The Logic Behind the Formation of Ksourian Structures: A Typomorphological and Culturalist Approach to the Ksar Of Mougheul (Algeria)

Abstract

This article offers an analytical exploration of the mechanisms underlying the genesis, structuring and evolution of the traditional urban fabric of Saharan ksour, using the Ksar of Mougheul in the Béchar region of Algeria as a case study. Faced with the impasse of the modern city, which is incapable of reconciling the ontological function of habitation with the essential preservation of cultural identities, this research aims to elucidate the immutable rules governing vernacular architecture. By combining typomorphological analysis derived from the Italian school with culturalist anthropology, the study demonstrates that the morphogenesis of the Ksar stems from a continuous dialectic between material environmental constraints (topography, hydrography) and immaterial anthropological forces (biological needs, cultural constants and social structures). The findings highlight the empirical engineering of traditional builders and open up concrete prospects for contemporary urban planning that is ecologically sustainable and culturally rooted in its history.