Musaid

Town in Cyrenaica, Libya From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Musaid or Imsaad (Arabic: امساعد) is a town in Butnan District in eastern Libya. Alternates names include: Oistant, Msa'ed, Imsa'ed, and Musa'ed. Musaid lies approximately 150 kilometres (93 miles) east of Tobruk and is the major border crossing between Libya and Egypt.

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Musaid
امساعد
Imsasd, Msaad
Town
Thumb
Musaid
Location in Libya
Coordinates: 31°34′33″N 25°2′23″E
Country Libya
RegionCyrenaica
DistrictButnan
Population
 (2006)[1]
  Total
7,139
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
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History

Musaid was the site of heavy fighting during the brief Libyan–Egyptian War of 1977. This war, the break-off of Libyan-Egyptian diplomatic relations, and the resultant trade embargo with Egypt, had a very negative impact on Musaid. For example, Musaid's population shrank from 4,330 in 1973 to 3,200 in 1984 (-26.1%),[2] while overall Libya's population rose in the same period by 60.30%.[3]

Culture

Nearby is the Sidi Shahir Ruhih shrine.[4]

Economy

Musaid's economy depended heavily on trade between Egypt and Libya. After the 1977 war and the follow-on trade embargo with Egypt, this was replaced in part by smuggling, aided by the close tribal ties across the border.[5] In 2008, the Libyan government acted to suppress the smugglers.[5]

Border crossing

As of autumn 2010, a large suite of new border facilities is under construction.[citation needed]

See also

Notes

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