The early years of Omar Al Mukhtar were marked by poverty and harsh desert conditions, made harder still by the early death of his parents.

From 1906 onwards, Omar Al Mukhtar spent several intermittent years at the Jabal Al Akhdar Lodge, the primary Senussi lodge for the Abid tribe, where he continued his Quranic studies, and took on a formative role as a Senussi Sheikh and arbiter of justice of the Abid tribe.

Omar Al Mukhtar belonged to the Senussi Order, also known as the ‘Sanusiya’, or ‘Sanusi’, a conservative Sufi religious and political movement, founded in 1837 by Sayyid Muhammad ibn Ali al-Sanusi.

The French - Chad war of 1900 was a conflict that took place between the French Colonial Forces and the native people of Chad, the north of which borders Libya. Al Mukhtar and his followers joined the fight against the French in Chad until 1906. This was his first experience in the fight against European colonialism.

The first Italian invasion of Libya commenced in September 1911 and marked the commencement of a five year attempt by the Italians to acquire Libya from the Ottomans and colonize it. Omar Al Mukhtar was a key leader of the resistance, earning the moniker "Sheikh of the Mujahiddeen".

From the years 1917 to 1923,  which were known as the Period of Accords, the Senussis signed several treaties with the Italians which ushered in a period of uneasy restraint by the warring parties.

The Second Italian-Sanussi War took place between 1923 and 1932. This was the second significant conflict between the Italian colonial forces and the Libyan resistance led by the Sanussi Order, under the leadership of Omar al Mukhtar, and was the period in which the horrors of the Libyan genocide were perpetrated by the Italian military against the Libyan population, predominantly the Cyrenaicans who formed the primary support base for Omar Al Mukhtar and his Mujahiddeens.

From 1931 to 1933, the ‘Pacification of Cyrenaica’ was perpetrated by the Italians agains the local population of Cyrenaica. An estimated 110,000 civilians from Cyrenaica were forcibly interned in concentration camps in the Libyan desert and compelled to fight for survival in the most horrific conditions.

The Battles of Kufra and Uadi Bu Taga marked the end of the battle of Omar Al Mukhtar and his immediate followers against the Italians. Omar al Mukhtar was captured at Uadi Bu Taga. Thereafter, the Libyan resistance to Italian colonialism continued, albeit with far less success and ferocity, until the Italians were vanquished in WWII.

The trial of Omar al Mukhtar took place in the courtroom of the Cyrenaica Parliament building in Benghazi at 5.00 pm on the 15th of September, 1931. Read about the trial proceedings and the extraordinary arguments put forward by Al Mukhtar’s Italian defence attorney, Captain Lontano.

The Italian administration executed Omar al Mukhtar at Saluq concentration camp, just south of Benghazi, on the day after the trial: the 16th of September, 1931.

Following his execution by the Italians on the 16th of September 1931, Omar Al Mukhtar was buried in an unmarked grave on the orders of Rudolfo Graziani. The whereabouts of his body remained unknown until 1941. Omar Al Mukhtar was eventually reinterred in the Omar Al Mukhtar Mausoleum in Benghazi in 1960, where he remained until Gaddafi had him exhumed and moved to Soluq.

In 2021, the construction of the Omar Al Mukhtar Mausoleum was completed in Benghazi. Spearheaded and overseen by Dr Faraj Najem, a noted historian and  Professor of Governance at the University of Benghazi, the mausoleum serves as an important educational centre, enabling young Libyans and visitors to learn about Omar Al Mukhtar, and as a place for Libyans to pay their respects to a national hero.

Read our interview with Dr. Faraj Najem, director of the Omar Al Mukhar Mausoleum. Dr. Najem has shared with LHH his thoughts regarding the relevance of the story of Omar Al Mukhtar to today’s Arab society, and why it is essential to educate today’s youths about the challenges faced, and the values held, by Omar Al Mukhtar.

Omar al Mukhtar is widely known as the ‘Lion of the Desert’, a name he is said to have acquired after an incident which took place on one of his early journeys to Sudan with the Senussis.

Not only was Omar Al Mukhtar an inspiring leader of a heroic resistance campaign, he was also an eloquent and spirited orator. Explore some of the famous quotes attributed to Omar Al Mukhtar.

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