SEDRATA

Around 15 km south of Ouargla, ancient Isedraten was built from the ^8th century A.D. In 909, Yacoub, the last Rostémide, turned it into a capital whose prosperity annoyed the Hammadite ruler El-Mansour, who had it razed to the ground in 1072. Buried under the sand for centuries, the ruins of the city were rediscovered in the ^19th century and partly brought to light. The finest pieces of this fragile underground city, found on site, are on display at the Ouargla museum and also at the Musée des Antiquités in Algiers. A wonderful visit.