Ruins
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Al-Qal'a of Beni Hammad
Perched dramatically at an elevation of 1,418 meters in the Hodna Mountains, Al-Qal'a of Beni Hammad (Beni Hammad Fort) was the formidable 11th-century capital of the Hammadid Empire. Founded in 1007 CE by Hammad ibn Buluggin, this grand fortified palatine city featured royal palaces, expansive gardens, public baths, and a monumental mosque whose surviving minaret is the second oldest in Algeria. Abandoned in 1090 under threat from invading Banu Hilal nomad tribes and later destroyed by Almohad forces, this isolated mountain stronghold is celebrated in local folklore as a haunted realm of fallen kings, phantom courtly music, and protective spirits guarding buried royal treasures.