The M'Zab Valley

The M'Zab Valley, on the edge of the northern Sahara in central Algeria, holds one of the most remarkable urban landscapes in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here, around a thousand years ago, the Ibadi Mozabite people built five fortified hilltop towns, the pentapolis, each a dense cluster of cubic earthen houses spiralling up to a central mosque whose tapering minaret crowns the summit like a watchtower. Ringed by date-palm oases and ingeniously irrigated, this austere, beautiful and perfectly adapted desert architecture, above all the town of Ghardaïa with its pyramidal skyline and vibrant market, so impressed modern architects like Le Corbusier that it influenced twentieth-century design.

History

The Mozabites are a branch of the Iznaten, a large Berber tribe of central southern Algeria, and many Tifinagh letters and symbols are carved around the valley. After the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb they followed the Mu'tazili school, while a Christian population lived on here until the 11th century; when the Rustamid state fell, its royal family and some of its people took refuge in the valley, and an Ibadi preacher sent by them, Abu Bakr an-Nafusi, converted the Mozabites. El Atteuf is the oldest settlement and Ghardaïa the main town, and El Guerrara and Berriane have been part of the M'zab since the 17th century. France, which conquered Algeria from 1830, annexed the M'zab only in 1882, and it returned to Algerian rule with independence in 1962 (Wikipedia, M'zab).

What you'll find

• Ghardaïa - the vibrant main town with its market and skyline.
• The hilltop towns - the five fortified cities of the pentapolis.
• The minaret-mosques - the tapering minarets crowning each town.
• The palm oases - the irrigated date groves around the towns.

When to go

October to April, the cooler months, are far more comfortable in this northern-Saharan valley than the intense summer heat, ideal for exploring the towns, mosques and market; the winter desert is mild by day. The earthen towns glow beautifully in the warm low light of morning and evening.

Practical notes

The M'Zab towns are traditional, conservative religious communities, so respectful dress and a local guide are important, and photography and access to some areas may be restricted. As a thousand-year-old UNESCO World Heritage masterpiece of five fortified desert cities that inspired modern architecture, though, the M'Zab Valley is a genuinely fascinating and beautiful place.

Nearby

The palm groves and the wider northern Sahara lie around Ghardaïa.