town site at the first exploited oil field in Libya. Located 105 miles (169 km) south of the Mediterranean port of Marsā al-Burayqah on the Gulf of Sidra, at the foot of the Zalṭan Mountains, the town is in the centre of the so-called oasis group of oil fields that includes Jālū (Gialo), Waha, and Al-Rāqūbah (Raguba). Discovered in 1959 and recognized as the country's first large strike (17,500 barrels per day), the Zalṭan oil field is connected to Marsā al-Burayqah by pipeline (completed 1961). The area also has a gas recovery plant.