By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 21 July 2917:
One of the domes on the Atiq mosque in the oasis town of Awjila, 250 kilometres south-east of Ajdabiya has collapsed and there are fears for the rest of the historic building.
The mosque is believed to be the oldest in Libya and one of the oldest in North Africa, and figures on the 20-dinar banknote introduced in 2012.
According to the Libyan news agency LANA in Benghazi, a team of experts assembled by the head of the Beida-based interim government antiquities authority, Ahmed Hussein, will travel to the oasis town next week to assess the damage. Poor maintenance is believed to be the cause of the collapse.
Restored in the 1980s, the Atiq mosque with its unusual conical mud-brick domes dates back to around 1100, although it may have replaced an earlier structure. The area was the first to be Islamised in Libya, being conquered by Sidi Abdullah ibn Saad ibn Abi Al-Sarḥ, a companion of the Prophet and governor of Egypt between 646 and 656. He is said to be buried in Awjila.
