| Sabha سبها |
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Sabha
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Libya |
| Region | Fezzan |
| District | Sabha |
| Elevation[1] | 1,378 ft (420 m) |
| Population (2011)[2] | |
| • Total | 96,872 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
Sabha or Sebha /ˈsɛb.hɑː/ (Arabic: سبها Sabhā) is a city in southwestern Libya with a population of about 130,000. It was historically the capital of the Fezzan region and is now capital of the Sabha District.[3]
Sabha is about 640 kilometres (400 mi) south of Tripoli.[4]
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With a relatively large population, and growing fast, Sabha's importance is due to its being the air and road transport hub of the Fezzan, a military base, and the centre of a remarkable agricultural industry in the desert.
Sabha is famous for the Fort Elena castle,[5] which is the castle featured on the reverse of the ten dinars banknote of Libya. Fort Elena was previously known as Fortezza Margherita, built during the Italian colonial period. Currently the Italian-built fort is a military institution.
Sabha is known as the place where Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi announced "the dawn of the era of the masses".[6]
| Climate data for Sabha | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
22 (72) |
26 (79) |
32 (89) |
36 (97) |
40 (104) |
39 (102) |
38 (100) |
36 (97) |
33 (91) |
27 (80) |
17 (62) |
30.2 (86.4) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 5 (41) |
8 (46) |
11 (51) |
16 (60) |
19 (67) |
23 (74) |
23 (74) |
23 (74) |
21 (70) |
18 (64) |
13 (55) |
7 (45) |
15.6 (60.1) |
| Precipitation cm (inches) | 0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
1 (0.2) |
| Source: Weatherbase [7] | |||||||||||||
In a 2004 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Sabha base was linked with Libya's nuclear weapons programme.[8]
Sabha Oasis, near Sabha, was the test site of the OTRAG rockets, after launching was no longer possible in Shaba North in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). On 1 March 1981 an OTRAG rocket with a maximum height of 50 km (31 mi) was launched.
Sabha Air Base, south of the city, is a Libyan Air Force installation that is home to multiple MiG-25 aircraft.[9]
An 800 km (500 mi) long railway has been proposed from Sabha to the port of Misrata for iron ore transport.[10] This railway could continue to Niger and beyond.
With the August 2011 Battle of Tripoli going in favor of the anti-Gaddafi rebels, the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar reported Gaddafi's escape from Tripoli to Sabha as of 18 or 19 August. He is believed to have taken up to $5 billion (US) with him. This report has not been confirmed.[11] Anti-Gaddafi forces seized much of Sabha just over a month later, as part of the Fezzan campaign.[12]
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