Berriane (from Tamazight: ''Bergan'') ( ar, بريان) is a medium-sized town and

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the south of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

, coextensive with Bérianne District, in

Ghardaïa Province Ghardaïa ( ar, ولاية غرداية) is located in the north of the Algerian desert, and the headquarters of the state is the city of Ghardaia 600 km south of the capital Algiers, its total area is estimated at 24711 Km², its extensio ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. It is located in the north of the Sahara desert, in the extreme North of the wilaya of Ghardaïa, south of Algiers and north of Ghardaïa City. As of the 2008 census it has a population of 30,200, up from 24,802 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 2.0%. It occupies an area of 2.250 km².

History

Archaeological, prehistoric and historical testimonies indicate that the area of Berriane was inhabited since at least the Neolithic era. The population of Berriane are principally of

Zenata The Zenata ( Berber language: Iznaten) are a group of Amazigh (Berber) tribes, historically one of the largest Berber confederations along with the Sanhaja and Masmuda. Their lifestyle was either nomadic or semi-nomadic. Etymology ''Iznaten ( ...

Mozabite origin. The town of Berriane forms an integral part of the history of the area of

M'zab The M'zab or Mzab ( Mozabite: ''Aghlan'', ar, مزاب) is a natural region of the northern Sahara Desert in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. It is located south of Algiers and there are approximately 360,000 inhabitants (2005 estimate). Geolog ...

. It is chronologically the youngest of all the cities of the M'zab region.

Recent events

Although an ancient Berber town, with a majority

Ibadi population, in recent years many Chaambi (Bedouin) Arabs have settled there. In March 2008 and February 2009 it was the scene of heavy riots between Berbers and Arabs, in which at least 4 native Berbers were killed.

Geography

In addition to its regional importance from the demographic, economic and cultural point of view, the commune of Berriane occupies a strategic position, connecting the cities of the South to those of the North. Its green palm grove forms a beautiful oasis which offers to its urban environment a more pleasant

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squ ...

in an area characterized by an arid climate.

Climate

Berriane has a hot

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''BWh''), with very hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Transportation

Berriane is crossed by the National Road 01, one of the country's important communication lines, and part of the

Trans-Sahara Highway The Trans-Sahara Highway or TAH 2 is a proposed transnational highway project to pave, improve and ease border formalities on an existing trade route running north–south across the Sahara Desert. It runs between North Africa bordered by the Medi ...

. The road leads north to

Laghouat Laghouat ( ar, الأغواط; en, Laghwat) is the capital of the Laghouat Province, Algeria, south of the Algerian capital Algiers. Located in the Amour Range of the Saharan Atlas, the town is an oasis on the north edge of the Sahara D ...

and

Djelfa Djelfa ( ar, الجلفة, link=no, al-Ǧilfah) is the capital city of Djelfa Province, Algeria and the site of ancient city and former bishopric Fallaba, which remains a Latin catholic titular see. It has a population of 490,248 (2018 census). T ...

, and south to

Ghardaïa Ghardaïa ( ar, غرداية, Mzab-Berber: ''Taɣerdayt'') is the capital city of Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The commune of Ghardaïa has a population of 93,423 according to the 2008 census, up from 87,599 in 1998, with an annual growth rate ...

In Salah In Salah or officially Aïn Salah ( ar, عين صالح) is the oasis town in central Algeria that is the capital of the In Salah Province and In Salah District. It was once an important trade link of the trans-Saharan caravan route. As of the 20 ...

and

Tamanrasset Tamanrasset (; ar, تامنراست), also known as Tamanghasset or Tamenghest, is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg. It is located an alt ...

Culture

Berriane is known for its pretty handicraft carpets and its artisanal products manufactured by highly qualified creators. It is also known for its folklore, culture heritage, ancestral culinary art and architecture.

Economy

In addition to its agricultural economy centered around date palms, Berriane is also an attractive city for tourists, featuring engravings and rock frescos dating from prehistory, inscriptions in the Tamazight alphabet called ''Tifinagh'', and historic buildings and architecture similar to other cities of the internationally famous M'Zab. The M'Zab region has classified by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as a world cultural heritage on its World Heritage List.

Education

6.3% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 15.3% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 88.3% (the second highest in the province), and is 93.3% among males and 83.2% among females (also the second highest in the province).

Localities

The commune of Berriane is composed of two localities: *Vieux Ksar de Berriane *Quartiers périphériques et Palmeraie

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Ghardaïa Province Communes of Ghardaïa Province Oases of Algeria