Murzuk

Murzuq is an oasis town in Fezzan, surrounded by palm gardens and the sands of the central Sahara. Its position on caravan routes made it a meeting place between Tripoli and the lands around Lake Chad. In the early sixteenth century the Awlad Muhammad made Murzuq their capital, replacing Zawila as the chief seat of Fezzan. Merchants and pilgrims passed through the town, and its markets became a centre of the trans-Saharan trade. The oasis remained a key stopping place on the long road from the Mediterranean coast to Bornu.