Musaid or Imsaad (Arabic: امساعد) is a town in Butnan District in eastern Libya. Alternates names include: Oistant, Msa'ed, Imsa'ed, and Musa'ed. Musaid lies approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Tobruk and is the major border crossing between Libya and Egypt.
Musaid
امساعد Imsasd, Msaad | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Musaid Location in Libya | |
| Coordinates: 31°34′33″N 25°2′23″E / 31.57583°N 25.03972°E | |
| Country |  Libya |
| Region | Cyrenaica |
| District | Butnan |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 7,139 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
History
editMusaid was the site of heavy fighting during the brief Libyan–Egyptian War of 1977. This war, the break-off of Libyan-Egyptian diplomatic relations, and the resultant trade embargo with Egypt, had a very negative impact on Musaid. For example, Musaid's population shrank from 4,330 in 1973 to 3,200 in 1984 (-26.1%),[2] while overall Libya's population rose in the same period by 60.30%.[3]
Culture
editNearby is the Sidi Shahir Ruhih shrine.[4]
Economy
editMusaid's economy depended heavily on trade between Egypt and Libya. After the 1977 war and the follow-on trade embargo with Egypt, this was replaced in part by smuggling, aided by the close tribal ties across the border.[5] In 2008, the Libyan government acted to suppress the smugglers.[5]
Border crossing
editAs of autumn 2010, a large suite of new border facilities is under construction.[citation needed]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Amraja M. el Khajkhaj, "Noumou al Mudon as Sagheera fi Libia", Dar as Saqia, Benghazi-2008, p.120
- ^ El Hadi Mustapha Bulegma, & Saad Khalil Kezeiri (ed.), "Al Jamahiriya: Dirasa fil Jughrafia", Ad Dar al Jamahiriya lil nashr wa tawzee wa e'lan, Surt, Libya, 1995, pp. 414, 418
- ^ Subhi Gannus (ed.), "Libia ath Thawra fi Thalatheena Aaman", Ad Dar al Jamahiriya lil nashr wa tawzee wa e'lan, Misrata, Libya, p.67
- ^ "Sīdī Shāhir Rūḩih, in Ţubruq, Libya" Travelingluck.com, accessed 9 May 2009
- ^ a b "عاجل : وجود تمركز مكثف لقوات الأمن العام ( الدعم المركزي ) بمنطقة ..." ("public security forces concentrated in distant border region") Archived 2009-10-28 at the Wayback Machine 14 November 2008, Panorama Libya, in Arabic
External links
edit- "Musa`id, Libya", Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
- Satellite map at Maplandia.com