Ghadamès, known as 'the pearl of the desert', stands in an oasis. It is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities and an outstanding example of a traditional settlement. Its domestic architecture is characterized by a vertical division of functions: the ground floor used to store supplies; then another floor for the family, overhanging covered alleys that create what is almost an underground network of passageways; and, at the top, open-air terraces reserved for the women.
Geography
Ghadames lies roughly 462 km (287 mi) to the southwest of Tripoli, near the borders with Algeria and Tunisia. Ghadames borders Illizi Province, Algeria and Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia.
The oasis has a population of around 10,000, mainly Berbers. The old part of the town, which is surrounded by a city wall, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Each of the seven clans that used to live in this part of the town had its own district, of which each had a public place where festivals could be held.
The Old City (Old Town)
Archaeological research suggests that the old city of Ghadames is the oldest habitable medina in the entire Sahara, with evidence going back to the Paleolithic period. The oasis attained a high status in historical records from being one of the busiest caravan trade centres in the Libyan Sahara, with caravan routes connecting it with Fezzan and Sub-Saharan Africa, Algeria, Tunisia and the northern parts of Libya. One of the main features of the old town is the fact that it is built entirely out of mud and is completely covered, except for small ventilation holes found occasionally along its dark lanes and labyrinthine passages and streets. This ancient design has a good reason to be invented in the Sahara: the mud houses maintain a cool town in the summer and warm habitat in the freezing winter nights. In addition to protection from the scorching heat of the desert sun, the roof of the city acts like another city with complete open streets and lanes, exclusively used by women, to move from one house to another and from one area to the other. Hence it does not come as a surprise that Ghadames has been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
