The Emirate of Cyrenaica () came into existence when Sayyid Idris unilaterally proclaimed

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...

an independent

Senussi The Senusiyya, Senussi or Sanusi () are a Muslim political-religious Sufi order and clan in Libya and surrounding regions founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Sanussi ( ''as-Sanūssiyy al-Kabīr''), the Algerian Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi. ...

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalent ...

on 1 March 1949, backed by the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Sayyid Idris proclaimed himself Emir of Cyrenaica at a 'national conference' in

Benghazi Benghazi () () is the List of cities in Libya, second-most-populous city in Libya as well as the largest city in Cyrenaica, with an estimated population of 859,000 in 2023. Located on the Gulf of Sidra in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, Ben ...

. The recognition by the UK failed to influence the attitude of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, and Britain and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

were directed to prepare Libya's independence in a resolution passed on 21 November 1949. The independence of the

Kingdom of Libya The Kingdom of Libya (; ), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa that came into existence upon independence on 24 December 1951 and lasted until a bloodless coup d'état on 1 Sept ...

was declared on 24 December 1951, and on 27 December, Emir Idris was enthroned as King Idris I. The black flag with white

star and crescent The conjoined representation of a star and a crescent is used in various historical contexts, including as a prominent symbol of the Ottoman Empire, and in contemporary times, as a national symbol by some countries, and by some Muslims as a sym ...

symbol was adopted by Idris as he was proclaimed Emir in 1947. The flag became the basis of the

flag of Libya The national flag of Libya () was originally introduced in 1951, following the creation of the Kingdom of Libya. It was designed by Omar Faiek Shennib and approved by King Idris Al Senussi who comprised the UN delegation representing the three ...

of 1951, with the addition of a red and a green stripe, representing

Tripolitania Tripolitania (), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province of Libya. The region had been settled since antiquity, first coming to prominence as part of the Carthaginian empire. Following the defeat ...

and

Fezzan Fezzan ( , ; ; ; ) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...

, respectively. Idris as

king of Libya The Kingdom of Libya (; ), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa that came into existence upon independence on 24 December 1951 and lasted until a bloodless coup d'état on 1 Sept ...

kept the flag of the emirate as his personal Royal Standard, with the addition of a white crown in the upper hoist. On 6 March 2012, mirroring the events 63 years earlier, a similar kind of meeting was held in Benghazi, calling for more autonomy and federalism for Cyrenaica.

Ahmed al-Senussi Prince Ahmed Al-Zubair al-Senussi, also known as Zubeir Ahmed El-Sharif (; born 1934) is a Libyan member of the Senussi house and a member of the National Transitional Council representing political prisoners. Biography He is a grandcousi ...

, a relative of King Idris, was announced as the leader of the self-declared Cyrenaica Transitional Council.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyrenaica, Emirate of History of Cyrenaica States and territories established in 1949 States and territories disestablished in 1951 Former emirates