THE FORTRESS OF MOURZOUK

When the guard is not there, the door is sometimes left open. Set at the bottom of an enclosure encompassing a mosque and a large closed paddock serving as a stable, the fortress was built by the Ottomans in the th century. Originally, it was the Moroccan conquerors Aoulad Mohamed el-Fassi who, taking Mourzouk as capital in the th century, built a strong castle at the location of a defensive building. Their reign lasted until their defeat by the Ottomans at the beginning of the th century. After the Turks, Italians used the fortress before they preferred a more modern construction. Made of local materials, rubble and mud, the fortress was designed to support long seats. At the northeast corner, we will notice the killer that was used strategically to protect the entrance. We then move towards the pretty, round and closer minaret at the summit, from the small Jama'a Jouma mosque, in the style more African than Libyan, and where the inhabitants still have their prayers.

Although built by the Ottomans, the mosque is local architecture, perhaps because it interfered in its redevelopment by the Turks. The prayer room has a profusion of pillars - 25 in all -,

the quantity here to compensate for the weakness of construction materials. In front of the prayer room, the tomb of a Ottoman soldier is recognized. The old stables are closed to visitors. Once a year is the local festival of the town of Mourzouk. Before leaving, climb the staircase on the terrace of the enclosure to admire the beautiful overview.

If you go to the city centre, more specifically on the street, which overlooks the major sports stadium, you can stroll through the souk to vegetables under a large cover covered with sheet metal and between the stalls and trinkets held by women.