Jebel Nafusa

The Jebel Nafusa runs east to west across northwestern Libya as an escarpment rising several hundred metres above the coastal plain, and it is the heartland of the country's Amazigh population, where the language is spoken and where a distinctive architecture developed: fortified communal granaries, underground houses, terraced olive groves and stone villages on the cliff edge. The road along the escarpment links most of the towns.

History

The mountains have supported farming almost without a break since before the Romans, the people building wadi walls to grow olives and grain, and in Roman times they held agricultural settlements and fortified farms, whose mausolea and necropolises can still be seen (Wikipedia, Nafusa Mountains).

Highlights

• The escarpment - the range rising several hundred metres above the plain.
• The granaries - the fortified communal stores at Nalut, Kabaw and Qasr al-Haj.
• The Amazigh towns - the settlements where the language and traditions persist.
• The olive terraces - the cultivation worked on the slopes and wadis.

When to go

March to May and October to November are the comfortable months. Winter is cold on the escarpment. Summer is very hot.

Practical notes

Many of the old villages are abandoned and structures are unstable. Facilities across the range are limited. Travel in Libya requires arrangements through a licensed operator.

Nearby

Gharyan is at the eastern end, and Nalut is at the western.

Key facts