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Algeria

October 13. 2023 I left San Diego to Montreal and then Montreal to Algiers that began an adventure that first started in 2019 when the reservation was booked and paid for.. in 2020. Two weeks prior to departing Covid worldwide shut everything down in March 2020. This trip would be moved 5 times and two companies. Fianlly after spending 24 hours in Montreal on a cancelled Air Canada flight I arrived a day late to start the adventure in Algiers, Algeria.

Algeria, is a country in North Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia; to the east by Libya; to the southeast by Niger; to the southwest by Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara; to the west by Morocco; and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea.

Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population in 2020 was estimated to be around 4,500,000. Algiers is in the north-central part of Algeria. Arab and French are the main languages spoken. Here we have 3 men having a conversation on a bench.

Here we find a pop up fruit and vegetable stand in a local neighborhood just off a main road.

Mercy Mosque a former Christian church

Sightseeing areas in the city available to see via the Metro,

Entrance to the Algiers Metro

Our Algerian guide Houssem Degdeg. Very knowledgeable and proud of his country.

One of the narrowest buildings on end that I have seen outside of New York City.

The Algiers Central Post Office, is an office building for postal services located on Boulevard Mohamed-Khemisti, Alger Center municipality in Algiers, Algeria. It was designed and was constructed in 1910. It is Algeria's largest post office building, In 2015, the state turned it into a museum

An apartment building in the center part of Algiers.

Local art at an intersection near the harbor area.

The Electric train running through part of the city.

Football, Soccer, is big in Algeria.

The Algiers Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Algiers, the capital of Algeria. Originally designed in the 1970s, it opened in 2011 after decades of delays due to financial challenges.

Inside the underground subway

A young couple seated across from me

We took a tram to the top of one of the hills to see over the city and bay.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the 10th largest in the world. The northernmost is known as the Tell with influences from the Mediterranean and the Atlas Mountains which separate the coastal plains from the desert to the south. The southern region, almost all desert forms the majority of the country's territory and is situated in the western portion of the Sahara which stretches across North Africa.

Languages spoken in Algeria are Arabic and French with some English and Spanish. The main religion is Islam 97% with Christian and Jewish 3%. The Currency is the dinar.

The Martyrs Memorial or locally called the Maqam Echahid is a concrete monument commemorating the Algerian War. The monument was opened in 1982, on the 20th anniversary of Algeria's independence.

Lots of locals enjoy the day walking around the memorial and the views in the distance of Algiers and the Mediterranean in the distance.

It is fashioned in the shape of three standing palm leaves, which shelter the "Eternal Flame" under it.

At the edge of each palm leaf is a statue of a soldier representing a stage of Algeria's struggle for independence. The monument has been erected on the site of an ancient military fort.

View from the rear side of the Martyrs' Memorial looking the city of Algiers below.

Looking at a close up of one of the apartment buildings below.

Entering the city Garden of Hamma.

The cactus blocked the name of the gardens. Garden of Hamma.

Tree lined walk into the garden.

This tree is called the Tarzan tree after the television program and movie Tarzan where he could swing from tree to tree from the hanging vines. .

From the City gardens below looking up at the Martyrs' Memorial above.

More views within the city park

Old wall remains of the Val-dHydra-aqueduct now a historical monument. From1516-1832, the city built four aqueducts to carry water to the city.

Dar Serkadji was located on today's street Sallust in Algeria. It was a military prison and a civil prison simultaneously. After 1830, the colonization, it was reestablished by the French as a military prison.

Photos from a visit to a shop that makes shoes for generations in the Casbah area of the city. These are many of the residents through the years and customers.

Inside the shop of the shoe maker.

The Casbah of Algiers is founded on the ruins of old Icosium, a Phoenician settlement dating back to 400 BC when a small Berber village was created by some local fisherman. It was a city built on a hill, stretching towards the sea, divided into the "High city" and the "Low city". There are the remains of the citadel, old mosques and Ottoman-style palaces as well as the remains of a traditional urban structure associated with a deep-rooted sense of community."

After walking up 4 flights of stairs of residences above the shoe makers shop is a roof top with incredible views of the Casbah below and the city of Algiers.

Views in all directions. Major Mosque in the distance.

I believe the air has a lot of sand in the air and not pollution.

The Casbah played a central role during the Algerian War of Independence, 1954–1962. During the early years of the war, the Casbah was the epicenter of the insurgency planning of the National Liberation Front, from which it planned and executed attacks against French citizens and law enforcement agents in Algeria at the time. In order to counter their efforts, the French authorities launched operations in the Casbah during the Battle of Algiers.

