Tamentit

Tamentit (Arabic: تامنطيت, romanized: Tamanṭīṭ is a town and commune of Fenoughil District in Adrar Province in southcentral Algeria. According to the 2008 census, it has a population of 9481,^[1] up from 7912 in 1998,^[2] with an annual growth rate of 1.9%.^[1]

Until the late twentieth century, the people of Tamentit spoke Gurara, a variety of the Berber language called Zenati, which is spoken by the Sanhaja.

A Jewish community existed in Tamentit until the 15th century. In 1492, Muhammad al-Maghili destroyed the Jewish communities of the region of Tuat, including their primary synagogue in Tamentit. The surviving Jews of Tamentit fled south along caravan routes and settled in communities along the Niger. Several years later, in the face of persecution, these Jewish communities were forcibly converted to Islam. Some contemporary Malian Muslims claim to be the descendants of those Jews who converted to Islam.^[3]

The villages of Tamentit are located near oases that are part of the Tuat region in northern Adrar Province, between the communes of Adrar to the north and Fenoughil to the south. The rocky Tademaït plateau rises far to the east, while the sandy Erg Iguidi and Erg Chech deserts lie to the west.

The Tamentit iron meteorite was found nearby in 1864.^[4]

Tamentit has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh), with extremely hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Tamentit se encuentra en la carretera nacional N6, que lleva al norte hacia Adrar y al sur hacia la comuna de Fenoughil y, finalmente, a Reggane . El pueblo de Bouffaddi se ubica en la carretera al sur de Tamentit, mientras que los demás pueblos de la comuna se encuentran al este de la carretera y están conectados a ella por caminos locales.

El 5,9% de la población tiene educación superior y otro 17,9% ha completado la educación secundaria. ^{[ 5 ]} La tasa general de alfabetización es del 75,6%, y es del 85,9% entre los hombres y del 65,2% entre las mujeres. ^{[ 6 ]}

En 1984, la comuna estaba compuesta por siete localidades: ^{[ 7 ]}