The Hidden Jewish Cave Villages of Libya

In the beginning of the 20^th century, Russian-Israeli Hebrew scholar and writer Nahum Slouschz traveled throughout North Africa, looking for ancient Jewish communities living there. He described Jewish villages whose residents lived in caves, hidden from the eyes of potential enemies.

After a two-day journey from Tripoli, Libya, through the desert on camelback, Slouschz and his traveling companions

“were scaling the wild crags, reaching ever higher and higher. Finally a red plateau, dotted with fruit-bushes, but utterly devoid of any trace of human habitation, unrolled before our eyes. A strange spectacle this – hills and fertile valleys, where, except for an occasional ruin or mosque, not a sign of human habitation showed above ground, where the dead were entombed above the earth, and where the living dwelled in scarcely discernible subterranean caves¹.”

The travelers soon found out that the empty appearance was deceptive. They encountered a group of young Jewish women who were startled to see them. A group of men, “bronzed and strongly built,” followed the women. They recognized Slouschz’s companion, Rabbi Mordecai of Tripoli, and welcomed the visitors to their village, called Beni-Abbes.

Still, Slouschz did not see any homes. He writes², “In vain did we look amongst the palm trees, the olive-trees, the fig-trees – not a trace could be seen of any habitation, not a vestige of the caves we had heard so much about.”

Finally, led by Said Shinani, the village’s ritual slaughterer, the visitors

“discerned a number of square holes, great pits almost concealed by the red hillocks around them, we could hear the wailing of infants, the lowing of cattle, the shrill cries of women, all issuing from the depths… Then we approached a hole, opening in the side of a hill like the entrance to a cave. But… a wooden door was opened for us by a wooden key, with which Said fumbled in the lock… We found ourselves in a sort of dark, uneven gallery, burrowed in the red soil, which led ever downwards, and which long habit alone could teach one to pass through without mishap. At the end of about fifteen or twenty yards we found ourselves in a court, illuminated faintly by rays of light slanting in from above. This was the stable, into which our animals were taken, and which preceded the central court of the human habitation³.”

The homes of the villagers were especially designed to be hidden from the eyes of traveling marauding bands, common in the desert since ancient times. Slouschz writes⁴, “If these should invade the village, they would have the greatest difficulty in penetrating into a cave irregularly cut and hidden from view.”

Caves in Gharian, Libya, that served as homes for its Jewish community. Klaus-Norbert, Wikimedia Commons

The cave homes also protected their inhabitants from the harsh desert climate, keeping them cool in the summer and dry in the winter.

Slouschz and his companions continued down a straight passage and reached “a square subterranean courtyard, fairly well lighted by a patch of sky visible at a depth of ten to twelve meters from the surface of the earth; this provided all the light and air for the inhabitants⁵.”

The courtyard served as the kitchen and a factory. The living rooms of the homes were carved into the caves or dug out from the ground. The sparsity of light and air made the visitors slightly uncomfortable, but the local residents did not seem to be bothered by that.

There was a total of six underground courts in the village, housing 240 people. The locals told the visitors that the community used to be much bigger, but it was devastated by the plague in 1840. Some neighboring villages were completely wiped out.

Ever since the plague, the survivors fought against local Arabs who tried to take over their land, taking advantage of the diminished number of the Jews. The locals complained, with tears in their eyes, that the Arabs ploughed over the Jewish cemetery and desecrated the graves of their ancestors.

The village had an ancient synagogue, located in a hollow surrounded by an open court, camouflaged by soil covering its roof. The Arabs attempted to close down the synagogue. They complained to the authorities that the presence of the synagogue was a desecration to a nearby mosque. “Fortunately,” writes Slouschz, “there were judges in Tripoli and money in the hands of the Jews. By a happy chance the Jews have in their possession a document that proves that the synagogue was in existence on its present site 500 years before the foundations of the mosque were laid⁶.” The synagogue was built in the Middle Ages.

Nahum Slouschz, 1926. National Library of Israel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Origins of the Jewish Communities in the Desert Caves

Tripoli, capital of today’s Libya, has had a Jewish community since ancient times, mentioned as far back as the writings of Josephus⁷. In the Middle Ages, Libya was under Muslim rule, and Jews lived there as dhimmis, second class citizens permitted to practice their religion.

In the beginning of the 16^th century, Spain was out to conquer as much of the world as possible. This was shortly after the expulsion of Jews from Spain, and Inquisition was in full force.

In 1510, Spanish forces attacked Tripoli from the sea. A violent battle ensued. Thousands of the locals were killed, and even more were captured into slavery. Eventually, Tripoli surrendered.

Not interested in living under Spanish rule and being subjected to the Inquisition, about 800 Jewish families escaped from Tripoli south into the desert⁸. They built the cave villages which Slouschz and his companions visited in the beginning of the 20^th century.

Besides Beni-Abbes, there were two other nearby places where Jews lived in caves: the village of Tigrina and the town of Gharian. The three cave communities served as a safe haven for Jews escaping persecution⁹.

Between 1551 and 1911, the area was part of the Ottoman Empire. Under the Ottoman rule, Jewish communities maintained their autonomy. Their land and buildings were officially recognized as Jewish property. The Jews built two synagogues in Tigrina and one each in Beni-Abbes and Gharian. They also set aside land for Jewish cemeteries in all three locations¹⁰.

