Libya

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Libya

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There are twenty-two districts of Libya, known by the term shabiyah (Arabic singular شعبية šaʿbiyya, plural šaʿbiyyāt). In the 1990s these replaced the older baladiyat system.

Historically the area of Libya was considered three provinces (or states), Tripolitania in the northwest, Cyrenaica in the east, and Fezzan in the southwest. It was the conquest by Italy in the Italo-Turkish War that united them in a single political unit. Under the Italians Libya was eventually divided into four provinces and one territory: Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi, Derna, (in the north) and the Territory of the Libyan Sahara (in the south).^[1] After the French and British occupied Libya in 1943, it was again split into three provinces: Tripolitania in the northwest, Cyrenaica in the east, and Fezzan-Ghadames in the southwest.^[2]

Article 176 of the constitution of Libya stated "The Kingdom of Libya shall be divided into administrative units in conformity with the law to be promulgated in this connection. Local and regional councils may be formed in the Kingdom. The extend of these units shall be determined by law which shall likewise organize these Councils." in exact quote.^{[citation needed]}

After independence (1951), Libya was divided into three governorates (muhafazat), matching the three provinces of before, but in 1963 it was divided into ten governorates. In 1983 a new system was introduced dividing the country into forty-six districts (baladiyat). In 1987 this was reduced to twenty-five districts.

On 2 August 1995, Libya reorganized into thirteen districts (shabiyat). In 1998 this was increased to 26 shabiyat districts. In 2001 it was increased to thirty-two districts plus three administrative regions. Finally in 2007 it was reduced to twenty-two districts.

For historical evolution see also: Subdivisions of Libya.

Libyan districts are further subdivided into Basic People's Congresses which act as townships or boroughs.

[edit] Shabiya

Shabiyah (Arabic: شعبية‎ šaʿbiyyah, plural: شعبيات šaʿbiyyāt) is a neologism exclusive to Libya under Gaddafi, in line with exclusive terms for republic (jamahiriya), ministry (amanah) and embassy (people's-bureau). The term basically means a district, that is, a top level administrative division. Etymologically, it is an adjective meaning "of or pertaining to the people, popular".

[edit] 22 shabiya (2007)

In 2007 the current twenty-two shabiyah replaced the older thirty-two shabiya.^[3][4][5]

The current list is as following:

The current twenty-two shabiyat system in Libya (since 2007)

[edit] 32 shabiya (2001)

The 2001 reorganization of Libya into shabiya districts^[7] resulted in thirty-two districts and three administrative regions (المنطقة الإدارية):

The old thirty-two shabiyat system in Libya (2001-2007)

The three administrative regions are missing from the above map, Qatrun,^[8] Marada,^[9] and Jaghbub^[10]

[edit] 26 shabiya (1998)

In 1998 Libya was reorganized into twenty-six districts which were: Butnan, Jafara, Jufra, Kufra, Marj, Murqub, Quba, Al Wahat, Bani Walid, Benghazi, Derna, Gharyan, Jabal al Akhdar, Murzuq, Misrata, Nalut, Nuqat al Khams, Sabha, Sabrata/Sorman, Sirte, Tarhuna/Msalata, Tripoli, Wadi al Hayaa, Wadi al Shatii, Yafran, and Zawiya^[11]

[edit] 13 shabiya (1995)

On 2 August 1995 Libya dropped the baladiyat system and reorganized into thirteen districts (shabiyat). Among them were Butnan (formerly Tobruk), Jabal al Akhdar, Jabal al Gharbi, Zawiya, Benghazi, and Tripoli. However there is not agreement about the other seven names.^[5]

[edit] Former baladiya

Baladiyah (singular) or baladiyat (plural), are Arabic words used in many Arab countries to denote administrative divisions of the country. In Libya, the baladiyat system of districts was introduced in 1983 to replace the governorate system. Originally there were forty-six baladiyat districts,^[5] but in 1988 that number was reduced to twenty-five baladiyat. The table hereunder lists the old twenty-five baladiyat in alphabetical order with a link to each one and numbered to be located on the map. Note that each district linked may be both a baladiyah and a shabiyah. The many changes may not always be reflected in the article.

1 Ajdabiya 2 ‘Aziziya 3 Butnan 4 Fati 5 Jabal al Akhdar 6 Jufra 7 Khoms 8 Kufra 9 Nuqat al Khams 10 Wadi al Shatii 11 Ubari 12 Zawiya 13 Benghazi

14 Derna 15 Ghadames 16 Gharyan 17 Misrata 18 Murzuq 19 Sabah 20 Sawfajjin 21 Sirte 22 Tripoli 23 Tarhuna 24 Yafran 25 Zlitan

Map showing subdivision of former governates into the 25 baladiya

Evolution[link]

For 1995 data, [4] and [5] are the two different sources mentioned in the bibliography^[5]: "The Europa World Year Book 2001" and "Ershiyi (21) Shiji Shijie Diming Lu", Beijing, 2001.

