Ksar Nalut – A Fortified Granary in Nalut, Libya

Ksar Nalut is also known as Ksar Lalot. The fortified granary, also known as a ksar, is located in Nalut, within the Nalut District of Western Libya. Berber people in North Africa constructed ksars atop hilltops as a defensive measure against invaders. It is believed by them that a safe and secure place is thought to have been kept by the people of Nalut for their food. Their cattle were taken to graze when they left town, as well as during harvest time when they moved into caves cut into the rock face.

After being abandoned in the 1960s, Nalut Kasr became a tourist destination. Although the exact date of its construction is unknown, historians believe it dates back to the tenth or eleventh centuries AD. The building was constructed to contain 400 rooms and basements for storing grains and oil.

Related Reading: The Draa Ksar in Timimoun, Algeria

The capital of the Nalut District in Libya is Nalut. Tripolitania’s Nalut lies between Tripoli and Ghadames, at the westernmost tip of the Nafusa Mountains. Ksar Nalut is a structure in Nalut that local communities used to store their grain during times of unrest. If you are a history lover, then you must visit this place and experience the lifestyle of African Berbers. Further, in Nalut, you can also explore Nalut’s oldest ksour and the Alal’a Mosque (Nalut’s oldest), which was rebuilt in 1312 CE.