Ghadames

Ghadames
غدامس
Town
Clockwise from top:
Ghadames Mosque, Old Town, Old Town street view
Ghadames is located in Libya
Ghadames
Ghadames
Location in Libya
Coordinates: 30°8′N 9°30′E / 30.133°N 9.500°E / 30.133; 9.500
Country Libya
RegionTripolitania
DistrictNalut
Elevation1,932 ft (589 m)
Population
 • Estimate 
(2011)
10,000
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
License Plate Code17
Map
Official nameOld Town of Ghadamès
TypeCultural
Criteriav
Designated1986
Reference no.[3]
RegionArab States

Ghadames or Ghadamis /ɡəˈdæmɪs/ (Ghadamsi: ⵄⴰⴷⴻⵎⴻⵙ / Ɛadēməs [ʕadeːməs], Arabic: غدامس, Italian: Gadames) is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya.

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; the first floor is 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.[4]

  1. ^ "Wolfram-Alpha: Making the world's knowledge computable". www.wolframalpha.com.
  2. ^ Der Spiegel Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 2011 Aug 23
  3. ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Old Town of Ghadamès – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  4. ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Old Town of Ghadamès – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 20 July 2016.