Qasr al-Haj

Qasr al-Haj is a communal granary in the Jebel Nafusa built as a ring: a blank outer wall with a single entrance, and inside a circular courtyard faced with more than a hundred storage cells stacked in tiers, each belonging to a family and reached by projecting stone steps. It was founded in the twelfth century by a local scholar and worked as a grain store into modern times, with rules for its use passed down.

What you actually see

• The circular plan - a ring of cells around a single courtyard with one entrance.
• The stacked cells - more than a hundred stores in tiers up the inner wall.
• The projecting steps - the stone treads set into the wall to reach the upper cells.
• The twelfth-century foundation - the granary's origins and the rules governing its use.

When to go

March to May and October to November are the comfortable months. Summer in the Nafusa is hot. The keyholder keeps informal hours.

Honest expectations

Access depends on finding the keyholder. There is no interpretation on site. Travel in Libya requires arrangements through a licensed operator.

Nearby

Kabaw is west, and Gharyan is east.