Tazirbu

Tazerbu (also rendered Tazirbu or Tuzerbou; Arabic: تازربو) is an oasis located in the Libyan Desert within the Kufra District of Libya, approximately 250 km northwest of the town of Kufra. The name ''Tazerbu'' originates from the Toubou (Goran) language and consists of three syllables: Ta (also rendered as ''To'', ''Te'', ''Ti'', ''Tu'', or ''Tou'', depending on individual accents and the context of the word) meaning "land" and In this context, Ta and Tu are the most commonly used forms while the word zer (or ''zir'') meaning "green"; and bu (also ''bo'' or ''bou''), which literally means "big". However, in this context, ''bu'' does not refer simply to physical size but rather expresses importance, respect, reverence, influence and greatness. Thus, the name translates to "Grand Green Land" reflecting its cultural and historical significance rather than the place's physical size.

Historically, the southern region of Cyrenaica constituted a kingdom traditionally known as ''Tazer'' (corresponding to the present-day Kufra region), a name meaning “Green-Land” in the Toubou language. ''Tazerbou'' served as the kingdom's capital and served as the political and administrative center of the Toubou Sultanate prior to the Arab conquest.

In addition to this historical legacy, the royal family of the Kingdom of Darfur — from the Tunjour tribe (also known as Gaeda) from Toubou — represented the Kanem-Bornu Empire during the reign of Mai Idris Alouma (c.1564 to the early 17th century). Both the Kingdom of Darfur and the Kingdom of Tazerbou maintained strong ties to the Kanem-Bornu Empire.

Arab incursions into Tazer (the Kufra region) began around the 1730s and intensified throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The decline of Tazerbou coincided with the weakening of the Kanem-Bornu Empire, driven by internal instability.

The Kufra region, long valued for its abundant resources, became a target of repeated invasions by Arab tribes. In 1818, during the reign of Yusuf Karamanli Pasha (1766–1838) of Tripoli under the Ottoman Empire, the Arabs received military support of firearms and troops which led to the fall of Kufra region that same year.Wahli, S. H. (2022, October 7). ''الواحات التباوية السوداء.. جنوب برقة الليبية- إقليم توزر'' he Black Toubou Oases: Southern Barqa of Libya – The Tozeur Region ''Studies and Research in History, Heritage, and Languages''. https://m.ahewar.org/s.asp?aid=770715&r=0&cid=0&u=&i=10076&q=

The oasis is 25–30 km long and 10 km wide. In the middle of the oasis and parallel to it runs a shallow valley with salt ponds and salines. In Tazerbu there are about ten villages: the most important is called ''El-Jezeera''.Bertarelli (1929), p. 515. In the oasis grow groups of palms, tamarisks, acacias, esparto and Juncus. Several kilometers to the north of this village lie the ruins of an old castle, named ''Gasr Giránghedi'', which was the seat of the Sultan of Toubou.
The first European to visit the oasis was the German geographer and explorer Gerhard Rohlfs in August 1879.

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Notes

Oases of Libya
Populated places in Kufra District
Cyrenaica
Baladiyat of Libya

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