Draft:Dhaya

Dhaya is the highest lake at sea level in Algeria, situated at an altitude of 1,170 meters. It is located on the western side of the Blida Atlas, on the road between the municipalities of Aïn Romana and Tamesguida. It is situated between Médéa Province and Blida Province, approximately 7 km from the administrative border between Médéa and Aïn Defla,Boumedfaâ municipality). It is administratively part of Médéa.

The area is a popular tourist destination and an environmental reserve belonging to the Chréa National Park. It attracts numerous tourists seeking rest and recreation, and it is home to diversity of animal and plant life. The avifauna of the area includes a variety of species, such as storks, golden eagle, partridges, ducks, eagles, vultures, osprey, and numerous migratory birds. The forest surrounding the lake is home to a diverse array of tree and plant species, including oak, chestnut, and calicotome trees, as well as a range of medicinal herbs.

Location
Lake Tamezidah, situated at the summit of Tamezidah Mountain, affords a distinct perspective of the northern expanse of the Mitiga Plain, Boroumi Valley and Chiffa to the east, the gateway to Médéa and Oued Harbil to the south, and a portion of Upper Chlef to the west.

Environment
The area in question extends over a total surface area of two hectares and is situated within a forest range that contains a diverse array of plant species, including a multitude of tree varieties.


 * The flora of the area includes green oak, cork oak, maple, elm, carob, sweet pine, olive, and mulberry. The region's flora has attracted a diverse array of avian species, including:
 * The white stork, curlew, pelican, gruiformes, owls, falcon, as well as many species of mammals such as the barbary macaque, rabbit, fox, chameleon, and tortoise.

The Lake in the heritage
This attractive location has served as the setting for numerous historical and fictional narratives that have been transmitted across generations and have become deeply embedded in the collective memory of the region's inhabitants. The most renowned of these legends, as recounted by chroniclers of the occupying army, details the life of a virtuous individual named Si Mohammed Bouchaqour, who resided in the Mouzaïa region during the late 12th century. This region encompassed numerous tribes engaged in recurrent conflict. Within a few years, Bouchaqour managed to facilitate a reconciliation between the combatants in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. In order to reward them for their compliance with the reconciliation, he promised to develop their country by cleaving the mountain with his axe, which resulted in the formation of a torrential torrent that overflowed the Mtija Valley. This resulted in the emergence of a valley called Shifa Valley, which was named as such due to the rapid healing properties of its waters, which were believed to have a positive effect on the injuries of various tribal warriors.

Upon returning to their homes, the representatives of the reconciled tribes once again sought assistance from the benevolent guardian to enhance the productivity of the region's vineyards. Si Mohammed Bouchaqour settled in Tamzakida Mountain and ordered various tribes to bring every morning a little water to pour it on the top of the mountain peak, and from here the legend of the Hanging Lake of Dhaya arose, whose waters never dry up and remain abundant even in times of severe drought, the Hanging Lake remained for a long time a place visited by the people of the region in search of a cure. Throughout the course of their pilgrimage, visitors adhere to the traditional rituals that have been passed down from generation to generation. By the time the plowing or reaping season arrives, visitors ascend to the summit of the mountain to engage in a celebratory ritual, which involves filling the 500 olive trees situated in close proximity to the shrine of Al-Wali Al-Saleh.