World Heritage Identification Number: 188
World Heritage since: 1982
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Archaeological Sites
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇩🇿 Algeria
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Arab States
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The M'Zab Valley: A Timeless Oasis in the Sahara Desert
The M'Zab Valley, situated in the heart of the Sahara Desert, is a remarkable testament to human resilience and adaptability. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, this ancient oasis has remained largely unchanged since its establishment in the 10th century.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
A traditional human habitat, created in the 10th century by the Ibadites around their five ksour (fortified cities), has been preserved intact in the M’Zab valley. Simple, functional and perfectly adapted to the environment, the architecture of M’Zab was designed for community living, while respecting the structure of the family. It is a source of inspiration for today’s urban planners.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ii): The anthropic ensembles of the M'Zab Valley bear witness, by their exceedingly original architecture dating from the beginning of the 11th century and by their rigour and organization, to an outstanding and original occupation model for human settlements of the cultural area of central Sahara. This model settlement has exercised considerable influence for nearly a millennium on Arab architecture and town-planning, including architects and town-planners of the 20th century, from Le Corbusier to Fernand Pouillon and André Raverau.
Criterion (iii): The three elements constituting the urban ensembles and settlements of the M'Zab Valley: ksar, cemetary, and palm grove with its summer citadel, are an exceptional testimony of the Ibadis culture at its height and the egalitarian principle that was meticulously applied by the Mozabite society.
Criterion (v): The elements constituting the M'Zab Valley are an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, representative of the Ibadis culture that, through the ingenious system for the capture and distribution of water and the creation of palm groves, demonstrates the extremely efficient human interaction with a semi-desert environment.
Encyclopedia Record: M'zab
The M'zab, or Mzab, is a natural region of the northern Sahara Desert in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. It is located 600 km (370 mi) south of Algiers and has approximately 360,000 inhabitants.Additional Site Details
Area: 665.03 hectares
Number of Components: 19
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
Coordinates: 32.48333 , 3.68333
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© Camille Gillet, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
