Mzab
Mzab
(əmzäb`), stony, barren valley, Algeria, in the N Sahara. It was settled c.1000 by members of an austere Muslim sect, the Kharijites. The inhabitants, called Mozabites, dug wells, created date-palm oases, and built seven towns, united in a confederation. As traders, they made the area a caravan junction. France occupied the Mzab in 1853 and annexed it formally in 1882. It was transferred to Algeria in 1962. Water is pumped from more than 4,000 wells and 6 dams. GhardaïaGhardaïa, town (1998 pop. 110,724), N Algeria. It is the chief town of the Mzab, a stony, barren valley of the N Sahara. Ghardaïa is a center of date production and of the manufacture of rugs and cloth. The city was founded in the 11th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. is the region's principal town.