137

Northwest Algeria

It has rolling hills, fertile farmland, some glorious – and gloriously uncrowded – beaches, big ports, and towns embellished with reminders of the region’s glorious past, yet the northwest is the least visited region of northern Algeria.

Oran, the capital of the northwest, is Algeria’s most important port and naval base. Home to pirates and princes, fought over by the Spaniards and Ottomans, and rebuilt in grand style by French colonialists, Oran today is a lively Mediterranean city with a distinctive character that sets it apart from Algiers.

The northwest also contains some of Algeria’s richest farmland, particularly around Tlemcen, which in part explains why that town became the capital of the Maghreb, this part of northern Africa, in the 14th century. The region has also long been noted for its

grapes and it was here that French colonists based their winemaking, a tradition that con- ALGERIA NORTHWEST tinues today – the best of Algeria’s considerable selection of cuvées come from around Tlemcen and the area south of Oran.

Outside of Oran the pace is slow and the sight of foreign visitors less expected. Tlemcen contains the best of the sights, both in town and on the heights above it. The coast from the Moroccan border to Oran has some of the Mediterranean’s most unspoiled beaches, with beautiful coves and large swaths of sand, although significant coastal developments are being planned as Algeria – and the northwest – gears up to attract more visitors.

HIGHLIGHTS

Take in the royal view from the ruined sultan’s palace in Tlemcen and then visit the neighbouring tomb of the revered mystic Sidi Boumediene (p149 ) Be moved by the beat of rai in the place of its birth – if you can’t be there to join the crowds at the August festival, head to one of Oran’s nightclubs at Ain el-Turck ( p145 ) Stretch out on the pristine beaches (p142 ) along the coast west of Oran – the further you head, the more likely you will have the place to yourself Have a quiet moment in the Grand Mosque (p148 ) of Tlemcen, one of the Maghreb’s most impressive religious buildings Oran Stroll around the casbah and old town of Oran (p139 ) for a taste of its pirateering days

