Editing Cyrenaica (section)

=== Italian colonial rule ===
{{main| Italian Cyrenaica}}
[[File:Government of Cyrenaica 1949.jpg|thumb|Emir [[Idris I of Libya|Idris as-Senussi]] (left), and behind him (from left) [[Hussein Maziq]], [[Muhammad Sakizli]] and [[Mustafa Ben Halim]], formed the government of Cyrenaica in late 1940s]]
[[File:Cyrenaica Parliament.jpg|thumb|Littorio Palace in Benghazi was the seat of the Cyrenaican assembly]]

The Italians occupied Cyrenaica during the [[Italo-Turkish War]] in 1911 and declared it an Italian [[protectorate]] on 15 October 1912. Three days later, the [[Ottoman Empire]] officially ceded the province to the [[Kingdom of Italy]]. On 17 May 1919, Cyrenaica was established as an [[Italian Cyrenaica|Italian colony]], and, on 25 October 1920, the Italian government recognized [[Idris I of Libya|Sheikh Sidi Idriss]] as the leader of the [[Senussi]], who was granted the princely rank of [[emir]] until 1929. In that year, Italy withdrew recognition of him and the Senussi. On 1 January 1934, [[Tripolitania]], Cyrenaica, and [[Fezzan]] were united as the Italian colony of [[Italian Libya|Libya]].

The Italian fascists constructed the [[Marble Arch (Libya)|Marble Arch]] as a form of an imperial triumphal arch at the border between Cyrenaica and Tripolitani near the coast.

{{anchor|British administration}}

There was heavy fighting in Cyrenaica during [[World War II]] on the part of the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] against the [[Italian Army]] and the [[Nazi German]] [[Afrika Korps]]. In late 1942, Allied forces liberated Cyrenaica from Axis occupation and the [[British Military Administration (Libya)|United Kingdom administered most of Libya]] through 1951, when the [[Kingdom of Libya]] was established and granted independence.<ref>Stewart, John (1996) "Cyrenaica" ''The British Empire: An Encyclopedia of the Crown's Holdings, 1493 through 1995'' McFarland & Co., Jefferson, North Carolina, p. 125, {{ISBN|0-7864-0177-X}}</ref>