or Cirenaica
Northeastern region of present-day Libya .
It was colonized by the Greeks ( 0441; 631 BC), who established five cities there. It became a Roman province in 67 BC. Arab armies conquered it in AD 642, as did the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. Italy colonized it in the early 20th century, but Italian forces were expelled during World War II (193945). In 1963 it was incorporated into Libya.