The Marble Arch, also Arch of the Philaeni ( it, Arco dei Fileni), formerly known in Libya as El Gaus (i.e. "The Arch"), was a monument in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

built during the days of Italian colonization. The arch marked the border between

Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...

and

Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή ��παρχίαKurēnaïkḗ parkhíā}, after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between ...

, and was located on the ''

Via Balbia Via or VIA may refer to the following: Science and technology * MOS Technology 6522, Versatile Interface Adapter * ''Via'' (moth), a genus of moths in the family Noctuidae * Via (electronics), a through-connection * VIA Technologies, a Taiw ...

'' (actual Libyan Coastal Highway) near

Ra's Lanuf Ras Lanuf ( ( ar, راس لانوف , also: ''Ra’s al-Unūf'' )) is a Mediterranean town in northern Libya, on the Gulf of Sidra. The town is also home to the Ra's Lanuf Refinery, completed in 1984, with a crude oil refining capacity of . The o ...

.Culture clash:A tale of two libyas (Cached copy)
.

History

The arch was designed by architect

Florestano Di Fausto Florestano Di Fausto (16 July 1890 – 11 January 1965) was an Italian architect, engineer and politician who is best known for his building designs in the Italian Italian colonial empire, overseas territories around the Mediterranean. He is cons ...

in response to a request by the Italian

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

Italo Balbo Italo Balbo (6 June 1896 – 28 June 1940) was an Italian fascist politician and Blackshirts' leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force, Governor-General of Libya and Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa. Due to his young ...

. It was unveiled on 16 March 1937 in a lavish night ceremony attended by

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in ...

. The arch, which was 31 meters high, with an opening high and wide, and made with

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

stone (Rome's typical building material), was located some west of the possible borders between

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the clas ...

and Cyrene, the locality called in Antiquity ''Altars of the Philaeni'' ( la, Arae Philaenorum) which was located approximately halfway between

and

El Agheila El Agheila ( ar, العقيلة, translit=al-ʿUqayla ) is a coastal city at the southern end of the Gulf of Sidra in far western Cyrenaica, Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, D ...

Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-782-0009-01A, Nordafrika, Panzer III

The landmark was named after the legendary Philaeni brothers of

, who chose to be buried alive on that spot in order to gain this border for their home town. It bore two giant bronze statues of the brothers, represented as buried alive, surmounted by a stylised altar, mocking one of the disappeared ''Arae''. The landmark was decorated by basreliefs which illustrated the legend. On the arch's frontispiece was carved a Latin inscription taken from

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ...

's ''

Carmen Saeculare The ''Carmen Saeculare'' (Latin for "Secular Hymn" or "Song of the Ages") is a hymn in Sapphic meter written by the Roman poet Horace. It was commissioned by the Roman emperor Augustus in 17 BC. The hymn was sung by a chorus of twenty-seven maid ...

''. It read: King

Idris I of Libya Muhammad Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi as-Senussi ( ar, إدريس, Idrīs; 13 March 1890 – 25 May 1983) was a Libyan political and religious leader who was King of Libya from 24 December 1951 until his overthrow on 1 September 1969. He ruled o ...

had the Latin inscription translated into Arabic. The arch was reproduced in postcards and Italian Africa lottery tickets and soon became one of the symbols of

Italian Libya Libya ( it, Libia; ar, ليبيا, Lībyā al-Īṭālīya) was a colony of the Fascist Italy located in North Africa, in what is now modern Libya, between 1934 and 1943. It was formed from the unification of the colonies of Italian Cyrenaica a ...

and of the works done by the Italian Libyan colonists. Revolutionary leader

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by '' The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spelli ...

, who considered the landmark as a sign of the Italian domination of Libya, demolished the arch using dynamite in 1973. Another possible reason for this demolition is that the arch was a symbol of separation between two parts of Libya, Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. The two bronze statues of the Philaeni brothers and parts of the marble reliefs are now located in a small museum in Medinat Sultan, around from

Sirte Sirte (; ar, سِرْت, ), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups, and loyalty to Muammar Gad ...

. A water tower inspired by the monument was built in 1942 in the Italian town Riozzo, and survives to the present.sul filo della memoria 26.10.2011 https://jacopogiliberto.blog.ilsole24ore.com/2011/10/26/sul-filo-della-memoria-larco-libico-dei-fileni-rivive-in-lombardia-i-veleni-e-la-fabbrica-sbagliata/?refresh_ce=1

Notes

References

* Philip Kenrick. ''Tripolitania: Libya Archaeological Guides''. Silphium Press, London, 2009. 224 pages. pp. 152–157. * * * *

George MacDonald Fraser George MacDonald Fraser (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Biography Fraser was born to Scottish parents in Carlisle, England, ...

, '' McAuslan in the Rough,'' Barrie & Jenkins, Ltd., 1974. pp. 16-20.

External links

World war II talk about the Marble Arch

Close-up photo taken in the 1940s
{{Italian Libya Monuments and memorials in Libya Italian Libya Italian fascist architecture Triumphal arches History of Tripolitania Italian Cyrenaica Buildings and structures completed in 1937 Buildings and structures demolished in 1973

History

See also

Notes

References

External links