Things to see and do Yefren

In the Plaine plain, far from the city, you can visit it if you go to Yefren from Tripoli or the opposite. We do not know when this gigantic building was built or what its history was. But the site is magnificent and offers fantastic views over the vast plain. Greniers with provisions, of the same kind as the ghorfa of fortified greniers greniers are spread over three or four floors and in the basement, forming a gigantic large quadrilateral as a stadium. In all, more than 1 500 or 2 000 ghorfa were there! It would be a big caravanserai where traders would exchange, negotiate and store their goods. The central space leaves room for a huge market. But in the absence of research, the assumptions are reduced. The Ben Eran is the ben Ben Eran, behind the scenes of ghorfa, which have been restored more or less faithfully.

A small, beautiful and painted limestone, perched on the hillside, was built not far from the tomb of a Jewish woman several hundred years ago. Its architecture is typical of the ancient mosques of the region. People continue to go to pray on Friday. Nice view of the terrace.

At the crossing is a very ancient, not restored synagogue, Natalia's synagogue, that the custodian, owner of the land, gently opens to visitors (please indicate the place at the Hotel Yefren). She would be over 2 000 years old and would therefore be one of the oldest in the Maghreb, and Yefren, which probably counted three others. She worked until the small Jewish community of Yefren left Libya in 1948. The vaults of the ceilings are in Hebrew. It is organized around a raised quadrilateral in the centre, and its plan is inspired by David's star. After the visit take the crossing and head over 800 m to the southwest: at the fork turn right and follow the path. The old Berber village of Chguerna is, like its colleagues in the Yefren area, the opportunity to discover a beautiful heritage as well as beautiful landscapes: By moving into the village on the right, we are soon overlooking a Wadi tree planted with a few palm trees. At the entrance to the village there are two former olive presses (see box «Olive Oil Presses»). The left is surmounted by a small Arabic inscription that dates back to 1830. The one on the right is even prettier. 200 m above is a second ancient synagogue named Azra Synagogue, which served as a Koranic school. It has been renovated several times with plaster. It includes Hebrew inscriptions as well as hand and foot decorations: symbols in Jebel Nefousa to get a bad eye.

When the road from El-Guelaa goes down to the trough of the Wadi valley (valley) Guelaa el-Houma, the landscape becomes idyllic, with its palm trees and ancient Berber dwellings. In the first half of the twentieth century, El-Guelaa was a large village of 3 000 inhabitants. Like its neighbours, it was gradually abandoned in the 1970 s. The houses run at the bottom of the valley and on the hillside. Some are even built in caves.

Very dilapidated, but the little mosque, at the end of the road, all white is still beautiful. It housed a well at the entrance and a small Koranic school; four arches with pillars support the prayer room. The hand of Fatma gravée and inscriptions in Hebrew and Arabic (date of construction of the mosque and name of the Sheikh Suleyman Amar) will be noted. From the mosque, beautiful view of the countryside. Between the old village and the main road, close to the new houses, there are a few abandoned cave houses.

This Roman mausoleum was built near the fortified farm of Soffit. The first stone ranks of a building of this Roman fortified farmhouse are located nearby on the other side of the road. These vestiges bear witness to a sedentary life in Jebel Nefousa during the Roman period, a life organized around Roman farms or indigenous romanisés.