- TURY.CLUB
- Tourist Objects
- Algeria
- Gardaya (province)
- Mzab Valley
Mzab - a valley in northern Sahara, about 600 km south of the city of Algeria, administratively belongs to the province of Gardaya. The valley has been inhabited since ancient times, in the 11th century, five fortified settlements (ksurs) were built in the valley by Berber Ibadite Muslims - El Atteuf (El Attof), Bounoura (Bunura), Beni Isguen (Beni Isguen), Melika (Melika) and Ghardaïa ( Gardaya). The traditional human habitat created in the 11th century by Ibadites around their five fortified cities in the Mzab Valley has been preserved virtually untouched to this day. Ksurs are characterized by simple, but surprisingly well-adapted to desert conditions architecture, it is built on highlands and surrounded by palm groves, creating a shadow and cool in arid Sahara. Each city is a miniature fortress surrounded by walls, each of which has its own mosque, minaret, which also serves as a watchtower, and a mausoleum. Around the mosque there are residential cubic houses built in concentric circles diverging from the center to the ramparts.
In 1982, the Mzab Valley was given the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an untouched example of a pristine civilization, perfectly adapted to the environment.
