Ghadames · Nafusa Mountains · Libya

Ancient City of Ghadames

old cityoasisUNESCOgoogle verified

moderate

9/10

best: morning, late afternoon

otherworldly, ancient, labyrinthine

A local would say...

This desert city has two separate street systems — one for men at ground level, one for women on the rooftops — and they never intersect.

A UNESCO World Heritage oasis city on the ancient trans-Saharan caravan route, Ghadames is a labyrinthine mud-brick settlement with a unique internal architecture: rooftop pedestrian streets reserved for women connect all the houses without ever descending to street level, while men use the shaded alleys below.