There are so many great reasons to visit Algeria and while there a number of interesting festivals in Algeria worth checking out throughout the country, the Ghardaïa Carpet Festival really stands out for its exceptional location and variety of festivities that will take place over a few days. The annual festival typically takes places in March at the main souk in Ghardaïa, an ancient and picturesque city perched on a hillside in the M’Zab Valley.
Taking place over approximately five days (actual dates are not yet confirmed) the festival itself draws artisans, carpet weavers and tourists from all over the country as well as the rest of the world. The weavers come to exhibit and sell their carpets and they will compete for carpet weaving excellence titles and prizes.
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Other artisans of varying expertise also display their wares. Leather goods and tanning, basketwork, brass wares, traditional silver jewelry and artistic ceramics are all . Lively Karkabou bands play their traditional music (listen to Karkabou music here) and of course, there are wonderful food stalls for enjoying the locale’s cuisine. There is even a float parade!
This traditional event really does exemplify the Saharan way of life with the economic activities taking place. With people coming from all over the country to participate, this provides a great opportunity for tourism and spending your tourism dollars where it counts.
Ghardaïa Carpet Festival and the local history
The M’Zab Valley itself is a UNESCO World Heritage site, making this is a wonderful place to spend a few days while visiting Algeria.
Aside from the cultural activities to enjoy during the festival, the M’zab Valley presents a wealth of interesting historical sites. This desert oasis is actually made up of five ksour, or fortified walled towns dating back to the 11th century, where the building techniques and way of life are much like they were when the towns were initially settled. Collectively known as the Pentapolis, Ghardaïa is the main town and the capital of the M’zab. El-Atteuf, Bounoura, Melika, and Béni-Izguen are the other fortified settlements, each with unique features.
El-Atteuf is the oldest of the settlements, and Melika is known for its interesting tombs. Béni-Izguen is the most traditional village and considered a holy site. Only recently have outsiders been allowed to visit this particular ksour after dark. Around the time of the Ghardaïa Carpet Festival, there is also an annual auction held in the legendary market.
Learning about the people that inhabit this area is not only very interesting, it is also necessary as their cultural norms are quite distinct in this part of Algeria and you wouldn’t want to be caught unaware of their customs. You can learn more about the The Mʾzabite who are Berber descendents following a very strict form of Islam known as Ibāḍīyah which is a sub-sect of the Khārijite sect.
Attending the Ghardaïa Carpet Festival provides for an authentic escapade into what life was like in the M’zab Valley a thousand years ago. What better way could you spend time in Algeria? Finding that perfect carpet or hand-crafted souvineer at the Ghardaïa Carpet Festival, all while learning about the fascinating traditions and the people that live here. Here, surrounded by Saharan dunes with somewhere around 60,000 palm trees complimenting the amazing landscapes with the backdrops of the pentapolis certainly conjures up the stuff of dreams.
Check out our Algeria Destination Guide and learn more about the country and what other things there are to see in Algeria.