MARJ, AL-

(ArabicThe Meadows) formerly Barce, or Barca town, northeastern Libya, on Al-Marj plain at the western edge of the Akhdar Mountains, near the Mediterranean coast. Site of the 6th-century-BC Greek colony of Barce, it was taken by the Arabs in about AD 642. The present town grew around a Turkish fort built in 1842 and now restored. The Italians developed the town (191341) as an administrative and market centre and hill resort; it was the site of a Bedouin concentration camp (1930). Destroyed by earthquake in 1963, it was rebuilt on firm ground 3 miles (5 km) distant. The new town is divided into districts, each with housing, shops, a dispensary, a cinema, and public gardens. There are also a large general hospital and a maternity and child health centre. Al-Marj is the commercial centre for the surrounding plain, which has 16 inches (400 mm) of rain per year and produces cereals (barley and wheat), fruits, and vegetables. It is connected by a road with Banghazi, Tukrah, and Zawiyat al-Bayda'. The Marzotti Livestock Centre promotes the improvement of local herds. Pop. (latest est.) 15,063.