TOUGGOURT

chief town of the Wadi R'Hir region, northeastern Algeria. It lies in the Wadi Igharghar Valley with sand dunes and chotts (salt lakes) to the north and south and small hills to the west. It is a typical Saharan town of dried mud or clay-stone buildings, winding streets, and dazzlingly white archways. A massive fortress minaret and the Casbah's clock tower rise above low houses; and the tombs of the Touggourt kings (the Ben Djellab) are clustered under a large dome. The oasis, fed by artesian wells, grows date palms, cereals, and vegetables. Located at the junction of ancient trans-Saharan caravan routes, Touggourt ships dates and trades in livestock, carpets, and woven cloth. It is the terminus of the railway from Skikda and the head of the motor track to Djanet in southern Algeria. The inhabitants include people from the Ouled Nal region to the northwest, the Medjara (Jewish converts to Islam), and the Rouarha (of Berber origin, resembling black Africans). Pop. (1977) mun., 74,738.