The Saoura () is a valley in southwestern
Algeria. It is formed by the
wadi known as
Oued Saoura
Oued Saoura is an intermittent river, or wadi, formed from the confluence of the Oued Guir and Oued Zouzfana 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 ...
, 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 th ...
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.
[]] From Igli it runs through
Béchar Province 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
Tamtert ( ar, اﻟﻮ ﻃﺎء), also written Tamert or Tamatart is a town and commune in Béni Abbès District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 1,248, down from 1,302 in 1998, with an annual ...
,
El Ouata
El Ouata ( ar, اﻟﻮاتة) is a town and commune in Béchar Province, western Algeria. The commune is coextensive with El Ouata District, which is named after the town. According to the 2008 census its population is 7,343, up from 7,014 in 199 ...
,
Béni Ikhlef
Béni Ikhlef ( ar, ﺑﻨﻰ ﻳﺨﻠﻒ) is a town and commune in Kerzaz District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. As of the 2008 census, its population was 2,459, up from 2,280 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 0.8%. The commune co ...
,
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
Timoudi (Arabic: ﺗﻴﻤﻮدى) is a town and commune in Kerzaz District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 2,389, up from 2,116 in 1998, with an annual population growth rate of 1.2%. The area ...
,
Ouled Khoudir
Ouled Khoudir ( ar, أوﻻد ﺧﺪﻳﺮ) is a town and commune in Ouled Khoudir District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 4,251, up from 3,893 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 0.9%. T ...
, and
Ksabi
Ksabi ( ar, ﻗﺼﺎﺑﻰ) is a town and commune in Ouled Khodeïr District, Béchar Province, in western Algeria. According to the 2008 census its population is 3,187, up from 2,656 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 1.9%. The commune cove ...
then passes under the N6 highway before reaching the
endorheic lake
Sebkhel el Melah
Sebkha el Melah, also known as Sebkhel el Melah or Sebkhet el Melah, is an endorheic salt lake in Béchar Province, southwestern Algeria. The Oued Saoura drains into the lake.
The lake is located near Kerzaz, about southeast of Béni Abbès. ...
. From 1962 to 1974 it was the name of a
wilaya (province) covering present-day
Béchar Province,
Tindouf Province and
Adrar Province.
References
Valleys of Algeria
Geography of Béchar Province
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