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Ras el-Ma Guenfouda production. the area remains Algeria’s centre of wine and locationwere idealforvinesand ferent priorities,recognised thatthesoil century French colonists,whohaddif- in thebuildingsof Tlemcen. Nineteenth- Moroccan influencethatcanstillbeseen arrived fromthewestandleftalasting armies road. Afew centurieslater Berber following theRoman–andpre-Roman – North AfricaandSpain,theywere merely the 7thcenturyduringtheirconquestof theregionArab armiessweptthrough in south Mediterranean road.When coastal day Tlemcen),wasastopover alongthe main townatthetime,Pomaria(modern- was farmedintensively, andtheregion’s border. Under Romanrulethenorthwest ing itslocationupagainsttheMoroccan northwest, which isunsurprisingconsider- There’s astrong Moroccaninfluenceinthe History lonelyplanet.com music movement, rai. the world, notleastNorth Africa’sliveliest culture, which hascontributed much to of itsownhistoryanda citywithsense all itsproblems, Oran isstillfascinating, forhisnovelsetting he lived here itasthe inthe1940s,used who foundthecitydullanddusty when signer Yves SaintLaurent. Albert Camus, Oran’s mostfamousémigré,fashion de- a better life, perhapshopingtoemulate willbethe journeytowhattheybelieve of people. Many of themlongtomake north toEuropeiswatched byhundreds shipthatsails andevery are plain to see, governmentand thesubsequent neglect ofsequences theviolenceof the1990s Yet here, more thaninAlgiers, thecon- plenty of historyanda lot of rhythm. Algeria’s cityisalively second portwith x ORAN Medea.especially near and Mascara, andthearea southof Blida, Ouarsensis, particularlyaroundRelizane travelling inthearea westof theMassif de governments against continuedtoadvise less, atthetimeof foreign writingseveral recently thanthenortheast.Neverthe- lessviolenceNorthwest Algeria hasseen Dangers &Annoyances 041 /pop1.5million وﻫﺮان The Plague . Butfor M’hidi, above whatisnowBoutique Warda. ben lived at65rue Larbi Albert Camus ben M’hidiare themain shopping streets. of rueMohamed and rueLarbi Khemisti The parallelstreetscrowds intheevening. front), knownlocallyasthebalcony, attracts focal point,whilethe The placedu1Novembre asa still serves marker. asauseful serves looking thesea, the newSheraton over- hotel, builtonarise spread farbackintotheinterior. Totheeast the southof theFrench city,modernblocks above themore modern,eastern port.To ofits boulevards whitewashed buildingssits lining thebay.ThecolonialFrench citywith the cityhasspread totheeastandsouth, fort of Cruz.Witheach Santa development MurdjadjoandtheSpanish-built Djebel high above theoldport,withitsbackto400m The oldestpartof town,the casbah, sitsjust Orientation tion leftafter independence. the action.Almosthalfof Oran’spopula- killing1300Frenchthe Germans, sailors in tacked theFrench tostopitfalling fleet in1940,Britishforcesat- the Germans battleships. WhenFrancesurrendered to home toasignificantsquadronof French WWII theMers el-Kebir was naval base grand civicbuildings.Attheoutbreak of of broadavenues whitewashed houses, and France’s largest place cities,acosmopolitan became a Mers el-Kebir. UnderFrench controlOran build alarge intheharbourof naval base theportandto colonists begantodevelop fortunes revived from1831,when French tsunamis battered theSpanishcoast. Oran’s it washitbyanearthquake solarge that prospects were in1790when madeworse much of intheprocess.Its itsimportance the18thcenturyandlost Turks throughout overfought bytheSpaniardsandOttoman prominent landmarkstoday.Thecitywas cations thatremain someof thecity’smost tently until1792.TheSpanishbuiltfortifi- conquered itin1509andheldintermit- bour inthe10thcentury.Spanishsoldiers Andalusian traders usingthehar- started whenitbecametheportofstarts Tlemcen. but thestoryof cityreally Algeria’s second of theMers el-Kebir bay100,000years ago, aroundthebroadsweep Humans settled History NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Oran NORTHWEST departement departement front demer of Franceandoneof (water-

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141 NORTHWEST ALGERIA NORTHWEST NORTHWEST ALGERIA ure withelaborate stuccowalls andpainted the favourite concubine, aplace of pleas- inner courtyard, on theleftisroomof apaintedonce stoodbeneath ceiling.In the has afireplace where throne thesultan’s 1790. Themainpublicroom,the untouched earthquake bythedisastrous of the factthatthiswasoneof thefew places vacated itin1792;hewasencouraged by residence intothe fortaf buildingproject.stalled now dominated bytheconcrete shellof a there islittle majesty leftinthebuilding, andthegateway isimpressive,and sea, but The locationisperfect, above thetown,port 1700s andtheFrench inthe19thcentury. Spaniards in1509,bytheOttomans AbouSultan Hassan andreinforced bythe were first builtinthe1340sbyMerinid to shoutfortheguard). open, inspite of gates closed (youmayhave mission adult/studentDA20/10; subjects. and some18th-centurystudiesof mythical includingEugeneOrientalists Fromentin by 20th-centuryAlgerian artists,French are more surprising,beingamixof works portraits.Thepaintings ics andterracotta the ancientsculptures, somegoodmosa- inthebay.Moreall caught interesting are animals,ashark, ment amongthestuffed giant lobsters andcalamariand,inthebase- glected naturalhistorycollectionincludes 1954and1962.Theextensive,between ne- list of localpeopleexecuted bytheFrench for independence,mostmoving beingthe floor roomtells thelocalstoryof thebattle to thegrandeurof thebuilding.Alarge 1st- alwayslive up thecollectiondoesn’t though of thekeys tounderstanding thecity,al- is closed, the is closed, Abou Hassan. Whilesomeof thecomplex old, 14th-centuryfortof Merinid Sultan Neuf teau let thatstopyouvisitingthemisnamed zone,butdon’t looking theportisamilitary Much of thearea aroundtheheadlandover- MOSQUE PASHA’S & PALACE BEY’S DA20/10; ( eigners, butthe islittle-visitedThe mainmuseum byfor- MUSÉE NATIONAL AHMEDZABANA 142 x The bey,Mohamed el-Kebir, moved his NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Oran NORTHWEST 041 403781;19blvdZabana;admissionadult/student h (New Castle), which isinfactthe (New Castle), 8.30am-noon &1.30-5pmSat-Thu) Bey’s Palace Musée NationalAhmedZabana Musée h

