'Goofy balconies'.. the masterpieces of Amazigh houses in the mountains of Algeria
A view of my balcony in Batna, Algeria
In the secrets of the Algerian state of Batna (east), and from its small mountains and plateaus, small houses hanging in the depth of time form a hanging village on the banks of a valley, known as "Goofy balconies".
Those who are well-established in tourism likened it to the Colorado region of America. These balconies extend along rocky chains in ripples that rise from the bottom of the Igzer Amlal Valley at a height of 60 meters.
From Avlos to Govi
The real name of the region is "Afloss", which is a Amazigh word meaning the deep gorge. As for the name Goofy, I took it from "Ruffi", a French settler who built the first tourist hotel in the region in 1920, in which he received tourists from several European countries.
The Goofy balconies were classified as an archaeological area and a national reserve, as chosen by "UNESCO" as a protected world heritage . It was built by the Amazighs four centuries ago, but it is still steadfast despite the effects that time left on it that made many of its houses ruins.
The houses meet in Gofi balconies beautifully and adjoin each other, overlooking the valley of Egzer Amalal from Al, which is the valley that the residents also call the White Valley. to give a scenic view.
This scene was described by the European traveler John Herbal in his book " In the Country of Biskra and the Neighboring Oases ", saying, "In this place the houses overlook the edge of the valley...the water flowed from the sides from small rivers and was shaded by fig and pomegranate trees, and the houses were like orchards; in the form of Rows of shelves, one on top of the other, towards the height of the mountain.
Houses to protect too
The Amazighs built their homes of stone on small mountains and plateaus. They also carved rocky mountains and plateaus and made them homes. The local Batna radio website quoted some Gofi sheikhs as saying that their ancient ancestors "built those houses to store supplies in them and to take refuge in them during wars."
Sharafat Gofi consists of six villages: Hechlat, Ath Yahya, Ath Mansour, Ath Maimon, Ath Fatih, Ath and Riyach, and the word Ath in Amazigh means “al” any clan or people, which means that these villages were built by families and clans, and each clan or tribe had its own village. It is the nature of the Amazighs, where the logic of the tribe dominates.
Goofy Terraces are classified as a protected world heritage
The engineering design of these houses constitutes
In the colonial era, France took advantage of the place because of its attractive natural beauty, as it built residences for tourists, artists, and the wealthy who were going to Goofy.
Goofy enchanted European artists, and they dealt with it in their paintings, the most famous of which was the Frenchman Etienne Denny, and the American traveler Hilton Simpson dealt with it in his book " On the Hills of Algeria ... Days Between the Grill of the Aures ".
Source : websites