Awjila
Encyclopedia
Awjilah language
Awjila is a Berber language spoken in Cyrenaica, Libya, in the Awjila oasis. UNESCO considers Awjilah to be seriously endangered as the youngest speakers have reached or passed middle age.-References:* *...
: Awilan) is a Berber-speaking oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
town in the Al Wahat District in the Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica is the eastern coastal region of Libya.Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity, it was part of the Creta et Cyrenaica province during the Roman period, later divided in Libia Pentapolis and Libia Sicca...
region of northeastern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. It is the place after which the Awgila-Berber language, an Eastern Berber language, is named. The people cultivate small gardens using water from deep wells.
History
In antiquity, Awjila was nominally within the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, evidenced by emperor Justinian
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
's decree that forbade the worship of Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...
.
Awjila is a historic oasis deep in the Libyan desert about 260 kilometres south of Ajdabiya
Ajdabiya
Ajdabiya was one of the districts of Libya. It lay in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital was Ajdabiya. As of 2007 it was subsumed within the enlarged Al Wahat District....
. From Awjila the road leads to Jalu
Jalu
Jalu, Jaloo, or Gialo is a town in the Al Wahat District in northeastern Libya in the Jalo oasis. From 2001 to 2007 it was part of Ajdabiya District. Formerly it was the administrative seat of Jalu District ....
and Kufra.
Awjila was the capital of the large surrounding region because of its unique location of being at the crossroads of caravans moving along the east-west North Africa route and the north-south coast to Africa route.
It has the oldest masjed (mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
) in the Sahara
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
with its unique style of architecture with rooms that are naturally air conditioned. In the scorching heat of the summer days the rooms are cool and at night they are warm. The building materials are made from the soil and the palm tree branches which make up an excellent heat insulator.
People
Awjila is a unique ethnic community as the people are of Berber (Amazigh) origins. They have their own distinct Berber language and Islam is the only religion.The main activities of the people in Awjila are agriculture and working for the oil sector companies as this area is the cradle of Libyan wealth.
The main crops are dates from the many varieties of palm trees, tomatoes, and cereals.
Recently Awjila acquired an extra importance as it was the most convenient site for viewing the solar eclipse
Solar eclipse
As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially blocks the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can happen only during a new moon, when the Sun and the Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least...
on 29 March 2006.