Women from the residences and family living in the building preparing food for the noon meal.

Three local young boys enjoying the morning just hanging out.

Unique tiles in the wall walking inside the Casbah areas.

Walking down the walkways in the Casbah. Every turn and corner is different.

The Algerian government, reported that 373 buildings in the Casbah have collapsed. Of the 1816 buildings that remain, 40% are ruined or in a critical state, and 10% are boarded up

Algerian authorities list age, neglect and overpopulation as the principal contributors to the degeneration. Overpopulation makes the problem especially difficult to solve because of the effort it would take to relocate the residents.

Estimates range from 40,000 to 70,000 people, although it is difficult to be certain due to the number of squatters in vacant buildings.

The flag of Algeria in a series is across the walk way. Efforts are being made to rehabilitate the Casbah but as you can see from the damage it is very much into decay.

Young boys busy at play.

Some areas are better than others.

A man in front of the door to a Mosque entrance in the Casbah beginning the rite of washing his hands, feet and other areas of the body before entering the Mosque to pray.

An electricians nightmare. Find the right wire.

Preservationists believe it’s possible to save the Casbah areas, but you need to empty it and you need to find qualified people who will respect the style, the materials. It’s a huge challenge. Restoration projects have been plagued by delays and endemic corruption.

Unique door entrances

Political paintings within the Casbah.

More political propaganda painted on the walls.

Local artists paint on the walls

Finally out of the residential side of the Casbah and into the business side of the Casbah. Here fresh fruit is sold from the back of a truck bed.

Life in the Casbah business district.

Two men busy playing checkers as the world walks by.

These locally grown grapes look fantastic to eat.

Water melon, honey do melon

Just a normal morning of people going about their grocery shopping in the Casbah. Houssem, our guide, helping one of our group.

Healthy beautiful locally grown vegetables just picked and now selling a few hours later at the market in the Casbah.

Potatoes, vegetables, onions all ready for market sales today.

The dress for men and ladies is very traditional Arabic in many areas of the market.

It is still early in the day. It will be even busier as the day progresses. More traffic purchasing food and items for the home.

Looks like almost all the fresh fish caught early this morning has been sold.

More fish for purchase

Slices of pizza anyone. Looks good to me.

Fresh meat with refrigeration. That is a plus.

Great street shot. Laundry hanging off the buildings above.

I enjoy walking the streets just looking at the locals and what is happening all around me.

Every day is laundry day hanging from the windows above

Out of the local business area going further to the sea and more of the Casbah. It is huge as you can see.

We entered the home of a former family of the Kasbah.. here we find a lady with great art and gooks and handmade items for sale.

I enjoyed speaking with the artist. She was for interesting and had some beautiful items for sale too.

Interesting items on the wall. I know it had a meaning and did not find out. Maybe hands off???

We stopped at the National Public Museum of Illumination, miniatures and Calligraphy. Arabic calligraphy is a form of writing Arabic and has become an important art form in the Muslim world..

Now at a lower level in the Kasbah or Casbah.. it is a busy or busier in the outdoor market here too.

Ketchaoua Mosque. An architectural building from the Ottoman period, it was converted into a church and then restored to a mosque again. It can be considered as a gateway to the Kasbah. It has a seafront façade.

People everywhere in this area of the Kasbah. A market place is just down the street a few hundred feet.

Ketchaoua Mosque in the background. Lots of locals everywhere.

Our group had our first Home Hosted Lunch of the trip in his home. Everything was delicious. I enjoyed making a new friend.

Walking to our bus from our Home Hosted Lunch. I needed the time to work off that delicious lunch. Yes I took seconds too.

Waiting at the door to buy bread daily.

The National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Art is the oldest museum in Algeria and Africa.

The museum opened in 1897. In 1911, it was described as having "the finest collection of the kind in Algeria.

In March 2019, during the 2019–20 Algerian protests, the museum was looted. According to the Algerian ministry of culture, "criminals" used the agitation from the street protests to penetrate the museum, break and steal some of the pieces exhibited, start fires in the administration offices, and destroy registry documents.

A few days later, the Algerian authorities announced that the artifacts stolen from the museum had been recovered, mainly swords and guns from the 1950s, and that the fire had actually taken place in an aisle that was under renovation.

