Traghan
تراغن Taraghen | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 25°55′24″N 14°25′14″E / 25.92333°N 14.42056°E | |
Country | Libya |
Region | Fezzan |
District | Murzuq |
Time zone | UTC+2 ( EET) |
Traghan or Traghen [1] ( Arabic: تراغن) is a small town in the Murzuk Desert in Murzuq District in southwest Libya. It is located east of Murzuk and Zizau. A good high road is said to link Traghan to Zizau in the west, with frequent incrustations of salt. [1]
Traghan around the 13th century was founded by the Saifawa dynasty, a remarkable feat as Traghan lies 1380 kilometres from Njimi, the Saifawa capital. [2] The Saifawa were said to have "gained control of the Fezzan by establishing a post in the oasis of Traghan about twenty miles east of modern Murzuk and some seventy miles west-south-west of ancient Zawila." [3]
Traghan was approached by western explorers on 29 November 1822. [4] In the late 1820s, Traghan was described as was formerly as considerable a place as Murzuk; and was, about sixty years ago, the residence of a sultan, who governed eastern Fezzan. It was described as being in a flat, desert plain, with gardens and date groves. [5] It contained four mosques with small mud minarets and the houses were mostly large but in ruin. [5] The population in the late 1820s was estimated to be 500-600 but it had previously been far more populous. [5] Major Denham noted that the people of Traghan were exceptionally skilled in carpet making and their carpets rivaled those of Constantinople. [5] Hugh Murray later noted its fine carpets in the early 1850s. [6]
The town was the site of a battle between the Libyan National Army and Chadian militants in 2018 during the Second Libyan Civil War. [7]
Traghan
تراغن Taraghen | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 25°55′24″N 14°25′14″E / 25.92333°N 14.42056°E | |
Country | Libya |
Region | Fezzan |
District | Murzuq |
Time zone | UTC+2 ( EET) |
Traghan or Traghen [1] ( Arabic: تراغن) is a small town in the Murzuk Desert in Murzuq District in southwest Libya. It is located east of Murzuk and Zizau. A good high road is said to link Traghan to Zizau in the west, with frequent incrustations of salt. [1]
Traghan around the 13th century was founded by the Saifawa dynasty, a remarkable feat as Traghan lies 1380 kilometres from Njimi, the Saifawa capital. [2] The Saifawa were said to have "gained control of the Fezzan by establishing a post in the oasis of Traghan about twenty miles east of modern Murzuk and some seventy miles west-south-west of ancient Zawila." [3]
Traghan was approached by western explorers on 29 November 1822. [4] In the late 1820s, Traghan was described as was formerly as considerable a place as Murzuk; and was, about sixty years ago, the residence of a sultan, who governed eastern Fezzan. It was described as being in a flat, desert plain, with gardens and date groves. [5] It contained four mosques with small mud minarets and the houses were mostly large but in ruin. [5] The population in the late 1820s was estimated to be 500-600 but it had previously been far more populous. [5] Major Denham noted that the people of Traghan were exceptionally skilled in carpet making and their carpets rivaled those of Constantinople. [5] Hugh Murray later noted its fine carpets in the early 1850s. [6]
The town was the site of a battle between the Libyan National Army and Chadian militants in 2018 during the Second Libyan Civil War. [7]