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Centre Culturel Français Culturel Centre ( The best x

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015 028030;www.213tv.com) ( Benmansour isoneof Alge- Benmansour x 041 427205,427206;www.air baklava flies direct from Oran to flies direct fromOranto ( x is a cut above therest. ( x 041 398759;81rueLarbi andlocalpastries h 041 397882;5rueMo-

8am-noon & 2-5pm 8am-noon &2-5pm ( ( x x hasregu- 041 511153/ 041 403541; . Anew . blvd Mellah Ali) blvd Mellah here hours). DA720/820,eight (day/night from Oran–Algiersday andnight service Ghardaia (DA1100) andMsila(DA900). Aigle Azur Algérie includeParis, LyonandMarseille. Yaghmourassen) lution) The TRAIN park beside Taxis leave roundtheclockfrom car TAXI canprovideat thestation information. M Boumazairof but places.Theretant isnophoneservice, Ghardaia (DA700,10hours) andotherdis- 12 hours), Ouargla (DA900,12hours), (DA700, (DA900,14hours),stantine Setif hours), Tindouf (DA2100,14hours), Con- Destinations includeAlgiers (DA470,eight were privatised. untilbusservices bus station wasthecentral formerly knownasSNTV, Chlef (DA90). (DA80),MascaraMostaganem (DA90)and northwestAlgeria, including tion serving ripherieque, isarelatively newbussta- able information. there isnoreli- ofprivatisation busservices, are strungoutacrossthecityand,since confusing forvisitors, especiallysincethey which canbe bus stations, Oran hasseveral BUS town, in advancefromoneof agencies in several (France; 11hours). Tickets mustbebought Alicante (Spain;12hours) andMarseille There are regular fromOran to sailings BOAT toParis.also operates adailydirect service being thebiggest. 12 hours) andeastern Algeria. (DA1600, from 4amto8pmConstantine tinations fromthe west. near ClinqueNekkache) International destinations served byAir International destinationsserved Buses leaveBuses the The Agence off the2ndblvdPe- Castor, Standard Standard train station for Algiers (DA900,sixhours) and Transport Veolia Transport ENTMV Gare Routiere el-Hemri Routiere Gare

NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Oran NORTHWEST ( x taxis collectifs isa10-minute walk fromthe Stade 19Juin forTlemcen(DA200)andthe

( x 041 390940;www.aigle-azur.fr; airport) 041 392166;9blvddelaSoummam) includeBiskra(DA120),

Amin Voyages ( Yaghmourassen station x USTO station

( x 041 401502, 041361788;

(av des Martyrs delaRevo- (av desMartyrs (shared des- taxis) 021 498024) (BlvdColonelLotfi)

