- After our long drive from Tripoli, we manage to arrive in Ghadames well before sunset. Just in tine to get on to a fourwheeldrive, and head into the desert. The driver wants to impress us with some dune bashing, and when we finally stop, we enjoy the views over the dark orange dunes which look like soft candy. We watch sunset, and drive down to the barbed wire that marks the border with Algeria. We have some tea and bread with locals, followed by a yummy dinner in our hotel back in the city. The next morning, we head to the nearby old town of Ghadames. We enter though one of the city gates, and enter the maze of streets that make up the desert town. Our guide starts to tell us about the history of the city. Ghadames is considered one of the oldest cities in the Sahara, and it has served as the crossroads for caravans and travelers for many centuries already. During the rule of Septimius Severus, the Romans established themselves here, and named the city Cydamus - which would later become Ghadames.
- The old city was abandoned in the 1990s and a new city (the one we stayed in) was constructed next to it. The city was declared a Unesco site, and efforts are being made to protect and maintain the empty houses. Seven clans used to live in the city, and they all had their own quarters. The guide points out markers, so we can understand which clan lived where. While at first we see only adobe buildings with a white finish, we soon enter areas where streets are covered. This was done to protect people walking the streets from the summer heat. There is an ingenuous system of skylights: square openings between buildings that allow daylight to come in from above and which ensure that the covered streets are not too dark. We see benches against the wall, where people could take a seat and chat. We see paintings decorating parts of the walls. And then, we are invited into one of the homes. We learn that every floor has its function: the lower one for storage, the next for family and guests, then one for sleeping and the top floor mostly for women. The houses are connected at the highest level, so women could cross from one house to the next without having to descend to street level. The light inside is managed in such a way, by small windows and mirrors, that there is sufficient light.
- We walk from one house to the next, and enjoy the views of the roofs of the traditional houses of the old town of Ghadames. We continue our walk, and meander through town. We see the former Italian school, which later served as a coranic school, and we pay a visit. The building is so famous, it is printed on the ten pound bill. We see palm trees everywhere: they are extensively used for construction here. We then walk to the big reservoir with fresh water; it looks so crystal clear and cool I feel very temped to jump in. We then walk through more alleys and covered streets, see the oldest mosque of town, small squares, and then our guide makes us walk dark streets with corners to make us understand how difficult it was for invaders to conquer this city. We continue exploring this ancient Sahara desert town until it is time to leave. We once more climb the stairs of the traditional house we visited before, and have a very tasty lunch. One more look out over the roofs, and we are on our way back to the exit. I would have loved to continue walking the labyrinth of alleys by myself, but alas: we have to drive back to Tripoli - another roughly 600 kilometres drive.
