El Golèa

El Golèa is an oasis on the edge of the Grand Erg Occidental, where palms and gardens lie below an old fortified ksar. Known also as El Menia, the settlement was associated with the Zenata and occupied a route through the Algerian Sahara. Its hilltop stronghold overlooks the oasis and the desert beyond, a reminder of the importance of protected settlements in the Saharan interior.