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145 (rue

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NORTHWEST ALGERIA NORTHWEST NORTHWEST ALGERIA reached forAinel- Regularbuses bytaxi. and DjebelMurdjadjo,which canonlybe Cruz theexceptionbeingSanta distance, Most placesinsideOranare withinwalking BUS DA500. maycostupto Ataxi nect withflights. ates from 7am to7pm,butmaynotcon- opposite oper- the townhall.Itofficially macy onblvdMaatra Mohamed Habib, fromtheairporttooutsideaphar- service EGSA, theairportoperators, runsabus TO/FROM THEAIRPORT Around Getting facility. left-luggage fares, DA990/705,4½hours). There isno (1st/2nd classwith15%reduction onreturn 3.45pm (1½hours) andAlgiers at7.45am hour) andTlemcenat1.30pm,Relizane hour, 20minutes), toAinTemouchent (one Abbes toSidiBel at4.10pm(one service buttherewhen theborderclosed, isadaily toMoroccostopped centre. Theservice 146 and inthe Ville Nouvelle theatres; andinrai, thesoundofnew Oran. theOranaise,asshesanginSpanish-town nightclubscentury, suchasReinette el-Wahrania, music: theAlgerian-Andalusian musicthataccompanied themostpopularsingersof20th the reputation thepeople ofOranhave forfun.Butmostobviouslyitcanbeheard inthecity’s structureshas beenmore andin Spanish-era unexpected. Part ofitcanbeseeninthesurviving the valley,knownasTurkish town). ‘Spanish town’(asopposedtothearea aroundthePasha’s Mosque,ontheopposite sideof early 20thcentury,withthearea aroundthemosque ofSidiel-Houari( p143 ) referred toasthe and later totheFrench, there wasstillasignificantSpanish-origin presence inthecity are reminders ofSpanishpresence. AlthoughcontrolofOranpassedin1792totheOttomans ofSantaCruzonDjebelMurdjadjo( such asthefort p142 ) andsomeinthecentre ofthe casbah his elderbrotherfightingtheSpanishinlandnearTlemcenin1510. sultan,althoughnotbeforeBarbarossa tookOran,eventually holdingitfortheOttoman helost crusade andwiththehelpofMujedars(Moorishrefugees fromAndalusia)thepirate Kheirredin Africa. Althoughthecityfell Ferdinand inaday,King ofSpainhadlittleinterest inthe cardinal’s led theSpanishattackonOran,beginning ofwhathehopedwouldbeacrusadeinNorth ofMersel-Kebir. controloftheport a forcetoattackOran,taking Four yearslater hepersonally Spain wasCardinal Cisneros,Archbishopof Toledo andheadoftheInquisition.In1505hepaidfor were figures expelledfromSpainin1492.Oneofthekey oftheSpanishmove againstMoorsin African interior. tookonaneven The strongerAndalusianfeel townbehindtheport after Muslims before thatthere were regular contacts. for200yearsOrananditssurroundingarearight track: wasunderSpanishcontrol,andeven ofOran,you’reIf youdetect onthe ahintofSpain,somethingAndalusianperhaps,aboutparts SPAIN INAFRICA NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Tlemcen NORTHWEST The Spanishfinallywrested it.Buildings controlofOranin1732andimmediately fortified Andalusian tradersfoundedOraninthe10thcenturywithaneyeonTlemcen andtheNorth Cardinal Cisneros hoped to make Oran a Christian foothold in North Africa, buthislegacyCardinal OranaChristianfootholdinNorth Cisneroshopedtomake called Agadir. Tlemcengrew inimportance century IdrissIbuiltanewtown,which he ing remains of theclassicaltown.In8th butnoth- ing thereign Severus, of Septimus Pomaria,hereand builtastronghold, dur- itsstrategic andeconomicimportance nised Morocco orAndalusia. TheRomansrecog- in boasts Moorishbuildingstorivalthose Of allAlgerian townsandcities,only Tlemcen x TLEMCEN your onlyoption(atleastDA200). aprivateis taxi day (DA50),butatnight taxis collectifs at least,whatthejourneyisworth.There are working orthatyouhave fixed, inyourmind more thanDA200.Make sure themeter is cheap few enough: tripsintownwillcost Taxis are easytofind(outof rushhour)and TAXI justoffplace1Novembre.Boutkhil, leave duringthedayfromrueBenamara Turck (DA20)andthebeaches tothewest 043 /pop150,000 ﺗﻠﻤﺴﺎن toAinel-Turckduringthe lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com 0 400 m TLEMCEN 0 0.2 miles

