Marj

El Merdj ( mɑrdʒ; Arab المرج, DMG al - Marǧ ), also el Merj or margin, formerly Barce or Barca is a city in northeastern Libya and the administrative seat of the district of el Merdj. It lies in a Hochlandtal, which is separated from the Mediterranean by a series of hills, part of the Gebel el- Akhdar.

El Merdj has a roughly estimated total population of 85 315 (2004 ). There are a number of banks in the main street, while the post office in the center of the city, not far from the Abu- Bakr Mosque Assiddiq.

History

El Merdj was the site of the Greek colony Barce from the 7th century BC. It has taken 512 BC by the Persians and the Great BC annexed after the death of Alexander 323 of the Ptolemies. 641 AD, the city was captured by the invading Arabs from the east by force.

In the 1800s, the city grew to a Turkish fort, which was built in 1842 and now restored. The Italians built the city (1913-1941) economically for administrative and commercial center as well as from Hill resort.

Marj was also the capital of Cyrenaica from 1942 to 1943 at the time of the United Kingdom of Libya.

Most of the city was on February 21, 1963 destroyed by an earthquake of 5.6 on the Richter scale, which killed about 300 people and wounded 500 more.