Ghat () is the capital of the
Ghat District
Ghat (Berber language, Berber: ''Ɣat''; ) is one of the Districts of Libya, districts of Libya. Its capital is Ghat, Libya, Ghat. To the west, Ghat borders two provinces of Algeria: Djanet Province, Djanet in the far southwest, and Illizi Provi ...
in the
Fezzan
Fezzan ( , ; ; ; ) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...
region of southwestern
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
, located just east of the
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
n
border
Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
.
History
In historical times, Ghat was an important terminal point on a
trans-Saharan trade route and a major administrative center in the
Fezzan
Fezzan ( , ; ; ; ) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...
. It was a stronghold for the
Kel Ajjer Kel Ajjer (also Kel Azjar, Kel Azjer) is a Tuareg people, Tuareg confederation inhabiting in southwestern Libya and southeastern Algeria. Their main stronghold was Ghat, Libya, Ghat, followed by Ubari, both in the Fezzan, Fezzan region of southweste ...
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...
federation whose territory covered most of south-western Libya—including
Ubari
Ubari or Awbari () is an oasis town and the capital of the Wadi al Hayaa District, in the Fezzan region of southwestern Libya. It is in the Idehan Ubari, a Libyan section of the Sahara Desert. It was the capital of the former ''baladiyah'' (dis ...
,
Sabha and
Ghadames
Ghadames or Ghadamis ( Ghadamsi: ⵄⴰⴷⴻⵎⴻⵙ / ''Ɛadēməs'' �adeːməs , ) is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Tripolitania region in northwestern Libya.
Ghadamès, known as 'the pearl of the desert', stands in an oa ...
, plus south-eastern
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
(
Djanet and
Illizi
Illizi (Amazigh language: Ilizi) is an Algerian town and Communes of Algeria, commune, coextensive with Illizi District, situated in the south-eastern part of Algeria, and capital of Illizi Province. According to the 2008 census it is the largest ...
).
From the 5th century BC to the 5th century AD, the Fezzan was home to the
Garamantian Empire, a city state which operated the Trans-Saharan trade routes between the
Carthaginians
The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people, Semitic people who Phoenician settlement of North Africa, migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Iron ...
—and later the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
—and the
Sahel
The Sahel region (; ), or Sahelian acacia savanna, is a Biogeography, biogeographical region in Africa. It is the Ecotone, transition zone between the more humid Sudanian savannas to its south and the drier Sahara to the north. The Sahel has a ...
ian states of
West
West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...
and
Central Africa
Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...
. During the 13th and 14th centuries, portions of the Fezzan were part of the
Kanem Empire, while the
Ottoman rulers of
North Africa
North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
asserted their control over the region in the 17th century. Ghat and its inhabitants were described in great detail by the English traveller
James Richardson in his journeys across the Libyan Sahara of 1845–1846.
Beginning in 1911, Ghat and the Fezzan were occupied by Italy.
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
and Arab adherents to a militant
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
religious order, the
Sanusiya, resisted early Italian attempts at conquest, and Italy's control of the region was precarious until at least 1923, with the rise of the Italian
Fascist
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...
regime. To defend their positions, the Italians built the
Fortress of Ghat that dominates the city from the hill of Koukemen. This fort is still standing, and is a tourist attraction of the city.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Ghat was occupied by France from 1943. On 21 November 1949, the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
passed a resolution stating that Libya should become independent before 1 January 1952. Fezzan Province was then absorbed within the borders of the
Kingdom of Libya
The Kingdom of Libya (; ), known as the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, was a constitutional monarchy in North Africa that came into existence upon independence on 24 December 1951 and lasted until a bloodless coup d'état on 1 Sept ...
.
Climate
Ghat has a
hot desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''BWh'') typical of the
Fezzan
Fezzan ( , ; ; ; ) is the southwestern region of modern Libya. It is largely desert, but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys (wadis) in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise in ...
, a Libyan region lying in the heart of the
Sahara Desert
The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...
. Averages high temperatures exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during summer for 3 months (June, July, August) and averages high temperatures remain above 20 °C (68 °F) during the coldest month of the year. Winter days are very warm, sunny and dry. Annual precipitation averages only 8 mm (0.32 in) making the location one of the driest places on Earth. The sky is always clear and bright throughout the year.
Nevertheless, in June 2019 there were heavy downpours which caused great damage to the town. Thousands of residents were stranded and few were reported dead or missing.
Present day
In the 2000s Ghat, as a garrison town, was the site of shootouts between Libyan security forces and
al-Qaeda
, image = Flag of Jihad.svg
, caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions
, founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden
, leaders = {{Plainlist,
* Osama bin Lad ...
-linked fighters. The
Fezzan campaign and border proximity were the regional components that included Ghat in the
Libyan Civil War. On September 25, 2011, fighting moved onto Ghat where the last remnants of pro-Gaddafi loyalists in Fezzan were claimed to be stationed.
NTC forces moved in, and took control of Ghat airport, located north of the city.
By the next day, the NTC had control of the city itself and Tinkarine border crossing with Algeria. As of 2015, the city is controlled by independent Tuareg forces.
Tourism

Ghat is an important
tourist destination
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural beau ...
due to the existence of prehistoric
rock paintings and
engravings in the neighboring
Tadrart Acacus
The Acacus Mountains or Tadrart Akakus ( / ALA-LC: ''Tadrārt Akākūs'') form a mountain range in the desert of the Ghat District in western Libya, part of the Sahara. They are situated east of the city of Ghat, Libya, and stretch north from th ...
and
Tassili N'Ajjer
Tassili n'Ajjer (Berber: ''Tassili n Ajjer'', ; "Plateau of rivers") is a mountain range in the Sahara desert, located in south-eastern Algeria. It holds one of the most important groupings of prehistoric cave art in the world, and covers an ar ...
mountains, in addition to the beauty of the surrounding desert landscapes. A major tourist attraction in the town itself is the
Fortress of Ghat on Koukemen hill.
Ghat Airport is the local airport in Ghat.
See also
*
Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile
People with the surname
* Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
*
Tuareg
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...
*
Green Sahara
*
Fortress of Ghat
*
List of cities in Libya
This is a list of the 100 largest populated places in Libya. Some places in the list could be considered suburbs or neighborhoods of some large cities in the list, so this list is not definitive.
''Source:Amraja M. el Khajkhaj, "Noumou ...
References
*Jami Bey, "Ghat and its Surroundings", ''The Geographical Journal'' Vol. 34, No. 2 Aug. 1909, pp. 171–173
{{Authority control
Populated places in Ghat District
Oases of Libya
Tuareg
Baladiyat of Libya
Berber populated places