The Cities of the Libyan Nafusah Mountain: Type of Dwellings and Urban Settlements.

Abstract

Interest in the Jabal Nafusah Mountain, in the north-eastern part of Libya, arises from the desire to study a system of settlements and landscape transformations which are unique to the Maghreb territory characteristics. The goal of this research is to propose a reading method for the urban structure and architectural forms, by the analysis of three models of settlement: Nalut, Cabao, Ulad Mahamud. These three significant study cases are analyzed by graphic and historical instruments with the purpose of under standing and verifying configuration and territorial continuity. The aim is to create an analytic sequence which starts from the territory with minimal architectural objects and extends to those nearest to the human scale of structure and dimensions, allowing us to understand the relations among the landscape, the history and the city formation.