed to carry vast quantities of sub-Saharan water to the coastal regions for irrigation, industry and drinking. On completion it is expected to carry five to six million cubic metres of water every day. The project began in 1984, and is estimated to finally cost over twenty-five billion dollars. A total length of 3,380 kilometres of four metre diameter pipe will finally be installed, and the entire length will be wrapped in reinforcing wire. If laid out in a line, this reinforcing wire would circle the Earth two hundred and thirty times.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: 1951

Prior to World War II Libya was an Italian colony, and following the war was administered for five years by Britain under a United Nations mandate. Libya became an independent kingdom on 24th December 1951.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

The name and the constitution were changed in 1977, prior to which Libya was called the "Libyan Arab Republic'. Jamahiriya has no precise translation into English, but means "Government by the masses". The new constitution set up a system whereby local "people's committees" took on the role of national government, though Colonel Muammar Qadhafi effectively remained as Head of State. In January 2013 the name was officially changed to the State of Libya.

From Quiz Libya - History and Culture

Answer: United Nations Commission on Human Rights

The chairmanship of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights rotates between the major continental areas, and in 2003 it was the turn of Africa. Libya was unanimously sponsored by the African Union, in particular by South Africa, against strong opposition from the U.S.A. and other countries. The final vote was thirty three for, three against, and seventeen abstentions.

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Last Updated Apr 13 2024 5:49 AM

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