Landmark Africa
Qal'at Bani Hammad
Qal'at Bani Hammad is an old ruined city in the mountains of Algeria. A tall tower still stands there!
Qal'at Bani Hammad is the ruin of a walled city in the mountains of northern Algeria. It was founded in 1007 as the first capital of the Hammadid rulers. Inside its 7 kilometers of walls are the remains of a great mosque, a tall minaret and several palaces.
The Qal'a of Beni Hammad, 1,000 meters up on the southern flank of Djebel Maâdid, was founded in 1007 by Hammad, son of Bologhine, and became the first capital of the Hammadid emirs. Abandoned in 1090 and partly dismantled in 1152, it is, in UNESCO's words, one of the most interesting and most precisely dated monumental complexes of Islamic civilization, and a World Heritage Site since 1980.
Photo: R hakka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Qal'at Bani Hammad
Qal'at Bani Hammad is in Algeria, a country in North Africa.
It is high up on the side of a mountain. Long ago, it was a busy city with walls all around.
Qal'at Bani Hammad lies 36 kilometers northeast of the town of M'Sila, in northern Algeria. Its ruins stand about 1,000 meters above sea level, on the southern side of a mountain called Djebel Maâdid.
It was the first capital of the Hammadid rulers, who were called emirs, and in UNESCO's words it enjoyed great splendor.
UNESCO describes the Qal'a of Beni Hammad as a remarkable archaeological site 36 kilometers northeast of M'Sila, an ensemble of preserved ruins at 1,000 meters on the southern flank of Djebel Maâdid, in a mountainous setting of striking beauty.
It was the first capital of the Hammadid emirs and knew great splendor in the 11th century. The World Heritage property, inscribed in 1980 under criterion (iii), covers 150 hectares.
- Where
- 36 km northeast of M'Sila, Algeria
- Founded
- 1007
- Height above sea level
- about 1,000 m
- City walls
- 7 km around
The first Hammadid capital
The city was started more than 1,000 years ago, in 1007.
Later, its rulers moved away to another city.
Hammad, a son of Bologhine, the founder of Algiers, founded the city in 1007. It began as a stronghold and grew into a large and splendid city.
In 1090 its rulers left it and moved their capital to Béjaïa. In 1152 parts of its walls were pulled down. Today only ruins remain.
ICOMOS records that the Qal'a was founded in 1007 on an ancient site by Hammad, son of Bologhine, the founder of Algiers. UNESCO says it was founded as a military stronghold and raised to the level of a metropolis, whose influence reached the Maghreb, Andalusia and Sicily.
It was abandoned in 1090, under the threat of an invasion, in favor of Béjaïa (Bougie). The fortified walls were partly dismantled by the Almohads in 1152; UNESCO's short description gives 1152 as the year the city was demolished.
Walls, palaces and gardens
Long walls went all the way around the city.
Inside were palaces with gardens and pools of water!
A wall about 7 kilometers long surrounded the city. Inside it, archaeologists have found a great mosque and several palaces.
The palace of the emirs was made of three homes, with gardens, pavilions and water tanks between them. The biggest palace, Dar El Bahar, was named for the large pool of water in one of its courtyards.
Inside 7 kilometers of partly dismantled fortified walls stand many monumental remains. The 'castle of the beacon light' stood on a steep rocky peak, its keep overlooking the area, and followed the layout of eastern palaces. The palace of the emirs grouped three residences separated by gardens, pavilions and cisterns.
The largest palace, the Dar El Bahar, takes its name from the great expanse of water laid out in one of its courtyards. Digs by L. Golvin and Rachid Bourouiba uncovered more palaces and many finds, now shown in museums in Sétif, Constantine and Algiers.
A great mosque and its minaret
The tall tower is called a minaret. It is 25 meters tall.
It has rows of arch shapes on its sides.
The great mosque of the Qal'a had a big hall divided into 13 aisles, each 8 bays long. Its minaret, a tall tower, is still standing. It is 25 meters high.
The minaret has decorations arranged in three levels, one above another. ICOMOS calls it the prototype of this design, which can be seen in other towers, such as the Giralda in Seville, Spain.
The Great Mosque's main hall has 13 naves of 8 bays; when the site was listed in 1980, ICOMOS called it the largest mosque in Algeria after that of Mansourah, with close links in form to the mosque of Sidi Okba in Kairouan.
