El Hamel is a town and commune in M'Sila Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 10,195. El Hamel was built in the 11th century on two hills at the foot of Mount Omrane; Surrounded by mountains on all sides, the city resembles a medieval citadel below which flows the Great

Oued Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

. The village of the Saharan type, on a hill, while the zaouïa whose appearance resembles a fortress (ribât) rises on the second.

History

Many of the inhabitants descend from the so-called '' Hedjadjs (pilgrim) of El-Hamel'' who, returning from the Hajj pilgrimage settled here. The first of these inhabitants were the children of the noble Sidi Bouzid Ben Ali Ach'Charif Al-Hassani, from whom descend all Sharifs (descendants of MuhammadMA Cook, Muhammad, (Oxford University Press), 1983) p 13.) from the central Maghreb.

Description of the town

The old village of El-Hamel is built around ''Ain-Et'Touta'' (the Fountain of the Mulberry tree) is a ksar whose buildings recall those of the Kasbah of Algiers and the ksour of Ghardaïa and the old Bou-Saâda. The

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

s are

juxtaposed Juxtaposition is an act or instance of placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc. Speech Juxtaposition in literary terms is the showing ...

. They communicate with one another through beautiful Sakifates; A sort of narrow streets crossed here and there by Ghorfates or suspended verandas that rest on old tree trunks, forming small tunnels that bring shelter, charm, and freshness. Built on the left bank of the Oued Bou-Saâda, its imposing mass whose appearance is that of a fortress seems to watch over the village located below.

Zawiya

Zawiyet El Hamel A ''zawiya'' or ''zaouia'' ( ar, زاوية, lit=corner, translit=zāwiyah; ; also spelled ''zawiyah'' or ''zawiyya'') is a building and institution associated with Sufism, Sufis in the Islamic world. It can serve a variety of functions such a p ...

The creation of the Zaouïa complex dates back to the 19th century, founded by born in 1823 in the vicinity of

Hassi Bahbah Hassi Bahbah is a town and commune in Djelfa Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 77,000 which is 0.221% of total Algeria population. The town lies on the N1 Trans-Saharan highway, north of the town of Aïn Maabe ...

in the

Djelfa Province Djelfa ( ar, ولاية الجلفة) is a province (''wilaya'') of Algeria. Its capital is Djelfa. It was first established by the administrative reorganization of 1974, and is home to over 1.2 million inhabitants. Localities in this province i ...

. After he died in 1897, his daughter

Lalla Zaynab Lalla Zaynab (c. 1862 – 19 December 1904), was an Algerian Sufi Muslim spiritual leader. Regarded as a living saint by her followers, she fought a bitter battle over the succession of her father's barakah and Zawiya with her cousin Sa'id ibn ...

succeeded him until 1904. The

zaouïa A ''zawiya'' or ''zaouia'' ( ar, زاوية, lit=corner, translit=zāwiyah; ; also spelled ''zawiyah'' or ''zawiyya'') is a building and institution associated with Sufis in the Islamic world. It can serve a variety of functions such a place of ...

consists of a mosque, a Koranic school, and the mausoleum where the founder and his successors rest.

References

Communes of M'Sila Province M'Sila Province {{M'Sila-geo-stub