To Agadir (200 m) To Airport (20km) INFORMATION Banque Extérieure d'Algérie...... 1 C3 Centre Culturel Français...... 2 B3 Cyber Star Internet...... 3 C4 Librarie Soleil...... 4 B3 h at Main Post Office...... 5 B2 B med ' Mansourah Web Café...... 6 B3 am Er oh M Office de Tourisme...... 7 C3 l ou ONAT...... 8 B3 Khazi A Blvd Zenata Voyages...... 9 C3

R

d e SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES R ne l ien B ' ed Grand Mosque...... 10 B2 R Ibn Khamis I m e n ou l d i B h kht Train Mechouar...... 11 C3 a e Be d p Station j é Mosque of Sidi Bel Hassan...... 12 B3 i Ibn Khaldoun B n lv B d d d o a e G Tlemcen Museum...... 13 A4 Pl u n m he c c m zl Town Hall...... 14 C3 i e a a Dui Mai f h ou R Adj Hamaza 5 o i A M bd d et es e SLEEPING le Sedjelmaci Abderrahmane m ab m r m M Av Youb Dib a Hôtel Agadir...... 15 D3 h R o Hôtel El-Mansour...... 16 C2 Capt Azhari M 10 Pl des 24 16 h Hôtel les Zianides...... 17 E4 Pl Fedayyines g a Mohamed C b Hôtel Majestic...... 18 C3 m b Khemisti a d 9 S D t Av Colonel Lotfi e r M é li EATING B o 21 6 14 e A n k Restaurant Agadir...... 19 D3 2 h 18 ALGERIA••Tlemcen NORTHWEST z t e a r Restaurant Coupole...... 20 C3 Pl Emir dj r 12 8 Abdelkader e R De La Paix b 25 Restauranto CFamiliale...... 21 D3 4 lvd H hi M R 1 Novembre B inh 23 15 SHOPPING 20 inh Blvd Dr T Pl Cdt Ferradj i M 19 Ch Chambre de l'Artisanat et des Cmdt Djaber Ho 1 e R Capt Marbar d Métiers...... 22 C4 n v i l B R 20 Août 11 c Farouk Stambouli...... 23 C3

Taxi o idjani Damer H 7 Rank r

a TRANSPORT u A o R Air Algérie...... 24 B2 v Mechouar a

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d h Gare Routière (Bus Station)...... 25 D3

dji t e 17

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l d F i B m e rrad A j l 22 i

To Mosque & Tomb of Sidi Boumediene (1km) 147

To Mansourah

(2km) NORTHWEST ALGERIA NORTHWEST NORTHWEST ALGERIA reliable. Near theGrandMosque;also Place EmirAbdelkader) cepting your bank cards. Several banksin cepting your bankcards. Several Don’t count ontheTlemcen ATMs ac- MONEY Civil Hospital MEDICAL SERVICES WebCafé Mansourah Cyber StarInternet ACCESSINTERNET CCF CULTURAL CENTRES Soleil Libraire BOOKSHOPS Information far towalk. tre, Agadir tothenortheast.Bothare too Mansourah liestothesouthwestof thecen- be foundwithina20-minute walkof here. andfacilitiesarehub andmostsights to Emir Abdelkader are nowthetown’smain the Mechouar. The GrandMosqueandplace at Mansourah andtheZianideonearound Idrissid oneatAgadir, theAlmoravid one centreshad several over thecenturies: of theHenneya andMaghnia plains.Ithas ontheedge of Setti, therich farmland Lala thewoodedridgeThe townsitsbeneath of Orientation contractor.built byaChinese largest university campusiscurrently being pleasure tovisit.Italsohasavision:Algeria’s cen, knownas‘thetownof cherries’, isa Tlemceni in1924.Today,easy-going Tlem- independence movement wasfoundedbya strong anticolonialmovement. Algeria’s first for more than10years andalwayshada theFrenchcolonial periodTlemcenheldoff Duringthe sourah, becameatowninitself. the townforsolongthathiscamp,Man- the Merinid Abou sultan Yacoub besieged Mahgreb. Inthefirst halfof the14thcentury ries itwasoneof thecentres of powerinthe fine, whomoved here; hiscapital forcentu- under AlmoravidbenTach- rulerYoussef 148 a good selection ofFrench novelsandhistory. a goodselection connections inaniceroom. connections opposite Mechouar, the entrancetoMechouar. Hasfast Djeber) Hasalibrary,anexhibitionspaceandcinema. ( NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Tlemcen NORTHWEST x 043 261722;www.ccf-tlemcen.com;1rueCol

