Archway atop Atiq mosque, the oldest mosque in Ghadames, frames the minaret. The mosque was built 668AD, for one of 7 clans/tribes in Ghaddames (Tasko clan).
The ancient city of Ghadames, was abandoned in 1982 when modern housing was offered to the inhabitants. The city was once oocupied by seven tribes/clans, each with their own district and mosque. With no plumbing, or sanitation, most residents say they were happy to move, but most still maintain their ancestral homes, which are elaborately decorated. The city is navigated by a network of covered adobe pathways and corridors, and there are also footpaths that connect most of the roof top sleeping areas. I was told that the women preferred to use the rooftop walkways for their social activiites. The underground nature of the city keeps it significantly cooler than outside, and most people would sleep on their roofs in hot summer months. The town is surrounded by date palms and gardens with vegetables and fruit trees, but most of the current cultivation is fodder for livestock (sheep). The town once grew rich as an important stopping point of trans-Saharan caravans, but now reiles on tourism 20-25,000 per year during Gaddafi era, as well as generous help from the ministry of tourism (the minister was from Ghadames). The town was largely untouched by the revoulution.
