Images Jeride On the way to Sergilla Ruwheia Sergilla Wadi Matoun

The exodus from the villages, that we call now Dead Cities, started in the 7th century, and went on up the 12thand 13th century, when they became totally deserted. The reasons for the total exodus are not fully clear, but several explanations have been put forward by archaeologists: the impoverishment of the soil due to erosion, the trade crisis, a devastating plague and natural factors such as earthquakes.