M'zab Valley description and photos - Algeria (Topic)

M'zab Valley description and photos - Algeria. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is M'zab Valley.

Photo and description

Mzab Valley - existing from the X century. the area of the settlement of Muslim Ibadis has not changed to this day. The architecture of the Mzab area is best adapted to the surrounding conditions. The attraction is located in the Sahara Desert, 600 km south of Algeria. Five ksurs (towns) of the Mzab valley form a monotonous ensemble representing an example of an ancient urban civilization. This distinctive culture with its own laws and characteristics has been preserved over the centuries.

Consisting of palm groves and ksurs El Etteuf, Bounor, Melik, Gardaye and Beni Isguyen (founded between 1012 and 1350), the Mzab Valley has preserved the lifestyle and construction technologies of the 11th century. They have stood the test of time, perfectly adapted to conduct constant defense against enemies. In each of these miniature citadels, a mosque and a minaret rise behind the fortress walls, which functions as a watchtower. The mosque is conceived as a fortress, the last bulwark of resistance in the event of a siege, and includes an entire arsenal and granary. Around are houses built in the form of concentric circles, up to the ramparts. Each house is a standard type of cube, illustrating an egalitarian society based on respect for family values, aimed at preserving its privacy and autonomy.

Created at the beginning of the first millennium from local materials by the ancient Ibadite architects, the ensemble buildings are an example of ideal adaptation to the environment and simplicity of form. Usually the house consisted of a basement-cellar, the first, second floors and a mandatory flat roof with a terrace. Houses are connected to each other by covered passages. The principles of equality of the Mozabite society are clearly traced in the similarity of household structures.

Elements of the Mzab valley are an outstanding example of the traditional settlement of representatives of the Ibadi culture. Thanks to an ingenious system of water retention and distribution, the creation of palm groves, the settlement demonstrates extremely effective human interaction with the surrounding semi-desert environment.

Floods and the influence of nearby cities did not affect the pristine Mzab Valley too much. Permanent restoration of historical and religious monuments (mausoleums and mosques), the defensive system (rear, guard structures, ramparts, towers of the ramparts) and the hydraulic system, contribute to the maintenance of the entire original urban system in good condition.

The assignment of the status of a UNESCO protected site and the development of a state conservation plan contributes to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the valley. By controlling the growth of cities in the immediate vicinity of palm groves, by banning flooding and altering elements of the natural landscape, the authorities are trying to preserve an exceptional example of an ancient civilization.

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Topic: M'zab Valley description and photos - Algeria.