Sirte

Sirte سرت
Mathābah al-Madīnah, Assembly building, in Sirte (2007)
Sirte Location in Libya
Coordinates: 31°12′18″N 16°35′19″E / 31.20500°N 16.58861°E / 31.20500; 16.58861Coordinates: 31°12′18″N 16°35′19″E / 31.20500°N 16.58861°E / 31.20500; 16.58861
Country	Libya
Region	Tripolitania
District	Sirte
Elevation	28 m (92 ft)
Population (2013)
• Total	79,631
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)

Sirte (/ˈsɜːrt/; Arabic: سرت‎‎,  pronunciation ; from Ancient Greek: Σύρτις), also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is on the south coast of the Gulf of Sidra (ancient Syrtis Major, from which Sirte's name is derived). Sirte lies halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II.

As the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi, Sirte was favoured by the Gaddafi government. The city was the final major stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists in the Libyan Civil War and Gaddafi was killed there by rebel forces on 20 October 2011. During the battle, Sirte was left almost completely in ruins, with many buildings totally destroyed or damaged. Six months after the civil war, almost 60,000 inhabitants, more than 70 percent of pre-war population, had returned.