Ghadames
Ghadames
غدامس | |
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Town | |
UTC+2 (EET) | |
License Plate Code | 17 |
Arab States |
Ghadames or Ghadamis
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.[4]
Geography
Ghadames lies roughly 462 km (287 mi) to the southwest of Tripoli, near the borders with Algeria and Tunisia. Ghadames borders Illizi Province, Algeria and Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia.
The oasis has a population of around 10,000, mainly
Climate
Ghadames has a
Climate data for Ghadames (1961–1990, extremes 1913–1993) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 32.0 (89.6) |
35.0 (95.0) |
41.3 (106.3) |
48.0 (118.4) |
52.0 (125.6) |
55.2 (131.4) |
53.4 (128.1) |
52.4 (126.3) |
50.0 (122.0) |
48.0 (118.4) |
39.0 (102.2) |
30.4 (86.7) |
55.2 (131.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
20.7 (69.3) |
24.4 (75.9) |
29.7 (85.5) |
34.6 (94.3) |
39.8 (103.6) |
40.3 (104.5) |
39.8 (103.6) |
36.4 (97.5) |
30.0 (86.0) |
23.8 (74.8) |
18.2 (64.8) |
29.6 (85.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.4 (47.1) |
9.2 (48.6) |
12.2 (54.0) |
16.8 (62.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
27.9 (82.2) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.0 (84.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
9.9 (49.8) |
18.7 (65.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) |
5.7 (42.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
13.8 (56.8) |
17.8 (64.0) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.5 (72.5) |
20.1 (68.2) |
15.0 (59.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
4.4 (39.9) |
13.8 (56.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −6.9 (19.6) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−2.6 (27.3) |
0.0 (32.0) |
6.0 (42.8) |
7.8 (46.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5.0 (0.20) |
4.6 (0.18) |
6.8 (0.27) |
3.6 (0.14) |
2.3 (0.09) |
0.1 (0.00) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.3 (0.01) |
0.8 (0.03) |
4.0 (0.16) |
2.1 (0.08) |
3.4 (0.13) |
33 (1.29) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 8.7 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
52 | 41 | 36 | 28 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 29 | 35 | 47 | 53 | 34 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 248.0 | 240.1 | 257.3 | 273.0 | 313.1 | 309.0 | 372.0 | 353.4 | 273.0 | 263.5 | 246.0 | 232.5 | 3,380.9 |
Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.0 | 8.5 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 10.1 | 10.3 | 12.0 | 11.4 | 9.1 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 9.3 |
Source 1: WMO[5] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes and humidity),[6] Arab Meteorology Book (sun only)[7] |
History
Ancient eras
It has been suggested, based on archaeological evidence, that this area has been settled since the 4th millennium B.C., and is one of the oldest pre-Saharan settlements. Its situation near a water source in the middle of a desert would have made it an important spot for anyone seeking to settle in the area.
The first written records about Ghadames date from the Roman period when the settlement was known as Cydamus, from which modern Ghadames derives its name. In the 1st century BC, the Roman
During the 6th century, a bishop lived in the oasis, after the population had been converted to Christianity by Byzantine missionaries. It became a stronghold of the Donatist heresy until its conquest by Muslim Arabs.
During the late 7th century, Ghadames was ruled by the Muslim Arabs. The population quickly converted to Islam and Ghadames played an important role as base for the Trans-Saharan trade until the 19th century.
The 12th century geographer Abu Hamid al-Gharnati included Ghadamis among the countries of Sudan (i.e., countries of black people), a hypothesis that Saad considers possible, as Ghadamis always had settlers representing him in Timbuktu.[10]
Etymology
The etymology of the name Ghadames is very closely linked with its history. It is believed that the name Ghadames is originally connected to the name of the ancient
1900s–present
In October 1911, shortly after the Italo-Turkish War broke out, Ghadames was occupied by Italian soldiers marching from Tripoli. However, Italy's hold on the city was interrupted several times until June 1915, when a general rising throughout Libya caused the Italian garrison to retreat from Ghadames to the stronghold of Tripoli. Effective control over the city was restored in December 1918, but rebellion throughout Fezzan kept Ghadames in a state of emergency until 1923.
In 1943, Free French forces occupied Ghadames and its surrounding area in the southern part of the former Italian colony of
In the 1970s, the government built new houses outside of the old part of the town. However, many inhabitants return to the old part of the town during the summer, as its architecture provides better protection against the heat.
That same time, director
During the
Old Town of Ghadames
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The old town, inscribed in 1986 as a
Gallery
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Inside view of a small dwelling
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Old Town Rooftop View
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Old Town Spring Water Pool
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Old Town Wall Entrance
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Fruit Trees in the Old Town
See also
References
- ^ "Wolfram-Alpha: Making the world's knowledge computable". www.wolframalpha.com.
- ^ Der Spiegel Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, 2011 Aug 23
- ^ UNESCO World Heritage Centre. "Old Town of Ghadamès – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Old Town of Ghadamès – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "Climatological Information". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Ghadames / Libyen" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- ^ "Appendix I: Meteorological Data" (PDF). Springer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- ^ a b "Ghadames (Ghudamis), Cydamus: the Pearl of The Libyan Sahara". Temehu.
- ^ Birley, Anthony R. Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. London: Routledge. (2000) [1971]. pg 147.
- ISBN 0-521-24603-2.
- ^ Libya: what about the south? The Guardian, 24 August 2011
- ^ "Libyan Tuaregs Flee to Algeria Amid Reports of Ethnic Cleansing". Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ Marozzi, Justin (18 September 2011). "Libyan Tuareg face reprisals" – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ The World Heritage Newsletter, No.9, December 1995.
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Libya's five World Heritage sites put on List of World Heritage in Danger". whc.unesco.org.
Further reading
- Edmond Bernet (1912). "Ghadames". En Tripolitaine: Voyage a Ghadames (in French). Paris: Fontemoing.
- Lafi (Nora) "Ghadamès cité-oasis entre empire ottoman et colonisation"" in Federico Cresti (ed.), La Libia tra Mediterraneo e mondo islamico, Giuffrè, pp. 55–70, 2006
External links
- Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.: "Ghadamis, Libya"
- Azzouz, Intisar (1980) "Ghadames, Libya" In Safran, Linda (ed) (1980) Places of Public Gathering in Islam: proceedings of seminar five in the series Architectural transformations in the Islamic world, held in Amman, Jordan, 4–7 May Aga Khan Award for Architecture, Philadelphia, OCLC 7208199; photographs of Ghadames.