the Orf of the construction in Aɣlan: Définition and sources

Abstract

Aɣlan  or At Mzab, in the Wilaya  of Ghardaïa, is famus for its Ksourian heritage. These ksours were built on the basis of a millennial code named the Orf of the construction, which is under the direction of the customary institution called Lawna (oumanas). Such way of construction makes us wonder on the particularity of this Orf, its signification for the people of M'zab and its written sources. This could be done thanks to desk research and ground investigation conducted in the region during the years 2015 and 2016. Thus, the objective of this article is to shed light on the concept of Orf of construction in the M'zab. In this respect, we raised in our last investigation and study certain confusion and the use of amalgams of terms to tackle the concept of Orf. After that, in a second phase, we'll come back to the written sources related to the theme of our research.

Keywords: M’Zab, Mozabites, Ksour, construction ‘orf, institutions, Ibadism, Berbers.