An SUV in Algiers. A group just leaving work. They were happy to wave when I waved at them.

Notre Dame d' Africa, Our Lady of Africa, a Roman Catholic basilica is also known as Our Mother of Africa, is a Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a statue of her as a Black woman, located in Algiers, Algeria.

The statue of Our Lady of Africa received a canonical coronation from Pope Pius IX in 1876, in the same ceremony wherein the church was elevated to the status of a minor basilica. A blue gown was added to the statue in 1886.

A view from the Basilica Our Lady of Africa one finds a lighted soccer field below near the Mediterranean.

Another view from above from the Our Lady of Africa.

Driving to Constantine we stop at the Archeology site of Djemila a small mountain village in Algeria, near the northern coast east of Algiers, where some of the best preserved Roman ruins in North Africa are found..

Djémila became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its unique adaptation of Roman architecture to a mountain environment. Significant buildings in ancient site include a theatre, two fora, temples, basilicas, arches, streets, and houses.

Inside the Djemila Museum are found incredible mosaic tiles that have been saved and put on display. Many lifted from the ground and placed on the walls of the museum.

Map of the grounds that we will walk to see the ruins of this great site.

More tiles from the floors

The museum walls are lined with mosaics salvaged from the site, the covered court housing busts of the emperor Septimus Severus and his wife, Julia Domna.

It is amazing to think so much of these small tiles were able to be rescued and put back together and put on display for all to see.

Relief of the amphitheater which I walked to with in the site.

I later walked this entire area we see in relief.

The ruins in the distance which I would walk.

Entrance from the museum to the ruins site is through this grouping of trees.

The name given for this area for centuries was called Cuicul.

The city was built 3,000 feet above sea level during the 1st century AD as a Roman military garrison situated on a narrow triangular plateau in the province of Numidia. The terrain is somewhat rugged, being located at the confluence of two rivers.

The Roman theater of Cuicul, Djemila, was constructed into the side of the hill overlooking the valley in the 2nd century AD.

Cuicul's builders followed a standard plan with a forum at the center and two main streets.

The city was initially populated by a colony of Roman soldiers from Italy, and eventually grew to become a large trading market.

The resources that contributed to the prosperity of the city were essentially agricultural cereals, olive trees and farm.

The arch of Caracalla at Cuicul marked the western entrance to the Severan Forum and the city itself. It was erected in 216 AD by the inhabitants of Cuicul in honour of the reigning Roman emperor Caracalla, his mother Julia Domna and his deceased father Septimius Severus.

Significant buildings in ancient Cuicul include a theater, two fora, temples, basilicas, arches, streets, and houses. The exceptionally well preserved ruins surround the forum of the Harsh, a large paved square with an entry marked by a majestic arch.

Walking this site is as good work out. The site was built on a long slope of a hillside. Returning to the museum in the late afternoon sun was definitely a work out up the long hillside to the museum area and the exit. If you have the opportunity to visit this site be sure to take water with you as you will need it.

The Severan Forum and Temple of the Gens Septimia were built outside the original city walls of Cuicul, in the early 3rd century AD

Amazing are these items are still so well defined after 2,300 years or weather and sun.

Christianity became very popular in the 4th century ,after some persecutions in the early third century, and brought the addition of a basilica and baptistery. They are to the south of Cuicul in a quarter called "Christian", and are popular attractions.

This area was for the daily markets selling goods. See the table in the foreground.

The city was slowly abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire around the 5th century and 6th century.

The house foot prints can be seen in this photo.

The forum is so large cut into a hillside that I needed to take 3 separate photos to show the size of it including the next two photos to show it in its entirety. Its two tiers of seats could have accommodated 3,000 spectators. At one point they tore down and rebuilt and an even bigger forum.

They surrounded it with larger and more impressive edifices than those that bordered the old forum. The terrain hindered building, so that they built the theater outside the town walls, which was exceptional.

Muslims later dominated the region but did not reoccupy the site of Cuicul, which they renamed Djemila , beautiful, in Arabic.

We have now arrived in the city of Constantine. At one time it was the capital of the French department of Constantine from 1848 until 1962. Located somewhat inland, Constantine is about 50 miles from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the Rhumel River.

This particular area we were told is primarily only for men and items they need. Another words women are not welcome.

A street along side of this area for men's items to be purchased.

The city was named in honor of Emperor Constantine the Great Constantine is regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the commercial center of its region and has a population of about 450,000 making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran.

