Béni Abbès

Béni Abbès, nicknamed the Pearl of the Saoura and the White Oasis, sits in western Algeria’s Béchar Province. It’s about 241 kilometers from the provincial capital, Béchar, and roughly 1,200 kilometers from Algiers. Since 1957, it has served as the capital of the Béni Abbès District. The commune spans around 10,040 square kilometers and, according to the 2008 census, had 10,885 residents—up from 8,850 in 1998, reflecting a 2.1% growth rate. The town lies in the Saoura valley, along the left bank of the seasonal river known as Oued Saoura. Within Béni Abbès are seven ksars, or fortified villages, including a notably large one set in a palm grove in the river valley. Locals are often called Abbabsa.

The name Béni Abbès comes from Arabic, meaning “the children of Abbas.” In his 1941 book *Beni-Abbes (Oran Sahara): Historical, geographical and medical study*, C. Rames traces it to the tribe of the city’s first settler: El Mahdi Ben Youssef, from the Beni Abbes tribe, who arrived about forty years after the death of Sidi Othman from the distant Saguia el-Hamra region. The name more precisely derives from the Arabic phrase “Bani Al Abbas,” or “the children of El-abbas.” The traveler El Ayachi noted in his 1662 manuscript *Arrihla al ayachia*: “Then we entered the villages of Bani Al Abbas.”

Geographically, Béni Abbès is built on a rocky hill on the left bank of Oued Saoura. It is bordered to the north, east, and west by the Grand Erg Occidental, and to the south and southwest by the Saoura valley. Notable nearby mountains lie in the Ougarta Range, around the oasis of Ougarta, about 50 kilometers to the south and southwest.

The climate is hot and arid, classified as BWh under the Köppen system. Rainfall is scarce, though occasional heavy downpours can cause flooding in Oued Saoura. The sky is almost always clear, both in winter and summer. The coldest months—December, January, and February—see temperatures between 4°C and 18°C. In summer, temperatures can climb to 45°C, with daytime humidity around 10%.

The Saharan ecosystem dominates the area, so flora and fauna are less abundant than in other parts of Algeria, though a variety of species manage to survive here. Vegetation is mainly xeric, adapted to dry conditions, and its growth depends on infrequent rainfall across three terrain types: hamada (rocky plateau), erg (sand dune), and wadi (dry riverbed). Acacia trees and wild herbs are scattered on mountains and hamada, especially near Zeghamra. Some wild herbs have traditional medicinal uses, including Ouezouaza, Gartofa, Shih, and Terfesse—a mushroom used in local cuisine as a meat substitute. On ergs, the dune-fixing plant Rtéme grows, while the wadi’s dominant plant is Fnine, a salt-tolerant tamarisk.

Animal life includes several Saharan species. The dorcas gazelle and rhim gazelle are the most notable mammals, both threatened by uncontrolled hunting. The sand cat, striped hyena, and fennec fox are only rarely seen. Rodents include the sand rat, greater Egyptian gerbil, and Libyan jird. Reptiles such as the sandfish and the dob are present. Birds include the house sparrow, Spanish sparrow, and raptors like the northern goshawk, lanner falcon, and little owl. Over recent decades or centuries, drought and lack of prey have led to the local extinction of species like the ostrich and cheetah.

Administratively, after the French occupation of the region, Béni Abbès became an indigenous municipality in the Territory of Aïn Séfra (1902–1957). During that period, Tindouf was attached to it until 1935. In 1957, when the territories of the South were replaced by the French Departments of Sahara, Béni Abbès became a district in the Saoura Department, whose prefecture was at Colomb-Béchar. After Algerian independence, it remained a district in the Saoura Department alongside Béchar, Adrar, El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh, Timimoun, and Tindouf. This lasted until 1974, when the department split into two provinces: Adrar (including Timimoun District) and Béchar (including El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh, Béni Abbès, and Tindouf). Following a 1984 administrative reorganization that made Tindouf and El-Bayadh provinces, Béni Abbès stayed a district of Béchar Province. In 2009, it was listed among the new delegated provinces.

Prehistoric habitation is evidenced by rock carvings at Marhouma. These petroglyphs date to the Neolithic period and, while less famous than the Tassili paintings, have been studied since 1863. The Marhouma ideological panel depicts a complex scene: an orant with a crossed disk on its head, connected to a mammal, surrounded by a wounded animal topped by a young man and a snake-like human figure.