The 25-meter minaret, which UNESCO calls the oldest in Algeria after that of Sidi Boumerouane, is in ICOMOS's words the prototype of the three-tiered minaret composition seen notably in the Giralda of Seville.
- Minaret height
- 25 m
- Mosque hall
- 13 aisles of 8 bays
- World Heritage Site
- 1980
Ruins in the mountains
In this photo, the tall minaret stands among low stone ruins.
Behind it are bare brown mountains and a cloudy sky.
This photo was taken on 6 April 2019. The minaret rises above the low stone walls of the ruined city, with bare, striped mountains and gray clouds behind it.
UNESCO says the ruins are still a complete set but are fragile and exposed to the weather. Only a few thousand people visit each year.
The photograph (6 April 2019, by R hakka) shows the minaret, with three levels of tall arched panels and a doorway at its base, rising behind the low stone walls and column stumps of the excavated city, with the layered slopes of the mountain behind.
UNESCO notes that the remains form a coherent ensemble and remain intact, but are vulnerable to natural decay and weathering. The site receives only a few thousand visitors a year, so tourism is not a threat to it.
Amazing facts
-
The biggest palace here was named after its large pool of water!
The largest palace, Dar El Bahar, was named for the large pool of water in one of its courtyards.
The Dar El Bahar, the largest palace, owes its name to the vast expanse of water laid out in one of its courtyards.
-
The minaret here is 25 meters tall!
The minaret is 25 meters high, and its three-level design is seen again in the Giralda tower in Seville, Spain.
ICOMOS calls the 25-meter minaret the prototype of the three-tiered composition seen notably in the Giralda of Seville.
-
Only a few thousand people visit these ruins each year!
The site is hardly visited: only a few thousand people come each year.
UNESCO notes that the site is hardly visited, with a few thousand visitors a year.
Words to know
- minaret
- a tall, thin tower that is part of a mosque
- emir
- a title for a ruler or prince in some Muslim lands
- ruins
- what is left of buildings that have fallen down or been destroyed
- palace
- a large, grand home for a ruler
- cistern
- a tank or underground space for storing water
- archaeologist
- a scientist who studies the past by digging up and examining old things
Discovery challenge
-
In which country is Qal'at Bani Hammad?
Qal'at Bani Hammad is in which North African country?
The Qal'a of Beni Hammad lies in the province of M'Sila in which country?
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Kenya
Show the answer
Algeria
Algeria!
Algeria.
Algeria.
-
When was the city started?
In which year was the city founded?
In which year did Hammad, son of Bologhine, found the Qal'a?
- 1007
- 1707
- 1907
Show the answer
1007
In 1007!
1007.
1007.
-
What is the tall tower called?
What is the tall tower of the great mosque called?
ICOMOS calls the Qal'a's 25-meter tower the prototype of a three-tiered composition of what kind of tower?
- A minaret
- A lighthouse
- A windmill
Show the answer
A minaret
A minaret!
A minaret.
A minaret.
-
How tall is the minaret?
How high is the minaret, according to ICOMOS?
What height does ICOMOS give for the minaret?
- 25 meters
- 5 meters
- 250 meters
Show the answer
25 meters
25 meters!
25 meters.
25 meters.
-
Where did the rulers move in 1090?
In 1090, the Hammadid rulers moved their capital to which city?
In favor of which city was the Qal'a abandoned in 1090?
- Béjaïa
- Cairo
- Rome
Show the answer
Béjaïa
To Béjaïa!
Béjaïa.
Béjaïa (Bougie).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Explain how archaeologists learn about a city from its ruins.
- Describe the parts of a walled city: walls, palaces, gardens and a mosque.
- Explain why a city might be built high in the mountains, and why its people might move away.
Recommended ages: 4 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- The rulers moved their capital to another city. Why might rulers move their capital?
- Why do you think a palace was named after its pool of water?
- Few people visit these ruins. Should more people visit a fragile site, or fewer?
Try at home or in class
- Draw a map of a walled city with a wall around it, a tall tower and palaces with gardens and pools.
- Find M'Sila, Algiers and Béjaïa on a map of Algeria.
Key vocabulary: minaret, emir, ruins, palace, cistern, archaeologist
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad , UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- Advisory Body Evaluation (ICOMOS): Al Qal'ah of Beni Hammad, No. 102 , ICOMOS / UNESCO World Heritage Centre
- File:28-2 Kalâa de Beni Hammad (3).jpg , Wikimedia Commons
- UNESCO World Heritage List , UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Linked as a reference; site facts come from Wikidata)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.