There are many shops selling gold jewelry. This is sole mainly to the brides for their weddings. According to the Koran if men wear gold it makes them "Feminine". So I was told.

This was interesting. Not a clue what it means. Could find no information on it.

The Palace of Ahmed Bey in Constantine, Algeria is an iconic structure that has been standing since the 19th century. It is one of the most important historical and cultural sites in Algeria

Ahmed Bey inhabited the palace as he became the ruler. Ahmed's enjoyment of this wonderful place was short-lived. Two years after he moved in, the French chased him out and turned the palace into their headquarters and with independence the Algerian military moved in and set up camp

The palace is decorated with French and Tunisian tiles. There are also three courtyards and two fountains made of marble. The ceilings are tiled with marble as well. There are 540 doors made of cedar woods, inscribed and engraved with different sculptures and decorations.[

Constantine spread over a number of hills.

Constantine is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" because of the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the various hills, valleys, and ravines that the city is built on and around

We walked across the iconic bridge the Sidi M' Cid Bridge which offers sprawling views of the town and the gorge below.

Perched on the rock of Sidi M'Cid, overlooking the plain of Hamma over 600 feet stands the Monument to the Fallen of the Great War.

Our group listening to Houssem about Monument of the Fallen and the surrounding area.

Statue of the Virgin Mary across the ravine and near the Arch of the Fallen

Close up of the Arch of the Fallen

Mellah Slimane Bridge is a 375 long suspension Footbridge, 8 feet wide across the Rhumel River in Constantine, Algeria. It was opened in April 1925 and was the 3rd highest bridge in the world at 330 feet high. The bridge links Larbi Ben M'hidi Larbi Street to Romania Road which means it connects the train station neighborhood to the center of the old town, this connection is via a staircase, or the Merdersa lift. We crossed the bridge to get to our lunch stop next to the bridge.

We have arrived at our lunch stop after walking across the Mella Bridge and taking the elevator up to street level.

The view of the bridge from the restaurant and the city across the gorge.

The inside of the restaurant on several levels. It was very different but the food was excellent.

Upper Street at the front entrance of the restaurant

Nearby we walk to a day market where you can find just about everything you need.

These clothes are pre owned clothing for purchase

Notice the latest styles for the clothing for the ladies.

While walking through the outdoor market I came across these guys and motioned if I could take their photo. They were thrilled. I then showed them their photo and they wanted another taken. They were pleased that I asked them. As I walked away.. I had knew I had made new friends for sure.

We drove to the archaeological site of Tiddis. This Roman town was built on a hillside overlooking Constantine in the 3rd century and used as a lookout to protect the city from invaders.

We drove to the archaeological site of Tiddis. This Roman town was built on a hillside overlooking Constantine in the 3rd century and used as a lookout to protect the city from invaders.

The cobbled streets just two main streets that crossed in the center. Tiddis had no main water source. You see abandoned water tanks and channels that were used to gather the water during rains.

Looking down at the entrance and parking lot for visitors today.

The local romance speaking community probably disappeared with the Arab conquest in the second half of the 7th century, but some pottery remains showed the survival of a small village -with some christian inhabitants- inside the ruins of Tiddis until the XI century.

This prosperous town, established on a plateau, had a monumental gate, baths, industrial facilities, tanneries, a sanctuary to Mithras, the Iranian god of sun, dating back to the 4th century BC, and also a Christian chapel.

Rock and stone carvings still remain

Amazing how the rocks were squared for building. Water tanks lay scattered among the ruins left on the hillside

The view of the surrounding hillsides from Tiddis.

We are parked for a few minutes to look up at the underneath side of the Millah Slimane Bridge that we walked across yesterday during our tour of Constantine.

We visited the Mosque of Emir Abdelkader with its twin minarets.

It is the second largest mosque in Algeria.

Laying on the floor inside to take this photo of the coupole of the mosque.

The inside can accommodate 10,000 per service. The women have a separate room for them to pray.

The outside area I read can accommodate an additional 15,000 for prayer.

The side entrance with its lattice work on the arches and entrance doors, twin minarets stand out with the blue sky of Constantine.

The National Museum - Cirta was our final stop in Constantine before our flight the next morning early to Algiers and then onto Tunis, Tunisia. Algeria has been an interesting country to visit. People have been very friendly, the food with many varieties and all good. Algeria is definitely worth a visit. Thank you to Houssem Degdeg our guide in Algeria who made every day interesting.

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© 2025 Jim Schroder