By Monique Sanmiguel Photos: Courtesy Unsplash & Freepik
The history of the Berbers begins approximately 10,000 years ago. This country and its inhabitants are proud of their roots, have experienced important changes throughout their history, both climatic and social, and have given the world great sporting, cultural and lifestyle celebrities.
The Tuareg or nomadic tribes emphasise how amazing it is to spend nights in a thousand-star hotel, camping in the Sahara Desert. The diversity of cultures in wilayas or provinces can be seen in the architecture of the mosques and buildings, as well as the citizens. Argel The Algerian capital is the main port of North Africa, and its white facades are visible from the sea. The ‘modern’ part of the city is built with 19th century French colonial architectural buildings at sea level, while the old city of the Deys is built with Ottoman architecture on the steep hill crowned by the Casbah at 122 metres above sea level.
Casbah, meaning citadel, is a magical and historic quarter located west of the city centre. It was founded on the Icosium´s ruins, is built on the hill and divided in the upper and lower Casbah, is now one of the most important representations of Islam in the country, is the centre of arts and culture and was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.
Notre Dame d’Afrique, formerly known by Algiers as Madame Afrique or Lella Myriam, is in the district of Z’Ghara, the basilica is the work of the French architect Jean Eugène Fromageau, it was built in 1872 with a Roman-Byzantine style exterior and the interior is inspired by Hispano-Moorish architecture. It’s located in the northern part of the city, on a 124-metre cliff overlooking the Bay of Algiers and can be seen as the opposite of the basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde on the other side of the Mediterranean, in Marseille.
The world’s third largest mosque was built in 2012 by German architects KSP Juergen Engel Architekten and engineers Krebs und Kiefer International. Djamaa el Djazaïr sits on 400,000 m² overlooking the Mediterranean, has a 265 metres-high minaret and houses 43 floors served by panoramic elevators, making it the tallest building in Africa. The minaret façades employ an element of traditional Arab architecture called mashrabiya that has been used since the Middle Ages.
Kabylia The main characteristic of this Algerian area is the production of seven thousand tons of olive oil per year, which has been the basis of the local and social economy of their citizens. Olive trees grow naturally on the hills and mountains of the region, without fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides thanks to the nature of the soil and the ideal climate. Agricultural practices are part of the family traditions and millenary natural heritage, allowing Kabyle to safeguard its cultural and historical roots.
The people form the largest homogeneous cultural, linguistic and ethnic community in Algeria and are considered the most traditional Berbers in North Africa. Their olive oil is known worldwide for its sweet flavour from the ripened black olive and has won important awards such as the celebrated prize at the 1910 Brussels World’s Fair for the famous Tablazt harvest in Haute Soummam. Other olive oils from Kabylia were distinguished by other flavours such as the rough ones from the edges of the forest of Bibans, the jade-green of Illoula, the high Kabylia olive oils with fleeting aromas of pine and oak, the orangey-pink of Seddouk or the brown oils from the coast of Babors.
Constantine
It’s one of the oldest cities in the world and international recognition for its unique bridges over the Rhumel River. It was founded by the Phoenicians under the name of Cirta, destroyed 311 BC and rebuilt by Emperor Constantine. Today this ancient town is considered Algeria’s national heritage site and is the third most populous city in the country.
El-Kantara Bridge is one of the oldest bridges, built in Roman times and restored by Salah Bey in the 18th century and bears the markings of Roman and French architectural style. The Sidi M’Cid suspension bridge was built in 1912 right on top of a natural arch, it has incredible views of the ravine and the Hamma valley.
The Mellah-Slimane footbridge, formerly called Perrégaux, is a pedestrian-only bridge. Its particularity is that it’s accessed on the side of the “Rock” by an elevator and a staircase that brings pedestrians back to the level of the rue trik ejdida, which means new street.
Oran
The second most important city in the country, it’s known worldwide as one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Algeria, famous for its beaches, notable hotels, renowned restaurants, local nightclubs where you can listen to live raï music and cultural activities with sensational views of the city in the Promenade Ibn Badis Gardens.
In 2022, the 19th Mediterranean Games visited Oran, where 3400 athletes participated from three continents with twenty-six nations bathed by the Mediterranean Sea. They were held from 25 June to 6 July 2022, twenty-four sports disciplines such as athletics, football, tennis, fencing, gymnastics, basketball or water sports.
They were held at Complexe olympique Miloud Hadefi, where they were grouped around the Stade Olympique d’Oran, a nautical centre, training stadiums, hotels and the Mediterranean villa which was the home of the athletes during the competition.
In the top 5 of the medal table, the Italians took the first place, followed by Turkey, France came third. While Algeria finished with a record number of awards in the competition, winning 53 medals of which 20 gold, 17 silver and 16 bronze, and Spain came fifth.
Sahara Desert
A paradise in Algeria for the new experiences lovers is Tassili Tadrart, a desert of sand-licked rocks with engravings and cave paintings depicting large mammals such as elephants or giraffes. The best way to get there is in a 4X4 off-road vehicle and see the dunes in different colours.
In the canyon of Oued In Djaren you can see the evidence that this was once a green valley and is now submerged by an incredible ocean of sand. We recommend you to be guided by the Tuareg, nomadic population and dromedaries’ breeders, who explain perfectly the various sceneries such as Mount Gauthier, the Tafassasset oued, the miraculous arches of Alidemma or the stone treasure chest of Tagharghart that holds the secret engraved in the rock of the vache qui pleure that means the weeping cow.
The Tassili n’Ajjer National Park is home to more than 300 natural rock arches and approximately 15,000 rock paintings and engravings dating back between 8,000 and 6,000 years, stone deserts and labyrinthine canyons, monumental rock formations eroded by atmospheric agents, ravines and caves, which have made this cultural park a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a biosphere reserve.
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