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Waw an Namus
, also known as
Waw al-Namus or
an-Namous, is one of the remotest destinations in Libya, located
deep in the Sahara desert, south-east of Sabha and
south of the Harouj volcanic field.
The name also appeared as
Uau en-Namus
as a title of
a book by the Italian geologist Angelo Pesce (Uau
en Namus, South-Central Libya and Northern Chad, published
by the Petroleum Exploration Society of Libya, 1966).
Waw n-Namus volcanic field is about 4 km wide, with 100-meter-deep
caldera, with yellow
sulphur deposits around its 150-meter wide
crater. The volcano is surrounded
by an area of black deposit of ash between 10 to
20 kilometers wide, which gave it its name: the Dark Spot,
as it appeared in Google Earth.

Waw an-Namous is often referred to as the eighth (natural)
wonder of the world - a title also assigned to Libya's Man-Made
River. There are 3 small lakes in the area, which are an attractive
destination for many travellers. |
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The name Waw an-Namus means
the
"Oasis of Mosquitoes", or according to other interpretation
"The Crater of the Mosquitoes"
, from the fact that
the surrounding small lakes are infested with mosquitoes,
and therefore camping nearby requires nets and repellents.
I have noticed that eating raw garlic (crushed in olive
oil) appears to keep mosquitoes at bay - probably (?)
the smell of garlic that comes out with the sweat that
keeps the insects away from your skin, just as
it is a well known fact that garlic and onion plants
in the garden keep mosquitoes away.
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