Français – عربي – ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ – English
The city of Ghadames, at the border between Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, has always been a crossroads between the civilisations of the Mediterranean basin and the Sahara. In Antiquity, the oasis of Ghadames, which was originally inhabited by the Garamantes, was known to the Romans, who called it Cydamus.
Ghadames is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities: the oasis has been inhabited for 6.000 years. Its location, at a water source in the middle of the desert, makes it an ideal place to settle. The name Ghadames probably comes from the Tidamendi, an Amazigh tribe from the Fezzan.
The Romans discovered Ghadames in 19 BCE, when Lucius Cornelius Balbus, the proconsul of Africa, invaded the oasis, which was previously inhabited by the Garamantes. From Cydamus, Balbus organised an expedition to explore the Sahara, all the way to the Niger river. However, Roman control of Cydamus was limited before the reign of Septimius Severus, the first Roman Emperor with Amazigh origins.
At the beginning of the 2nd Century, Septimius Severus decided to secure the Southern border of his Empire, which was under the threat of recurring attacks by Amazigh tribes of the Sahara. He first installed a military garrison in Cydamus, and then launched a military campaign against the Garamantes. He conquered the Garamantian cities of Garbia and Gholaia (Bu Njem), where he installed military camps. In 202, he conquered Garama, the Garamantian capital, and took control of their territory.
Septimius Severus’ conquests didn’t last long: the Romans weren’t used to the region’s desert climate and didn’t know how to defend them. The Garamantes quickly took back control of their whole territory, including Cydamus.
In the 6th Century, the inhabitants of Cydamus converted to Christianity under the influence of Christian preachers from Tripolitania. The oasis, because of its isolation, became a stronghold of the Donatist movement.
The Arabs, unlike the Mediterranean civilisations that dominated North Africa before them, were not afraid of the desert. After the Arab conquest, Ghadames was Islamised and became an important center for Trans-Saharan commerce. Later, the city became part of the territory of the Kel Ajjer Tuareg tribe, based in Ghat. In the 12th Century, salesmen from Ghadames took part in the founding of Timbuktu, the most important Saharan caravan city.
Nowadays, the old city of Ghadames is an UNESCO World Heritage site.
