Ghadames

One of the most ancient existing towns of the Sahara Desert, it evolved in the neighbourhood of an oasis on the frontier of Algeria and Tunisia. Already existed in Roman times under the name Cydamus, it is an outstanding example of traditional growing settlements. The winding, zigzagging line defining the position of buildings seems capable of being continued endlessly. Stretched between lines, volumes of various height, combined with terraces on their roof tops, appear as white grooves, much like a pattern in a plaster moulding. A prominent feature of presence is vertical construction. The system integrating ground-floor shops and upper-floor homes prevails as of today. This creates not only a living internal sphere, but also protects against the desert sunbeams beating down. Gardens are distorted into alleys and courtyards serve almost exclusively as circulation. In many cases, they are contained beneath the upper floors of houses and thus create an underground system of passages. The roof and the open terrace were reserved for women. Here they could socialise and establish contacts with their neighbours. The narrow alleys on the ground floors were primarily used by men.