The Jews of Tigrina and their cave homes, 1943. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

By the time Slouschz visited Tigrina in early 20^th century, one of its synagogues was rebuilt above ground, “a square building dominated by a rather squat cupola¹¹.” The other synagogue in Tigrina was still underground and looked similar to the one in Beni-Abbes.

There were about 20 subterranean courts in Tigrina, housing between 650 and 700 residents. In one of the synagogues, Slouschz saw a young teacher teaching about 40 students to read Hebrew.

In Tigrina, Slouschz met the Chief Rabbi of the area, Rabbi Halifa Hajaj, who also served as a local physician, treating both Jews and Muslims. Slouschz describes Rabbi Hajaj as “of small stature, but of venerable appearance, with large brown, lively eyes, a long beard, and a lofty forehead, which gave him an imposing air¹².”

In Rabbi Hajaj’s home, Slouschz saw manuscripts containing beautiful poetry written by local residents, mostly liturgical.

Besides their religious practices, the local Jews were busy with agriculture and worked as blacksmiths. The families owned goats, chickens, sheep, and donkeys. On Saturdays, the local Arabs would appropriate the donkeys and use them for field work, under the pretext that the Jews would not be using them on Shabbat¹³.

On market days, Jewish men traded various goods in the market. They also traveled around the area as itinerant merchants during seasons when they were not busy with agricultural work.

The women ran their homes, took care of the children, and wove tunics, which they sold to the Muslims. Older children helped their mothers and took care of the animals.

The meals were cooked in shared courtyards and eaten on rugs on the floor.

Slouschz describes daily life in the caves as “primitive in the extreme. They are generally content with barley bread, with dates and figs, with cus-cus [couscous] and with bazin [unleavened barley bread]. White bread, which comes from Tripoli, is an unheard-of luxury, even during the festivals, which are rigorously observed. To make up for it, they over-indulge in date-whiskey and in red pepper¹⁴.”

Nafusa Mountains, where the cave towns and villages were located. Trtoot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Leaving Libya

In 1911, Italy conquered Libya. The local Arabs revolted against Italian rule, and the Jewish communities found themselves in the midst of a war. When Italy sealed off the region from the coastal area, the local population suffered from famine, epidemics, and draught¹⁵.

By 1922, Italy was in full control of Libya. The Jews continued to maintain their traditional lifestyle, though some Jewish children began attending Italian schools and learning Italian. Jewish life continued to revolve around synagogues, with local leadership taking advantage of the political stability and increasing Jewish education. They imported both printed and handwritten Jewish books and sent young men to study in yeshivas in Tripoli¹⁶.

In 1940, Italy officially allied itself with Nazi Germany and instituted anti-Jewish laws. Many Libyan Jews were sent to forced labor camps. Two of the camps were located in Gharian and Tigrina.

The local Jews who were able to remain in their cave homes tried to provide food for the Jewish labor camp inmates. They also sheltered Jews who had escaped from Tripoli and other parts of Libya.

In 1943, Britain conquered Libya from Italy and freed the Jewish prisoners. The Jewish communities maintained good relationships with the British, providing them with food and supplies. However, the Jews’ relationships with the local Muslim population deteriorated, especially as Jews in the Land of Israel fought off hostile Arabs and strove for independence.

In 1945, violent riots targeting Jews erupted throughout Libya. In the town of Gharian, the local Jewish leader, Khlafu Huga Hassan, saved the Jewish community through his diplomatic connections. Though Jewish property was vandalized and destroyed, all the Jews survived by hiding in the home of a local Muslim sheikh¹⁷.

However, hundreds of Jews were murdered and maimed throughout Libya. The Jewish communities in Libya no longer felt safe. Many Jews decided to immigrate.

In 1948, when Israel declared its independence, another wave of anti-Jewish violence spread through Libya. Most Libyan Jews, including Jews from the cave communities, left for Israel.

The rest of Libyan Jews left Libya in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, no Jews remain in Libya¹⁸.

The abandoned cave homes now serve as a tourist attraction for visitors to the area¹⁹.

Nahum Slouschz. Travels in North Africa. The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1927. Page 122-123.
Ibid., pages 123-124.
Ibid., page 124.
Ibid., page 125.
Ibid., page 125.
Ibid., page 129.
Jews in Libya. Available from https://www.morasha.com.br/en/diaspora-communities/Jews-in-Libya.html, accessed on February 3, 2025.
Haïm Z’ew Hirschberg, Robert Attal, Rachel Simon, Rachel Cohen, and Haim Cohen. Libya Virtual Jewish History Tour. Available at https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/libya-virtual-jewish-history-tour, accessed on February 3, 2025.
The Jewish Community of Gharian. Available at https://dbs.anumuseum.org.il/skn/en/c6/e250233/Place/Gharian, accessed on February 3, 2025.
Ibid.
Nahum Slouschz. Travels in North Africa. The Jewish Publication Society of America, Philadelphia, 1927. Page 134.
Ibid., page 136-137.
Ibid., page 130.
Ibid., page 130.
The Jewish Community of Gharian. Available at https://dbs.anumuseum.org.il/skn/en/c6/e250233/Place/Gharian, accessed on February 3, 2025.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Sheryl Silver Ochayon. The Jews of Libya. Available at https://www.yadvashem.org/articles/general/the-jews-of-libya.html, retrieved on February 3, 2025.
Marie-Louise Gumuchian. Going underground: Libya’s unusual cave dwellings. Available at https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyle/going-underground-libyas-unusual-cave-dwellings-idUSBRE9600DR/, accessed on February 3, 2025.