Kala-Beni Hammad Fort
Kala Beni Hammad is an ancient fortress city located in the province of Msila in northern Algeria. To date, it is uninhabited. The ruins of the former Hammadid capital are located in the picturesque mountains and are of great historical and cultural value. Kala Beni-Hammad is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as “an authentic picture of a fortified Muslim city.”
Sightseeing
Travelers who went to the ancient city should definitely see the remains of the 7-kilometer fortress wall and the ruins of a magnificent mosque, reminiscent of the mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia, with an almost unaffected minaret height of about twenty meters. By the way, it is his image is most often found in guidebooks on Algeria as a symbol of Kala-Beni-Hammad.
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An interesting attraction is an extensive 11th century complex, including the palace of the Emir of Dar el-Bahr, which consists of three residences separated by pavilions and gardens. Adjoining the palace is a swimming pool measuring 67×47 meters. The rich decor of the ensemble is also striking: marble sculptures of lions, painted glass, majolica, decorative fountains and ramps for launching boats. Found in it were. Another palace, Qasr el-Manar, was described in Arabic poems as a model of beauty and grandeur.
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The excavations revealed the location of other palaces, as well as many pieces of jewelry, coins, and pottery that testify to the high level of Hammadid civilization. Today, these artifacts are on display in museums in Setif, Constantine, and Algiers.
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History
Kala Beni Hammad was founded in 1007 as a fortress city in the mountains, 1,418 meters above sea level. It was laid out by the son of the founder of Algeria-Hammad.
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The city became the first capital of the Berber Hammadid dynasty. The famous historian Ibn Khaldun describes the city as the most powerful and influential entity in the Maghreb: “Qala soon became highly prosperous, its population grew rapidly and artisans and scholars traveled there in droves from the farthest corners of the empire.” But in 1090, the dynasty was forced to abandon it due to the threat of Hilalian invasion. Kala Beni-Hammad did not last long: in 1152 it was destroyed by the army of Abd-al-Mumin of the Almohad dynasty.
.Connoisseurs of architecture and art will appreciate this place! Kala Beni-Hammad is like a time machine that transports travelers to the world of ancient civilization, a place of fierce dynastic wars and luxury flowing over the edge.
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