Zliten

Zliten ( _ar. زليتن) is a small town in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. It is located on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea west of the Gulf of Sidra and has an estimated population of about 200,000 individuals.

Location

Zliten is situated roughly 150 km East of the capital, Tripoli, and about 30 km to the East of the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna. It is about 60 km West of the city of Misurata and 34 km East of Al-Khums. It is a small town that is spread over an area of about 8 km². The Zliten region as a whole covers an area of about 3000 km².

Name

The etymology of the city's name in Arabic is a very controversial subject. Some experts contend that it originated from an old "Tamazight" (Berber) designation, while others claim it is actually an Arabic lexeme that was originally composed of two different words which were later compounded into one word.

Education

Zliten is home to one of Libya's most renowned Islamic universities, "Al-Jamiaa Al-Asmariya" (Arabic: جامع الاسم i.e. Al-Asmariya Islamic University). Faculties include the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Dentistry and Mouth Surgery, and the Faculty of Teachers. They are all under the supervision of Al-Merqib University. There is also a higher vocational training center covering various engineering fields.

A former student from Zliten's "madrassah" named Ali Attia Mohamed Bujafool Zwai (b. ca. 1980) was killed in Iraq in 2006 during Ramadan. [Libya al-Youm, October 7, 2006] Ali left his home in Benghazi to attend courses in Quranic studies in Zliten. At some point, Ali telephoned his family to say that he had made it to Baghdad and had joined the resistance. A few days later, his family received news of his death. [A. Pargeter (2006)]

Economy

Zliten has several modern banking institutions, a major shopping center and the Zliten Hotel, the city's top accommodation for tourists. In 2001, the Libyan Government proposed a number of state company projects for which joint ventures would be considered. These included an expansion of Arab Cement Company’s (ACC) cement plant in Zliten valued at $169 million. [P. Mobbs 2001 p. 19.1] In February 2005, the initial public offering of shares in the formerly state-owned ACC resulted in the sale of 60% of the company. ACC proposed to build a second 1-Mt/yr-capacity cement production line at its Zliten plant. [P. Mobbs 2005 p.25.1] Arab Union Contracting Co. (AUCC) commissioned a 1.2-Mt/yr-capacity cement clinker plant near Zliten in December 2004; commercial production began in September 2005. AUCC began a feasibility study for the construction of a second clinker production line at its production facility. ["Tripoli focuses on lack of cement supply": (2005) "Middle East Economic Digest", v. 49, no. 26, p. 25] In 2004, construction began on extending a seawater desalination plant in Zliten with a total capacity of 10,000 m3/d using the multi-stage flash distillation process. [M. Ashour (2004) p.216]

History and culture

There are many ancient Roman sites in Zliten, such as the Villa of Omira ('Darbuk Omira' ), and the Castle in Al-Jumaa. The town also contains the Mausoleum and Mosque of Sidi Abd As-Salam Al-Asmar, a revered Islamic saint who lived and died in Zliten during the 15th century. There is some find Arabic calligraphy in sandstone on top of the outer pillars of the building saying "al-mulk-'illah" ("Everything to Allah"). [A. Ham p.148] The town is famous for its olives, palm trees and citrus fruits along beautiful coastal shores. The Slat Abn Shaif Synagogue ( _he. בית הכנסת צלאת בן שאיף‎) in Zliten is a historic synagogue and Lag Ba'omer pilgrimage site for Libyan Jews. It is over 900 years old.

Tarbuni

Zliten has a proliferation of date palms that yield what is considered by many to be the best "tarbuni" (date juice) in Libya. "Tarbuni" is often served with "As-Sida", made from flour, boiled with salt, and eaten with olive and date juice. As-Sida is usually reserved to commemorate the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ("Mawlid al-Nabi", celebrated on the twelfth day of "Rabi al-Awwal"). [J. Esposito p.198] As-Sida is also the celebratory dish of choice for Tripolitanian families when a child is born. [A. Ham p.147]

Notes

References

*J.M. Cowan (1994), "The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic"
*John Esposito (2003), "The Oxford Dictionary of Islam"
*Anthony Ham (2002), "Lonely Planet: Libya". Lonely Planet Publications
*Philip M. Mobbs (2001), [http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2001/lymyb01.pdf "The Mineral Industry of Libya"]
*Philip M. Mobbs (2005), [http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2005/lymyb05.pdf "Minerals Yearbook: Libya"] , USGS
*Mukhtar M. Ashour (2004), [http://www.desline.com/articoli/5640.pdf "Economics of seawater desalination in Libya"] Tajora Research Center
*Alison Pargeter (2006) [http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2370224 "Libyan Fighters Join the Iraqi Jihad"] , "Terrorism Monitor" V. 4, Issue 23

External links

* [http://www.sandruins-tours.com/english/lalibyeeng.html#Zliten Zliten “Cities of the Saints”]
* [http://www.dhamanhotels.com.ly/hotels/zliten/arabic/index.htm Zliten Hotel]