The minaret
A stone tower before banded mountains.
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Beni Hammad Fort is a fortified royal city in the Hodna Mountains, the first capital of the Hammadid dynasty in the eleventh century. UNESCO inscribed it in 1980 as an authentic picture of a fortified Muslim city, and at 1,418 metres it is among the most important Islamic sites in Algeria. Hammad ibn Buluggin built it in 1007, and it withstood a Zirid siege in 1017. Al-Bakri described a powerful centre of commerce drawing caravans from the Maghreb, Iraq, Syria, Egypt and the Hejaz, and Ibn Khaldun noted its many scholars and traders. It was abandoned in 1090 under threat from the Banu Hilal and partly destroyed by the Almohads in 1152. Excavations began in 1908, and most of the site remains unexplored. The standout is the minaret of the great mosque, a square stone tower of about 20 metres standing alone before banded mountains. Around it lie rows of column bases from the prayer hall, the largest mosque built in Algeria after that of Mansurah. The walls run for 7 km, and remains of palaces include the Palace of the Fanal and the Dar al-Bahr. The fort is 26 km in a straight line north-east of M'Sila, near the town of Maadid, and a car is the best way there. Signs are few, so a local guide helps, with one site giving 1,500 to 3,000 dinars. The site is high and exposed, so bring suitable clothes. It deserves respect as a historic Muslim site, so dress modestly and do not climb the walls.
A stone tower before banded mountains.
Rows of column bases.
A line running for 7 km.
Hodna Mountains, near Maadid, M'Sila Province
It is not required, but signs are few, so a guide helps a lot.
Best by car from M'Sila, as the site is in the mountains near Maadid.