Libya Part 2: Berber granaries, rusty doors and desert views

Main central countyard of Nalut

After our visit to Leptis Magna, the next day we set out to the South West of Tripoli in search of Ghadames.  What you should understand about Libya is that like any other developing country, the roads outside of the major cities are sparse and often not paved.  It looked like they were doing some major infrastructure work to build some two lane asphalt roads on top.  The journey is only 600km but would take us two days to make the journey. 

Granary of Nalut

 Along the way, we stopped to visit the granaries of Qasr Al Haj and Nalut.  Qasr Al Hag is a fortified granary built in a circular form with a large center courtyard.  As in any granary, there are remnants of the grinding tools and olive oil storage vases. Made from bricks, gypsum, and palm tree trunks, these monuments have stood for over 800 years.

Granary of Nalut

While Qasr Al Haj is interesting, it is the twisting narrow corridors that give the granaries of Nalut character over Qasr Al Haj.  It feel like the granary organically grew over time- with new granaries being added on creating a maze of stacked granaries.  It is amazing to still see the palm tree doors and ledges sticking out from these mud structures.  Part of it reminded me a bit of Santorini and the way that the buildings hug the mountain wall.

One thing that I always enjoy taking pictures of are doors. What was really cool about all these old berber villages that we stopped at were the rusty metal doors that gave a bit of life to these mud, rock, brick structures.  It almost seemed odd that these old dilapidated buildings would have such solid doors to protect them.  I also loved the textures of the rust, and different layers of paint on the doors that really gave a feeling that these doors have endured a lot in their time and have a story to tell.

On the way back from Ghadamis, we stopped at a random Berber village on the Western Mountains just outside of Tripoli.  Most of the Berber houses are abandoned but I wasn't surprised to see that many of them were still in use.  These structures which were dark and a bit damp helped to keep the villagers cool against the harsh hot weather. 

The Berber villages and Granaries are an integral part to Libyan culture.  They tell a story about how the people survived over time, how they had to work together and still do to this day to live.

View towards Tripoli from the western mountains