Le Site Préhistorique et Protohistorique Karstique « Grottes d’Ibn Khaldoun » dans la reculée de Taoughzout, Tiaret-Ouest Algérien

The prehistoric and protohistoric site “Caves of Ibn Khaldoun” is among the archaeological sites of the Tiaret region. It is formed by a karst system, constitutes a set of natural habitations and troglodyte dwellings which are dug and arranged by the ancient human in the encrusted mosses of a fossil waterfall, in the right bank of the current waterfall of Oued Sidi Khaled in Taoughzout, in Tiaret region. Previously, the troglodyte caves of this site were arranged as Haouanet for installation of the dead during the protohistory. In the Middle Ages and in this site, Ibn Khaldoun wrote El-Mouqadima (Prolegomena) and part of the Kitab El-Ibar (1374–1378). Currently, the site is called “Ibn Khaldoun Caves”, “Ibn Khaldoun Retreat”, or “Kheloua”. Originally, these caves are natural cavities, resulting from the phenomena of usual dissolution in limestone, probably, these caves are occupied by prehistoric human too. A rocky chaos at the north side of the site, several heaped blocks caused by collapsed rock shelters which are inhabited by a prehistoric human until Holocene. At the bottom of this cliff, there is a concentration of prehistoric stone artifacts on the surface ; the most frequent raw material is flint.