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The ancient settlements of the M'zab Valley in Algeria, called ksour, are still being used by local inhabitants a thousand years after their construction. The main objective of this study was to discover why, despite the formation of new residential areas, these settlements have been able to survive and maintain their original functions.

The authors used the concept of living heritage sites as an analytical framework. The field data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through qualitative content analysis.

This study revealed that the reasons for the survival of these settlements were cultural and social rather than physical. Four main factors play a role in the survival of these settlements: (1) solidarity and unity among the inhabitants, (2) built environment as an ancestral heritage and a symbol of identity, (3) comfort and convenience in ksour and (4) social control and adherence to tradition. However, some concerns have arisen in recent decades that may endanger the viability of these settlements in the future, requiring more attention from the government.

While previous studies on urban heritage and World Heritage Sites (WHSs) have mainly focused on tourism development and conservation issues, this paper emphasized a less-studied aspect of these sites, i.e. continuity and sustainability. All previous studies on the WHSs of the M'zab Valley have addressed the traditional architecture and the climatic design of houses without sufficiently addressing other factors that have contributed to the sustainability and resilience of these settlements.

In the M'Zab Valley, women have long remained confined to their domestic sphere and are invisible in outdoor spaces. This study aims to analyse the use of public and private spaces by the women of Ksar El Atteuf, particularly after the significant changes that society has undergone.

This study examines the role of gender in the daily life of an urban community in the M'Zab Valley in Algeria through semi-structured interviews with relevant experts and a survey of 100 Mozabite women. It focuses on their roles and views regarding using spaces and maintaining Mozabite heritage.

Social and religious norms influence women's utilisation, behaviour and roles in gendered spaces. Most women consider their place to be within the house but refuse to live primitively. Education and work have enabled them to emerge outdoors. The results also showed that owing to the restrictions imposed on women, 60% of them emphasised the need to express their opinions and make decisions, and 26% asked for more opportunities and spaces.

This study broadens understanding of Mozabite society and its architectural and urban heritage. The empirical study surveyed women and conducted interviews with experts. This is valuable, particularly, given the challenges of studying gender in conservative cultural settings.

This article aims to clarify the link between heritage and development, focussing on how this wealth can be a resource for the promotion of tourism in the villages of the Oued Labiod valley in the Aures and reduce their backwardness.

The paper opted for a qualitative empirical study, through interviews and direct observations. The data were supplemented by literature searches. The collected data were then analysed to obtain results.

The results show that the problem of the heritage of historic villages can no longer be reduced to the contemporary phenomenon of decay and physical mutations of traditional buildings. It is a more complex issue that encompasses major concerns requiring curious, comprehensive and constitutive solutions.

Due to the particularity of the architecture and the specificity of the topography and climate of the study area, the results of the research may not be generalisable and are limited to the chosen example.

The document offers advice to local actors to ensure that heritage properties are taken into consideration in all development policies and determines that the success of these projects depends on the involvement of the local population and the improvement of the legal framework.

As the first study on the issue of sustainable tourism development of the cultural heritage of the Oued Labiod valley, the document proposes new ways of development that respect the historical values and authenticity of the heritage and involve the inhabitants.

This paper aims to investigate the heritage management of the Algerian medinas subject to standardized safeguarding plans, referring only to the general community model, and then ignoring their particularities. Two medinas were selected as a case study: Annaba and Constantine.

Several methodologies of a descriptive historical issue and an exploratory study approach were used to determine the physical and cultural values of the two medinas. The objective is to see to what extent the medinas can be claimed as a place of affirmation and diffusion of urbanity.

On the basis of the results obtained, this work aims to articulate the tangible and intangible heritage as two inseparable dimensions to rethink the heritage of the Algerian medinas, taking into account the specificities and peculiarities of each of them.

This paper responds to an identified need to examine the issue of identity as a new approach that depends on the available characteristics of the historic center and the way in which planners and decision-makers use these resources as a guideline for implementing a new vision of safeguarding.

The region of Guelma, located in the northeast of Algeria, is characterised by its important natural and cultural heritage. This heritage is ignored and abandoned, which leads to its degradation and even its disappearance. Thus, it is imperative to seek to know and understand the reasons for this situation. This study aims to reveal the constraints of heritage promotion and its staging through its insertion in the development process.

A hypothetical–deductive approach based on a qualitative method using surveys was carried out on the knowledge of the heritage of Guelma by the actors concerned. The laws and classification procedures were interpreted to identify the heritage's stakes to ensure sustainable local development through tourism.

The results show the lack of recognition of the natural and cultural heritage by the region's population, the cumbersome, long and complex classification procedure. The weakness of the offer in terms of tourist infrastructures constitutes a handicap to the valorisation of the heritage and prevents the enhancement and development of tourism. Systematically, heritage does not contribute to the local and territorial development of the Guelma region.

The article underlines the importance of raising awareness among the various heritage stakeholders and actors, and first, the population, of the value of their natural and cultural heritage to make it profitable and a driving force for local and territorial development.