My Ancestors

In the Sahara, the foggara has played a leading role in the field of abstraction of groundwater distribution and sharing through formal and strict rules. 

Foggaras are tilted underground tunnels draining water from the water reserve to the fields of irrigation. The water flows downstream owing to gravity. It consists of a series of wells 3-12 m apart and a tunnel 50-80 cm wide and 90-150 cm high. 

Foggaras are still functional in my oasis and are used to irrigate oases like Touat and Tidikelt group oases. 

My ancestors, the caravaneers, developed their own Trans-Saharan Trade. The traditional commercial routes represented by the caravans transporting dates, salt, tea, and cereals from the north in exchange for the groundnuts of the south, were indeed a long journey across the Sahara Desert. 

Date palm tree is the symbol of our oasis. It has had great role and outstanding cultural value in my family's life, both as individuals and as a society. My family get their food and even medicine from it. 

There was a strong relationship between my family and palm tree. My grandfathers, my uncles, my cousins, took care of irrigating and providing its soil with organic fertilizer. 

My family used to prepare a special kind of dates called Batna. To make Batna, you have to, first of all, clean up with fresh water the dates to eliminate dust and other appeared dirt as the rest of insects and the bird excrement. This step must be repeated many times until enhancing soft dates. They used hot water to soften dried date, then dates are mixed for accelerating softness. In the end, they obtained a paste of date which was kept into an old goatskin. 

The Batna is preserved for months and it was used when needed; for example, when there is a shortage of date in the market or on feasts or other religious occasions such as Ramadan.

Unlike most palms, the Date Palm is dioecious, meaning each plant is either male or female. Only female plants produce fruit, provided there is a male plant nearby. In order for its fruits to mature, it requires high temperatures and generous amounts of water. 

It is certain that the date palm was cultivated as early as 4000 B.C. since it was used for the construction of the moon god near Ur in Southern Iraq- Mesopotamia (Popenoe, 1913; 1973).

Date fruit is called a mine in itself because it is very rich in minerals. Its phosphorous content is similar to that found in the same quantity of apricots, pears and grapes put together. 

Its high content of magnesium could also be very beneficial. Date consumers in my oasis are known to have the lowest rate of cancer diseases, a fact attributed to the magnesium found in dates. 

Around the oasis, the children and I have discovered many prehistoric caves and rock paintings. These archeological remains have shed light on what life was like in the once-green Sahara. 

We also found bits of pottery which suggests that about 7,000 years ago, ancient herders raised livestock and harvested plants in what now is an arid desert.