The Underground City of Ghadamis

The Underground City of Ghadamis
Photo by David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada/ CC BY 2.0

As I docked my spaceship, I was awed by the ancient city of Ghadamis, nestled in a remote oasis. What caught my attention was the underground city, consisting of more than 700 km of tunnels that interconnect homes, mosques, and markets. The tunnels also provide cool underground storage for food. The ingenious underground city was designed in 3 tiers to mitigate extreme temperatures, keeping it habitable in a region where the ambient temperatures can exceed 50C. This architectural wonder has been standing for over a thousand years and is still in use today. The city also has several ancient buildings with beautiful tilework and brick masonry, depicting Islamic architectural elements. I compared this city with underground storage systems of Moulay Idriss Zerhoun and Ghardaia but this was unique.

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