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The Sahara has long been portrayed as a barrier that divides the Mediterranean world from Africa proper and isolates the countries of the Maghrib from their southern and eastern neighbors. Rather than viewing the desert as an isolating barrier, this volume takes up historian Fernand Braudel's description of the Sahara as "the second face of the Mediterranean." The essays recast the history of the region with the Sahara at its center, uncovering a story of densely interdependent networks that span the desert's vast expanse. They explore the relationship between the desert's "islands" and "shores" and the connections and commonalities that unite the region. Contributors draw on extensive ethnographic and historical research to address topics such as trade and migration; local notions of place, territoriality, and movement; Saharan cities; and the links among ecological, regional, and world-historical approaches to understanding the Sahara.

Caelifera is one of the largest and most diverse group of insects, and they are the dominant Orthoptera in agriculture ecosystems. We present here an inventory of Acridid fauna of the agricultural ecosystems in the Mzab valley (Septentrional Sahara, Algeria). Grasshoppers were sampled with quadrats in Béni Isguen, Ghardaïa and El-Atteuf, and we have expressed the species richness, sampling effort and relative abundance. The method used is that of quadrats sampling. The results revealed the presence of 27 species, divided into three families, Acrididae, Pyrgomorphidae and Tetrigidae. Among these families, we found that Acrididae are most diverse with six subfamilies. The subfamily Oedipodinae with 10 species was the most abundant, while the subfamily Tetriginae was the least abundant (represented by a one species). The value of the diversity index showed that the cultivated area of Béni Isguen is the most favorable for the development of many Caelifera. The abundance of grasses and low intensity of agricultural activity in this environment favors the presence of Acridid. We found that the Acridid community depends mainly on the nature and richness of vegetation cover, the intensity of agricultural activity and the type of irrigation. Keywords: Grasshopper, agricultural ecosystem, biodiversity, North Africa, Sahara

Cet article s’intéresse aux conditions d’accueil des migrants et à leurs modèles d’intégration dans leurs nouveaux territoires d’installation à partir de l’analyse des réseaux migratoires, des initiatives conduites par les acteurs en dehors de tout cadre institutionnel. Pour étudier le phénomène, notre attention s’est portée sur une communauté ethno-linguistique et religieuse particulière, les Mozabites, observée dans deux contextes migratoires distincts : El Eulma, une ville du nord algérien et Marseille, métropole du sud de la France. L'étude de cette minorité a permis de mesurer le rôle que peut jouer l’identité d'un groupe, sa cohésion sociale et le réseau migratoire qu'il a établi, dans le développement de l’accueil des nouveaux migrants : comment ces caractéristiques se manifestent-elles pour favoriser l’intégration des nouveaux arrivants dans les territoires d'installation. Après une brève présentation de la communauté mozabite et ses spécificités culturelles, sont analysées les initiatives développées par ses membres pour favoriser l’accueil et l’intégration des nouveaux arrivants dans les deux villes d’accueils.

Cet article dévoile dans la longue durée les circulations de lettrés (oulémas) ibadites du Mzab et leurs échanges, entre le Sahara, les centres urbains du Maghreb et ceux du Moyen-Orient. Saisis à partir de l’Algérie colonisée, ces flux intellectuels, commerciaux et matériels (lettres, manuscrits, imprimés…) paraissent à première vue marginaux. À une tout autre échelle, ils constituent pourtant une plate-forme d’observation de liens transrégionaux et transimpériaux sous-estimés. Ces déplacements et ces échanges esquissent une aire et des flux migratoires qui enjambent le seuil chronologique des conquêtes coloniales. Ils font voler en éclat l’image d’un islam local et dénaturalisent le cadre algérien et colonial en donnant à voir, parmi les populations d’Algérie, des rapports à l’espace qui excèdent ceux construits en situation coloniale.

Abstract This paper aims to display a promising experience of designing a new community project based on the Mozabit old traditions to found their Ksour (plural of Ksar). The faith and “self-reliance” as ancient customs of the Mozabit society have led the Oases to survive in a hostile Saharan environment. Tafilalt project aims to respect the traditional architecture and values while creating architecture worthy of the sustainable development. The community in Bani Isguen city initiated the project in 1997, planning to create a new neighborhood for Bani Isguen ksar in order to alleviate the housing shortage in the Mzab Valley. The self-help, solidarity and collective work of this community allow low-income households to have access to affordable housing. The methodical approach fulfills a thorough analysis of the different steps concerning the process from the definition to the construction of such a collective project. This quite successful designed project tends to enhance the local urban environment and empower the community ties. A set of guidelines and recommendations are made in order to improve the design process and urban strategies of any alike coming projects. , Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar uma experiência promissora de criação de um novo projeto comunitário baseado nas antigas tradições mozabitas para fundar seus Ksour. A fé e a “autoconfiança” como costumes antigos da sociedade Mozabita levaram os Oásis a sobreviver em um ambiente hostil do Saara. O projeto Tafilalt visa respeitar a arquitetura e os valores tradicionais, criando uma arquitetura digna do desenvolvimento sustentável. A comunidade na cidade de Bani Isguen iniciou o projeto em 1997, planejando criar um novo bairro para Bani Isguen ksar, a fim de aliviar a escassez de moradias no Vale do Mzab. A autoajuda, a solidariedade e também o trabalho coletivo desta comunidade permitem que as famílias de baixa renda tenham acesso a moradias populares. A abordagem metodológica baseia-se na análise das diferentes etapas do processo, desde a definição do projeto até a construção desse projeto coletivo. Este projeto bem-sucedido foi projetado para melhorar o ambiente urbano local e fortalecer os laços comunitários. Um conjunto de diretrizes e recomendações será feito a fim de melhorar o processo de design e as estratégias urbanas de projetos similares.

Abstract This paper describes for the first time an original foggara, different from the classical foggara (foggara of Gourara) which collects water from the Intercalary Continental aquifer. Located in the middle of the Mzab River, this hydraulic system called the Mzab foggara is intended to exploit the flood waters. Two missions were carried in 2009 and 2010 in the Mzab Valley to describe the hydraulic system. The Mzab foggara constitutes of a gallery of ovoid form 200 m long equipped with 9 air shafts and a 900 m long seguia. The foggara of the Mzab River can drain water flow of 5 m3·s-1 to irrigate western part of the palm plantation of Ghardaia (located 600 km south of Algiers).

Algeria as a big country has three different climate zones: Mediterranean, semi-arid and arid; in three different regions: Northern, Central and Southern. Each region developed its typical vernacular tradition; one that responded to climate,