ABSTRACT

Fezzan was occupied by the Italian troops around the end of 1929 and the beginning of 1930, and since that time the province has seen great activity on the part of the Italian scientists, especially the archeologists. By putting together the accounts of the ancient historians and those of the Arabian chroniclers, with the addition of native legends, Nachtigall has succeeded in reconstructing a history of Fezzan which on the whole is very satisfactory. The population of Fezzan comprises Arabs, Berbers, Hausas, Tibbus and all the intermediate strains. Fezzan is essentially an oasis region; and in the shadow of the palm trees, where malaria rages, the white race never entirely succeeds in eliminating the black. There are oases south of the Tummo Mountains which serve to put Fezzan into easy communication with Lake Chad, but these are of much humbler importance than Fezzan proper.