Ghardaïa ( ar, ولاية غرداية) is located in the north of the

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

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

, and the headquarters of the state is the city of Ghardaia 600 km south of the capital

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

, its total area is estimated at 24711 Km², its extension from north to south is 138 km, and from east to west it rises from 200 to 250 km, above sea level With 486 m.

Geographical location

The province is bordered by the province of

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 the province of

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 ...

to the north, the province of El Menia in the south, the province of

Ouargla Ouargla ( Berber: Wargrən, ar, ورقلة) is the capital city of Ouargla Province in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing petroleum industry and hosts one of Algeria's universities, the University of Ouargla. The commune ...

to the east and the province of

El Bayadh El Bayadh () is a municipality of Algeria. It is the capital of El Bayadh Province. This town was known as ''Géryville'' during the French colonization of Algeria. Geography The Ksour Range is a mountainous A mountain is an elevated po ...

in the west. The city of Ghardaia, the capital of the province, is 200 km

, 200 km from

, 270 km from El Menia and 430 km from

, and is crossed by the national road N° 1 linking the

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

n capital to the Great South.

Climate

Since the state is located in

areas, the climate of the region is arid desert, the temperature range is wide between day and night, and between winter and summer, the winter temperature ranges between 1 to 25 degrees, and between 18 to 48 degrees in summer. The weather is fair in spring and autumn, and the sky is clear most days of the year. The average rainfall in the state is about 60 mm / year, mostly in the winter season. How much cold northwesterly winds blow in the winter and south-westerly winds laden with sand in the spring and in the summer a hot south known as

Sirocco Sirocco ( ), scirocco, or, rarely, siroc (see below) is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Names ''Sirocco'' derives from ...

History

The region of Beni Mzab

"Aghlan" is the name the Beni Mzab have given to their region. Its

geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

borders are as follows: Oued Bouzbyar in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

, Oued Zergoun in the

west West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

. The Mzab includes Zelfana and Guerrara in the

east East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

and is merged to the region of

Chaamba The Chaamba ( ar, الشعانبة, translit=Sha‘āniba) are an Arab tribe in the northern Sahara of central Algeria. They are a large tribe of Bedouins and live in a large desert territory to the south of the Atlas Mountains, around Metlili, ...

in the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

. The area is approximately 38000 km². During the 8 century A.D, 2 century Hegira (according to

Cheikh Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...

Abi Ishak Tfyeche) thé Beni Mzab settled on the banks of the oued or

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

to which they gave their name. The first

inhabitants Domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal law," which includes the law that governs a person's status and their property. It is independent of a person's nationality. Although a domicile may change from time to time, a person has only one ...

of the area had been nomadic or semi-nomadic. Many old small built-up areas, fallen into ruins long time ago, can be counted: in nearby al Atteuf we mention Agharm Netlazdit, Oukheira, and Aoulaoual, Tmazzert once existed near

Bounoura Bounoura ( ar, ) is a town and commune and capital of Bounoura District in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 35,405, up from 27,775 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 2.5%. It is effectively a s ...

and Agharm Enwadday has preceded the present city of Melika. Not far from

Tafilalt Tafilalt or Tafilet (; ar, تافيلالت), historically Sijilmasa, is a region and the largest oasis in Morocco. Etymology The word "Tafilalt" is an Amazigh word and it means "Jug", which is specifically a pottery jar used to store water. H ...

were the

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Mourki. Tirichine, Tlet Moussa, Agnounay and Boukyaou. The final settling process of Beni Mzab along with the emergency of the three following cities: El Atteuf, which was settled in

1012 Year in topic Year 1012 (Roman numerals, MXII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * April 12 – Oldřich, Duke of Bohemia, deposes his brother ...

;

1065 Year 1065 (Roman numerals, MLXV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * December 24 – King Ferdinand I of León, Ferdinand I (the Great) di ...

