Travel Guide Ghadames, « La Perle Du Desert »

A grand crossroads of hosting trails for centuries, between Mediterranean ports to the north, Fezzan and black Africa to the south, Ghadamès has more than other cities in the Sahara, which suffer from the decline in the trans-Saharan trade.Today located at the intersection of the Algerian, Tunisian and Libyan borders, Ghadamès remains a and atypical, but the reward is at the end of the road because the city has managed to preserve an identity and value one of the most beautiful old towns of the Sahara which makes it one of the places of all visits to Libya. Its discovery will plunge you into the golden age of the trans-Saharan trade which persisted in Libya (and it is a record!) until the beginning of the th century. The old town of Ghadamès has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1986.An enchanting charm emerges from its covered and étonnamment lime-painted alleys, surprisingly cool and airy even in the heart of the Saharan summer. At the end of the maze of the streets that draw amazing perspectives, the discovery of the palm grove completes the imagination of the visitor who then tries to transport to the time when the city was one of the most important caravaneers relays of the Sahara.It was in the new town that the inhabitants of the old Berber town were relocated, and also inhabited by a minority touarègue sédentarisée. The town planning of the new city does not recall the old architectural originality, except for small horns placed at the angles of modern buildings.The classic stay in Ghadamès, one or two days, includes the visit of the old town (with meals taken in one of its houses), the museum, a tour to the salted lakes of Ain Debban and the fort of Ras el-Goul and a sunset in the dunes.