Libyan Tribal System

After the outbreak of the Libyan revolution of 17^th of February, many western writers have brought to the discussion the solidarity of Libya as a united country, showing Libyans as if they live in medieval tribal system and admiring Gheddafi of having controlled those barbarians that might be an easy prey to Al-Qaida! Causing a real threat to the stability of the Mediterranean. But here is an overview of the Libyan social system and it is position after the revolution.

Ahmed Fergiani writes:

 The Libyan tribes since Herodotus.

The father of the history Herodotus had dedicated his fourth book to Libya and the Libyan tribes in the fourth century B.C where the whole North Africa was called Libya in which the following tribes were living:

1-the Adyrmakhidai (’Adurmaciådai) from the Egyptian frontiers till the port of Plynós ( Sidi Barrani or the golf of Sallum) (IV,168).

2. the Giligamai (Giligaåmai), from the port of  Plynos till the island of

Afrodisiade (tiny island of Chèrsa, north-east of Derna today karsa) (IV, 169).

3. the  Asbytai (’Asbuåtai o ’Asbuåstai), lived in Cirene`s hinterland

(IV, 170), maybe the famous Äsbtw mentioned by Ramses III

In the  XII sentury. B. C. But according to Vycichl  the were the  Is´b´t´n, legendary

Inhabitants of  Haggar before the arrival of the  Tuareg .

4. the  Auskhisai!(Ausciåsai), between Barca(Almarj)  and Bengasi (IV, 171).

5.  the Kabales/Bakales (KaåbaleV o BaåkaleV),  near the actual Tocra (IV, 171).

6. the Nasamones!(Nasamw!neV), shepherds  that  were settled between

 The coast and the oasis of Augila (IV, 172; II, 31).

7. the!Psylloi (Yuålloi) who,left “ to fight the southern wind ”, finding the death in the sand dunes where they were defeated by Nasamoni (IV, 173).6

8. the Makai!(Maåkai), in the western part , on the coastal part close the river of

Kînyps, might be the actual Uadi Caam that runs between Homs and Zliten near Leptis Magna (IV,

175).

In 643 AD the Arabs arrived in the eastern part of Libya called Cyrenaica  and settled in today `s Barce Almarj (160km east of Bengazi), the inhabitants of Cyrenaica at that time were mixed of different races, indigenous (Berbers), Greeks and Byzantines  who lived in the Pentapolis, the 5 cities: Cyrene (shahat), Apollonia (Susa), Ptolemais (tolmitha) Teuchira (Tocra) and Bernice (Bengasi).

 the inhabitants were converted to the new Islamic faith and the Arabs once they established their hegemony over the region, they continued their march to North Africa where they founded Kairauan in Tunisia, but  in tenth century A.D, the North Africa became a promised land for the Bedouin tribes of Arabia, those of Banu Salim and  Banu Hilal who were encouraged by  the Caliph to immigrate to North Africa, Most of those tribes  stopped in Cyrenaica where  the  Green  Mountain was a fertile land and had sufficient rain fall  suitable to live .
The region of Cyrenaica was very neglected by the Islamic empires of the Maghreb as well as those of the East; therefore it became sort of wild west for centuries until the arrival of the Ottomans who occupied Cyrenaica in 1575!
In the Ottoman era the region was controlled by a Pasha, or civil governor who was appointed by the Sultan of Constantinople, but that Pasha lived in Tripoli nearly 1000 km to the west and exercised his role through   the Janziri (the soldiers who were collecting taxes from population), , therefore for almost 4 centuries Cyrenaica lived  close to itself, with its own law ! Where everybody had to belong to a numerous family to survive!

THE TRIBES OF CYRENAICA

Habbon live in Tobruk and also go inside the Egyptian territory and a person of this tribe is called Habboni.
Gotaan live in the area of ​​Tobruk to Marsa Matruh in Egypt so they are now divided between two counties, one of them is called Gotaani.
Imnifa the tribe of Omar Mokthar the father of the Libyan resistance against Italian `occupanction. A person of this tribe is called Imnifi
 Obeidat the largest tribe living in Cyrenaica they live in: Algubba, Martoba, Labrag ... virtually the entire area is located west of Derna. A member of this tribe will bring a surname of Obeidi.


Alshari a Tribe that is large in the interior of Derna, or the real inhabitants of the city till 1800 when the governor of Tripoli Yosif pasha Garamanli, sent thousands of warriors from Tripolitania to fight with him that later became the majority in the city of Derna as Taggiori, and Zlitni.today the inhabitants are considered the most civilized after those of Bengazi across the whole Cyrenaica.

Alhasa the coastal tribes that live mainly in Shahat (Cyrene) and susa(Apollonia)  those who belong to this tribe would be called Alhasi.

Baraasa is the dominant tribes in Albaida city and one of the biggest tribes of Cyrenaica its members are called Baraasi ,in Albaida  others tribes live like  Alfaidi , Mismari.
Idresa this tribe live in the area of ​​Qasr Libya, 60 km west of Albaida and go down to the coast of Ptolemais (Tolmitha) and one member is called Idresi.

Mismari are the inhabitants of the plain of Barce (ALMARJ), are known as farmers.
Auaghir  perhaps the most numerous  tribe with that of Obeidi across Cyrenaica and lives on the plains of Bengazi near Tocra area and the south east of Bengazi, the members of this tribe are often called Agori.

Benghazi People living in Benghazi are mixture of different origins but the majority of Benghazini in reality are of Tripoli, in other words: Misurata, Zlitn, Wirfalla, Khoms, Gharian, Tarhuna, people that were taken by the Turks three centuries ago and remained there to live with the mixed tribes of Cyrenaica, others immigrated to Benghazi in the sixties when the city was considered to be the economic capital of Libya. But Benghazi is a home land of other Tribes,especially in the plains of Benghazi as Awami Barghathi, Saity.

