Aïn Taïba

'Aïn Taïba (or Hassi Taïba) is an oasis and pit cave in Algeria.

Aïn Taïba
Aïn Taïba Location in Algeria
Coordinates: 30.276654°N 5.819271°E / 30.276654; 5.819271
Country	Algeria
Province	Ouargla Province
District	Ouargla District
Elevation	321 m (1,053 ft)

Location

Aïn Taïba is about 190 kilometres (120 mi) south of Ouargla and about 250 kilometres (160 mi) north of Bordj Omar Driss, in the middle of the desert. It is 231 metres (758 ft) above sea level. It is a water hole with a perimeter of about 100 metres (330 ft).

History

Aïn Taïba was known to nineteenth-century explorers as the only water source in the Issaouane Erg (Grande Erg Orientale) dune massif.^[1] It was therefore a necessary stopping place. Among others the oasis was visited by Fernand Foureau,^[2] Ismaël Bou Derba,^[3] Paul Flatters^[4] and Gaston Méry.^[a]