Gaberoun

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Gaberoun (Arabic: قبر عون‎, alternate spelling Gaberoun, Gaber Awhn, Gabr Awhn, Gabr Own, Gabraun) is an oasis with a large lake located in the municipality Sabha in the Libyan Sahara.

Gaberoun Oasis Lake
Gaberoun Oasis Lake

The old Bedouin settlement by the western shore of the lake has been abandoned, and now lays in ruins. A rudimentary tourist camp is located on the northeastern shore, including an open patio, sleeping huts, and a souvenir shop (attended by a touareg in full costume) in the winter.

The lake is very salty, swimming can be pleasant despite the salt water crustaceans. Mosquitoes are abundant, especially in the summer. October to May is considered the best time to visit as the climate is milder.

Gaberoun location in Libya
Gaberoun location in Libya

Contents

[edit] History

A small tribe inhabited the oasis, the ruins of their settlement are scattered between the palms at the north-western shore of the lake. It is said that one of their sources of subsistence were the worm-like crustaceans they fished from the salty lake.

They were moved in the 1980s to a new location outside the sand dunes, in the Wadi Bashir, south of the erg, a settlement of concrete apartments build specifically for the resettlement of this tribe.

[edit] Access

The oasis is accessible from the Sabha-Ubari road (150km west of Sabha and north in the sand dunes at the settlement of Qasr Larocu), by a 36 km 4WD ride through the dunes of the Awbari sand sea (also called Ramlat al Dauada).

[edit] Nearby attractions

Other nearby attractions are the El Mandara oasis (26.68972° N 13.31260° E), the Un Almaa oasis (26.70973° N 13.33208° E), Mafo Lake in the same sand erg (Ramlat al Dauada) and the museum in Germa.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 26°48′11″N, 13°32′7″E

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