BARCA, a maritime district of Northern Africa, which formerly belonged to Tripoli, but was raised in 1869 to be a separate province immediately dependent on Constantinople. It extends from the Gulf of Sert (the ancient Syrtes) to the Egyptian frontier, between lat. 30° and 33° N. and between long. 20° and 25° E., and has an area of about 60,700 square miles. This territory is traversed from east to west by a mountain chain varying in height from 400 or 500 to upwards of 1800 feet. A great part of Barca, particularly towards the coast, is very fertile, abounding with excellent pasturage, and producing large supplies of corn. The chief town is Bengazi.

BARCA, an ancient city in Cyrenaica, and within the above district, to which it gave name. Its ruins are now known as El-Medindh. It was situated between Cyrene (now Grennah) and Hesperides (now Bengazi), about 11 miles distant from the sea; on the top of the rising ground that overlooks the Syrtes. It was founded about 554 b.c. by a colony from Cyrene, who fled from the ill-treatment of Arcesilaus II., and obtained the co-operation of a number of Libyans. About forty-four years after its foundation it suffered severely from the revenge of Pheretima, the mother of Arcesilaus III., being captured and pillaged by the Persians, to whom she had appealed for assistance, while large numbers of its inhabitants were led captive to Bactria. In the time of the Ptolemies the founding of a new city, Ptolemais, on the sea-coast drew away from the older site a large part of the population; but Barca continued to exist for several centuries after the Christian era, and even seems to have risen again into importance under the Arabs. The ruins are few, and are thought to be those of the Arab city.