| The inhabitants of Ghadames, (Cydamae in the Roman times), are the Touareg lovers of freedom and liberty. This oasis, in the far southwest of Tripoli, has seen lover of pleasant evening talk, and recreation, and pleasant seekers.
People loved to hear the still of the night being broken by the music of a simple cane flute: or to attend the scene of a curtain of silence being lifted by the artistic fingers of a Bedouin woman playing a beautiful tune on strings attached to a small leather-coated drum: or the uproar of a tumuli on the dance ring with the songs of the Touareg. (Singular Targui).
Ghadames Oasis maintained its own framework of customs and habits, and its own social ways of life. The existence of a water spring endowed on its special attraction and grave it vital life arteries.
Thus, it become one of the most important commercial station for merchants caravans created commercial activity and brought substantial wealth to this beautiful Libyan oasis; the pearl of the desert. The most important oases in the Jamahiriya other than Ghadames, are the oases of Jalu, Aujla, Kufra and Jaghboub.
Historians record that Ghadames was habited (4,000) years ago. It is now an archaeological site which dearly indicates the presence of several civilizations that had lived on the city's streets and paths.
These civilizations have left their prints on the rocks, in the caves, on ruins scattered on the dunes and in the curves of the valleys. Excavators in Ghadames have also found Greek carvings in a region to the northeast of the city, as well as the mixture in tile city of Roman and Garamantes arts and architecture. In the 3ed century B.C., there was also a castle built for Roman soldiers. In the 7th century A.D.
'Omar Ibn-al-As sent an Arab Muslim battalion to Ghadames in order to make it a foothold from which the Arab Muslim armies would spread throughout North Africa later on. It was a strategical position which they sustained strongly.
Ghadames population is composed of groups of people from Arab origin and other groups of ancient Libyan source. They speak Arabic which the Arab Muslim Leader Ugba ibn-Naafa' brought with him to the city when he conquered it twice in the 7th century A.D.). They also speak a sort of a vernacular language which is common to day among the indigenous people of Ghadames (19). They are, of corse Libyans.
It is worth noting that there is a legend about how the name of "GHADAMES" had been so framed. It si said that once upon a time a caravan passed through a valley where they had their own much
After they had packed their belongings and left the spot, one member of the caravan noticed the missing of the cooking utensils. Then he said, '' We forget them at "GHADAMES" (He meant : We left them at Yesterday's lunch". i.e. where they had their lunch.
In Arabic '' GHADA" means hunch and "AMS" means in Arabic "Yesterday " Therefore, - GHA-DAMES - means yesterday lunch. But it is by chance, the Roman name "Gyadamae" has been transformed to "Ghadames".
However, there is no doubt that this story' is a pure legend . . . for Ghadames to its name from a distortion of its original name, "Cydamus '' and its present name has no relation with (Ghada'). (Arabic for lunch). The Touareg are however one of the most colorful people in Jamahiriya. They mount or ride on their very fast dromedaries known as "Mehari" which can run as fast as 50 km. per hour. They are the guardian of the Sahara.
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