Bounoura (,

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

: ⴰⵜ ⴱⵓⵏⵓⵔ, At-Bounour, البونور) is a town and commune in

Ghardaïa Province Ghardaïa () is an Algerian province located in the north of the Algerian desert. Its administrative center is the city of Ghardaia, located south of the capital Algiers. Its total area is estimated at , from north to south, and from east to ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 35,405, up from 27,775 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 2.5%. It is effectively a suburb of the provincial capital

Ghardaïa 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 A ...

. Bounoura is also the name of one of the

ksar Ksar or qṣar (), in plural ksour or qsour (), is a type of fortified village in North Africa, usually found in the regions predominantly or traditionally inhabited by Berbers (Amazigh). The equivalent Berber languages, Berber term used is ' ( ...

s of the pentapolis of the

M'zab The M'zab, or Mzab (Mozabite language, Mozabite: ''Aghlan'', ), is a natural region of the northern Sahara Desert in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. It is located south of Algiers and has approximately 360,000 inhabitants (2005 estimate). Geolog ...

valley, constituting the commune of Bounoura.

Geography

Bounoura lies on the banks of the Wadi Mzab, an intermittent river in the

valley, just downstream upstream of Ghardaïa. The area has been listed as a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Transportation

Bounoura is located on the N1 highway, part of the Trans-Sahara Highway, which leads north to

Laghouat Laghouat () is the capital city, capital of the Laghouat Province, Algeria, south of the Algerian capital Algiers. Located in the Amour Range of the Saharan Atlas, the town is an oasis on the north edge of the Sahara Desert. It is an import ...

and south to El Goléa, In Salah and

Tamanrasset Tamanrasset (; ), also known as Tamanghasset or Tamenghest, is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg. It is located at an altitude of . As of ...

Education

7.0% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 16.0% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 86.3%, and is 95.3% among males (joint highest in the province) and 77.2% among females.

Localities

In 1984, the commune of Bounoura is composed of five localities, including Beni Isguen ksar. From the 1990s, new localities emerged to respond to the housing crisis. This is particularly the case of Tafilelt, Tinemmirine, Tawenza and Tinaâm attached to Bounoura, which were built according to the principles of ksourian architecture, and adapted to the proximity of the desert. *Bounoura historic ksar *Beni Izguen from the new highschool and new C.E.M. *Sidi Abbaz neighbourhood *Bounoura palm grove *Beni Isguen historic ksar File:Bounoura 2.jpg, Bounoura ksar. File:20200201 113052Bounoura.jpg, Great mosque of Bounoura. File:Rond point Bounoura.jpg, Bounoura roundabout, monument for Moufdi Zakaria. File:Ksar Beni Isguen 1.jpg, Beni Isguen ksar. File:Ksar Beni Isguen ciel.png, Beni Isguen ksar from the sky. File:Tafilelt vue.jpg, View of the new town Tafilelt. File:Vue Tinemmirine.jpg, View of the new town of Tinemmirine, from the new town of Tafilelt. File:Tafilelt rue.jpg, Tafilelt street. File:Tour de Boulila Beni Isguen.jpg, Boulila tower, mosque and 4-fingered iduden, Beni Isguen ksar. File:Beni Isguen rue.jpg, Beni Isguen ksar street. File:Place Lala Achou. Marché de Beni Isguen - Ghardaia - Algérie.JPG, Market place, Beni Isguen ksar.

References

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Ghardaïa Province Communes of Ghardaïa Province