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The Jebel Akhdar ( , , ) is a heavily forested, fertile upland area in northeastern
In marked contrast to the aridity prevailing in most of Libya, there are forested areas in this region totalling around 3200 km2, although approximately a third of the original forest has already been destroyed to make way for agriculture. In addition to the forests there are also large areas of maquis and
Documents created during the
Image:The outskirts of the city of Bayda - Libya..jpg, Area near the centre of Jebel Akhdar (outskirts of the city of Bayda)
Image:Derna 5.jpg, Eastern end of Jebel Akhdar (near Derna)
Image:Al Marj escarpment4.JPG, Marj escarpment area
Image:Al Bakour bridge1.JPG, Al Bakour escarpment area
Image:Al Bakour 1.jpg, Al Bakour at the western end of Jebel Akhdar, near Taucheira
Image:Jebel Akhdar deforestation.jpg, An example of the severe soil erosion which can result from
File:Quercus coccifera - Kermes oak, Adana 2016-11-27 01-1.jpg, ''
File:Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) - cropped.jpg,
The Jebel Akhdar ( , , ) is a heavily forested, fertile upland area in northeastern 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 in the modern ''shabiyahs'' or districts of Derna, Jabal al Akhdar
Jabal al Akhdar or The Green Mountain ( ') is one of the districts of Libya. It lies in the northeast of the country. The capital is Bayda. In its territory, close to the city of Shahhat, can be found the remains of the ancient Greek colony of ...
, and Marj.
Geography
The Jebel Akhdar consists of a mountainousplateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
rising to an altitude of , cut by several valleys and wadi
Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...
s. It forms the north-western part of the peninsula that sticks north into the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
, with the Gulf of Sidra
The Gulf of Sidra (), also known as the Gulf of Sirte (), is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya, named after the oil port of Sidra or the city of Sirte. It was also historically known as the Great Sirte or G ...
on the west, and the Levantine Basin on the east. It runs from Bengazi eastward to just east of Derna, fronting the coast for about . Due to erosion and deposition, the plateau is sometimes as much as from the shore, but it forms cliffs on the headlands. The final uplift and arching of the plateau was completed in the Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
.
The region is one of the very few forested areas of Libya, which taken as a whole is one of the least forested countries on Earth. The Jebel Akhdar is the wettest part of Libya, receiving some of precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
annually. The high rainfall contributes to the area's large forests containing Chammari, and enables rich fruit, potato, and cereal agriculture, something of a rarity in an arid country like Libya. Camels, goats and sheep are herded in and around the Jebel Akhdar and the herders tend to be nomadic.
Flora
In marked contrast to the aridity prevailing in most of Libya, there are forested areas in this region totalling around 3200 km2, although approximately a third of the original forest has already been destroyed to make way for agriculture. In addition to the forests there are also large areas of maquis and steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the tropical and subtropica ...
-like vegetation. Typical maquis species are the Phoenician juniper (''Juniperus phoenicea''), the mastic tree (''Pistacia lentiscus''), the Kermes oak (''Quercus coccifera'') and the carob tree (''Ceratonia siliqua''). In the drier steppe-like areas, branched asphodel (''Asphodelus ramosus''), prickly burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum) and white wormwood (''Artemisia herba-alba'') predominate.El-Darier, S.M., El-Mogaspi, F.M. "Ethnobotany and Relative Importance of Some Endemic Plant Species at El-Jabal El-Akhdar Region (Libya)" ''World Journal of Agricultural Sciences'' Band 5, Nr. 3, 2009
More than half of the endemic plant species in Libya are to be found in the Jebel Akhdar and, of these, seven are found only in the region: '' Arbutus pavarii'', '' Arum cyrenaicum'', '' Bellis sylvestris var. cyrenaica'', '' Cyclamen rohlfsianum'', '' Cynara cyrenaica'', '' Onopordum cyrenaicum'' and '' Romulea cyrenaica''.Al-Sodany, Yassin, Shehata, M.N. and Shaltout, Kamal Hussein "Vegetation along an elevation gradient in Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar, Libya" January 2003 ''Ecologia Mediterranea'' 29(2):125-138
History
Ancient
Documents created during the New Kingdom
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
of Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
record that to the west there were large populations of metal workers who lived in towns and had plentiful livestock. The only plausible location for these "Libyans" is the Jebel Akhdar.