( ( x x 043 261821;76blvdBen Zerdjeb) 043 Has 266501; 39rueIbnKhamis) (17 avCdtFerradj) AboveCafé (OptiqueOpthalmiqueBldg, h that ‘women must wear long clothes’. longclothes’. that ‘womenmustwear theinstruction toobserve mosque, youneed reb intown.Tovisitthe andthehighest minaret, theoldestinthispartof theMagh- building. There are 133steps tothetopof the is theatmosphere of reverence thatfillsthe sive chandelier. More impressive, though, stone,andafinecupolawithmas- carved mihrab, elaborately decorated instuccoand early some important features, includingthe timesoverseveral thecenturiesbutretains rebuilt substantially around 1091,ithasbeen the Almoravid benTachfine leaderYoussef by Islamicbuildings.Begun most important tional travelfacilities. domesticandinterna- Offers .com; 11rueCdtMokhtar) Tlemcen’s GRAND MOSQUE Sights Voyages Zenata ONAT AGENCIES TRAVEL deTourisme Office TOURIST INFORMATION phonecards forpublicphones. postoffice Main booth. walk fartofindataxiphone As elsewhere inAlgeria, youdon’thave to POST &TELEPHONE adj) cluding the centre willchange foreign currency, in- south sideistheoldcolonial-era divided byruedel’Independence. Onthe Tlemcen revolves twinsquares, aroundthese KHEMISTI MOHAMED PLACE & ABDELKADER EMIR PLACE online atwww.tlemcen-dz.com. French). Someinformation isalsoavailable maps, informationandalibrary(mostly run bythevery helpfulMBoubakar,has amount, though atalessfavourableamount, though rate. after prayers, when thecafésare buzzingand are the day,particularly busythroughout dedicated toalocalholyman. Thesquares of thenoted localrulerYaghmorassen and of SidiBelHassan on thewestsideis12th-century (1843), opposite istheGrandMosqueand . Hôtel lesZianidesmaychange asmall 8-11am Sat-Thu) ( x Banque Extérieure d’Algérie Banque Extérieure 043 271660;15ruedel’Independence) Grand Mosque ( (av Colonel Lotfi) Sells stampsandalso (av ColonelLotfi)Sells x isoneof NorthAfrica’s , builtin1297by theson

( x 043 277090;www.zenatavoyages 043 263456;17rueCdtFerradj)

