The covered alleyways were a perfect construction to keep the villagers cool through summer. Note the sitting benches which are found in most alleyways. These show to what extent the streets were in use in daily and social life. Skylights in the ceilings allow natural light in, yet keep the heat out. Ghademes was arranged according to two tribes, the Bani Walid and the Bani Wazid. The Bani Walid inhabited four sections, the Bani Wazid three. Every section was very much like an independent town, although it may not have had more than a few hundred inhabitants. The sections were interconnected and in the middle there was a central square for all of Ghadames. In each of the seven sections there was a mosque, schools and markets and local leaders. From the 1960's, new quarters to the east of town grew up, and populated by Tuaregs who were giving up their nomadic lifestyles.