, Ghardaia settled in 1085; and more than

tow Towing is coupling two or more objects together so that they may be pulled by a designated power source or sources. The towing source may be a motorized land vehicle, vessel, animal, or human, and the load being anything that can be pulled. Th ...

centuries A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

later, in 1321,

expanded and integrated the

of its

neighboring A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural ar ...

villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

and is named since then Beni Isgeun. In 1355, Melika succeed Agharm Enwadday. This way the Mzab

pentapolis A pentapolis (from Greek ''penta-'', 'five' and ''polis'', 'city') is a geographic and/or institutional grouping of five cities. Cities in the ancient world probably formed such groups for political, commercial and military reasons, as happened ...

was born. three centuries later, in 1631, the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Guerrara was founded 90 km

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

of the

and 60

years A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the hou ...

later the town of

Berriane Berriane (from Tamazight: ''Bergan'') ( ar, بريان) is a medium-sized town and commune in the south of Algeria, coextensive with Bérianne District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. It is located in the north of the Sahara desert, in the extr ...

was founded 40 km

of the

. Now and since the last administrative division (in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

) the seven Mzabite

have been reduced into five

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of Ghardaia.

Administrative divisions

The province is made up of 7

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, which are divided into 9 ''communes'' or municipalities. Municipalities of the state of Ghardaia

Districts

# Métlili #

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 ...

# Dhayet Bendhahoua # Zelfana # Bérianne # Igraren

Communes

# At bergane # At bounour # Dhayet Bendhahoua # Tajnint # Igrarene # Taghrdait #

Metlili Metlili ( ar, متليلي) (also known as Metlili ) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune, and capital of Métlili District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 40,576, up from 33,759 in 1998, a ...

# Sebseb # Zelfana

The governors

The position of

Wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

of Ghardaia was held by many national political figures since its establishment on

4 February Events Pre–1600 * 211 – Following the death of the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus at Eboracum (modern York, England) while preparing to lead a campaign against the Caledonians, the empire is left in the control of his two quarrelling ...

under Law No. 84-09 which reorganized the Algerian territories by increasing the number of

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

from thirty-one to forty-eight.

Transportation

Road transport

The state of Ghardaia is characterized by the presence of a

road transport Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations e ...

network, represented by a network of

highways A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

, in addition to a huge fleet of large and small

buses A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

, yellow taxis, and others.

Air transport

Ghardaia Airport - Numirat Moufdi Zakaria (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...

: GHA,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

: DAUG) is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

located in the city of Ghardaia, and the airport was named after the

Algerian Algerian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Algeria * Algerian people This article is about the demographic features of the population of Algeria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, econo ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

Moufdi Zakaria.

Ghardaia state road network

The state of Ghardaia is characterized by a wide road network that connects the regions of the state with each other, as well as the state of Ghardaia, with the neighboring states, as well as the highway (north-south).

National roads

* National Road No. 01 (North-South highway). * National Road No. 49. * National Road No. 107.

State roads

* State Road No. 33 The link between the municipality of

and

El Guerrara El Guerrara ( ar, القرارة) (also written al-Qarārah or Guerara) is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune, coextensive with El Guerrara District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 59,514, ...

* State Road No. 105 The link between the municipality of

El Atteuf El Atteuf ( ar, العطف) is a town and commune in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 14,752, up from 12,713 in 1998, and an annual population growth rate of 1.5%. It is located in the M'zab valley ...

and the national road n ° 01 * State Road No. 105B Avoidance road to the municipality of

* State Road No. 106 The link between the municipality of Sebseb, via the municipality of

, to the national road N° 01 * State Road No. 147 The link between the municipality of Dhayet Bendhahoua, passing through the municipality of Ghardaia and

, up to the national road No. 01 * State Road No. 201 The link between the municipality of Zelfana and

* State Road No. 347 The link between the municipality of

and Guettara

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghardaia Province Provinces of Algeria States and territories established in 1984