Ghadames
Ghadames
غدامس | |
|---|---|
Town | |
Clockwise from top: Ghadames Mosque, Old Town, Old Town street view | |
| Coordinates: 30°8′N 9°30′E / 30.133°N 9.500°E | |
| Country | Libya |
| Region | Tripolitania |
| District | Nalut |
| Elevation | 1,932 ft (589 m) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2011) | 10,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| License Plate Code | 17 |
| Official name | Old Town of Ghadamès |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | v |
| Designated | 1986 |
| Reference no. | |
| Region | Arab States |
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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.