Kabaw: 700 Year Old Berberian “Food Bank”

Kabaw is a Berber village-fort on Nafousa Mountain in Gharyan province of Libya. This ancient mountain village is famous for its 700-year-old four to five stories high qasr (meaning a palace, castle or fortress). People used this qasr both as shelter and storage for their oil, grain, and water. The entrance of the castle is through a gate in the south of the building.

Ancient granary of Kabaw
Teo Gomez

There was also a guards’ room by the entrance where the guard kept the keys to all the storage rooms. This ensured the safety of each individual or family’s goods in their private rooms. So, in a way, the castle in Kabaw served like a bank. The castle was built out of stones, gypsum, and red mud, and the roof was built with palm trunks and olive branches. There are about 103 rooms in the castle, and 89 of them are still in good condition. There is also a cistern under the castle, collecting and storing rainwater coming from the roof.

Ancient granary of Kabaw
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josemesquita
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Ancient granary of Kabaw
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Ancient granary of Kabaw
Mike Gadd
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