Libyan identity and national unity within the framework of history and geography

Abstract

The paper includes ideas I published in a number of articles in English in the early months of 2011. These ideas are inspired by the blessed February Revolution, in which the valiant Libyan people reclaimed their authentic identity that had been treacherously stolen from them for a long period of time, and demonstrated their inherent resilience that astonished the world.
I gathered and encouraged his people to return to history books to learn more about this small nation, small in number but great in its deeds. I will first speak about identity and national unity, then move on to give an overview of Libya's geography and urban system, which established national identity and solidified the unity of Libyan territory. I will conclude with a brief look at the desert.
Which in turn forms a fundamental pillar of Libya's identity. My argument here is based on the idea that Libya is a nation of cities, not a nation of tribes, and that the urban system—which is necessarily a spatial, socio-economic system—has been deeply ingrained in Libyan territory from one end to the other since ancient times, and that Libya's identity and unity are derived from its history.
Its geography, of course, drives this system and is driven by it. I will leave the greatest driving force, the identity of Libya and its unity, which is the language of the Holy Quran, to the specialists among the distinguished professors in this honorable gathering.