Ajaylat ( ''al ʿajaylat'') is the name of a
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
and small city located in the
Nuqat al Khams district of
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
. It is located roughly 80 kilometers west of
Tripoli. From 1983 to 1988, the region was a
district of Libya with the city as its capital.
Tribal groups
The regional tribal groups (''qabā’il'') are currently subdivided into two primary tribal federations or sections. The first of these is known as Gehat al-Wadi (جهة الوادي) ''Aulād'' Hamid, which consists of; ''Al-e’rīshāt'' ( العريشات); ''Al-ma’īzāt'' (المعيزات); ''Ul-qauādī'' (القواضى); and ''Al-hersheh'' (الهرشة) tribes.
[''Aulād'' means Descendants – ''Ibid'' p.1285]
The second tribal federation is known as the ''Aulād Rāshid (''اولاد راشد''), ''which consists of; Aulād Al-Sheikh; and Aulād Rāshid. Aulad Al-Shikh (اولاد الشيخ) which consists of Aulad Mousa (اولاد موسى) Aulad Bozed (اولاد ابوزيد) Al-Mashara (المشارة), and Al-Draba (الدرباء) tribes.
The total population in the ''minţaqa'' (area) Al-A’jēlāt is estimated at 100,000 individuals scattered among those tribes.
Economy
The Ajaylat region is most famous for the cultivation of
palm trees,
olives
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
and various types of
vegetables
Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including flowers, fruits, ...
. There is also a medical center.
Libyan civil war
On 14 August 2011,
anti-Gaddafi forces
The anti-Gaddafi forces, also known as the Libyan opposition or Libyan rebels, were Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi during the First Libyan Civil War in 2011, killing him in the process. The A ...
fighting in the
Libyan Civil War claimed they had taken Ajaylat.
Notes
{{Nuqat al Khams
Ajaylat
Baladiyat of Libya