Beni Hammad Fort, UNESCO, Maadid, Algeria

Beni Hammad Fort, UNESCO, Maadid, Algeria 

The Qal’a of Beni Hammad is a remarkable archaeological site located 36 km to the north-east of the town of M’Sila. This ensemble of preserved ruins, at 1,000 m altitude, is located in a mountainous setting of striking beauty on the southern flank of Djebel Maâdid.

The Qal’a of Beni Hammad was founded at the beginning of the 11th century by Hammad, son of Bologhine, and abandoned in 1090 under the threat of a Hilalian invasion. It is one of the most interesting and most precisely dated monumental complexes of the Islamic civilization. It was the first capital of the Hammadid emirs and enjoyed great splendor.

The Qal’a comprises, within 7 km of partially dismantled fortified walls, a large number of monumental vestiges, among which are the great Mosque and its minaret, and a series of palaces. The mosque, with its prayer hall comprising 13 naves of 8 bays is the biggest after that of Mansourah and its minaret is the oldest in Algeria after that of Sidi Boumerouane. The ruins of the Qal’a bear witness to the great refinement of the Hammad civilization, an original architecture and the palatial culture of North Africa.

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