Nalut: Lalout

Nalut Castle, Libya.

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 Jado, Nafousa Mountain. Nalut is one of the most interesting Berber settlements of   Jabel Nafusa (Nafousa Mountain). It is located about 270 km south east of Tripoli, and approximately 2000 feet above sea level. It is the last Nafousa settlements before descending into the desert road towards 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. Well recommended.

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.   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.

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, or right here.

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 arts 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 ever to take place was way back in 1976. The festival was a great success and attended by several ministers from the Libyan government. The next festival was 29 years later, when in 2005 the inhabitants of Nalut agreed to revive the festival and declared the 2005 festival as the Second Nalut Festival. After the success of the Third Festival in 2006, the Libyan People's General Committee for Culture endorsed the festival as 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, Libya:
traditional Libyan music band:
the bagpipe is called zukra (zekrah) or tishekwet (in Berber), and the drum (eddenget).

The Goals of Nalut Festival:

• Presenting the traditional heritage of Nalut and Nafousa Mountain.
• Preserving the traditional heritage of Nalut and Nafousa.
• Encouraging local voluntary work among the young generation.
• Preserving and restoring the archaeological sites of Nalut.
• Spreading the local Libyan culture among the new generations and keeping them away from foreign cultures.
• 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 industries and crafts.

 

Nalut Festival, Libya.

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 the fashion of jeans, t-shirts and baseball caps. The festival has also succeeded in sowing the seeds of voluntary work and 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 to 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, Libya.

Nalut Festival: Berber Tuareg Dance.