Tubruq

(Tobruk), a city in Libya on the coastal highway. Population, approximately 55,000 (1974). Tubruq is a port on the Mediterranean Sea. Spices and hand-crafted articles are produced in the city. In 1976 construction of an oil refinery began near Tubruq in its satellite city, the oil port of Marsa al-Hariqa (freight turnover, 6.4 million tons in 1974).

During the North African Campaigns of 1941–43, Tubruq was an important strong point in Cyrenaica. On Jan. 22,1941, after a nine-day siege, it was occupied by an Australian division; 30,000 prisoners, 236 guns, and 37 tanks were seized. From Apr. 11 to Dec. 10, 1941, Tubruq was defended by the Australian division (later replaced by a British division) and a Polish brigade; this support enabled the city to withstand an eight-month siege by Italian and German troops. On June 21,1942, the city was seized by fascist German troops. After General E. Rommel’s German Africa Corps was defeated at El Alamein on Nov. 13,1942, Tubruq was liberated by British troops. From 1951 to 1969 it was the residence of King Idris I.