Mzab confederation

Origins

After the fall of the Rustamid imamate in 909, Ibadi refugees settled at Ouargla and Sedrata, then moved into the barren Mzab valley of the northern Sahara. The first town, El Atteuf, was founded around 1012, followed by Bou Noura, Ghardaïa, Melika and Beni Isguen, the Pentapolis of the Mzab.

Rule and society

Each walled hilltop town was governed by a council of clerics, the halqa of the azzaba, together with assemblies of lay notables, under strict Ibadi religious law. The Mozabites dug deep wells and ingenious dams to water their palm groves, and their merchants formed trading communities in the cities of the north. Their compact architecture later inspired modern architects such as Le Corbusier.

Decline and legacy

From the 16th century the Mzab paid tribute to the Regency of Algiers. It accepted a French protectorate in 1853 and was annexed to French Algeria in 1882, keeping its religious institutions. The valley is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.