Nalut Castle, Libya. Image is combined from three photos
The name
Nalut
is also pronounced by the local Berbers as
Lalut
or
Lalout
,
which may relate to the nearby site of Tala: the Berber
Spring-goddess, who is often mentioned in conjunction with
the title Nana, as in Nana Tala, in nearby Jado.
Nalut
is one of the most interesting Berber settlements
of
Nafousa Mountain.
It is located about 270 km south east of Tripoli, and approximately
2000 feet above sea level. It is the last Nafousa settlement
before descending towards the desert oasis of Ghadames,
passing by Sinnawen and Durj. Nalut, being only 60 km from
the Tunisian border, has played an important role in the
ancient caravan trade. Some of the best
preserved Berber granaries and castles are found in Nalut,
which attract a large number of tourists, in their way to
mythical Ghadames, including Nalut Old Castle.
The present town of Nalut is surrounded by the ruins of old villages
and settlements, most of which have never been excavated before.
Places of interest include several caves and castles, like those
of Nalut Old Castle, Tseenan and Teltayeen; several natural springs,
like those of Tala and Touneen; and, a number of ancient ruins and
villages surrounding Nalut city. The spectacular Berber
fortified granary, which has nearly 400 rooms, was originally used
to store grain, oil and other produce for safe keeping (an ancient
Berber bank).
The
granary, also known as Ghasro
(The
Old Castle), is situated on a steep hillside, surrounded
by the remains of the old, deserted village. It was said that the
castle was built in 1240 AD, while locals say it is at least
2000 years old.
Proper archaeological research perhaps can settle the issue.
The Streets of Old Nalut.
جولة داخل قصر نالوت الأثرى
A Tour Inside Nalut Castle
According to some archaeologists, Libya is one of the last places left where very little work has been done. There have been five reports of dinosaurs discovered in Libya since 1960. One recent report came from the Nalut area, where fossil remains of a Dinosaur were
discovered in the Mardwat region,
about 1km north-east of Nalut.
Fossilised
dinosaur bone from Nalut.
You can see more of these at the
building of the Red Crescent in Nalut:
https://www.temehu.com/Cities_sites/museum-of-nalut.htm
Nalut Spring, Cultural & Tourist Festival
Ancient castle door
showing the Berber magical symbols:
the hand, the
star and the moon.
Nalut Spring Festival, as the name suggests,
was established to revive and promote
the local Berber culture, traditions,
industries and art as part of Libya's
sacred heritage. Being on the main
route to Ghadames the festival has
attracted a number of foreign visitors, in their way to the desert sites of Acacus
and Ubari. In fact, many tourists come specifically to visit this festival, as
they do visit the festivals of Ghat and Ghadames and also the Festival in the
Desert: the Tuareg Festival in Mali.
Nalut Festival: a man wearing traditional Libyan clothes and riding
a horse.
The History of Nalut Festival
The first Nalut Festival, which took place
in 1976, was a great success and attended by several ministers from the Libyan
government. But then the events took the usual turn, and
the second Nalut Festival never took place until 2005. After the success of
the Third Festival in 2006, the Libyan People's General Committee for
Culture endorsed the festival as part
of the cultural heritage of Libya. The Fourth
Festival was then held in the Spring of 2007,
followed by the Fifth in 2008, and the Sixth
in 2009 (as shown in these photos).
Nalut Festival:
traditional Libyan music band:
the bagpipe is called zukra (zekrah) or
tishekwet (in Berber), and the
drum
(eddenget).
The Goals of Nalut Festival
Presenting traditional Berber heritage of Nalut and Nafousa
Mountain.
Encouraging local voluntary work among the young generations.
Preserving and restoring the Berber archaeological sites of Nalut.
Reviving the native Libyan culture and engaging the new generations to participate
in preserving Berber culture.
Encouraging and promoting local tourism.
Work towards establishing an International festival to attract tourists from
around the world.
Encouraging the revival and preservation of traditional Berber industries
and crafts.
Nalut Festival.
The Achievements of Nalut
Festival
Owing to the spirit of the
festival, the people of Nalut wore traditional clothes during
the festival; although
Libyan traditional clothes are still popular
without the need for any festivals, except
among the young generations, who recently
began to follow imported fashion (jeans,
t-shirts and baseball caps). The festival has also
succeeded in establishing voluntary
work and the determination to work collectively
towards achieving its goals.
The restoration of the ancient Nalut Castle through
three stages, of the road in the old town,
and of some of the ancient houses in the Old Town, together with repairing the
old track linking Nalut Castle with the forest of Tala.
The number of tourists has increased from 750 in 2005 to 3000
tourists in 2006, and to 7000 in 2007.
An increase in the uptake of traditional industries, especially
among women, as a result of their participation
in the festival.
Nalut Festival.
Nalut Festival: Berber Tuareg Dance.
Traditional Berber-style houses from Nalut.
A traditional Berber Oil Press From Nalut.
Nalut: the beautiful town of Nalut is surrounded
by a valley from three sides, providing a magnificent view
from its summit, looking down at the plains and the spiraling
road leading to the top of the mountain.
A view From Nalut.
أمازيغي بالعربي نالوت التاريخ الجزء الثاني
Tamazight in Arabic: History of Nalut (Part 2)
