Knowledge and Skills of the Water Measurers of the Foggaras or Water Bailiffs of Touat and Tidikelt

The element incorporates all the knowledge and skills of the water measurers of the foggaras (water channels), or water bailiffs, of the ksour communities of Touat and Tidikelt in Algeria. The water measurers are involved in various operations and activities in these communities, such as calculating the rations of water for each individual or family, and the restoration and maintenance of the channels used to distribute water, in addition to controlling the direction of the flow of water in the channels.
Several factors have disrupted the proper functioning of the foggara irrigation system, including the lack of communication between adults and younger generations in this regard, governmental changes regarding property ownership, in addition to the effects of urbanization and various aspects of modernity and development.

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Knowledge and Skills of the Water Measurers of the Foggaras or Water Bailiffs of Touat and Tidikelt was inscribed in 2018 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Algeria.