Promoting traditional environmental knowledge in the M’Zab Valley (Algeria)

About the M’Zab Valley

Located 600 km south of Algiers, in the heart of the Sahara Desert, the five ksour (fortified villages) of the M'Zab Valley form an extraordinarily homogenous ensemble constituting, in the desert, the mark of a sedentary and urban civilisation possessing an original culture that has preserved its cohesion throughout the centuries. Comprised of ksour and palm groves of El-Atteuf, Bounoura, Melika, Ghardaïa and Beni-Isguen (founded between 1012 and 1350), the M'Zab Valley has conserved practically the same way of life and the same building techniques since the 11th century, ordered as much by a specific social and cultural context, as by the need for adaptation to a hostile environment, the choice of which responded to a historic need for withdrawal and a defensive imperative. Each of these miniature citadels, surrounded by walls, is dominated by a mosque, the minaret of which functions as a watchtower. At the beginning of the first millennium, the Ibadis created in the M'Zab, with local materials, a vernacular architecture which, with its perfect adaptation to the environment and the simplicity of its forms, is an example and an influence for contemporary architecture and town-planning (Statement of Outstanding Universal Value).

Climate change-related impacts

The M’zab Valley is vulnerable to climate change, with periodic overflows becoming increasingly frequent (Djellouli Tabet and Sioussiou, 2009). In the face of climate change, there is a significant need to enhance the risk preparedness of the water distribution system. During the catastrophic floods of 2008, the damages were worsened by improper constructions and a lack of maintenance of water management infrastructure. 

Traditional knowledge and practices / Indigenous knowledge

In the M’Zab Valley, traditional water management systems include both tangible and intangible components: a community organisation manages the channels and infrastructure that control water flow. Given the periodic overflow of the river, approximately every 25 years, traditional settlements were designed to prevent damage by flooding: floodable areas near the river were occupied only by temporary structures and not by dwellings. The abandonment of this planning practice has led to increased vulnerability to flooding. 

© Dan Sloan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr

Climate action solutions and strategies

Founded in 1970 as the “Atelier des etudes et de restauration de la Vallee du M’Zab”, the Office for the Protection and Promotion of the M’Zab Valley is a local management institution that, under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, aims to promote heritage conservation, develop awareness-raising and education programmes, and promote local communities’ involvement in its preservation and management.

In line with this vision, the Office has created a number of technical guides and educational materials, which are available online, free of charge, in French and Arabic. The technical guides include clear explanations about construction principles, materials and techniques, in an accessible format and language and with large illustrations. The publications aim to raise awareness about cultural heritage values and guide residents in the maintenance and restoration of their buildings.

The educational materials produced include:

• Guides to façade maintenance and restoration for traditional buildings;
• Information material about heritage protection laws;
• Learning materials for traditional construction techniques such as stone paving and lime plastering;
• Guide to El-Orf, the traditional construction management system in the towns and palm groves in the M’Zab Valley; which contributes to climate knowledge;
• Brochures on traditional water management systems and wells;
• Guides for stone and earthen construction and limewashing;
• Inventories of historic sites and monuments, tangible and intangible heritage

The publications were accompanied by capacity-building workshops on traditional building techniques and materials. The workshops were directed towards technical offices, developers, technical services (urban planning, construction, housing, environment and public works), artisans, and more. The last of these workshops was organised in April 2020 in collaboration with the Algerian Centre for Earthen Cultural Heritage.

Several practical on-site workshops were organised in collaboration with cultural associations in order to train young local artisans in the maintenance of historic buildings and local construction materials. The programme was realised in close collaboration with the professional training programmes, so that the workshops can be recognised with a diploma. Managers have participated in specialised training programmes on the physical and chemical characteristics of local materials and their promotion, by involving university experts.

Furthermore, the Office has realised itinerant exhibitions on the different local construction materials, and several documentary films, including a film on limewashing. Recent planning initiatives incorporated modern and traditional know-how in water management to respond to water storage, distribution and evacuation needs.  

Concerning the future, there is a significant need to enhance the risk preparedness of the water distribution system and choose more adapted facilities in this hyper-arid zone, as strategy for climate change adaptation. To reduce disaster risks, the M’zab valley watershed should be integrated in the management of settlements and palm groves (Djellouli Tabet and Sioussiou, 2009).

Source: Office for the Protection and Promotion of the M'Zab Valley, 2022; presentation by Mr Abdelouahb Zekagh during the World Heritage City Dialogues, 2021; Le bassin versant du M’zab, région méditerran diterranéenne hyperaride : ressources en eau, risques et gestion,  Yamna Djellouli Taber, Rostom Sioussiou, 2009.

To learn more

• Visit the website of the Office for the Protection and Promotion of the M'Zab Valley
  
• Read Le bassin versant du M’zab, région méditerranne hyperaride : ressources en eau, risques et gestion,  Yamna Djellouli Taber, Rostom Sioussiou, 2009, Séminaire International sur la gestion des bassins et la coopération dans la région Euro - Méditérranéenne. 

Contact

Office for the Protection and Promotion of the M'Zab Valley

• Website: opvm.dz
• Address : Quartier KHETTALA Haut, 15 Villas, BP N° 446 CDD Ghardaïa, 47801
• Tel : +213 29 88 44 54
• E-mail : opvm@m-culture.gov.dz

Credits
© UNESCO, 2022. Project team: Jyoti Hosagrahar, Alba Zamarbide, Carlota Marijuán Rodríguez, Altynay Dyussekova, Mirna Ashraf Ali.
 Cover image © UNESCO

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