The Wilaya of OUargla

Ouargla Province ولاية ورقلة
—  Province  —
Map of Algeria highlighting Ouargla
Coordinates: 31°57′N 5°19′ECoordinates: 31°57′N 5°19′E
Country	Algeria
Capital	Ouargla
Government
• PPA president
• Wāli
Area
• Total	211,980 km2 (81,850 sq mi)
Population (2008)[1]
• Total	552,539
• Density	2.6/km2 (6.8/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+01)
Area Code	+213 32
ISO 3166 code	DZ-30
Districts	10
Municipalities	21

Ouargla (Arabic: وَرڤلة ‎) (also Wargala) is the capital city of Ouargla province, in the SaharaDesert, in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing oil industry, and hosts one of Algeria's universities.^{[clarification needed]} The city had a population of 129,402 in 1998 (census figures).

According to Ibn Khaldun the town was founded by Banu Wargla who, accompanied by sections of the Maghrawa and Banu Ifran, left the Tlemcen region and founded Ouargla. These Berbers of Ouarghla then embraced Ibadi doctrines, which later made the town an attractive refuge for the citizens of Tahert.

Modern Ouargla

The city was a significant touristic attraction until recently, when troubled times during the nineties and since brought a stop to that. Many tourists chose to shop sand roses at souk l'ehjar, the old rock market. The souq, or market, had many traditional shops filled with antiquities, traditional crafts, and local items - from dresses to stuffed lizards. The area across from these shops was used to display sand roses, mineral specimens, of all sizes and shapes. The market has gone through a renovation process. However many^[who?]criticized this renovation, feeling it destroyed the historical character of souk l'ehjar and the area.

Not far from souk l'ehjar is the old groceries market, or the Sunday market as the local people call it. It is also located in the centre of the old city, La Lasbah. At its centre lays the original old market, shaped as a circle split into small arcs. The central circular structure is presently used as a meat market, and around this are rows of grocers and farmers with stalls displaying their produce, with all sorts of fruits and vegetables.

Next to the old groceries market lie to the two oldest mosques of the city, "al-Masjid al-Atiq" which literally means "the old mosque," and the old Ibadhi mosque. The old Ibadhi mosque was "home" to one of the most renowned Islamic scholars of the city, Taleb et-Tayeb.

Most of Ouargla's population speak the Ouargli language.

[ouargla]Music

Peter Chatman, known as Memphis Slim, a great piano blues musician and boogie woogie all star, composed and performed a boogie-woogie instrumental tune named 'Ouargla' in 1971. On the track, he was accompanied by Michel Denis on drums. The piece pays tribute to the Ouargla oasis, which was a famous and popular 'hang out' in the late 1960s and early 1970s.