Brief Report
A traditional human habitat, founded in the 10th century by the Ibadites around their five ksour (fortified cities), is preserved in the M'Zab valley. Simple, functional and perfectly adapted to the environment, the architecture of the M'Zab is designed for the living room, taking account of the structure of the family. It is a source of inspiration for the current urban planners.
Wonderful Universal Importance
Located on a 600 km south of Algiers, in the heart of the Sahara desert, the five ksour (reinforced villages) of the M'Zab valley are a very homogeneous ensemble formation, in the desert, the mark of a sedentary and urban civilisation possess a original culture which, through its own merit, preserved its cohesion through the centuries. Consists of ksour and palm groves of El-Atteuf , Bounoura, Melika, Ghardaïa and Beni-Isguen (founded between 1012 and 1350), the M'Zab valley logement has virtually the same way of life and the same building techniques since the 11th century, ordered by a specific social and cultural context. And by the need to adapt to a hostile environment, the choice of responded to a historical necessity for withdrawal and a defensive necessary. Each of these miniature citadels, surrounded by walls, is dominated by a mosque, the minaret of which acts as watchtower. The mosque is designed as a fortress, the last bastion of resistance in the event of a siege, and consists of a arsenal and a grain store. Around this building, which is essential for life, houses have been built in concentric circles in the red light district. Each house a cubic cell of standard type, illustrates an egalitarian society based on respect for the family structure, aimed at the conservation of the intimacy and autonomy. At the beginning of the first millennium, the Ibadis created in the M'Zab, with local materials, a common architecture, with its perfect adaptation to the environment and the simplicity of the forms, an example and a influence for contemporary architecture and urban development.
Wide Report
The M'Zab valley, located in the Sahara, 600 km south of Algiers, is the site of a unique group in a limited area. Traces of very early settlement are to be found on the plateau and rocky slopes bordering the valley, was plagued by rare and devastating floods of the wadi. However, systematic depopulation of the countryside and the adaptation of a striking original architecture to a semi-desert site dating from the beginning of the 11th century and are the result of a group of people who by clearly religious, social and moral ideals. The Ibadis, whose doctrine in many ways reached the intransigent purism of Khridjism, governed a part of the Maghreb during the 10th century. They founded a state whose capital, Tahert, was destroyed by fire in 909; they then asked other territorial basis, first by Sedrata and finally in the M'Zab. The site bears witness, in a very special way, for Al Ibadi culture peaked.
The main reason for the choice of this valley, which until then only sporadically inhabited by nomadic groups, was the defensive possibilities offered a community which was concerned with its own security and massive commitment to the preservation of its identity, even at the expense of themselves. The occupation of the land and the organization of the space were based on very strict principles and their accuracy and their details, was exemplary nature. A group of five ksour (ksar: fortified village) - El Atteuf, Bou Noura, Beni Isguen, Melika and Ghardia - located on rocky foothills housed a sedentary and mainly urban population. Each of these miniature citadels, surrounded by walls, is dominated by a mosque, minaret functioned as watchtower. The three unchangeable elements - ksar, cemetery, palm garden with its summer citadel - are found in all five villages. They serve to illustrate an example of a traditional human settlement, which is representative of a culture that has continued in the 20th century. The mosque, with its arsenal and grain stores, is designed as a fortress, the last bastion of resistance to a siege. Around this building, which is essential for life, houses have been built in concentric circles on the walls. Each house, a cubic cell of standard type, illustrates an egalitarian ideal, while in the cemetery only the tomb of sages and the small mosques are distinguished. The pattern of life in the M'Zab valley a seasonal migration. Every summer the population moved to palm groves, where the 'Summer' cities were marked by a looser organization, the strong defensive nature of the houses, the presence of watchtowers and a mosque without minaret, are similar to those of the cemeteries. The settlement of the M'Zab valley has exerted considerable influence on architects and urban planners of the 20th century, Le Corbusier, is 'Pouillon' is added
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