It is not the only one in the predominantly Berber city of Nalut, 276 kilometers west of Tripoli, but being perched on the mountain top, surrounded by the remains of old mosques and houses, this archeological gasro (palace) weaves an aura of myths and mysteries about itself and the secret behind its name and origin.
As one enters the gasro, in the center of the old city, through its only gate in the north-east, one’s eyes catch a glimpse of the small, closely aligned chambers; each of the 300 square-shaped chambers measures 1-1.7 meters.
It is not the only one in the predominantly Berber city of Nalut, 276 kilometers west of Tripoli, but being perched on the mountain top, surrounded by the remains of old mosques and houses, this archeological gasro (palace) weaves an aura of myths and mysteries about itself and the secret behind its name and origin.
As one enters the gasro, in the center of the old city, through its only gate in the north-east, one’s eyes catch a glimpse of the small, closely aligned chambers; each of the 300 square-shaped chambers measures 1-1.7 meters.
The chambers have small openings for ventilation and contain ancient relics like jars and clay housewares, which locals believe were used for storing and transporting oil. It is also believed that families used to allocate a chamber to store their provisions. Less affluent households shared one chamber for two families. There are no stairs to climb to the upper rooms. Instead, people used tree trunks and chunks of wood fixed on the walls.
Palace or granary
There are different conflicting accounts about the name of this building, considered the most important archeological landmark in the city. Some believe that the word ‘gasro’ originates form the Arabic word ‘Qasr’ (palace). “The exterior shape of the building and its mountaintop location at the front part of the old city in Nalut indicate that it was indeed a palace,” says Professor Saeed Abu Aziz, a specialist in the history of the region.
Opponents of this view, however, believe that had it been a palace it would not have been used to store grains and oil. Head of ‘AFKAN’ Association for Heritage and Culture in Nalut, Suleiman Yahmud, tends to believe that the word ‘Gasro’ is derived from ‘Aigsar’ which means ‘strong attachment’ in Berber. “The name refers to the large number of closely aligned narrow rooms used for storing grains,olives, oil and the like, which provided sustenance for people in the past,” Yahmud said.
The word, according to Yahmud, also means a bank-like place to the people of that region. This fits in with the status of the chambers inside the building “which is considered an economic bank and a storage area for grains, oils, dates and everything else people used as food.” He, however, does not consider that explanation to be conclusive.
In his book titled ‘Islamic Monuments in the Nafusa Mountains’, Dr. Mohamed Salem Muqayad Ouerfelli combines the two arguments. He argues that “The Arabic word ‘Qasr’ means a large magnificent house and that the meaning commonly used in the Nafusa Mountains refers to a storage palace or the whole village.”
Ambiguous origin
Ambiguity is also a characterizing feature of Gasro history. In his book, Ouerfelli quotes Mondadori – an Italian historian and author of several books about Libya in the 1930s – that this place “is associated with many mythological stories,” and “dates back to the Byzantine era.”
According to Ouerfelli, Polish historian Tadeusz Lewicki who is interested in language, buildings and spread of Islam in the Nafusa Mountains says the place dates back to the 9th Century AD.
In addition to these two sources, the majority of those who have worked hard to trace back he Gasro history believe that the available evidence and sources do not provide a specific date for the construction of this landmark, especially since the locals who have researched the history of the Nafusa Mountains have focused on religious doctrines, leading figures and elders, and people’s lives in general, disregarding the historical background of this monument.
“Based on historical sources, Nalut has undoubtedly been in existence since the 9th Century AD when cities in the Nafusa Mountains had buildings like the Gasro for keeping provisions and managing the economy. Given that this Gasro is the largest in the city, it is likely to have been built during that era,” Yahmud explained.
“However, we have not studied the nature of the building and consequently have no physical evidence proving that. We are in the process of taking samples and sending them to specialized European centers,” he added.
Gradual expansion
Yahmud says the Gasro has undergone many changes throughout history to increase the number of storage rooms in keeping with the steadily rising population number in the city. The building, says Yahmud, “has also been restored on different occasions due to the damage it sustained as a result of the wars experienced by the city in the past centuries. But, fortunately, the building was not damaged during the last liberation war.”
“The last restoration works was carried out through local efforts in 2007. AFKAN Association is currently involved in restoring some houses lying in the vicinity of the Gasro,” he explained.
According to Ouerfelli’s book, there were more than 200 houses around Nalut Gasro. Remnants of old houses and mosques still surround it to this day.
Neglected civilization
Given that foreign historians used to travel to Libya to explore the inbound civilizations which settled in it, like the Greek, the Roman and others, they were not interested in searching for and exploring the ruins that indicated the culture of the indigenous population. Therefore, the information they provided in this direction was always on the sidelines of their research.
“I am certainly proud of this historical legacy and I hope Libyans in the first place and foreigners in general will get acquainted with the monuments scattered across our country to spread the culture and heritage of ancient Libyans,” said Ali Mohammed, a native of Nalut.
Ali recognizes the importance of these monuments in terms of promoting tourism in Libya, but he says Libya “lacks needed tourism infrastructure; there are no hotels near tourist sites neither are there special places designed for displaying archaeological artifacts, let alone the absence of tourism culture in the region.”
“It is important in the short term to acquaint visitors with this region’s treasures and cultures and to give priority to our indigenous history. The rest will depend on long-term plans sponsored and supported by the government,” he stressed.
Nalut Gasro is not the only monument that needs government support. Beside the Nafusa Mountains’ palatial houses, there are the magnificent beauty of Sabratha; the largest Roman city outside Rome, which lies at Leptis Magna; the captivating charm of Cyrene and Cyrenaica; the magnificent castles of Sabha and southern cities; the Acacus Mountains; and the treasures of the desert still unknown to the Libyans themselves, let alone foreign tourists. It is all about the chapters of a history told by the Libyan book which is yet to be read in full.
