Ghadames, is a town in western Libya, in an oasis in the Sahara, near the borders with Algeria and Tunisia. It was long an important caravan center on the route from Tripoli to West Africa. The town was held by the Romans and was captured (7th century) by the Arabs. In 1830, it submitted to the dey of Tripoli. The town was occupied by the Italians in 1924 and in 1943, during World War II, by the French.