Taworgha
Encyclopedia
Taworgha, also transliterated Tawarga, Tauorga, Tawergha or Tawurgha, is, as of October 2011, a ghost town
in Libya
that is under administrative jurisdiction of the city of Misrata, which is 38 kilometers away. It was the site of intense fighting during the 2011 Libyan civil war
before its capture
by anti-Gaddafi forces
in August 2011.
As of October 2011, the town has been largely cleared of its prewar population.
Tawergha means "the green island" in the Berber language.
The city is well known for its husbandry of cattle
and chicken
s as well the consumer products produced from these animals.
, Taworgha gained a lot of attention due to its position and the connection that it had to the sand route that connected the city of Sirte
along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
to Egypt
. Control of Taworgha helped the Roman
s coordinate control of Libya.
, Taworgha was a centre of military operations against Misrata, which rose up against Gaddafi in February 2011. However, on 12 August, anti-Gaddafi forces
claimed to have captured Taworgha.
British
journalist Andrew Gilligan
visited Taworgha in September 2011 and found it virtually emptied of its inhabitants, who numbered close to 10,000 before the war. He reported that the Misrata Brigade, a semi-autonomous unit of the anti-Gaddafi National Liberation Army, had engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing
in response to the town's support of Gaddafi during the siege on their city. Many slogans he saw painted in and around Taworgha, as well as the accounts of anti-Gaddafi fighters and commanders whom he quoted, made reference to the dark pigmentation
of many Taworgha denizens, with one sign referring to the Misrata Brigade as "the brigade for purging slaves [and] black skin". His report, published by The Sunday Telegraph on 11 September, quoted a brigade commander as saying, "Taworgha no longer exists," and another as asserting that the town's former residents will only return "over our dead bodies".
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in 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....
that is under administrative jurisdiction of the city of Misrata, which is 38 kilometers away. It was the site of intense fighting during the 2011 Libyan civil war
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
before its capture
Battle of Taworgha
The Battle of Taworgha was a military engagement of the 2011 Libyan civil war that began on 11 August 2011 when anti-Gaddafi forces based out of Misrata advanced along the southeast road toward Sirte in the early morning and attacked Libyan Army positions in the city of Taworgha...
by anti-Gaddafi forces
Anti-Gaddafi forces
The anti-Gaddafi forces were Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi, killing him in the process. These opposition forces included organised and armed militia groups, participants in the 2011 Libyan civil war, Libyan diplomats who switched their...
in August 2011.
As of October 2011, the town has been largely cleared of its prewar population.
Tawergha means "the green island" in the Berber language.
Economy
This city was famous for its palm trees which at one point were considered the true wealth in the city. The city also produces significant amount of date fruits, including the Bersiel date, which is used as a component in ropes and other commodities.The city is well known for its husbandry of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
s as well the consumer products produced from these animals.
Roman Period
During the Roman timesRoman Libya
The area of North Africa which has been known as Libya since 1911 was under Roman domination between 146 BC and 670 AD.The Latin name Libya at the time referred to the continent of Africa in general....
, Taworgha gained a lot of attention due to its position and the connection that it had to the sand route that connected the city of Sirte
Sirte
Sirte is a city in LibyaSirte may also refer to:* Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union* Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil companyIn geography:* Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast...
along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Control of Taworgha helped the Roman
Western Roman Empire
The Western Roman Empire was the western half of the Roman Empire after its division by Diocletian in 285; the other half of the Roman Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly referred to today as the Byzantine Empire....
s coordinate control of Libya.
2011 civil war
During the 2011 Libyan civil war2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
, Taworgha was a centre of military operations against Misrata, which rose up against Gaddafi in February 2011. However, on 12 August, anti-Gaddafi forces
Anti-Gaddafi forces
The anti-Gaddafi forces were Libyan groups that opposed and militarily defeated the government of Muammar Gaddafi, killing him in the process. These opposition forces included organised and armed militia groups, participants in the 2011 Libyan civil war, Libyan diplomats who switched their...
claimed to have captured Taworgha.
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
journalist Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Paul Gilligan is a British journalist best known for a 2003 report on BBC Radio 4's The Today Programme in which he said a British government briefing paper on Iraq and weapons of mass destruction had been 'sexed up', a claim that ultimately led to a public inquiry that criticised Gilligan...
visited Taworgha in September 2011 and found it virtually emptied of its inhabitants, who numbered close to 10,000 before the war. He reported that the Misrata Brigade, a semi-autonomous unit of the anti-Gaddafi National Liberation Army, had engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
in response to the town's support of Gaddafi during the siege on their city. Many slogans he saw painted in and around Taworgha, as well as the accounts of anti-Gaddafi fighters and commanders whom he quoted, made reference to the dark pigmentation
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
of many Taworgha denizens, with one sign referring to the Misrata Brigade as "the brigade for purging slaves [and] black skin". His report, published by The Sunday Telegraph on 11 September, quoted a brigade commander as saying, "Taworgha no longer exists," and another as asserting that the town's former residents will only return "over our dead bodies".