![]() Ghardaia is the main town and capital of the M'zab, while El-Ateuf is the oldest settlement in the region. Buildings are tightly packed, with narrow alleyways and covered passages winding between them. These houses were designed for communal living, within a remarkably egalitarian social structure which respects the privacy of the family. Around this building are houses built in concentric circles up to the ramparts. The mosque is conceived as a fortress, the last bastion of resistance in the event of a siege, and comprises an arsenal as well as a granary. Photo credit: Yann Arthus-BertrandĮach of the five towns - Ghardaia, Melika, Beni Isguen, Bou Noura and El Atteuf - are built on a knoll and surrounded by pastel-colored box-like buildings, tightly packed together in concentric circles around a central mosque built on the summit of a hill. There, they built five fortified towns - each a miniature citadel, encircled by walls, and dominated by a mosque, whose minaret functioned as a watchtower.Įl Ateuf, M’Zab Valley. When a devastating fire destroyed their home in 909, the Mozabites left Tahert and settled in M'Zab valley. The Mozabites were originally from Northwest Africa, a region historically known as the Maghreb, who had their capital at Tahert. The five towns, together known as the Pentapolis, are spread along the valley over a distance of about 10 km, and were established in the 11th century by Mozabite Berbers. MʾZab is a deep, narrow oasis valley located within the Sahara, consisting of five walled towns, about 600 km south of Algiers, the capital of Algeria.
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