For 1988, name is provided if different from nowadays. As said above, AR stands for the three "Administrative Region" of 2001.

Fazzan wasn't strictly a district, but a historical muhafazah or wilayah alongside with Tripolitania (capital Tripoli) and Cyrenaica (capital Cyrene -near nowadays Shahhat- with Diocletian, moved to Ptolemais after the earthquake of 365, and to Barce -nowadays Barca- with Omer Bin Khattab in 643).

See also[link]

• Subdivisions of Libya
• ISO 3166-2:LY
• FIPS region codes of Libya
• List of cities in Libya

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Look up شعبية in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Historical population data by district from Universiteitsbibliotheek Utrecht (Library, University of Utrecht), retrieved by WebArchive.
• Administrative Map of Libya – Nations Online Project

v t e Historical regions of Libya Map showing historical regions of Libya Cyrenaica • Fezzan • Tripolitania Subdivisions · Provinces · Governorates · Districts

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Mohamed Mounir محمد منير
Background information
Birth name	Mohamed Mounir Mohamed Aba Zeed Gebriel Metwaly
Also known as	The King (El Malek)
Born	(1954-10-10) 10 October 1954 (age 57) Aswan, Egypt
Genres	Nubian Music, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Reggae
Occupations	Singer, Actor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Sonar, Sound of America, Digitec, FreeMusic, Mirage, Africana, Alam El Phan

Mohamed Mounir (Arabic: محمد منير‎) (born October 10, 1954) is a popular Egyptian singer and actor. He is one of the best-known musicians, both in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, with a musical career spanning more than three decades. He incorporates various genres into his music, including classical Arabic Music, Nubian music, blues, jazz and reggae.^[1][2][3][4] His lyrics are noted both for their philosophical content and for their passionate social and political commentary.^[1][5] He is affectionately known by his fans as “The King” in reference to his album and play "El Malek Howa El Malek" (The King is The King).^[6]

Early life[link]

Born into a Nubian family in Aswan,^[1] Mounir spent most of his early childhood in the village of Manshyat Al Nubia,^[6] where he shared his father's interests in both music and politics.^[1] As a teenager, he and his family were forced to relocate to Cairo when his village was lost in the floods that followed the construction of the Aswan Dam. It was here that he studied photography at the Faculty of Applied Arts at Helwan University.^[1] During this period, he would often sing for friends and family at social gatherings. His singing voice was noticed by the lyricist Abdel-Rehim Mansour, who would go on to introduce Mounir to the renowned folk singer Ahmed Mounib.^[1][6]

Musical career[link]

Following his graduation, he was called up for military service in 1974,^[1] during which he continued his professional musical career by performing in various concerts.^[6] He performed his first such concert in 1975.^[7] Although the public were initially critical of Mounir for performing in casual attire at a time where Arab singers were expected to wear suits, they eventually warmed to his laid back image.^[1]

After completing his military service, Mounir released his 1977 debut solo album "Alemony Eneeki" on the Sonar record label. Mounir went on to release 5 more consecutive official albums and featured on one soundtrack album under the Sonar label.^[6] To date, Mounir has released a total 20 official albums and featured on 6 soundtrack albums under a number of different record labels.^[6]

Mounir’s single “Maddad” from this album caused controversy, as its lyrics could be interpreted as a call for intercession from the prophet Muhammad. Amongst Muslims, there are differing views as to whether the prophet can provide intercession between Allah and his believers. This resulted in the music video being banned from Egyptian television for a time.^[8] Mounir responded by saying "it is this fight against rigid thought that makes something out of you".^[8]

On his 2003 follow up album "Ahmar Shafayef" (Lipstick), he returned to his more familiar style of mainly secular lyrics. In the summer of 2003, following the release of his album Mounir toured Austria, Germany and Switzerland alongside the Austrian pop musician Hubert von Goisern, and later that year the duo performed a concert in Asyut.^[9]

In May 2004, he held a large concert at the pyramids, during which he was physically attacked by a drunken fan.^[10] Despite sustaining minor injuries, he continued his performance until the end of the concert.^[10]

He continued his trend of releasing secular albums infused with social commentary with the release of his 2005 album “Embareh Kan Omry Eshren” (Yesterday I Was Twenty), album "Ta'm El Beyout" (Taste of Homes), released in 2008. Ta'm El Beyout was noted for its creativity but initially did not perform as well as expected in terms of album sales.^[11] In 2012, Mounir released his latest album "Ya Ahl El Arab we Tarab".

