Mzab: five fortified cities as a system of habitation

Useful to know

The Mzab Valley in Algeria preserves an environment around five fortified cities, or ksura. The organization created by the Ibadites is adapted to local conditions and community life. UNESCO emphasizes the functional nature of this habitation. [1]

Here it is more useful to compare the location of dwellings, public cores and fortifications than to look only for rich decoration. Compactness alone does not prove an accurate temperature in the home. For architectural reading, separate the visible spatial organization from technical statements of climatic indicators that require their own measurements.