Mukhtār, << MOOK tahr >>, Umar al- (1860?-1931), was a Libyan nationalist and resistance leader. His name is also spelled Omar al-Mukhtār. He fought against Italy’s occupation of Libya, which had begun in 1911. For his long and determined resistance, Mukhtār became known as the “Lion of the Desert.”
Mukhtār was born into a nomadic tribe that lived in what is now northeastern Libya. His exact date of birth is not known. Mukhtār’s family sent him to schools run by the Sanusi brotherhood, a Muslim religious and social reform group. He studied to be a religious leader and teacher of the Qur’ān, the sacred book of Islam. In 1899, he fought alongside Sanusi leaders in an unsuccessful attempt to resist the French conquest of Chad, Libya’s southern neighbor.
Italy invaded Libya in 1911. Libyan resistance fighters, including Mukhtār, were driven from the coastal areas and withdrew into the countryside. In 1922, the new Italian ruler, Benito Mussolini, pushed for Italian control farther into Libya. The Sanusi organized opposition to Italian expansion. Sanusi warriors led by Mukhtār fought the Italians in Libya’s hills and deserts for years.
Early in 1930, the Italians began forcing Libyans into concentration camps. They also cut off aid and reinforcements from supporters outside Libya, mainly in Egypt. These actions largely broke the resistance. Mukhtār was captured on Sept. 11, 1931. On September 16, the Italians hanged him at the Sulūq concentration camp near Benghāzī, in eastern Libya.
During the Italian occupation, tens of thousands of Libyans died or were exiled into Egypt and other nearby countries. The United Kingdom took control of Libya during World War II (1939-1945). Libya gained independence in 1951.
Mukhtār’s likeness appears on Libya’s 10-dinar note. The dinar is the country’s basic unit of currency. Mukhtār’s final years of struggle were depicted in the 1981 motion picture The Lion of the Desert.
See also Libya (Italian control).
