El Guerrara

El Guerrara is an oasis settlement northeast of the five historic towns of the M’Zab valley. It was founded in 1631 by the Oulad Makha, who had previously lived in Ghardaïa and Melika. Like the older Ibadi towns, its houses and religious life formed a compact community in a dry landscape, while gardens and palms depended on the management of scarce water. Its foundation carried the traditions of the M’Zab beyond the original valley.