Misplaced Pages

#885114

17-624: The ridge is roughly aligned in an E-W direction. It is located at the western end of the Aurès Range, with the Hodna Mountains to the west. The highest peak, at 2,178 meters (7,146 ft), is the Djebel Refâa . Other important peaks are 2,136-metre (7,008 ft) high Djebel Tichaou and 2,090 metres (6,860 ft) Djebel Touggourt (meaning 'Cedar Peak'). The Belezma Range has one of the most important natural Atlas Cedar forests of Algeria. It

34-413: A w ≡ p p ∗ {\displaystyle a_{w}\equiv {\frac {p}{p^{*}}}} The thermodynamical water activity is thus equal to the relative humidity (RH), and the chemical activity of pure water is equal to one: a w = 1.0. When the atmosphere above a substance, or a solution , is undersaturated in water vapor (p < p ) , its water activity

51-581: A complex system of water retention walls named jessour . They were built parallel to the level curves forming steps in the talwegs . On the northern slopes of the Djebel Tachrirt the walls were constructed above the ground level, allowing the snow to accumulate and to melt slowly in order to distribute the available water resulting from the snow melting period. Most of these traditional water management works are now in ruins. The Beni Hammad Fort or Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad ( French : Kalâa des Béni Hammad )

68-527: A location in Batna Province is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hodna Mountains The Hodna Mountains ( Arabic : جبال حضنة , French : Monts du Hodna ) are a mountain massif in northeastern Algeria . It rises on the northern side of the Hodna natural region in the M'Sila Province , near the town of Maadid around 200 km southeast of Algiers . These mountains are one of

85-394: Is an extremophilic organism that can grow and reproduce in conditions with a low availability of water, also known as water activity . Water activity, a thermodynamical value denoted a w , is defined as the partial water vapor pressure p in equilibrium with the substance relative to (divided by) the (partial) vapor pressure of pure water p* at the same temperature:

102-638: Is an elevated intermontane basin located to the Northwest between the area of the National Park and Mount Mestaoua. Its main town is Merouana at 1,012 metres (3,320 ft) over sea level. The plain is one of the most fertile areas in the region and has traditionally been a granary for the local population. Mount Mestaoua, a veritable natural fortress, is a historical oppidum . The Ksar of Belezma ( 35°40′35″N 5°54′09″E  /  35.676402°N 5.902405°E  / 35.676402; 5.902405 ) to

119-403: Is an example of food spoilage by xerophilic organisms. Complete dehydration based on the freeze-drying technique with effective protection inside a tight packaging system, strictly impervious to water and atmospheric gases ( O 2 and CO 2 ), may be required for long-term preservation of food and pharmacochemical substances ( antibiotics , vaccines …). Freeze drying can limit

136-402: Is lower than one. Xerophiles are "xerotolerant", meaning tolerant of dry conditions. They can often survive in environments with water activity below 0.8; above which is typical for most life on Earth. Typically xerotolerance is used with respect to matrix drying, where a substance has a low water concentration. These environments include arid desert soils. The term osmophile , or osmotolerant,

153-582: Is qualified as a 'dry facies' pure forest owing to its location and the influence of the large deserts nearby, being located only 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of the El Kantara gorges, and there has been a high mortality of the trees in recent times. The Belezma mountains have been traditionally inhabited by the Houaras Chaoui people . There is very low population density in the area and villages are few. The Belezma Plain ( French : Plaine de Belezma )

170-588: Is the ruin of a fortified Muslim city belonging to the Hammadid dynasty that was built and settled in 1007 and abandoned in 1090. It is located on the southern slopes of the range and includes a 7 km-long line of walls. Inside the walls are four residential complexes, and the largest mosque built in Algeria after that of Mansourah , similar to the Grand Mosque of Kairouan , with a tall minaret (20 m). The remains of

187-411: Is typically applied to microorganisms that can grow in solutions with high solute concentrations ( salts , sugars ), such as halophiles . The common food preservation methods of reducing water activity ( food drying ) may not always be sufficient to prevent the growth of xerophilic organisms, often resulting in food spoilage . Some mold and yeast species are xerophilic. Mold growth on bread

SECTION 10

#1732855223886

204-634: The easternmost range of the Hodna chain already in Batna Province , towards the transition zone with the Aurès Mountains . The Maadid Range, the Kiyāna Range and the 'Aqqār Range are other subranges of the Hodna Mountains. The Hodna Range has a zone of about 8,000 ha of natural cedar forest near Boutaleb growing in relatively xerophile conditions. The former inhabitants of the Hodna Mountains built

221-510: The emir's palace, known as Dal al-Bahr, include three separate residences separated by gardens and pavilions. Excavations of the area have brought to light numerous terracotta items, jewels, coins and ceramics, including a number of decorative fountains using the lion as a motif. In 1980 the Beni Hammad Fort was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO . In 945, as Abu Yazid besieged Sousse , Caliph al-Qa'im Bi-Amrillah died and

238-420: The microbial activity on the long term, as long as the product remains perfectly dry in a hermetically sealed and intact package, but it is not a sterilisation technique per se , because after rehydration, even if many dehydrated cells suffer irreversible and lethal damages, some resistant spores and bacterial endospores can still be revived again, and multiplied, by means of microbiological cultures if

255-548: The north of the range is the site of an ancient Byzantine fortress. The now ruined structure was once used as an observation outpost by the Muslim and Arab dynasties that followed the Byzantine domination. This massif was the last refuge of Abu Yazid before his death. The Belezma National Park is a protected area on the slopes of the range. It is one of the most important national parks of Algeria . This article about

272-783: The ranges of the Saharan Atlas , part of the Atlas Mountain System . The Hodna Mountain ridge is located south of Kabylie . It sits at a parallel latitude in a roughly east–west direction between the Bibans in the northwest and the Belezma Range in the east. The highest peak, at 1,902 meters, is the Djebel Tachrirt ; another important summit is 1,659 m high. This mountain is a part of an important religious pilgrimage of some native tribes of Algerians. Djebel Guetiane , both located in

289-661: Was succeeded by his son al-Mansur . Under al-Mansur's leadership, the Fatimid forces recovered their position, first breaking the siege of Sousse and then driving Abū Yazīd's forces out of Kairouan back into the Aurès Mountains . In 947, the Fatimids finally defeated them in the Kiyana Mountains of this massif near what later became the Beni Hammad Fort. Xerophile A xerophile (from Greek ξηρός : xērós  'dry' and φίλος : phílos  'loving')

#885114