page_title: Ghardaïa
section_title: Festivals
hierarchical_section_title: Ghardaïa / Culture / Festivals
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Architecture traditionnelle, Ghardaïa, région du Mzab, Algérie
context_page_description: Ghardaïa is the capital city of Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The commune of Ghardaïa has a population of 93,423 according to the 2008 census, up from 87,599 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 0.7%.
  It is located in northern-central Algeria in the Sahara Desert and lies along the left bank of the Wadi Mzab. The M'zab valley in the Ghardaïa Province was inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982, as a cultural property evaluated under the criteria II, III, and V.
  Ghardaïa is part of a pentapolis, a hilltop city amongst four others, built almost a thousand years ago in the M’Zab valley. It was founded by the Mozabites, an Ibadi sect of the Amazigh Muslims.
  It is a major centre of date production and the manufacture of rugs and cloths. Divided into three walled sectors, it is a fortified town. At the centre is the historical Mʾzabite area, with a pyramid-style mosque and an arcaded square. Distinctive white, pink, and red houses, made of sand, clay and gypsum, rise in terraces and arcades.
  In her 1963 book, La Force des choses, the French existentialist philosopher Simone de Beauvoir described Ghardaïa as "a Cubist painting beautifully constructed".
context_section_description: Every spring, the commune of Metlili-Chaamba, 31.3 km (19.4 mi) from Ghardaïa, celebrates the "Day mehr" when people from all over the country attend and participate in a camel race.
  In March and April, a carpet festival provides an opportunity for celebration, competition, as well as sales.
caption: Local berber architecture
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