M'zab
| Valley of M'zab | |
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UNESCO world heritage 
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Ghardaia |
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| National territory: |
 Algeria
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | (ii) (iii) (v) |
| Surface: | 665.03 hectares |
| Reference No .: | 188 |
| UNESCO region : | Arabic states |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 1982 ( session 6 ) |
M'zab ( Central Atlas Tamazight ⴰⵖⵍⴰⵏ Aɣlan , Arabic مزاب) is an oasis region in the province of Ghardaia in central Algeria , which is mainly inhabited by the Mozabites . These descendants of the Kharijites practice a strict form of Islam in which women are almost excluded from public life. 1982, a part of this area was under the name Valley of M'zab by the UNESCO as a world heritage site in the UNESCO World Heritage added.
history
The region has been populated since the Neolithic . Since the 9th century the sparsely populated M'zab became a refuge for Kharijites.
Traces of very early settlement have been found, but the sites that exist today date from the beginning of the 11th century. The builders were Ibadites , members of a predominant Islamic tendency in the Maghreb at that time . After their capital at Tahert was burned down in 909, they moved to Sedrata and finally to M'zab. The area, which until then was only inhabited sporadically by nomads , was chosen because of the good defense possibilities and also in a self-chosen isolation to preserve one's own identity.
Five citadel-like, fortified villages or ksour were founded: El Atteuf, Bou Noura, Beni Isguen, Melika and today's capital Ghardaia . Each is surrounded by a fortress wall and is dominated by the mosque , whose minarets serve as a watchtower. The mosque also served as an arsenal and granary and as an independent fortification in the fortress, similar to the keep in the European Middle Ages. The houses are built in several circles concentrically around the mosque and each consist of a room of the same size. Outside the walls is the cemetery, also with simple, uniform graves, only the holy graves and small mosques are more elaborately designed.
In the 18th century, the mzab was an important trading center in the Trans-Saharan trade. In 1853 the seven oases signed a treaty with France that guaranteed them autonomy. Nevertheless, the Mzab was later annexed by France.
In the summer the residents moved to palm groves, where fortified houses and watchtowers were also grouped around a mosque without a tower. This way of life continued into the 20th century.
geography
M'zab is located about 600 km south of Algiers in the Sahara . The Mzab is a rocky plateau with an area of 72 km² at an altitude between 300 and 800 meters. A wadi (called Wadi M'zab or Oued M'zab ) crosses the plateau from northwest to southeast.
The Mzab includes the following seven oases:
World Heritage
The valley of M'zab was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982 based on a decision of the 6th session of the World Heritage Committee. The reason for the entry states, among other things:
A traditional human habitat, created in the 10th century by the Ibadites around their five ksour, has been preserved in the valley of M'zab. Simple, functional and perfectly adapted to the environment, M'Zab's architecture was designed for community life and respected the structure of the family. It is a source of inspiration for today's urban planners.
The entry was made on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv).
(ii): The anthropic ensembles of the valley of M'zab with their extraordinarily original architecture from the beginning of the 11th century and with their rigor and organization testify to an outstanding and original model of the human settlement of the cultural area of the Central Sahara. This model estate has had a significant influence on Arab architecture and urban planning for almost a millennium, and also on 20th century architects and urban planners from Le Corbusier to Fernand Pouillon and André Raverau.
(iii): The three elements that make up the urban ensembles and settlements of the valley of M'zab: ksour, cemetery and palm grove with its summer citadel, are an exceptional testimony to the Ibadite culture at its height and that carefully applied by Mozabite society egalitarian principle.
(iv): The elements that make up the valley of M'zab are an excellent example of a traditional human settlement, representative of the Ibadite culture, made possible by the ingenious system of collecting and distributing water and creating Palm groves demonstrates the extremely efficient human interaction with a semi-desert environment.
The world heritage site has a total protection area of 665 hectares. It is composed of 27 individual areas.
Map with all coordinates of the world heritage components: OSM
Web links
- Mzab Online (French)
- Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d M'Zab Valley. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed June 8, 2017 .
- ↑ Decision: CONF 015 VIII.20. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed June 8, 2017 .
- ↑ M'Zab Valley. Maps. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed June 8, 2017 .
Cultural heritage: Kala'a Beni Hammad (1980) | Valley of M'zab (1982) | Djémila (1982) | Tipasa (1982) | Timgad (1982) | Kasbah of Algiers (1992)
Cultural / natural heritage: Tassili n'Ajjer (1982)
Coordinates: 32 ° 29 ′ 14.1 ″ N , 3 ° 40 ′ 52.7 ″ E