Ghadames
Ghadames is an ancient oasis town in north-western Libya, set on the edge of the Sahara near the borders with Algeria and Tunisia. Its old town (an extraordinary traditional desert settlement of packed, pale mudbrick houses, covered alleyways and rooftop terraces) is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Sahara’s best surviving examples of vernacular oasis architecture.
The town’s narrow, covered streets, multi-level houses and roof terraces were designed to create shade, channel breezes and separate household activities by leveling an elegant, practical response to extreme desert heat.
Settled for millennia and flourishing during the trans-Saharan trade era, Ghadames preserves a continuous cultural landscape where Berber traditions meet caravan history.
The medina was historically divided into distinct neighborhoods (mahallas) with shared courtyards and communal spaces; the spatial layout reflects social customs, family privacy and collective life adapted to an oasis environment.