The interior partitions, which glowed white with a protecting layer of limewash, had been made from sun-dried mud bricks. This combination of clay, sand and straw was layered above stones that insulated them from moisture. Dr Susannah Hagan, emeritus professor of structure on the College of Westminster and an skilled on inexperienced structure, later defined why this constructing method is so ingenious: “The key is within the partitions: thick partitions of earth or stone that delay the solar’s warmth penetrating a constructing inside through the day, and radiate that warmth again to the chilly sky at evening,” she mentioned. “By morning, the partitions have cooled sufficient to start out the protecting cycle once more.”
She added: “Skilful use of obtainable constructing supplies [achieves] the utmost consolation with minimal means. Within the desert, this implies coolness with out air con, and heat with out heating.”
Persevering with, we handed doorways of straightforward palm trunks, some studded with brass, in addition to low arches, curved alcoves, and dakkar – built-in benches – which, excellent for lounging, normally point out a close-by mosque (there are 21 of them, although solely a handful are nonetheless in use, and solely on Fridays). Typically the arches had been incised, chiselled or adorned with delicate work (a hand of Fatima, a star, intricate geometries), including to the thriller and attract.
