M’zab Valley

M’zab is a valley located in the northern Sahara, about 500 km from the capital of Algeria. It is administratively part of the province of Gardaïa. Although this amazing valley was settled more than 10 centuries ago, it has changed little since then. Since 1820, the Mzab settlements have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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History

In the 10th century, Ibadite Muslims fled Berbera from religious fanatics who persecuted them. Wandering through the desert, they found a valley that became a new, relatively safe haven for them. The Ibadites built five fortified towns-xur. Only in the 17th century, due to the increase in population, two more cities were completed. Thus, the tiny state existed until the 19th century, and then voluntarily became part of Algeria under special conditions.

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Even today, the inhabitants of the Mzab Valley are characterized by a distinctive culture, proudly called “Saharan Puritans” and keep away from tourists.

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Architecture

It is safe to say that the way they built in the Mzab Valley was not built anywhere else. The center of the city is always the mosque, towering above the houses, and from it, like circles on the water, diverge houses. Each successive circle widens until gradually the houses reach the city wall.

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In addition to spiritual, the mosque has a defensive value: in case of capture of the city, it becomes the last stronghold of defense and can hold out for a long time due to the stocks of grain and weapons, as well as a well dug in the courtyard. The numerous minarets located throughout the city are also fire towers.

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All houses are connected to each other, some sharing walls, others only small bridges leading to their neighbors. In this way the women can socialize without leaving the house. The buildings are so close together that the narrow streets running between the houses are almost invisible from a bird’s eye view.

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A traditional Mzab house consists of 4 levels: a basement, an upper floor, a roofed terrace and a basement. The basement is used for household needs and various celebrations. The upper floor is more free and the most luxurious, as it contains the men’s rooms.

From afar, identical houses, painted in the colors of the sky and sand, resemble toy houses. But they have stood here for nearly 1,000 years and remain as solid as ever.

Tourists

The Mzab Valley is an inhospitable place for tourists, and it’s not even because it’s far out in the desert. The main problem with visiting here is the closed and inaccessible nature of these towns. Only one of them is completely open to tourists – it is Gardaia, considered the capital of these settlements. Entrance to the rest of the towns is only allowed to travelers during the day, which means that you should leave the territory of the ksur before sunset.

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Muslim traditions regarding everyday life are also very peculiar – none of the tourists can visit the sacred parts of the city or the women’s part of the houses. It is not customary here to even ask for such an excursion.

And yet this unusual region, living by its own rules, attracts more and more tourists. Many of them are architects who have come to familiarize themselves with the peculiar ancient architecture.