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BENGAZI (anc. Hesperides-Berenice)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 736 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BENGAZI (anc. See also:Hesperides-See also:Berenice) , a seaport on the See also:north See also:coast of See also:Africa, See also:capital of the sanjak of Bengazi or See also:Barca, formerly in the vilayet of See also:Tripoli, but, since 1875, dependent directly on the See also:ministry of the interior at See also:Constantinople. It is situated on a narrow See also:strip of See also:land between the Gulf of Sidra and a See also:salt See also:marsh, in 3o° 7' N. See also:lat. and 2o° 3' E. See also:long. Though for the most See also:part poorly built, it has one or two buildings of some pretension—an See also:ancient See also:castle, a See also:mosque, a Franciscan monastery, See also:government buildings and See also:barracks. See also:Senussi See also:influence is strong and there is a large zawia (See also:convent). The See also:harbour is See also:half silted up with See also:sand and the ruins of fortifications, and is accessible only to vessels of See also:light See also:draught. A lighthouse has been erected at the entrance, but reefs render approach difficult, and the See also:outer anchorage is fully exposed to See also:west and north and not See also:good holding. The export See also:trade is largely in See also:barley, shipped to See also:British and other maltsters. The See also:Sudan produce (See also:ivory, See also:ostrich feathers, &c.) formerly brought to Bengazi by See also:caravan, has now been almost wholly diverted to Tripoli, the eastern tracks from See also:Wadai and See also:Borku by way of Kufra to Aujila having become so unsafe that their natural difficulties are no longer See also:worth braving. Consular vigilance has also killed the once considerable slave trade. Trade in other commodities, however, is on the increase, exports now amounting to nearly half a million See also:sterling and imports to half that figure. The neighbouring coast is frequented by See also:Greek and See also:Italian sponge-fishers, the See also:industry being a valuable one.

The See also:

province of Bengazi, being still without telegraphs or roads, is one of the most backward in the See also:Ottoman See also:empire. Founded by the Greeks of See also:Cyrenaica under the name Hesperides, the See also:town received from See also:Ptolemy III. the name of Berenice in compliment to his wife. The ruins of the ancient town, which superseded See also:Cyrene and Barca as See also:chief See also:place in the province after the 3rd See also:century A.D., are now nearly buried in the sand. The See also:modern town lies See also:south-west of the See also:original site. Certain large natural pits which are found in the See also:plain behind, and have luxuriant gardens at the bottom, are supposed to have originated the myth of the Gardens of the Hesperides. Ancient tombs are found, which in 1882 yielded See also:fine Greek vases to G. See also:Dennis, then British See also:vice-See also:consul. The See also:present name is derived from that of a Moslem See also:saint whose See also:tomb, near the See also:sea-ccast, is an See also:object of veneration. The See also:population, amounting to about 25,000, is greatly mixed. Levantines, Maltese, Greeks and See also:Jews See also:form the trading community, but since 1895, when a See also:branch of the Agenzia Italiana Commerciale was established at Bengazi, Italians have exercised an increasing influence on Cyrenaic See also:commerce. See also:Turks, See also:Arabs and See also:Berbers are the ruling castes, and negroes See also:act as labourers and domestics. Many of these found their way to See also:Crete, and becoming porters, &c. in See also:Canea and See also:Candia, were notorious for turbulence and fanaticism.

In 1897 and 1898 the See also:

European admirals forcibly deported consignments of the worst characters back to Bengazi. In 1858 and again in 1874 the town was devastated by See also:plague (see also TRIPOLI and CYRENAICA). (D. G.

End of Article: BENGAZI (anc. Hesperides-Berenice)

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BENGEL, JOHANN ALBRECHT (1687-1752)

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