GHADAMES:
A true Oasis

Town and oasis in Libya, with 10,000 inhabitants, next to the borders of Tunisia and Algeria. Ghadames is recognized for its beautiful and inventive architecture, designed to fight the dramatic extremities of Saharan climate.

All houses are made out of mud, lime, and palm tree trunks. They are constructed so that all fit together, with covered alleyways between them, and adjacent roofs, allowing passage from one house to another.

The economical base for Ghadames has been dwindling over the ears. Earlier the town was an important stopover on the caravan routes crossing the Sahara. Today's income is from some camel breeding, a small agriculture as well as administrative and military activities.

HISTORY

There is evidence of settlements here back to Paleolithic and Neolithic times (about 10,000 years).

19 BCE: The Roman garrison Cydaus is set up, but the Romans found this a difficult post to hold.