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GHADAMES, GADAMES
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See also:GHADAMES, GADAMES or RHADAMES, a See also:town in an See also:oasis of the same name, in that See also:part of the See also:Sahara which forms part of the See also:Turkish vilayet of See also:Tripoli. It is about 30o m. S.W. of the See also:city of Tripoli and some ro in. E. of the Algerian frontier. According to See also:Gerhard See also:Rohlfs, the last See also:form given to the word most correctly represents the Arabic See also:pronunciation, but the other forms are more often used in See also:Europe. The streets of the town are narrow and vaulted and have been likened to the bewildering galleries of a coalpit. The See also:roofs are laid out as gardens and preserved for the exclusive use of the See also:women. The Ghadamsi merchants have been known for centuries as keen and adventurous traders, and their agents are to be found in the more important places of the western and central See also:Sudan, such as See also:Kano, See also:Katsena, Kanem, See also:Bornu, See also:Timbuktu, as well as at See also:Ghat and Tripoli. Ghadames itself is the centre of a large number of See also:caravan routes, and in the See also:early part of the 19th See also:century about 30,000 laden camels entered its markets every See also:year. The caravan See also:trade was created by the Ghadamsi merchants who, aided by their See also:superior intelligence, capacity and honesty, See also:long enjoyed a See also:monopoly. In 1873 Tripolitan merchants began to compete with them. In 1893 came the invasion of Bornu by Rabah, and the See also:total stoppage of this caravan route for nearly ten years to the See also:great detriment of the merchants of Ghadames. The caravans from Kano were also frequently pillaged by the See also:Tuareg, so that the prosperity of the town declined. Later on, the opening of rapid means of transport from Kano and other cities to the Gulf of See also:Guinea also affected Ghadames, which, however, maintains a considerable trade. The See also:chief articles brought by the caravans are See also:ostrich feathers, skins and See also:ivory and one of the See also:principal imports is See also:tea. In 1845 the See also:population was estimated at 3000, of whom about 500 were slaves and strangers, and upwards of 1200 See also:children; in 1905 it amounted in See also:round See also:numbers to 7000. The inhabitants are chiefly See also:Berbers and See also:Arabs. A Turkish See also:garrison is maintained in the town. Before the See also:Christian era Ghadames was a stronghold of the Observed. A Calculated. 251° B 266° 278° See also:GEZER-GHADAMES 915 See also:Imam ul-IJaramain) until io85, when he visited the celebrated See also:vizier See also:Nizam ul-Mulk, who appointed him to a professorship in his See also:college at See also:Bagdad in 1091. Here he was engaged in See also:writing against the Isma'ilites (Assassins). After four years of this See also:work he suddenly gave up his See also:chair, See also:left See also:home and See also:family and gave himself to an ascetic See also:life. This was due to a growing See also:scepticism, which caused him much See also:mental unrest and which gradually gave way to See also:mysticism. Having secured his chair for his See also:brother he went to See also:Damascus, See also:Jerusalem, See also:Hebron, See also:Mecca, See also:Medina and See also:Alexandria, studying, meditating and writing in these cities. In IIo6 he was tempted to go to the See also:West, where the Moravid (Almoravid) See also:reformation was being led by Yusuf See also:ibn Tashfin, with whom he had been in See also:correspondence earlier. Yusuf, however, died in this year, and Ghazali abandoned his See also:idea. At the wish of the See also:sultan Malik Shah he again undertook professorial work, this See also:time in the college of Nizam ul-Mulk at See also:Nishapur, but returned soon after to Tus, where he died in See also:December 1111. Garamantes whose See also:power was overthrown in the days of See also:Augustus by L. See also:Cornelius B albus See also:Minor,who captured Ghadames(Cydamus). It is not unlikely that See also:Roman settlers may have been attracted to the spot by the presence of the warm springs which still rise in the See also:heart of the town, and spread fertility in the surrounding gardens. In the 7th century Ghadames was conquered• by the Arabs. It appears afterwards to have fallen under the power of the rulers of See also:Tunisia, then to a native See also:dynasty which reigned at Tripoli, and in the 16th century it became part of the Turkish vilayet of Tripoli. It has since then shared the See also:political fortunes of that See also:country. In the first See also:half of the 19th century it was visited by several See also:British explorers and later by See also:German and See also:French travellers. See J. See also:Richardson, Travels in the Great See also:Desert of Sahara in 1845-.1846 ... including a Description of ... Ghadames (See also:London, 1848) ; G. Rohlfs, Reise durch Marokko ... and Reise durch See also:die See also:Grosse See also:Waste fiber Rhadames nach Tripoli (See also:Bremen, 1868). Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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