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; then another floor 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.

Brief synthesis The Old Town of Ghadamès is an exceptional example of desert urban settlement and architecture demonstrating the extraordinary human response to living in an incredibly harsh environment. Located in the pre-Sahara between the Great Erg sand sea and the Al Hamada el-Hamra stone plateau, the settlement is constructed around the Ain al-Faras spring (locally called ghusuf). The old town’s circular shape, the layout of its built fabric, and the design of its buildings have been determined by climatic conditions and by the management of its water, and are interwoven with the surrounding palm groves. The urban ensemble is protected by the reinforced outer walls of the houses. These features together mitigate the impact of the arid climate and meet the particular socio-cultural needs of the inhabitants. Ghadamès is one of the oldest and most celebrated Saharan cities, called the ‘Pearl of the Desert’, (Jawhart Al-Sahra) by Arab sources. It has played a key role in the cultural and economic life of the region as an important and peaceful hub for caravan trade as part of the trans-Saharan network. From at least the late first millennium BCE it was occupied by indigenous peoples, called the Phazanii, and has been a point of interchange between major cultures and religions from the Garamantes and Romans who called it Cydamae, the Byzantines, Christianity, the Islamic conquest, Ottoman control, visits by European explorers in the 19th century and subsequent interventions…