Cyrenaica

Area of eastern Libya, colonized by the Greeks in the 7th century BC; later held by the Egyptians, Romans, Arabs, Turks, and Italians. Present cities in the region are Benghazi, Darnah, and Tobruk. There are archaeological ruins at Cyrene and Apollonia.

The Greek colonies passed under the rule of the Ptolemies 322 BC, and in 74 BC Cyrenaica became a Roman province. It was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century AD, by Turkey in the 16th century, and by Italy 1912, when it was developed as a colony. Captured by the British 1942, it remained under British control until it became a province of the new kingdom of Libya from 1951. In 1963 the are was split into a number of smaller divisions under a constitutional reorganization.