In 2008, Mounir postponed his New Year's Eve concert at Cairo Opera House in solidarity with the Palestinians suffering the effects of the Gaza War. ^[12][13] He issued the statement: "delaying the concert is a message sent to the whole world, so that it would move forward and help the people in Gaza."^[13]

He headlined the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival 2010 on the 9th July at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.^[4][14]

Acting career[link]

As well as his singing career, Mounir also has an active acting career. Throughout his career he has appeared in 12 movies, 3 television series and 3 plays.^[6]

His movie career began in 1982, when he acted in and featured on the soundtrack album Youssef Chahine film “'Hadouta Masreia” (An Egyptian Story).

In 1997 he played the role of the bard in the Youssef Chahine French-Egyptian historical drama “Al Maseer” (Destiny), which screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.^[15]

Mounir played the part of the blind poetry professor “Bashir” in the controversial 2005 film "Dunia". The movie is centered around the title character Dunia, a belly dancer and poet played by Egyptian actress Hanan Tork. When the film aired at the 2005 Cairo International Film Festival, it left the audience split between those supporting the film’s calls for intellectual freedom and its anti-female circumcision stance, and those disapproved of either the title character’s desire to physically express herself through dance, or of the filming of scenes in the Cairo’s slums which could be seen to tarnish Egypt's international image.^[16][17]

Discography[link]

Official Albums[link]

• Alemony Eneeki (Your Eyes Taught Me) - 1977
• Bnetweled (We Are Being Born) - 1978
• Shababeek (Windows) - 1981
• Etkalemy (Speak) - 1983
• Bareea (innocent) - 1986
• West El Dayra (In The Middle of The Circle) - 1987
• Shokolata (Chocolate) - 1989
• Ya Eskenderia (Oh, Alexandria) - 1990
• Meshwar (Trip) - 1991
• El Tool We El Loon We El Horya (The Length, Colour, and Freedom) - 1992
• Eftah Albak (Open Your Heart) - 1994
• Momken (Maybe) - 1995
• Men Awel Lamsa (From The First Touch) - 1996
• El Farha (The Joy) - 1999
• Fe Eshq El Banat (On The Love of Girls) - 2000
• Ana Alby Masaken Shabya (My Heart is Public housing) - 2001
• El Ard... El Salam (The Earth... Peace) - 2002
• Ahmar Shafayef (Lipstick) - 2003
• Embareh Kan Omry Eshren (Yesterday I Was Twenty) - 2005
• Ta'm El Beyout (Taste of Homes) - 2008
• Ahl El Arab Wel Tarab - 2012

Soundtrack Albums[link]

• Hadouta Masreia (An Egyptian Tale) - 1982
• El Malek Howa El Malek (The King is The King) - 1988
• Maadarsh (I Can’t) - 1993
• El Maseer (Destiny) - 1997
• Habeebty (My Love) - 1998
• Dunia - Ode To Liberty - 2006

Filmography[link]

Movies[link]

Television[link]

• “Bakkar”
• “Ali Elewa”
• “Gomhoreyat Zefta”

Theatre[link]

• El Malek ; El Malek
• Al Shahateen
• Masa' Al Kheer Ya Masr

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mohamed Mounir’s official website
• Mohamed Mounir at the Internet Movie Database

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010)

Shadmehr Aghili شادمهر عقیلی
Background information
Birth name	Shadmehr Aghili
Born	(1973-01-27) January 27, 1973 (age 39) Tehran,  Iran
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer, Musician, Composer, Music Arranger, Actor, Producer and Song-writer
Instruments	Keyboard, Violin, Guitar, Piano, Electric guitar, Santur, Mandolin[1], Trumpet[2], Harmonica[3], Electronic Keyboard, Drum kit, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar,[4], Banjo, Koto[5] and Percussion instrument[citation needed]
Website	http://www.shadmehraghili.net

Shadmehr Aghili (Persian: شادمهر عقیلی, born on January 27, 1973 in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian pop singer, musician, composer, music arranger, producer and song-writer,^[6][7][8] and formerly an actor. He emigrated to Canada first, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Shadmehr is known as the "King of Persian Pop" and is one of the most popular Persian musicians and singers.^[9]

Career[link]

