The Advent of Proto-Oasien Territories in The Piedmonts Of The Hajar Mountains

Abstract

<p>Etymologically, the term oasis in ancient Egypt means "place of habitation", in the Coptic language the word oasis means "to inhabit". In the collective imagination, oases lose their primary function and refer to isolated green areas in the middle of desert spaces. The geographical or agronomic definitions of the oases reconnect with the anthropogenic component of these areas by mentioning their sedentary and agricultural specificities. The oasis, for the geographer, is a "sedentary mode of occupying desert space. The oasis is therefore, as much as a place, a set of practices "(GARCIER R., BRAVARD J. -P., 2014:305-323). For the agronomist it is "an area intensely cultivated in a desert environment or strongly marked by aridity" (TOUTAIN G. 1967:83-151) where the cultivation of date palm (<i>Phoenix dactylifera</i>) plays a structuring role in the construction of an ecological niche adapted to the zonal climatic constraints. Indeed, the date palm, in addition to providing very nutritious and delicious fruits, is the key plant of the oasis agroecosystem. By limiting the impact of wind and sunshine, date palm is the base of a micro-climate that allows the development of an intensive and staged agriculture. This agriculture is generally supported by irrigation systems that capture groundwater, which in turn compensate for the lack of intra-and interannual rainfalls that often prevails in arid climates.</p>