The Chaamba are a large Sulaymi Arab

Arab

Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

 tribe of the northern Sahara

Sahara

The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...

 in Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

. They live around Métlili, El Golea

El Golea

El Golea is an oasis town in almost central Algeria lying at the eastern border of the Grand Erg Occidental at an elevation of 380 metres. The desert town is a gateway to the Sahara in the south, and has an estimated 180,000 palm trees within the oasis area. The oasis itself lies beneath an...

, Ouargla

Ouargla

Ouargla is the capital city of Ouargla province, in the Sahara Desert, in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing oil industry, and hosts one of Algeria's universities. The city had a population of 129,402 in 1998 ....

, El Oued

El Oued

El Oued or Oued Souf is a city in El Oued province, Algeria.. The oasis town is watered by an underground river, hence its name, which enables date palm cultivation and the rare use of brick construction for housing...

, and the Great Western Erg, including Timimoun

Timimoun

Timimoun is a little oasis town in Adrar Province, Algeria; in the Gourara region.It is located to the northwest of the eponymous Sebkha, at the edge of the plateau of Tadmaït....

 and Béni Abbès

Béni Abbès

Béni Abbès also known as the Pearl of the Saoura also as the White Oasis, is a city located in southwest Algeria in Béchar Province, 250 km far from the capital of the Province and 1 200 km from Algiers....

  While traditionally they were nomads specialised in raising camels, most have settled in the oases over the past century.

In 2008 there were several clashes between Chaamba and Mozabite youths in the oasis of Berriane

Berriane

Berriane is a medium-sized town in the south of Algeria and the capital of the district of the same name in the province of Ghardaïa . It is located in the north of the Sahara desert, in the extreme North of the wilaya of Ghardaïa, 554 km south of Algiers and 43 km north of Ghardaïa City...

, following a miscarriage caused by a firework.

The date palm is the most important agricultural products for chaamba