The ancient Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
colony of Cyrene was located in a lush valley in the Jebel Akhdar, with the ruins remaining. It was the Greeks who introduced farming to the Jebal Akhdar when they colonised its verdant valleys in around 600 BC.
Italian occupation
During the Italian occupation these mountains were identified as a promising area for agriculture and many Italians moved here in the 1930s. This settlement was interrupted during World War II and the villages and farms were deserted and were later reoccupied by Libyans. The mountain chain was the site of major battles between the British Commonwealth and the Axis forces during World War II.Liberation
The Libyan leaderOmar al-Mukhtar
ʿUmar al-Mukhtār Muḥammad Patronymic#Arabic, bin Farḥāt al-Manifī (; 20 August 1858 – 16 September 1931), called The Lion of the Desert, known among the colonial Italians as Matari of the Mnifa, was a Libyan revolutionary and Imam who ...
used this heavily forested mountainous region to resist the Italian colonization of Libya
The Italian colonization of Libya began in 1911 and it lasted until 1943. The country, which was previously an Ottoman Tripolitania, Ottoman possession, was occupied by Kingdom of Italy, Italy in 1911 after the Italo-Turkish War, which resulted i ...
for more than twenty years.
Notable people
* Mabrouka al-Tabiba, midwifeGalleries
Landscapes
deforestation
Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...
in the Jebel Akhdar (near Wadi el Kuf Bridge)Flora
Quercus coccifera
''Quercus coccifera'', the kermes oak or commonly known as Palestine oak, is an oak shrub or tree in section '' Ilex'' of the genus. It has many synonyms, including ''Quercus calliprinos''. It is native to the Mediterranean region and Northern ...
'' (Fagaceae
The Fagaceae (; ) are a family of flowering plants that includes beeches, chestnuts and oaks, and comprises eight genera with around 1,000 or more species. Fagaceae in temperate regions are mostly deciduous, whereas in the tropics, many species ...
)
File:Viburnum tinus. Fiyáu (flores).jpg, '' Viburnum tinus'' (Adoxaceae
Adoxaceae, commonly known as moschatel family, is a small family of flowering plants in the order Dipsacales, now consisting of five genera and about 150–200 species. They are characterised by opposite toothed leaves, small five- or, more rar ...
)
File:Myrtus communis12.jpg, ''Myrtus communis
''Myrtus communis'', the common myrtle or true myrtle, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It is an evergreen shrub native to southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, Macaronesia, and the Indian Subcontinent, an ...
'' (Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae (), the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All ...
)
File:Ceratonia siliqua Keciboynuzu 1370984 Nevit.jpg, ''Ceratonia siliqua
The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an orname ...
'' (Fabaceae
Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...
)
File:Retama raetam Jardin botanico Barcelona.jpg, '' Retama raetam'' (Fabaceae)
File:Pistacia lentiscus.jpg, ''Pistacia lentiscus
''Pistacia lentiscus'' (also lentisk or mastic) is a dioecious evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus '' Pistacia'' native to the Mediterranean Basin. It grows up to tall and is cultivated for its aromatic resin, mainly on the Greek isl ...
'' (Anacardiaceae
The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...
)
File:Lycium shawii.jpg, '' Lycium shawii'' (Solanaceae
Solanaceae (), commonly known as the nightshades, is a family of flowering plants in the order Solanales. It contains approximately 2,700 species, several of which are used as agricultural crops, medicinal plants, and ornamental plants. Many me ...
)
File:Rhamnus lycioides fruits.JPG, '' Rhamnus lycioides'' (Rhamnaceae
The Rhamnaceae are a large Family (biology), family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales.
The family contains about 55 genera and 950 specie ...
