GHARYAN

also spelled Garyan, or Garian town, in the Tripolitania region of northwestern Libya. It lies at the foot of the plateau Jabal Nafusah, 50 miles (80 km) south of Tripoli, and was a major centre of Italian colonization in the early 1910s. After the Turko-Italian war (191112) and the defeat of Turkey, the Gebel, Berber, and Fezzanese peoples in Libya continued to fight but could not stem the Italian advance. Gharyan fell to the Italians in December 1912 but was recaptured in a counterattack by local peoples in July 1913. Olive-oil processing, flour milling, carpet weaving, and pottery making are the main occupations. It is linked by road with Tripoli and Mizdah. Pop. (1972 est.) 2,181.