Martyrs' Day (Libya)

Martyrs' Day is a public holiday in Libya, and it is observed on September 16 each year. The holiday commemorates Libyans killed or exiled under Italian rule and those killed in the first civil war.

Libya is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa, and people inhabited the region for thousands of years. Italia established colonies after the Italo-Turkish War in 1911, which became the Italian Libya colony in 1934. To go against the national resistance, Fascist Italy sent tens of thousands of people to concentration camps, where at least 80,000 died of starvation and disease.

Following the defeat of Italy in World War II, the Allied forces controlled Libya. On December 24, 1951, Libya declared its independence as the United Kingdom of Libya. Muammar Gaddafi led a group of military, staged a coup on September 1, 1969, and took power. In 1977, Libya became the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, and Gaddafi formed a totalitarian regime.

During the Arab Spring movements, Libya staged a revolt on February 17, 2011, marking the civil war's start. On October 20, 2011, Gaddafi was killed in the city of Sirte, and the regime ended. During the civil war, at least 30,000 Libyans died, and at least 50,000 people were wounded.

The following is the list of Martyrs' Day in Libya from 2022 to 2026.

Please check more public holidays in Libya: