Ouargla

Ouargla lies in a great oasis basin on the northern edge of the Sahara. Palm groves surround its old fortified settlement, where wells made cultivation possible amid the desert. The oasis occupied a prominent place on routes linking the Maghreb to the Sudan, and medieval commerce brought it prosperity. Ibadi communities formed an important part of its history. In the sixteenth century Ottoman authority reached Ouargla as the rulers of Algiers extended their influence southwards. The oasis remained a meeting place for merchants and desert communities, with neighbouring N’Goussa another important settlement in the basin.