  Maghariba  a big tribe that lives in Agidabia  till Ben Giauad  up to almost 150 km from Sirte one of this tribe is called the Maghrebi
Zwia is the tribe that lives in Agidabia and goes south to the oasis of Kufra, and one that belongs to this tribe is called Zuwey
 as   Agidabia  City   was a cross  road of the caravan route from Sudan  and  Tripoli or  Bengazi then it is the land of other tribes like :Fergiani, zwawi, auriby, Fakhri.

Alhasson tribes that live mainly in Bengiauad area,one of the would be called Alhassony.

Aulad sliman: the tribes of the plain that divides Sirte from Cyrenaica, the red valley and Haraua.

Fergian is the largest tribe in Sirte, lives in west of Sirte, but originally comes from Tarhuna in Tripolitania where they are the majority; some of this tribe bears the surname of Fergiani.
wirfalla  very large and extends from the Sirte area  to Benwalid up to 170 km south of Tripoli, its members bear the name of Wirfally.
Ghedadfa the tribe that his fame is due to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, they live in Sirte and Sebha.
 Other Tribes also live in Sirte like Gimaai, Madani, Himmali.

THE TRIBES OF TRIPOLITANIA

despite the existence of `Tribes in the western part of the country called Tripolitania but in their rule is very weak and most of the people do reference to the city rather than to their Tribes for the fact that, Tripolitania was always close to the various ruling governors who created cities and administrative centers which have weakened the rule of the Tribe over the years! The other fact is that the inhabitants of Tripoli are mixed between Arabs and Berbers. And other peoples of foreign origins like Maltese and Greeks.
Misurata area, in reality there are so many families and all belong to Misurata city but here they turn to say that there is no tribe, but Misurata is composed of a number of families that make up The Tribe of Misurata.
Zliten is the city where is the shrine of a holy person called Sidi Abdussalam, his descendents are called Shiki but in Zliten other tribes live such as:  Fitori, Torshani.

 Going westward from Zliten city along the coast till Tripoli, one will encounter other places like Alkhoms, Msellata, Taggiora, where their people bear the name of the city in which they were born as Khomsi,,Gumati, Msellati, Taggiuri.



West of Tripoli
In the area west of Tripoli, live the largest tribe of the area Wirshiffana especially in Zanzur and Azizia,  in the south of Tripoli you will find Accara,zaidi,while the city of Zawia, Sabratha, Agilat people carry the surname of the city as Zawi, Sabrati,Allaghi,Agily but  we have to mention that in the  area of Aljamil till the southern part of Tunisia lives  the Tribe of Nuail them . While just north of them the city of Zuara or Tamort is of totally Berber population.
 While in the plains of gifara that separates the coast from Nafusa Mountain lives the Tribe of Sian.
 The Giabl Nafusa Mountains.
 On the mountain the story is a little different from the rest of Libya as it is the home of the Berbers with their  cities of Yfran, Nalut, Giado and Kabaw but they are neighbored with Arab populations like the large tribe of Zintan where its members are called Zintani and the other tribes on the mountain such as Rujban, Riaina, Huamid, and Mishashia
The largest tribes of Tripolitania
In Tripolitania the two largest tribes are the Wirfalla and Tarhuna  who live in the cities of Benwalid and Tarhuna  respectively . Both tribes together account almost a million and a half of inhabitants. And their members are called and Wirfalli and Tarhuni.

THE TRIBES OF SOUTHER LIBYA (FEZZAN)

 In the south of Libya people of different races they do live there, tribes of Tabou live in the southeast, who have dark skin and go south up to Chad ... while the Libyan southwest is the home land of the Tuareg who are of Berber origin and live in other countries as well like in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Morocco.
 the area of ​​Fezzan  where Sabha is its capital different arab tribes live there like  the tribes of Megharha  who are the majority in southern Libya ,other tribes do live there as well like Aulad Busif  ,Aulad Suliman,Zuaid,Hisnawy tribes and Ghedadfa.

DO WE HAVE TO FEAR THE DIVISION?

The first spark was in Benghazi then in the whole Cyrenaica, the other part of the  country had to wait just five days to embrace the revolution although the strong media war of Gheddafi immediately  described the event as a separation movement, Tripoli youth were chanting solidarity With Benghazi while the city was preparing  itself  to the attacks of the colonel, Zintan in  Nafusa mountain was the first with Misurata to join the revolt, we Libyans know that the first Martyr of Zintan revolt was a youth from Rujban, a little rival neighboring town of Zintan .Yfran as well  the  biggest Berber in the region was considered not very friend of Zintan ,but the Berbers have fought in the same trenches with the Arabs in a sake of freedom.

Not far after Benghazi announced the foundation of the TNC that the majority of its members are from the eastern part of Libya (Cyrenaicans) those members were received recently in Tripoli with the red carpet!

When the general Abdullfatah Younis was brutally eliminated normally if the tribal law was implemented, his tribe (the biggest in Cyrenaica) would seek the revenge of the murders, does not matter they belong to whom! But just the civil law was applied and his tribe has fully trusted the justice of the TNC.

 But Libya`s still problem is the pro Gheddafi militias! Who refuse to give up the fight as they think of future judgment like Baniwalid and Sirte, the national unity never been a Libyan problem in the course of our history, the so called tribes never fought even during the poverty and ignorance, as our land has been a host to different cultures and ethnic groups since the three millenniums,  The countries of those writers, who give us unity lessons, were not yet discovered by the humans!