- published: 01 Dec 2015
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Sirte (also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, pronounced /ˈsɜrt/; Arabic: سرت, pronunciation (help·info); from Ancient Greek: Σύρτις) is a city in Libya. It is on the south coast of the Gulf of Sidra (ancient Syrtis Major, from which Sirte's name derives). Sirte lies halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II. Sirte was briefly the capital of Gaddafi-controlled Libya after the capture of Tripoli during the final days of the Libyan civil war.
As the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi, Sirte was favoured by the Gaddafi government. The city was the final major stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists in the Libyan civil war and Gaddafi was killed there by rebel forces on 20 October 2011. During the battle Sirte was left almost completely in ruins, with many buildings totally destroyed or damaged. Six months after the civil war, more than 60,000 inhabitants, about 70 percent of pre-war population, had returned.
The Libyan civil war (also referred to as the Libyan revolution), was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on Tuesday, 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security forces that fired on the crowd. The protests escalated into a rebellion that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing an interim governing body, the National Transitional Council.
The United Nations Security Council passed an initial resolution on 26 February, freezing the assets of Gaddafi and his inner circle and restricting their travel, and referred the matter to the International Criminal Court for investigation. In early March, Gaddafi's forces rallied, pushed eastwards and re-took several coastal cities before attacking Benghazi. A further U.N. resolution authorised member states to establish and enforce a no-fly zone over Libya, and to use "all necessary measures" to prevent attacks on civilians. The Gaddafi government then announced a ceasefire, but failed to uphold it, though it then accused rebels of violating the ceasefire when they continued to fight as well. Throughout the conflict, rebels rejected government offers of a ceasefire and efforts by the African Union to end the fighting because the plans set forth did not include the removal of Gaddafi.
The maiden sitting by her pool
Was first to hear my pleas
As she looked into the water
She recited these words to me:
Walk not down that road
I can not tell you where it goes
Ask me no more questions
Some things you weren't meant to know
The mother toiling in the fields
Her apron full of seeds
As she dropped them to the earth
She recited these words to me:
Walk not down that road
I can not tell you where it goes
Ask me no more questions
Some things you weren't meant to know
The greater mysteries
Cannot be shown
Divided by three
The are the maiden, the mother, the crone
Finally I found the crone
Walking through the trees
She looked in my eyes
As she recited these words to me:
Go before the maiden
Get down on your knees
Should you win her favor
She may tell you what she sees
The harvest is reaped
Seeds are shown
Multiplied by three