Oued El Abiod (English: Abiod Valley) is a

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet ( ephemeral) riverbed that contains water on ...

that forms a mountain pass in the

Aurès , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Natural region , image_skyline = Ras el Aïoun.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = Landscape of the Aurès in Ras el Aïoun , image_flag ...

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

, located in the

Saharan Atlas Saharan may refer to: * Someone or something from the Sahara desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , locat ...

in northeastern

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

. Along with Oued Abdi, it is one of the most important wadis in the Aurès massif. During the wet season, rain and melting snow flow into the valley to form the Abiod River. The valley begins at the foot of

Djebel Chélia Djebel Chélia ( ar, جبل شيليا) is a mountain in Algeria. It is the highest point in the Aurès Mountains and the second highest peak in Algeria after Mount Tahat. Djebel Chélia is situated in the west of Khenchela, in Bouhmama county. A ...

, Algeria's highest mountain, and flows southwest towards Tolga, eventually dissipating into the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

desert nearby.

Geography

The vegetation in the highlands on the north end of Abiod Valley is typically

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

with dense forests of

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

s and ancient

cedars Cedars may refer to: * Cedar (plant), including a list of trees and plants known as cedar * Cedars (album), ''Cedars'' (album), an album released in 2003 by English band Clearlake * Cedars (immigration detention), facility in the UK * Cedars-Sina ...

, sustained by the plentiful rainfall on the higher slopes. The southern part is mainly desert with very sparse vegetation, such as oak,

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

, cedar, clumps of

thyme Thyme () is the herb (dried aerial parts) of some members of the genus ''Thymus'' of aromatic perennial evergreen herbs in the mint family Lamiaceae. Thymes are relatives of the oregano genus ''Origanum'', with both plants being mostly indigenous ...

, and harmel. The valley has several minor

oases In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Ghoufi Ghoufi, also known as the Rhoufi, Balconies of Ghoufi and Ghoufi Canyon, is a historic settlement in the village of T'kout in Batna Province, Algeria. These ruins are located in the Aures Mountains and Abiod Valley. The Balconies of Ghoufi ove ...

. The sandstone walls of the valley are soft and easily worked into shape, so many villages on the valley's walls include extensive stonework buildings. Near the town of

Tighanimine Tighanimine is a town in Batna Province, north-eastern Algeria. It is located on Abiod Valley. There are some small Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome ...

, there is a remnant of an

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

irrigation canal An acequia () or séquia () is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest particul ...

References

Mountain passes of Algeria Rivers of Algeria {{Algeria-geo-stub