Tabelbala
Encyclopedia
Tabelbala is an oasis between Béchar
and Tindouf
in southwestern Algeria
, notable for being the only town in Algeria to speak a language neither Arabic
nor Berber
, Korandje
.
Tabelbala is divided into four settlements. The administrative and commercial centre, "le Village" or "le Quartier", officially Haï El Wasat , is a relatively recent settlement which first grew up around the French fort in the colonial period. It is flanked by three older villages, or ksar
s: Cheraïa ' onMouseout='HidePop("93210")' href="/topics/Korandje_language">Korandje
) to the west, Zaouia Sidi Zekri and the tiny hamlet of Makhlouf to the east. The total population is about 6,000; of these, only about 3,000 speak Korandje, most of the rest being the descendants of twentieth century immigrants to the oasis. Its only significant transport link to the outside world is a paved road connecting it to the main Bechar-Tindouf highway some seventy kilometres away.
The oasis occupies a band of land between a stone mountain to the south and a large sand dune field, the Erg Er Raoui, to the north. The water table of the latter is relatively high, making irrigation agriculture possible. The foggara system was traditionally used, but has been in decline since the early twentieth century.
From at least the 13th to the 19th century, Tabelbala was a stop on the caravan routes linking southern Morocco (notably Sijilmasa
) to the Sahel, in particular Timbuktu
.
Tabelbala is the capital, and only significant settlement, of the Daïra
of that name, embracing most of the southern half of Béchar Province.
A number of reputed wali
s (saints) are buried in Tabelbala. In the main cemetery of Zaouia, imamaden, these include Sidi Zekri (the village's namesake), Sidi Larbi and Sidi Brahim (each said to be the ancestor of a family found there today), and a group of seven unnamed men, the seb`atu rijal . The sixteenth-century Islamic scholar Sidi Makhluf al-Balbali
is buried in the hamlet named after him, Makhlouf.
Much of the Korandje-speaking population of Ifrenyu claims descent from the Ait Isfoul sub-branch of Ait Atta
; there are also a few Tamazight-speaking families from the Ait Khebbach, another Ait Atta sub-group.
According to oral tradition in both places, the founders of Melouka, near Adrar, Algeria
, were emigrants who escaped Tabelbala when one of its ksar
s was destroyed by Arab nomads, the Rehamna, for non-payment of tribute. The Idaw Ali of Mauritania also claim to have lived in Tabelbala at an early period.
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
and Tindouf
Tindouf
Tindouf is the main town in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian and Moroccan borders. The region is considered of strategic significance, and it houses Algerian military bases. Since 1975, it also contains several Sahrawi refugee camps operated by the Polisario Front a guerrilla...
in southwestern Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, notable for being the only town in Algeria to speak a language neither Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
nor Berber
Berber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
, Korandje
Korandje language
Korandje is by far the most northerly of the Songhay languages. It is spoken around the oasis of Tabelbala by about 3000 people; its name literally means "village's language"...
.
Tabelbala is divided into four settlements. The administrative and commercial centre, "le Village" or "le Quartier", officially Haï El Wasat , is a relatively recent settlement which first grew up around the French fort in the colonial period. It is flanked by three older villages, or ksar
Ksar
Ksar is the Arabic term for "castle", loaned from Latin castrum.The Berber equivalent is aghrem or ighrman ....
s: Cheraïa ' onMouseout='HidePop("93210")' href="/topics/Korandje_language">Korandje
Korandje language
Korandje is by far the most northerly of the Songhay languages. It is spoken around the oasis of Tabelbala by about 3000 people; its name literally means "village's language"...
) to the west, Zaouia Sidi Zekri and the tiny hamlet of Makhlouf to the east. The total population is about 6,000; of these, only about 3,000 speak Korandje, most of the rest being the descendants of twentieth century immigrants to the oasis. Its only significant transport link to the outside world is a paved road connecting it to the main Bechar-Tindouf highway some seventy kilometres away.
The oasis occupies a band of land between a stone mountain to the south and a large sand dune field, the Erg Er Raoui, to the north. The water table of the latter is relatively high, making irrigation agriculture possible. The foggara system was traditionally used, but has been in decline since the early twentieth century.
From at least the 13th to the 19th century, Tabelbala was a stop on the caravan routes linking southern Morocco (notably Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa
Sijilmasa was a medieval trade entrepôt at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The ruins of the town lie along the River Ziz in the Tafilalt oasis near the town of Rissani...
) to the Sahel, in particular Timbuktu
Timbuktu
Timbuktu , formerly also spelled Timbuctoo, is a town in the West African nation of Mali situated north of the River Niger on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. The town is the capital of the Timbuktu Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali...
.
Tabelbala is the capital, and only significant settlement, of the Daïra
Districts of Algeria
The provinces of Algeria are divided into 553 districts . The capital of a district is called a district seat...
of that name, embracing most of the southern half of Béchar Province.
A number of reputed wali
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
s (saints) are buried in Tabelbala. In the main cemetery of Zaouia, imamaden, these include Sidi Zekri (the village's namesake), Sidi Larbi and Sidi Brahim (each said to be the ancestor of a family found there today), and a group of seven unnamed men, the seb`atu rijal . The sixteenth-century Islamic scholar Sidi Makhluf al-Balbali
Makhluf al-Balbali
Makhlūf ibn `Alī ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Balbālī , d. after 1533, was an Islamic scholar of North and West Africa. He came from the oasis of Tabelbala. After spending his youth in trade, he studied in Walata and in Morocco, then travelled to West Africa to teach in Kano, Katsina, and Timbuktu, finally...
is buried in the hamlet named after him, Makhlouf.
Much of the Korandje-speaking population of Ifrenyu claims descent from the Ait Isfoul sub-branch of Ait Atta
Ait Atta
The Ait Atta are a large Berber tribal confederation of North eastern Morocco, estimated to number about 130,000 as of 1960. They are divided into "five fifths" , all said to descend from the forty sons of their common ancestor Dadda Atta: these "fifths" are the Ait Ouallal, Ait Ouahlim, Ait...
; there are also a few Tamazight-speaking families from the Ait Khebbach, another Ait Atta sub-group.
According to oral tradition in both places, the founders of Melouka, near Adrar, Algeria
Adrar, Algeria
Adrar is a town and commune in Algeria, based around an oasis of the Sahara Desert and the administrative capital of the second largest province in Algeria: Adrar Province....
, were emigrants who escaped Tabelbala when one of its ksar
Ksar
Ksar is the Arabic term for "castle", loaned from Latin castrum.The Berber equivalent is aghrem or ighrman ....
s was destroyed by Arab nomads, the Rehamna, for non-payment of tribute. The Idaw Ali of Mauritania also claim to have lived in Tabelbala at an early period.