(place Emir Abdelkader; (place EmirAbdelkader; lonelyplanet.com

(av CdtFar- town hall Mosque ,

at fixed prices. andhand-wovensaddles covers, are onsale handicrafts, includingembroidered camel lonelyplanet.com forgiven forexpectingthe Given of thewealth history, youwouldbe TLEMCEN MUSEUM etdesMétiers del’Artisanat bre of the thecentralbuildingshouses restored in2003,iscurrently One closed. esplanade.its broad TheMoorish mosque, of peaceinsideitsmassive wallsandacross TodaytheMechouarhospital. offers aplace fall of Tlemcen,usingitasabarracksand tury andtheFrench followed suitafter the inthe16thcen- itashisstronghold used 1310s. TheOttomanadmiralBarbarossa century andamosquewasbuiltinthe inside theMechouar walls in theearly14th ruler Yaghmorassen moved hisresidence town’s centrepieces since. ever TheZianide oneofthe campin1145andhasbeen the on av CdtFerradj). wasbuiltover Acitadel has nowbecomethe Mechouar (entrance fine occupiedduringhissiege of Agadir of Agadir, benTach- butthecampYoussef Very littleremains of theearlysettlement MECHOUAR is thelively here, atthe endof rueDocteur benZerdjeb, men situndertheshadetrees. Northwestof h chilled, are amongthebestandare widelyavailableinAlgeria. Coteaux lightly deTlemcenandCoteaux deMascara,bothrobust,darkrubywines,best served vineyardsaroundMascara,MedeaandTlemcen.The withimportant the country’sproduction, compare theirsoiltypetoCalifornia, butwithmore rain. over few thenext yearsto40million.ButtheAlgeriansnowhave theirsightsonquality.They Mediterranean wine. north Currentweaker isaround15milliongallons,settorise production Algeria wasproducingmore toblendwith than500milliongallonsayear,muchofitexported Americanaphidwhichiscalculated tohavea North destroyed40%ofFrench vines. withenvytotheirnewcolonyasFrench looked makers vineyardswere decimated byPhylloxera, broughtother Ottomans varieties fromtheeastern Mediterranean. Andinthe1860sFrench wine- conquest. Arabsbroughtnewvarietiesofgrapes,includingtheGrenache, fromSpain,whilethe winetoRome,enoughofareasonago andtheNumidiansexported forsome,theRoman century. intheregion thanthemid-19th goesbackmuchfurther years ofcolonisation,butwine-making The French pridethemselves onhavingcreated theAlgerianwineindustry,duringlong GRAPEVINE THE 8.30am-noon &1.30-5pmSat-Thu) The northwest is the main wine-growing region, accountingforasmuchthree of isthemainwine-growing quarters The northwest The French toAlgeriaforquantity,notquality.Towardstheendofcolonialperiod, looked Ancient Persians are saidtohave planted vinesnearthetownofMedeaseveral thousandyears Kissaria , themarket area. museum , where local ( x

043 263224; (rue 20Aout; Cham- ciently strong forformerAlgerian President of pilgrimage andhiscult wasstillsuffi- to Marrakech. Histombhasbecomeaplace died inTlemcen in 1197,onhiswayback Sidi Boumediene, astheAlgerians callhim, Sheikhs andtheNurturer –Abu Madyan, or great integrity –hewascalledtheSheikh of andmanofown Suficircle. Amystic,poet the northAlgerian coastand creating his on tics inMoroccobefore inBejaya settling around 1115andstudiedwithIslamic mys- him hisfullname,wasbornnear Seville Shu’ayb al-Ansari, ibnal-Husayn togive by craftsmenfromFèsin1986.Abu Madyan mediene ful complexes, the crow flies,liesoneof Algeria’s mostbeauti- About 1.6kmsoutheastof thecentre, asthe SIDI BOUMEDIENE admission DA20; ings bylocalartistAbdelhalim Hemeche. Also worthfindingare the1940soilpaint- epitaphs fromroyaltombs. century carved together. Amongthetreasures are 15th- stileandstuccoalljumbled lamps, carved moravid, Merenid andZianidcoins, brass the arrangement isconfusing,withAl- over twofloors, thecollectionisbasicand occupies a1905college building.Arranged onplaceMohamed butnow Khemisti, san, Has- inthemosqueofto behoused SidiBel be equallyrich. Itisnot.Thecollectionused NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Tlemcen NORTHWEST

