| Zuwara زوارة |
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| — City — | |
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Zuwara
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Libya |
| Region | Tripolitania |
| District | Nuqat al Khams |
| Elevation[1] | 0 ft (0 m) |
| Population (2004)[2] | |
| • Total | 180,310 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
Zuwara /zʊˈwɑrə/ (Arabic: زوارة, Berber: Tamurt n Wat Willul) [3] is a port city in northwestern Libya, with a population of around 180,000. It is situated 102 kilometres (63 mi) west of Tripoli and 60 kilometres (37 mi) from the Tunisian border. It is the capital of the Nuqat al Khams district. Its population mainly belongs to the Ibadi branch of Islam, and speaks Zuwara Berber, a Zenati Berber language.
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The Berber tribe of Zwara was cited by al-Bakri in the 11th century, together with Louata, Lemaya, Nefusa, Mezata and Zouagha, as a tribe dwelling in the surroundings of the Gulf of Gabès.
The settlement was first mentioned by the traveller al-Tidjani in the years 1306-1309 as Zwara al-saghirah ("Little Zwarah").[4] In a Catalan sailing manual (1375) it was called as Punta dar Zoyara, it later served as the western outpost of Italian Libya (1912–43), being the terminus of the now-defunct Italian Libya Railway from Tripoli 105 kilometres (65 mi) to the east. Its artificial harbour shelters a motorized fishing fleet. Cereals, dates, and esparto grass (used to make cordage, shoes, and paper) are local products.
The town is mentioned by Leo Africanus. It was here in Zuwara that Muammar Gaddafi first proclaimed the Libyan "Cultural Revolution" in 1973.
In the 2011 Libyan civil war battles, the city was reported to be under control of the local anti-Gaddafi forces on 23 February 2011, and lost by the government of Muammar Gaddafi.[5] Thousands of anti-government protesters, gathered in the Zuwara town square on 24 February, repulsed another government militia attempt to retake the city. However, from March onwards, the city was under the control of Loyalist forces. [6] Amidst the August rebel coastal offensive, rebels took Zuwara on 18 August.[7]
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