The Béni-Rached Fortress in Relizane: An archaeological city and cultural landscape of the pre-colonial defensive architecture in Algeria

Abstract

Located in mountainous area, between Relizane and Mascara cities, the Beni-Rached Qalaa is made up of four distinct conurbations, amidst multiple rocky peaks, following the banks of river, nearby the fertile plains, staggered between two separate zones. The citadel presents a structure and characters common to Berber and Aurasian villages, intended to facilitate their defensive system. Indeed, like precolonial fortified cities of Algeria, the Beni-Rached Citadel was the political and military capital during the three periods of the history that made its foundation: The Arab conquest, the Ottoman and Spanish occupation, and the French colonization. Today the fortress is witness of a living culture with its industrious population, conserving important social functions. This paper aims to present an architectural, landscape and patrimonial study of the Beni-Rached Qalaa that tackles the question of its assessment as a “lived and perceived” landscape. First and foremost, the primary objective of this research is the identification of the cultural (tangible and intangible) and natural attributes of the fortress, this current method is enrolled in dual approach of knowledge and recognition of the Beni Rached Qalaa, its knowledge consists of making an analysis grid at three different scales: the global perception scale that allows the interpretation of physicals and symbolic characteristics of the citadel, scale of the fortress landscape evaluation and its evolution based on the historical approach, and scale of the cultural and natural values quantification. Regarding the recognition, it evokes the determination of the integrity and authenticity of the Béni-Rached Qalaa, allowing its inscription as a cultural landscape in accordance with the UNESCO regulation and Algerian legislation governing the cultural heritage protection.