KUFRAH, AL-

also spelled Cufra, oasis group (about 30 miles long and 12 miles wide), southeastern Libya, in an elliptical trough near the centre of the Libyan Desert. Astride ancient caravan routes, the oasis was a thieves' stronghold until 1895, when it became the headquarters of the Sanusi, a militant Muslim religious fraternity. The Italians began an aerial offensive against the oasis, the last haven of the Sanusi, in 1930 and occupied it from 1931. The main towns are Al-Jawf, At-Tulaylib, and At-Tallab; At-Taj, on a sandstone plateau, has a Sanusi religious school. There are extensive date groves, and an underground reservoir provides irrigation. Livestock raising is important. Pop. (1973 prelim.) 12,606.