Comparative Analysis of M'zabite and Other Berber Domestic Spaces

This paper aims to analyse and compare Berber domestic spaces across a sample of houses from Kabylia, the Aures and the M'zab valley, three regions of Algeria which present distinctive geological, geographical and historical characteristics. The study will look, first at the houses, then at similarities and differences in space configuration. Simple space syntax techniques are used to explore Berber housing. The study focuses particularly on the measure known as «difference factor». The concept of difference factor has been widely used as a technique to measure the strength of a spatial genotype. As a preliminary conclusion a characteristic pattern of integration is identified, which centres on the main room or Wast eddar. The second finding, and not the least, concerns the integrating aspect of Berber habitat, which contradicts the abundant literature that points to the segregation of Muslim and Berber living spaces.