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Coordinates: 31°57′N 5°19′E / 31.950°N 5.317°E
| Ouargla وَرڤلة |
|
|---|---|
| — Commune and city — | |
 Ouargla
|
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| Coordinates: 31°57′N 5°19′E / 31.950°N 5.317°E | |
| Country |  Algeria |
| Province | Ouargla Province |
| District | Ouargla District |
| Elevation | 141 m (463 ft) |
| Population (2008)1 | |
| • Commune and city | 133,024 |
| • Urban | 191,136 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
Ouargla (Berber: Wargren or Wargla, Arabic: وَرڤلة) is the capital city of Ouargla province, in the Sahara Desert, in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing oil industry, and hosts one of Algeria's universities, the University of Ouargla.2 The commune of Ouargla had a population of 133,024 in the 2008 census,1 up from 112,339 in 1998,3 and an annual population growth rate of 1.7%.1 However, including the commune of Rouissat, found in Ouargla's urban area, gives a total population of 191,136.1
Contents |
Historical Ouargla
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This section requires expansion. (December 2008) |
According to Ibn Khaldun the town was founded by Banu Wargla who, accompanied by sections of the Maghrawa and Banu Ifran, left the Tlemcen region and founded Ouargla. These Berbers of Ouarghla then embraced Ibadi doctrines, which later made the town an attractive refuge for the citizens of Tahert.
Modern Ouargla
The city was a significant tourist attraction until recently, due to troubled times during the 1990s. Many tourists chose to shop for sand roses at souk l'ehjar, the old rock market. The souq, or market, had many traditional shops filled with antiquities, traditional crafts, and local items - from dresses to stuffed lizards. The area across from these shops was used to display sand roses, mineral specimens, of all sizes and shapes. The market has gone through a renovation process. However manywho? criticized this renovation, feeling it destroyed the historical character of souk l'ehjar and the area.
Not far from souk l'ehjarcitation needed is the old groceries market, or the Sunday market as the called by the locals. It is also located in the centre of the old city, La Lasbah. At its centre lies the original old market, shaped as a circle split into small arcs. The central circular structure is presently used as a meat market, and around this are rows of grocers and farmers with stalls displaying their produce, with all sorts of fruits and vegetables.
Next to the old groceries market lie the two oldest mosques of the city, "al-Masjid al-Atiq" which literally means "the old mosque," and the old Ibadhi mosque. The old Ibadhi mosque was "home" to one of the most renowned Islamic scholars of the city, Taleb et-Tayeb.
Some of Ouargla's population speak the Ouargli language.4
Climate
Ouargla, like other towns and cities in the Algerian Sahara, has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with very hot, dry summers, mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year. While a maximum of 53.5 °C (128.3 °F) was recorded in the city on August 13, 1984,5 the generally accepted extremes are 49.7 °C (121.5 °F) and −6.7 °C (19.9 °F).6 Snow was reported in Ouargla in 1907, but this is exceedingly rare, although not unknown in the Sahara.7
| Climate data for Ouargla | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
20 (68) |
24 (75) |
28 (82) |
33 (91) |
39 (102) |
41 (106) |
41 (106) |
36 (97) |
30 (86) |
23 (73) |
19 (66) |
29.3 (84.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4 (39) |
6 (43) |
10 (50) |
14 (57) |
19 (66) |
24 (75) |
26 (79) |
26 (79) |
22 (72) |
16 (61) |
10 (50) |
5 (41) |
15.2 (59.3) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 7 (0.28) |
4 (0.16) |
6 (0.24) |
4 (0.16) |
1 (0.04) |
1 (0.04) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (0.12) |
5 (0.2) |
7 (0.28) |
9 (0.35) |
47 (1.87) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 25 |
| Source: World Climate Guide8 | |||||||||||||
Music
Peter Chatman, known as Memphis Slim, a great piano blues musician and boogie woogie all star, composed and performed a boogie-woogie instrumental tune named 'Ouargla' in 1971. On the track, he was accompanied by Michel Denis on drums. The piece pays tribute to the Ouargla oasis, which was a famous and popular 'hang out' in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Localities
The commune is composed of 14 localities:9
- Beni Thour
- Ville de Ouargla
- Saïd Otba Est
- Saïd Otba Ouest
- Ba Mendil
- Bouameur
- Bour El Haïcha
- Mekhadma
- Sidi Amrane
- Gharbouz
- Sidi Boughoufala
- Melala Ksar
- Hassi Miloud
- Zone d'Activité
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Population: Ouargla Wilaya" (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ University of Ouargla, Algeria
- ^ "Algeria Communes". Statoids. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Tagargrent". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
- ^ "Ouargla daily summary". Ogimet. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ Herrera, Maxiliano. "Extreme Temperatures Around the World". Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ "Snow Falls In The Sahara". The Spokesman-Review (Eastern Washington ed.) (Spokane, Washington: Cowles Publishing Company). 19 February 1979. p. 1.
- ^ "Ouargla Climate Guide, Algeria". World Climate Guide. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
- ^ "Décret n° 84-365, fixant la composition, la consistance et les limites territoriale des communes. Wilaya d'El Oued" (in French). Journal officiel de la République Algérienne,. 19 December 1984. p. 1550. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013 or before. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
External links
Neighbouring towns and cities
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Touggourt El Hadjira N'Goussa |
Sidi Khouiled Hassi Ben Abdellah El Oued |
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| Ghardaia |  |
Ain Beida | ||
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| Rouissat | Hassi Messaoud |
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