
Map showing the location of the Atlas Mountains across North Africa
The 'Aurès' is a region in East Algeria as well as an extension of the
Atlas mountain range that lies to the east of the
Saharan Atlas in eastern
Algeria and northwestern
Tunisia. Not as tall as the
Grand Atlas of
Morocco, they are far more imposing than the
Tell Atlas range that runs closer to the coast. The highest peak, at 2328 m, is the Djebel Kaltum near the town of Chelia.
Standing alone in eastern Algeria, the Aurès Mountains are one of the less developed areas in the
Maghreb. The
Shawia (eastern
Berber) population practices traditional
transhumance, farming fixed stone terraces in the mountains where they grow
sorghum and vegetables, but seasonally moving livestock to relatively warm areas in the lowland valleys where they pitch tents or live in other temporary structures and tend their livestock through the winter.
External links
★ Les Aurès - Algérie
[1] (French). Includes many photos of the region.