The territory of the municipality of Ghardaïa is located in the north of the wilaya of the same name, almost in the centre of Algeria in the northern Algerian Sahara, 600 km south of Algiers, 190 km south of Laghouat and 190 km west of Ouargla.

The wilaya of Ghardaïa, which derives its culture and traditions from its rich history, remains the second largest Algerian touristic destination after the coast and represents one of the most visited regions in the country. 

It includes the M’zab Valley, which is part of the World Heritage List. 

The wilaya has one delegated wilaya (El Menea), 9 daïras (departments) and 13 municipalities. 

Agricultural resources are mainly characterized by the cultivation of date palm. 59,000 tons of dates, all varieties combined, were harvested in the wilaya of Ghardaïa, as part of the 2018 agricultural season.

Vegetable crops and cereal growing are widespread in the wilaya. 

Livestock farming in the wilaya of Ghardaïa, which is not an agro-pastoral region, is quite extensive in sheep meat, goat meat, camelina and beef. 

The tourism and handicraft sector is a strategic sector in regard of the tourist and craft potential of the region (historical, cultural, panoramic sites, thermal baths, crafts…). 

Thermalism also tends to develop in this wilaya thanks to the water and thermal resources it contains. 

The wilaya of Ghardaïa has two industrial zones located in Guerrara and Bounoura and several activity zones.

Ghardaïa is more than a simple city, a pearl in the middle of the desert, this city may seem peaceful but it is only by staying there that it reveals its secrets with a singular architecture and a millenary history.

A city classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The ancestral civilizations of the wilaya (equivalent of Province) of Ghardaïa make of it a touristic area par excellence. 

Its geographical location and economic development provide it with a number of assets.

Its ancestral cultural heritage is immense and original. GHARDAIA, the pearl of oases, is considered as one of the most important touristic regions in Algeria and more particularly in the south.

Capital of the M’zab Valley, a beautiful touristic destination. 

Ghardaïa the enchantress is made up of five cities (ksour): Beni-Isguen, El Atteuf, Bounoura, Melika and Ghardaïa. Palmeraies, mosques, markets, ochre houses, oases… Head for the M’zab valley for an unforgettable stay.

The places that tourists should visit in Ghardaïa are:

• Ghardaïa Souk: 

The rectangular Ghardaïa market square is surrounded by a gallery of arcades under which a series of shops are located. 

Local craftsmanship invites itself into these small shops through jewellery, carpets, fabrics, pottery, leather items… The stalls are well stocked with an anthology of dates. 

The Ghardaïa souk is very bustling. You will find nice souvenirs to get to your friends. 

• The Beni-Isguen auction market:

It’s really a curiosity not to be missed. From 4pm, this ancestral market opens on LallaAchou Square. 

For the record, it is said that long time ago, this woman offered this land to the community to be forgiven for arriving late for prayer. 

The Beni-Isguen auction market – a kind of flea market – is run by “auctioneers”. 

Everything is sold: bric-a-brac, old carpets, kitchen utensils, taps, clothes… This market, which is part of the history and heritage of Beni-Isguen, is open every day except on Fridays and public holidays.

• The city of Beni-Isguen:

This millenary city is built in the form of an amphitheatre. Beni-Isguen is bordered by ramparts. 

BeniIzguen has become an essential part of the region touristic circuit. 

This architectural jewel built in the 13th century, according to an “atypical” structure, with simple forms and local materials, is considered by many specialists as a “high place for architectural lessons”, testifying to the ingenuity of the builders of these works and a millenary civilization to preserve. 

Like all the Ksour of the M’Zab, this fortress city is designed according to a homogeneous community social organization with monumental architectural works distinguished by the simplicity of their forms in their design and the purely local materials used. 

Haunted by its sublime past and fascinating landscapes, this city has become a popular destination for all visitors, tourists and other tour operators in the region and prides itself on its classification as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.

By way of illustration, no fewer than 8,400 tourists visited this Ksar in 2018, including 1,750 foreign nationals compared to nearly 5,000 tourists in 2017, according to statistics provided by the BeniIzguen Tourism Office. 

To its many visitors, this Ksar offers an “atypical” tangible heritage (architectural and urbanistic), as well as an intangible heritage, particularly “auctioning” in the Souk Square, jealously preserved to practice cultural and ecological tourism. 

The inhabitants and associations network of this ancient city have been able to reinvent themselves by highlighting the architectural and historical heritage and touristic potential of Beni Izguen.

Tourism in the city of BeniIzguen, which has assets and potential that are as rich as they are authentic, has established itself over the years as a priority sector with high added value. 

The palm grove, the architecture, the new Ksar de Tafilelt adjoining BeniIzguen and the ancestral traditions are all assets that give this region a major touristic vocation that cannot be overlooked.

The attractiveness of the region is illustrated by the construction of a reputation based on the promotion and enhancement of the region rich and varied historical monuments and cultural and civilizational heritage.

The diversity of the tangible and intangible heritage existing in Beni Izguen gives this evolving Ksar a strategic place in the sustainable development of tourism and craft activities. 

This fortified city also includes natural sites, engravings and rock paintings in N’Tssa, the agricultural area of Beni Izguen, as well as many religious and funerary monuments marked by their architectural simplicity, devoid of any ornament and decoration, but unique in their kind, without forgetting the construction by the ancestors of a defense system composed essentially of defensive walls that surround the ksar over a distance of over 1.550 linear meters and guard towers including the most famous “Bordj Boulila” as well as access gates. 

Added to this heritage are the traditional hydraulic structures composed of water collecting wells along the N’tissa Wadi, the water sharing of the BeniIzguen oasis and the famous remains of the Boukeaou and Djanounaiksars. 

Now accessible to visitors, the Ksar of BeniIzguen is increasingly positioning itself as a key destination for cultural tourism and enriching the cultural and civilizational heritage of the world-renowned M’Zab Valley.

• The luxuriant palm groves:

A walk in one of the many palm groves of Ghardaïa is a must. A fresh, vegetal paradise awaits you. In addition to the palms giving the delicious “DegletNour”, honeyed dates at will, fruit trees produce oranges, lemons, pomegranates, figs, certified organic. Divine taste! Also look at the ingenious irrigation system. This community technique is very old.

• The spa resort of Zelfana:

Located at 67 km east of Ghardaïa, the city of Zelfana has a large number of thermal sources. 

This water, which has a temperature of more than 40 degrees, is rich in mineral salts and sodium chloride and has therapeutic properties. 

A little cure and hop! Goodbye rheumatism, aches and pains and stress! 

• El Atteuf, the oldest ksour doyenne:

Nicknamed “the mother of all ksour”, El Atteuf is the first city built in the M’zab Valley. This authentic city, which shelters the mosque of Sheikh SidiBrahim, inspired Le Corbusier in his design of the Ronchamps chapel in Haute-Saône (France) in 1955.

Excursion to the dunes of Sebseb :

Plan an outing in the dunes of Sebseb through the oases of Metlili. 

The dunes with their ochre tones are enchanting! 

• Camel ride:

And don’t forget to take a camel ride on the sand dunes. Don’t forget to sit under a traditional khaimah to sip a tea prepared in embers.

GHARDAIA, fascinating and attractive, with its picturesque landscapes anchored in the M’Zab Valley and recognizable by its houses built in a spiral on a mound around a mosque overlooking the Ksar with ochre facades and reinforced by the contrast of bright colors.