Ghardaïa
City in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ghardaïa (Arabic: غرداية, Tumzabt: Taɣerdayt) is the capital city of Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The commune of Ghardaïa has a population of 93,423 according to the 2008 census,[1] up from 87,599 in 1998,[2] with an annual growth rate of 0.7%.[1]
Ghardaïa
غرداية | |
---|---|
City of Ghardaïa | |
Coordinates: 32°29′N 3°40′E | |
Country | Algeria |
Province | Ghardaïa Province (seat) |
District | Ghardaïa District (coextensive) |
Founded | 1048 |
Government | |
• PMA Seats | 15 |
Area | |
• Total | 590 km2 (230 sq mi) |
Elevation | 572 m (1,877 ft) |
Population (2008)[1] | |
• Total | 142,913 |
• Density | 240/km2 (630/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
Postal code | 47000 |
ONS code | 4701 |
Part of | M'Zab Valley |
Criteria | Cultural: (ii)(iii)(v) |
Reference | 188 |
Inscription | 1982 (6th Session) |
It is located in northern-central Algeria in the Sahara and lies along the left bank of the Wadi Mzab. The M'zab in the Ghardaïa Province was made a World Heritage Site in 1982, as a cultural property evaluated under the criteria II (for its settlement affecting urban planning even to the present century), III (for its Ibadi cultural values), and V (a settlement culture which has prevailed to the present century).[3][4]
Ghardaïa is part of a pentapolis, a hilltop city amongst four others, built almost a thousand years ago in the M’Zab valley. It was founded by the Mozabites, an Ibadi sect of the Berber Muslims.[5][6]
It is a major centre of date production and the manufacture of rugs and cloths.[7] Divided into three walled sectors, it is a fortified town. At the centre is the historical Mʾzabite area, with a pyramid-style mosque and an arcaded square.[8] Distinctive white, pink, and red houses, made of sand, clay and gypsum,[9] rise in terraces and arcades.[8]
In her 1963 book, La Force des choses, the French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir described Ghardaïa as "a Cubist painting beautifully constructed".[9]