Ain al-Faras — the Spring of the Horse — is the ancient water source that made Ghadames possible. Without it, there would be no oasis, no town, and no caravan route. The spring bubbles up at the edge of the old city and feeds an intricate network of irrigation channels that distribute water to the surrounding palm gardens. The system of channels and sluice gates was traditionally managed communally, with each family and quarter allocated specific hours of water access, a scheduling system that balanced competing needs in a resource-scarce environment.
The spring and its channels are worth visiting in their own right as an example of traditional water management in a desert environment. The sound of running water in the middle of the Sahara is startling and immediately explains why this site was settled so long ago — traces of Phoenician and Roman-era occupation have been found here, and the Romans called the settlement Cydamus. It was one of the southernmost points of the Roman Empire.
The palm gardens fed by the spring are a lush, shaded world of date palms, pomegranates, figs, and vegetables, and walking through them in the heat of the day is a profound contrast to the surrounding desert. The dates of Ghadames were historically prized across the Sahara and formed one of the town's main trade goods along with the desert salt and trans-Saharan commodities that moved through it. The harvest, in autumn, is a festive time in the town.