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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.