9th century – 12th century
Wargla Oasis, present-day Algeria
Sadrāta was the principal settlement and probable capital of the Wargla oasis between the tenth and twelfth centuries. Its ruins lie south of modern Wargla and preserve remains of a mosque and the tomb of Yaʿkūb ibn Aflāḥ, the last Rustumid imam. Fatimid forces besieged the city in 934, after which its inhabitants abandoned it and sought refuge at Karīma.
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The Story
Sadrāta appears as the political centre of the Wargla oasis between the tenth and twelfth centuries. The city took its name from the Sadrāta Berbers, a group also associated with the Mzab near Biskra. Its ruins lie approximately fourteen kilometres south of modern Wargla, placing the former capital within the same interconnected oasis landscape.
The archaeological remains preserve evidence of Sadrāta’s religious and political importance. A mosque has been identified among the ruins, together with the tomb of Yaʿkūb ibn Aflāḥ, the last Rustumid imam. He fled to Wargla after the Fatimid army captured Tāhert in 908, making Sadrāta a place of refuge for the surviving Rustumid leadership.
Sadrāta’s autonomy was challenged by the Fatimids. In 934 the city was besieged, and its inhabitants abandoned the settlement for Karīma, identified with present-day Gara Krīma south of Wargla. This episode marks the vulnerability of oasis capitals situated along the strategic routes connecting the northern Sahara with the Maghrib and the Sudan.
9th century – 12th century
Wargla Oasis, present-day Algeria
Sadrāta was the principal settlement and probable capital of the Wargla oasis between the tenth and twelfth centuries. Its ruins lie south of modern Wargla and preserve remains of a mosque and the tomb of Yaʿkūb ibn Aflāḥ, the last Rustumid imam. Fatimid forces besieged the city in 934, after which its inhabitants abandoned it and sought refuge at Karīma.
Continue exploring
The Story
Sadrāta appears as the political centre of the Wargla oasis between the tenth and twelfth centuries. The city took its name from the Sadrāta Berbers, a group also associated with the Mzab near Biskra. Its ruins lie approximately fourteen kilometres south of modern Wargla, placing the former capital within the same interconnected oasis landscape.
The archaeological remains preserve evidence of Sadrāta’s religious and political importance. A mosque has been identified among the ruins, together with the tomb of Yaʿkūb ibn Aflāḥ, the last Rustumid imam. He fled to Wargla after the Fatimid army captured Tāhert in 908, making Sadrāta a place of refuge for the surviving Rustumid leadership.
Sadrāta’s autonomy was challenged by the Fatimids. In 934 the city was besieged, and its inhabitants abandoned the settlement for Karīma, identified with present-day Gara Krīma south of Wargla. This episode marks the vulnerability of oasis capitals situated along the strategic routes connecting the northern Sahara with the Maghrib and the Sudan.
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