Berber Granaries near Yiffran

Most of the ruins that we visited and explored in Libya were from the Roman period. However, the mountains south of Tripoli also held the remains of several Berber structures.

The origins of the Berbers are obscure but they were had certainly settled much of North Africa as long ago as 3000 BC. They inhabited parts of the region through the Roman period, and through the Arab invasions, although they sometimes retreated south to the mountains and desert to avoid occupation or assimiliation. The Berbers who remain in Libya include the Tuareg tribes who live in and around the oases of Ghadames and Ghat.

The name "Berber" comes from the Greek word for "barbarian." The Berbers refer to themselves as the "Imazhigen," which means "free people".

In centuries past, the Berbers of northern Libya built fortified granaries in which to keep their harvests.

The exterior of the Gasr el Haj granary

Looking out through the granary gate

The interior of each granary consisted of dozens of small rooms, each providing storage space for the food supply of one family. The upper level rooms were reached by climbing up on small stones set into the face of the wall.

Some of the storage room entrances are still surrounded by complex decorative friezes.

The great granary at Gas el Haj was in use until the 1950s. It is now recognized as a World Heritage site of international importance.