Muammar Gaddafi was born in the desert, so no specific place of birth can be listed; the BBC and other sources say it was near the town of Sirte… His son, Seif al-Islam el-Gaddafi, was widely seen as his successor before the public protests of 2011 ended Gaddafi’s rule… His Arabic name has been translated variously as Quaddafi, Qaddafi, and Khaddafi as well as Gaddafi and al-Gaddafi… He was famous for his all-female contingent of bodyguards, and for his habit of receiving visitors in a Bedouin-style tent.