Oued Saoura is an intermittent river, or

wadi 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 ...

, formed from the confluence of the

Oued Guir Oued Guir is an intermittent river or wadi that flows through the Drâa-Tafilalet and Oriental regions in southeastern Morocco and Béchar Province in western Algeria. Course The Oued Guir originates high in the Atlas Mountains northeast of t ...

and

Oued Zouzfana Oued Zouzfana is an intermittent river, or wadi, that flows through the Oriental region in southeastern Morocco and Béchar Province

at Igli, forming the Saoura valley. While in the past the flow of the river was steady and plentiful, in recent years it has diminished due to the construction of the Djorf Torba dam on the Oued Guir.

Course

From Igli the Oued Saoura runs through

Béchar Province Béchar ( ar, ولاية بشار) is the second least-densely populated province (''wilaya'') in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar. History The greater part of the province is dry plains (hamadas) suitable for grazing but with insuffic ...

past the towns of

Béni Abbès Béni Abbès ( ar, بني عباس), also known as the ''Pearl of the Saoura'', and also as the ''White Oasis'', is a town and commune located in western Algeria in Béchar Province, far from the provincial capital Béchar, and from Algiers. ...

, Tamtert, El Ouata, Béni Ikhlef,

Kerzaz Kerzaz ( ar, كرزاز) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune, and capital of Kerzaz District, in Béchar Province, western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 5,028, up from 4,276 in 1998, and its annual growth rate is ...

, Timoudi, Ouled Khoudir, and Ksabi, then passes under the N6 highway before reaching the

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

lake Sebkha el Melah.

References

Saoura Geography of Béchar Province {{Algeria-river-stub