The old core of Awjila is a maze of low, flat-roofed mud-brick houses with high windowless walls along the lanes — a Saharan vernacular shared with oases all the way from Siwa in Egypt to the Mzab in Algeria. Most of the structures are still inhabited by Amazigh families who continue to speak Awjila Berber, an endangered language found nowhere else and barely understood even by speakers in neighbouring Berber communities.
Many of the houses have been partially rebuilt with concrete blocks, but plenty of original mud architecture remains, including small inner courtyards shaded by palm matting and the narrow alleys that the locals call huma. Wander slowly, accept the occasional cup of tea if it is offered, and remember that this is a small conservative community: ask before photographing people, and dress modestly. There is no formal museum, but a stroll through the old quarter is the closest you will come to understanding what daily life in a working Saharan oasis still looks like.