In the north of the Sahara, where the sandy deserts begin and Hamada al-Hamra ends, the Red Plain, where the borders of Algeria, Tunisia and Libya converge, surrounded by a palm forest is the legendary trading city of Ghadames.
Ghadames is an oasis in the northwest of Libya, at the junction of the Libyan border with Tunisian and Algerian. It is located at the bottom of a dry wadi, where the paths of caravans crossed from ancient times.
Aware of the strategic importance of the oasis, the ancient Romans built the Cydamus fortress in it. Byzantine missionaries brought Christianity here and made Ghadames the center of the episcopate. One of the mosques of the modern city rests on the pillars of the ancient church.
The old city is divided according to the ethnic composition of the population into several quarters. Tuaregs, whose number is about 7 thousand, have long settled outside the city walls, so the historical part of the city is now deserted.
The old part of Ghadames is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site on the basis that the multi-storey adobe houses characteristic of urban development in an exceptional way illustrate the adaptation of man to living in the 50-degree heat of the Sahara.
The planning and architecture of the city are of particular interest. Unfortunately, the buildings of the time of the barbarians or the Romans have not survived for our contemporaries, but you can see a large number of architectural structures that are interesting both from a historical point of view and architectural. Most of the residential buildings in Ghadames are three stories high. The ground floor was usually used to store food supplies, the second floor was the living area, and the third floor was usually open terraces. Interestingly, thanks to the passages that appeared between the adjacent ground floors and terraces, along which women were allowed to move freely in order to hide from prying eyes, a whole system of underground passages was formed in the city, which served to move around the city.
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After a sandy desert with modest vegetation, the city of Ghadames seems to be a blooming paradise for travelers. For centuries, the inhabitants of the city took water from the Ein al-Faras spring, and today its waters are used to irrigate gardens. Local gardens resemble three-storey buildings - at the very bottom, cereals or vegetables grow, the middle tier is occupied by fruit trees, and palm trees rise above all this, protecting and giving shade. In the best times, palm trees numbered about 30,000, they were carefully looked after, palm trees were the greatest wealth, because earlier dates were the money of the Sahara. Well-stored, nourishing and easily transported, dates were the ideal caravan food. In the city of Ghadames, caravans stocked up on the fruit of the palm trees; this city was the hub of caravans throughout North Africa.
Ghadames is an oasis in the middle of the sands, those entering here find themselves in a labyrinth - in an underground city. Coolness blows from narrow passages built up with houses, they end with illuminated areas, most of which overlook the mosque. The city has been abandoned, but not abandoned. Holidays, religious events and celebrations are still held in the old town.
Previously, residents of the city conducted large-scale caravan trade; they had representations on the Nile and Niger. The city was completely open to the outside world, but inside it was divided into seven parts - or as they said at the time - seven streets. Each district lived its own life independent from others with its own squares and its own mosque. There were seven closed societies. The districts often got into fierce disputes over water or trade, but in trouble, when a fire broke out or enemies came, the city became one.
The houses were small but richly decorated. Wall decorations and interiors were brought into the house by a young wife. The color gamut was dominated by red. Here, all objects had their own, strictly defined place, from jugs of oil to a children's shoe cabinet.
Rare patterns adorn the city's plastered earthen buildings. Protective signs on the gates or stucco Kufic letters adorn some buildings.
The road to the gardens leads through the old town. The water flow is regulated here using measuring stones. 5 canals, as before, supply water to the gardens.
For hundreds of years, Ghadames had its own time and chronology. In a small house on a large square, a man with a water clock called "gadus" was serving. He determined the times of prayer and the periods of water supply. The day was divided into 480 gadus. The priceless water flowing into the gardens through the city is distributed with incredible precision. The amount of water used has always been strictly considered. The Council of Elders stood guard over the water law, checked the gadus, appointed keepers of time and guardians of water who controlled its flow.
Nowadays the city's adobe buildings are rapidly falling into decay without constant maintenance. Houses are being destroyed even on the central streets.