Benghazi a Libyan eastern city is the latest of a whole series of cities from which Cvrenaicans, at different periods, have been governed by diverse rulers. The First Cyrenaican capital was Cyrene itself, situated in the fertile and Well-Watered Jabbal el-Akhdar (Green Mountain). But in A.D. 297 Roman Emperor Diocletian transferred the capital to Ptolemais (Tolemeita). Later still, in the sixth century A. D., Ptolemais because state of ruin and Apollonia (Susa) was made capital of "Upper Libya" or Pentapolis. and Derna of" Lower Libya" extending eastward to the Egyption Frontier.

Benghazi was, however, known by several names in the course of its long history, namely: Hesperides in Greek times, (Euhesperides). It signifies "The happy city of the west'' and then by the name of Berenice in Ptolemean and Roman times, and Benghazi in the Moslem era. The city was built in 446 B. C. by one of the brothers of the King at Cyrene. Later on, the city joined the confederation of Pentapolis Greek cities in Libya; known by the name of Pentapolis which included Cyrene. Apollonia. Barca, Tauchira (Toucra) and Hesperides, re-named Bernice, the wife of Ptolemy III in 347 B.C.

Under the Roman and Byzantine rulers, the city flourish greatly, but later on began to decay. When the .Arab Muslim armies marched in the year 642-643, it was a small insignificant town. But . it crew in importance . in the Arab Muslim era, both military and commercially.

Also Benghazi derives its Arab name from a pious Moslem, "Sidi Ghazi" , who devouted his time in religious matters. He died in this city around the year 1450A.D. The Turkish occupation of Cairo in 1517 and Tripoli in 1551 brought Cvrenaica within the orbit of Ottoman Control. Then the Karamanli's in the year 1711 followed Turkish precedent in considering Cyrenaica as an essential part of their domains.

After the karamanli's reign of more than one century (1711-1835), the Ottomans re-occupied the country in 1835 until 1911 when Italy decided to invade the country in order to form it a colony. The Libyan resistance to the Italian rule continued until 16 September 1931, when the patriot Omar Al-Mucktar was captured and hanged at Souluk. A village on the west of Benghazi