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Favorite thing: The ksar is half ruined but nevertheless it has underground rooms. I have not read anything about it, but I would not be surprised if the part shown here had been used as a mosque. Some say the ksar was built by the Guaramantes, 2,000 years ago, others that it was built more recently by the Zenetes. The ksar is also named "Taourirt", which mean "hill" in tamazight.
A local legend says that in the past, a very bright and beautiful Sultana ruled the ksar. The Sultan of Morocco fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. As she repeatedly denied his proposal, he raised a powerful army and he besieged the ksar. After several months, the food became scarce so the Sultana built a trick. The assaulted threw away over the walls freshly cooked lumps of bread. They hanged on top the walls freshly washed material and sent an old woman to the Sultan with a fat goat as a present. That meant that the assaulted had plenty of flour, so much water that they could afford to do the laundry and so much meat that they could give away a fat goat. The Sultan understood the message and raised the seat!
Updated Mar 5, 2007
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Favorite thing: Along the road, north to El Goléa stand many “buttes témoin” that can be found in many other parts of the Sahara. In Northern America, they are called “mesa”. In the Sahara the nomads name them “gour”. They are parts of sedimentary layers that have been protected from the erosion because they were somehow harder that the neighboring rocks.
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Favorite thing: This is an old eroded “gour”. While usually, the typical “gour” is flat on top, in that case, erosion had gone further and the summit has given a pile of eroded rocks that make the outline of a sleeping camel! At least, this is what I found but I suppose that each will view it in a different way!
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Favorite thing: On the edges of the oasis, several walled gardens with a few palm trees are gathered together. There does not seem to be any actual house but only very small buildings (for tools ??). I am not sure that these enclosures are gardens. They might as well be enclosures for cattle, goats and sheeps.
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Favorite thing: From the ksar, the view is stunning and worth the climb.
The first photo shows a general view of the oasis with the mosque in the foreground.
The second photo is a close up on the mosque. If you enlarge it, you will see the cemetery with unusual graves. A narrow strip of adobe tops each grave. I had never seen this type of graves anywhere else in the Maghreb.
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Favorite thing: The ksar (the fort) stands on a rocky hill at the northern edge of the city. Only on our third visit did we climb the rocky path to visit it. It was early in the morning but however, though in April, it was already hot!
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Favorite thing: On the first photo, a young girl carries on her head a basket full of grass for the poultry.
On both sides of the main avenue, houses built with adobe with occasional children playing in front of the door and that are fast to hide themselves in the house if they understand you are going to take a photo !
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Favorite thing: The arrival into El Goléa when you drive from the north, is by a wide surfaced avenue lined with palm trees and busy with carts, cars, bicycles, motorbikes and pedestrians. El Goléa is the last main city before Tamanrasset and this is where you should buy your food supplies.
Written Feb 20, 2007
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Reviews and photos of El Golea attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for El Golea sightseeing.
The arrival into El Goléa when you drive from the north, is by a wide surfaced avenue lined with palm trees and busy with carts, cars, bicycles, motorbikes and...
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El Goléa, the 300,000 palm trees oasis
El-Goléa, a city of 28,000 inhabitants (2005), is 270 km south to Ghardaïa, the capital of the Wilaya. It appears on road signs either as El-Goléa or as El-Minieh. Both names mean “the fortress”.
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El Golea is one of the biggest oases of the south. There are nearly 200.000 palm trees. El Golea is dominated by the old skar El Menia. Charles de Foucauld (known of the heritage in the Hoggar) is...
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