GHARDAIA
Endless sea of sand, alternating volcanic and lunar landscapes of sand and rock where oases of incomparable charm spring up.
Formerly green and populated, the Sahara covers an area of 12,000,000 km², or 80 percent of Algeria’s surface area, the “Tiniri” as the “Tuaregs” like to call it in “Tamacheq”, the Algerian Sahara is undoubtedly one of the largest and most beautiful in the world.
GHARDAIA
Capital of the M’zab valley, Ghardaïa is the “gateway to the desert” located in the northern part of the Sahara. One of the other 5 K’sour or cities of M’zab.
A tourist site of major importance due to its unique architecture, history and culture, the city has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the desert, in the valley of the M’Zab wadi crossing a rocky limestone plateau called chebka (net), there are five K’sour or cities installed on both sides of the wadi.
The city of M’Zab appears to the eye like a built mass erected on a rocky outcrop or hill, which imposes itself by its tight order composed of agglomerated terracotta houses harmoniously layered in terraces, covered with pale colors: pinks, ochres, green, blue, giving the valley a unique chromatic aspect At the highest point, the minaret, raised towards the sky, announces the city and protects it. It is the guarantor and the nervous system. By its ordering and compact appearance, the ksar m’zab reflects the coherence and cohesion of its social body, the equality of its inhabitants without distinctions of fortune or social rank as well as their unfailing hospitality.
The inhabitants of M’zab are known as being of the most virtuous, they base their rite on the principles of faith, work and have known how to keep and preserve their traditions and values for millennia.
Sites to visit and places of interest:
Palm groves
The mausoleum of Sidi Brahim
the old ksar Zenata
Zelfana spa resort
Charles de Foucauld’s Church
O you who stand up for the lovers of city life
And who blames others for their love of the desert and Bedouin life
Is it the lightness that you reproach our tents?
Do you praise only the houses of stone and mud?
You ignore the secrets of the desert and ignorance is a source of tribulation
You would have proved me right If in the middle of the Sahara
your feet had trodden on this carpet of sand whose seeds are like pearls,
If you had walked through our sublime gardens,
with varied hues and exquisite scents.
You would have felt this balmy breath then
Who ennobles the spirit and does not bear impurities
Emir Abdelkader
