The old town of Ghadames was built entirely from mud brick, gypsum plaster, and palm wood — all materials found nearby. The thick mud walls absorb heat during the blazing day and release it at night, keeping the inside of houses cool without any electricity or air conditioning. It is one of the oldest forms of climate-control engineering in the world.
The streets of old Ghadames are mostly covered — roofed over so that you walk in the shade. Some passages are so narrow that you could touch both walls with your outstretched arms. Houses are built on top of each other and connected, so a whole neighbourhood almost forms one giant building with shared rooftops.
The rooftops were traditionally the space used by women, who would walk from roof to roof to visit each other without going down to the street. From the top you can see a panorama of white-and-ochre rooftops, palm trees, and in the distance, the endless flat desert stretching to the horizon.
Ghadames has been an important stop on trans-Saharan trade routes for over 3,000 years. Camel caravans would rest and resupply there — taking on dates, water, and food before crossing the desert. The town's market was once famous for leather goods and beautiful jewellery.