Gharyan

Gharyan is the first town of the Jebel Nafusa, the Berber highland that rises behind the coastal plain south of Tripoli. It is known for its troglodyte houses, dug as deep circular pits into the soft rock with rooms hollowed out around a sunken courtyard, a design that keeps them cool in summer and warm in winter. Several are still lived in and one or two receive visitors. The town has a long pottery tradition and its workshops supply glazed ware across the region. Olive terraces, hilltop views over the plain and the road onward into Berber country define it.