Seven single tracks entitled "Sabab" (Reason), "Residi" (You Arrived), "Mashkook" (Doubtful), "Boghz" (Choke of tears), "Bia" (Come), "Tane To" (Your Body) and "Ye Kari Kon" (Do Something) were all released under an unofficial title Sabab and were distributed even in Iran through underground black markets. Four of these tracks, namely "Sabab", "Residi", "Mashkook" and "Ye Kari Kon" in addition to three more tracks "Khial" (Image / Vision), "Shila" and "Tars" (Fear) are on his official album release Taghdir (Destiny) released by Century Records. On a cover of his Taghdir album he mentions that he was inspired by a 2005 Greek song (Bora Ise Tha Peraseis by Thanos Petrelis) for his Mashkook song. He is also the first Iranian musician to popularize the mandolin instrument in Persian music industry through his "Mashkook" and "Yekari Kon" songs from the mentioned album. He has recently released a new single track titled "Halam Avaz Misheh" (I Feel Better) after "Azadi" (Freedom) and "Adat" (Habit) singles. Shadmehr Aghili is the second Iranian -after Asadollah Malek- placed among the list of famous violinists.^[10][11]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• "Bahare Man (My Spring) (Instrumental)" (1997)
• "Mosafer (The Traveler)" (1998)
• "fasle ashenai" (1998)
• "Dehati (The Villager / Countryman)" (1999)
• "mashghe sokot" (1999)
• "Naghmehaye Sharghi (Eastern Melodies / Tunes)" (1999)
• "fariba (fariba)" (2000)
• "Pare Parvaz (Wings to Fly) (Soundtracks of a movie of the same name)" (2001)
• "adam o hava (adam and hava)" (2001)
• "Khiali Nist (Never Mind) (After Migrating to Canada)" (2002)
• "Doori va Pashimani" (2003)
• "Adam Foroush (The Traitor)" (2004)
• "Popcorn" (2005)
• "Taghdir (Destiny)" (2009)

Singles[link]

• Tu Binahayate Shab (Through the Infinity of Night)
• Ghafas (Cage)
• Atr o Shabnam (Scent and Dew)
• Shabe Berahne (The Naked Night)
• Dadashi (Dear Brother)
• Khaneh Kharab (Cross-tie Walker / Tramp / Wanderer)
• Ghame Tanhayi (Sorrow of Loneliness)
• To Ro Injoori Mikham (I Want You This Way)
• Lahzaye Asheghane (Romantic Moment)
• Delshekasteh (Heartbroken)
• Bazicheh (Toy (Plaything))
• Hasrat (Regret)
• Shaame Ghariban (Traditional song in Iran)
• Zemestoon (Winter)
• Khanoom Khanooma (Respected Lady)
• Adat (Habit) (2009)
• Azadi (Freedom) (Liberty) (2010)
• Khial (Image / Vision New Version)
• Halam Avaz Misheh (I Feel Better) (2011)
• Ayandeh (Future)

Halam Avaz Misheh has been unofficially remixed multiple times by his fans. Ayandeh (Future) was released on April 28, 2012 and received huge negative critics by his fans. It is announced that Shadmehr will be releasing a new music video named Entekhab (Choice) soon.

Shadmehr Aghili and The Green Movement[link]

Shadmehr also recorded a short track in 2010 with him talking and a background music playing encouraging Iranian people to riot against their government and use the music as a tool to get to freedom and liberty during the green movement after the 1388 Presidential Election in Iran.

Translation of the track[link]

Hello. This is Shadmehr Aghili, who grew up with the revolution, war and all kinds of violences. Music was a remedy for me. Me, and everyone around me. [Deep breath] Music is a tool in all of people's protests for showing disagreement. Promising tool for days of peace in the future. Now, when is the best time to extend freedom, liberty and democracy formed by the good people of Iran in the streets of Iran, and for the huge crowd of people showing up on the streets, to praise the courage and feeling, music should be used as a weapon against violence. Concerts will be held for green and growing of Iran. Concerts will be held for green and growing of Iran. Not only in this concert, but in the next concerts this will be our motto: I am green and growing, I have a root. So that everyone knows even one day won't be stopped of this green presence.'

As an actor[link]

Shadmehr Aghili tested himself as an actor by portraying in two Iranian-language films: Pare Parvaaz (Wings to Fly) [2000] directed by Khosrow Masoomi costarring with Ziba Boroofe, Marjan Shirmohammadi, Davood Naghoor, Shahlaa Naazerian and in Shabe Berahne (The Naked Night) [2001] directed by Sayid Soheili and featuring Ali Ghorbanzadeh and Akram Mahmoodi.

Filmography[link]

• 2000: Pare Parvaaz (Wings to Fly)
• 2001: Shabe Berahne (The Naked Night)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website