)
File:Juniperus phoenicea berries.jpg, '' Juniperus phoenicea'' (Cupressaceae
Cupressaceae or the cypress family is a family of conifers. The family includes 27–30 genera (17 monotypic), which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130–140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or (rarely) dioecio ...
)
File:Artemisa herba alba floratrek2013.jpg, ''Artemisia herba-alba
''Artemisia herba-alba'', the white wormwood, is a perennial shrub in the genus ''Artemisia (plant), Artemisia'' that grows commonly on the dry steppes of the Mediterranean regions in Northern Africa (Saharan Maghreb), Western Asia (Arabian Pen ...
'' (Asteraceae
Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...
)
File:Cichorium spinosum Pembroke Range Malta 05 06 2010 05.jpg, '' Cichorium spinosum'' (Asteraceae)
File:Limoniastrum monopetalum 2.JPG, '' Limoniastrum monopetalum'' (Plumbaginaceae
Plumbaginaceae is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. The family is sometimes referred to as the leadwort family or the plumbago family.
Most species in this family are perennial plant, perennial h ...
)
File:Sarcopoterium spinosum fruit RJP 02.jpg, '' Sarcopoterium spinosum'' (Rosaceae
Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera.
The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...
)
File:Crucianella maritima 1.JPG, '' Crucianella maritima'' (Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae () is a family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family. It consists of terrestrial trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs that are recognizable by simple, opposite leaves with Petiole ( ...
)
File:Suaeda mollis kz1.JPG, '' Suaeda vermiculata'' (Amaranthaceae
Amaranthaceae ( ) is a family of flowering plants commonly known as the amaranth family, in reference to its type genus '' Amaranthus''. It includes the former goosefoot family Chenopodiaceae and contains about 165 genera and 2,040 species, maki ...
)
File:Marrubium vulgare flowerhead12 QNR (15715443619).jpg, ''Marrubium vulgare
''Marrubium vulgare'' (white horehound or common horehound) is a flowering plant in the mint family (Lamiaceae), native to Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern and central Asia. Specifically, it emerged in the region between the Mediterranea ...
'' (Lamiaceae
The Lamiaceae ( )
or Labiatae are a family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle, or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil (herb), ba ...
)
File:Cyclamen rohlfsianum02.jpg, '' Cyclamen rohlfsianum'' ( Myrsinaceae). Endemic species
File:Asphodelus ramosus in Haifa.jpg, '' Asphodelus ramosus'' (Asphodelaceae
Asphodelaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Asparagales. Such a family has been recognized by most taxonomists, but the circumscription has varied widely. In its current circumscription in the APG IV system, it includes about 4 ...
'')
File:Pacratium maritimum Paestum.jpg, '' Pancratium maritimum'' (Amaryllidaceae
The Amaryllidaceae are a family of herbaceous, mainly perennial and bulbous (rarely rhizomatous) flowering plants in the monocot order Asparagales. The family takes its name from the genus '' Amaryllis'' and is commonly known as the amaryl ...
)
Fauna
Striped hyena
The striped hyena (''Hyaena hyaena'') is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Hyaena''. It is listed by the IU ...
(''Hyaena hyaena'')
File:Fox - British Wildlife Centre (17429406401).jpg, Red fox
The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
(''Vulpes vulpes'')
File:A female common genet in the dining room, Satao Camp.jpg, Common genet (''Genetta genetta'')
File:Herpestes ichneumon Египетский мангуст, или фараонова крыса, или ихневмо́н.jpg, Egyptian mongoose (''Herpestes ichneumon'')
File:Atelerix algirus.jpg, North African hedgehog
The North African hedgehog (''Atelerix algirus'') or Algerian hedgehog, is a mammal species in the family Erinaceidae native to Algeria, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia. Little is known about this hedgehog, even though the most common b ...
(''Atelerix algirus'')
File:Petrosaltator rozeti-Zootaxa.jpg, North African elephant shrew (''Petrosaltator rozeti'')See also
* Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe – ''lower elevations'' * Mediterranean woodlands and forests – ''higher elevations''References
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2017 Geographical areas Natural regions of Africa Mountains of Libya Jabal al Akhdar Derna District Cyrenaica Geography of Libya