Presentation of the wilaya

The wilaya of Ghardaïa (in Arabic : ولاية غرداية      ; in local accent : ⵜⴰⵡⵉⵍⴰⵢⵜ ⵏ ⵜⵖⵔⴷⴰⵢⵜ ), is an Algerian administrative subdivision located in the northern part of the Algerian Sahara and includes the Mzab valley which is part of the UNESCO world heritage. It was formed in 1984.          

According to legend, Ghardaïa, means “Cave of Daïa” ( Ghar Daïa ), it is said that a young girl named Daïa lived alone in a cave. Sheikh Sidi Bou Gdemma passing by, was seduced by her beauty, they got married and founded Ghardaïa  

The wilaya of Ghardaïa has 9 daïras which encompasses 10 municipalities

GEOGRAPHICAL SITUATION (Relief - Climate, etc.) 

The wilaya of Ghardaïa is located in the center of the northern part of the Algerian Sahara, it is bordered: 

• To the north by the wilaya of Laghouat ;  
• To the northeast by the wilaya of Djelfa ;  
• To the east by the wilaya of Ouargla ;  
• To the south by the wilaya of Tamanrasset ;  
• To the southwest by the wilaya of Adrar ;  
• To the west by the wilaya of El Bayadh . 

Relief 

The wilaya of Ghardaïa is characterized by three main geographical areas : 

• The Grand Erg Oriental : whose dunes can reach a height of 200 m ;    
• The hamada : a stony plateau ;   
• The Mzab valley , it is in the hollow of the Oued M'zab, that the five cities of Mzab are built 

Weather 

The wilaya has a hot desert climate; it is characterized by a torrid, long summer and a mild winter, short with hot days and cold nights. Rain is extremely rare and generally falls in autumn and winter. The climate remains dominated by heat, drought and large diurnal and annual thermal variations. 

ECONOMIC POTENTIALITIES

Ghardaïa is a dynamic commercial and industrial city in the Algerian Sahara, it is a hub for air traffic and tourism, due to its infrastructure: hotels and airport. In 1970, an industrial zone was implemented in Bounoura. But it is Ghardaïa which offers the widest range of industries, the development of which began in the early 1980s.    

In 2006, the industrial sector brought together 55 companies spread over the three industrial zones of the wilaya : Ghardaïa, Bounoura, and Bouhaoua, and production revolves around construction materials . The wilaya of Ghardaïa has in particular a strong concentration of the textile industry and which constitutes one of the specialties of the region, this industry because of its important production, represents the main part of the national market  . The sector is quite widely diversified, the strength and density of the Mozabite networks extended to the whole of the national territory, as the investment capacities induced by these networks partly explain the dynamism of this sector.         

 Agricultural potentials

 The agricultural sector in the wilaya of Ghardaïa has recorded a "net" boom in terms of extension of the useful agricultural area (UAA), modernization and mechanization, due to the dynamism instilled by the public authorities to promote it, according to the local agricultural services directorate (DSA). 

small-scale agriculture is the essential component of the wilaya's agricultural sector with 70% of cultivable land, followed by medium-sized farms (21%) and large areas (9%) for high value-added cereal cultivation and the integrated development of the milk sector (fodder and breeding). 

Today, Ghardaïa is distinguished by an important and diversified agricultural production as well as by an overproduction of milk estimated at more than twelve (12) million liters, which has enabled it to achieve self-sufficiency in raw milk and '' export to other wilayas 

Industry

Two industrial zones at Gourara and Bounoura were created respectively in 1969 and 1970  .       

ECONOMIC, ADMINISTRATIVE AND SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURES

 Hydraulic 

This wilaya includes the following dams :     

• Oued Boubrik dam  .
• Lâadhaira dam  .
• Labiod dam  .

Road network 

Ghardaia airport - Noumérat - Mufdi Zakaria (IATA code: GHA • ICAO code: DAUG) is nationally oriented, and is about 19km Southeast of the city centre. 

 Health

• Brahim Tirichine Hospital.
• Metlili Hospital.
• Guerrara Hospital.

TOURIST ACTIVITIES

Since the Stone Age, Ghardaïa has known many civilizations, as evidenced by the stone industries, rock inscriptions and funerary monuments. It was also known in the early Islamic period as residential communities in the form of ancient palaces which appear unified in form and homogeneous : 

Several public holidays are organized in the state, the most important of which are :

• carpet party                                             

The wilaya contains many tourist and leisure facilities, in particular the town of Zelfana, which has mineral pools and swimming pools, in addition to accommodation in hotels. and bungalows.