Grand Erg Oriental small but ancient settlement of Ghadames at the Libyan frontier. Another and better road from Hassi Messaoud goes south, also crossing the grand erg where it passes a well called "Hassi Tartrat", before reaching the erg's far side. Further south lies the Ahaggar mountains. The cities of Wargla and Touggourt lie outside the western limits of the erg. Nearby, within the accepted boundaries of the "Grand Erg Oriental", the landscape is described as being "practically free from [sand] dunes" evidently due to strong, persistent winds. Petroleum and other hydrocarbons have been extracted in Algeria, from areas in and surrounding the
International Association of Arabic Dialectology International Association of Arabic Dialectology The International Association of Arabic Dialectology (, AIDA) is an association of researchers in Arabic dialects, from all over the world. AIDA was founded in 1992, in Paris, at the initiative of a group of prestigious Arabists, with the aim to encourage and promote the study of Arabic dialects. AIDA is nowadays the leading international association in this field of research and it has become a center that joins scholars from all over the world who are interested in any aspect of Arabic dialectology, including dialects which have not been described yet, dialectal geography, specific