Tajura ( ar, تاجوراء, translit=Tājūrā), also spelt ''Tajoura'', is a town in north-western Libya, and

baladiyah Baladiyah () is a type of Arabic administrative division that can be translated as "district", "sub-district" or "municipality". The plural is baladiyat (). Grammatically, it is the feminine of "rural, country-, folk-". The Arabic term amanah ( ...

in the Tripoli Muhafazah, on the Mediterranean coast east of Tripoli. From 2001 to 2007 Tajura was the capital of the Tajura wa Arba' District. Tajura is also known to be the most anti-Gaddafi district in Tripoli and had high casualties in the Libyan revolution.

History

The

Ottoman Turks The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

established a base at Tajura in 1531. Under the command of

Hayreddin Barbarossa Hayreddin Barbarossa ( ar, خير الدين بربروس, Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; tr, Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ot ...

, the site was selected for its proximity to Tripoli which had come under the

Knights of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

in 1530 when Charles V of Spain, as King of Sicily, had given them Tripoli,

Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After ...

and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. Tripoli was captured in the

Siege of Tripoli The siege of Tripoli lasted from 1102 until July 12, 1109. It took place on the site of the present day Lebanese city of Tripoli, in the aftermath of the First Crusade. It led to the establishment of the fourth crusader state, the County of Tr ...

. Tajura was the center of Libya's nuclear research, with a 10 megawatt reactor, built by the Soviet Union, which came online in 1981.Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2005) ''SIPRI Yearbook 2005: Armaments, disarmament and international security'' Humanities Press, New York
page 636
During the second Libyan Civil War, Tajura has become associated with the insurgency of

101 Battalion 101 Battalion (pronounced as ''one-o-one Battalion'') was a quick-reaction unit of the South West African Territorial Force, composed of black and white commissioned and enlisted personnel. History Origin The unit was formed in January 1976 ...

. The name Tajoura is rumoured to be named after a princess who lost her crown. "Taj" meaning crown, and "oura" being the name of the princess, the crown was found in this area and so was named Tajoura (Oura's crown).

Districts of Tajura

* Goot Al-Rumman * Abe Al Ash'her * Al-Marouhna * Al Hamidiya * Al Kwateb * Al'aswal * Awlad Al Turki * Be'ar Al Sanyaa * Shatt al-Sidi Othman (Sidi Othman) * Btisp * Be'ar Al Osta Milad * El Atamana * Dakhla * Rima * Diyar Jaber * Almchai - Aribat - and the cemetery Sahaabi and Hada title Almchai * Market - the middle * Goudec * Punishment (the headquarters of the commander Uqba) * Al Knadra * Andilsi * Shatt span * al mashin * Wadi Al Rabie

Tourism in Tajura

* Tajura tourist village Sidi al-Andalus. Used occasionally as a meeting place by Muammar al-Gaddafi. Mainly used as guest house by Teknica (UK) Ltd, and for a short time by Taknia Libya. Demolished in December 2010. * Village Heroj * Fish Market * "Best Fish Restaurants and Takeways in Libya" * Tajoura city centre (Al- Muzdawaja) * The palm tree next to the mosque

Tajura Sports Centre

* Club editorial * Club Abe Al Ash'her * Club Hamidiya

References

{{reflist Populated coastal places in Libya Oases of Libya Populated places in Tripoli District Baladiyat of Libya