(Al Ubbad; h 8.30am-noon, 1.30-5pmSat-Thu)

h Mosque &Tombof Sidi Bou- 9am-4pm Sat-Thu) , restored

149

to NORTHWEST ALGERIA NORTHWEST NORTHWEST ALGERIA decorated in tiles and carved stucco.decorated intilesandcarved space, beautifullyproportionedandfinely mosque, anopen-sided,rectangular prayer massive bronze-cladcedardoors, tothe to amassive entranceporch and,through leads Astairway both grandandbeautiful. by Abou el-Hassan in1328.Thebuildingis over theplain. beauty of thesite andthewonderful views grandeur –butthere the isnomistaking tosuggestsome corners, vanished enough stuccoremains in ruined –alittlecarved tomb.Theroomsarebeside thesaint’s sourah, sohadthisresidence constructed Merinid rulerof Fès,refused tolive inMan- Abouto theDares-Soltane. el-Hassan, the the its water tobringblessingsfrom believed antechamber aworn, marblewell, houses Abdelsam el-Tonsiontheleft.Thetiled Sidi Boumedieneontheright, simple affair, as youenter the complex.Thetombisa sourah Just under3kmfromtheMechouar, MANSOURAH during theindependencestruggle. the nameBoumedieneashisnomdeguerre Moha tohavemed Boukharouba adopted 150 mosque here, is the remains though, of the massive groves Themainsight farinto thedistance. protected thecampstretch across theolive treated. Remainsof wallsthat the 12m-high by oneof hisslaves andtheMerinids re- wasmurderedwas abouttofall,thesultan with palaceandmosque. Justasthecity the campbecamearesidence, complete The siege years, lasted eight duringwhich army in1299,whenhebesieged Tlemcen. Merinid Abou sultan Yacoub his settled up toitsname. asthecampwhere Itstarted approach thecomplex. asyou ontheright who runsthelaststall locked, lookfortheguide,Habri Belattar, classes. the great Arab scholar gave IbnKhaldun It washere, soonafter itwasfinished,that rated, surroundedby25cellsforstudents. 1347. Thecourtyardiselegantbutundeco- above themosquebyAbou el-Hassan in A themosque,built Across thewaystands The If thegates of themosque or NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Tlemcen NORTHWEST sidi madrassa

( , rebuilt Abou bySultan el-Hassan sidi’s h . Beside thetomb,adoorwayleads . Beside 24hr) tombisdownsteps ontheleft – the victorious – never lived –thevictoriousnever (Quranicschool) wasbuilt medersa Man- are Fedayyines; s/d/trwithoutbathroomDA450/650/950) but nofansorair-con. the centre. Roomshave showers andTV, ashortwalkfrom beside thebusstation, water wellin thecourtyard. showers onthegroundfloorandasweet- so itcanbehotinsummer,butthere are Thereing lessmosquenoise. are nofans, look intoacorridorbeingdarker buthav- thefewthe upperfloorbeingbrighter, that are on arranged aroundacourtyard,those the region. Itissecure, aswell.Most rooms the bestbudget hotel intown,perhapseven trader’andkeeps a‘sleep who callshimself Mansour isrunbyavery attentive patron, Hôtel Majestic Hôtel Sleeping atthetimeofclosed writing. are acrosstheroadinMansourah Zoo, hearroaringasyouvisit lions youmight tive shell.Thesite isopenatalltimes.The fallen leaving itavulnerableandevoca- itsinnersidehaving the GiraldainSeville, ret, atwinof theTourHassan and inRabat 55m, butmostimpressive isthe40mmina- in 1335.Theprayerhallmeasures 60mby of Fèswhenhecametobesiege Tlemcen ies inand aroundplaceEmir Abdelkader. There are plenty of pizzaplaces andbaker- avoided, thebestfood isgoingtobesimple. So, withtherestaurant of Zianides tobe Les recommends aplacekilometres outof town. of only –thetouristoffice culinarydelights haveTlemcen doesn’t much tooffer byway Eating Ali; s/dB&BDA3000/5000; tr inclbreakfast DA1600/2400/3000) garden. cockroaches. Thepoolsitsinamature inarestaurant where waiters served chase rooms are shabbyanddire cookingis neglected, hotelthe state-owned hasbeen pride andjoywhenitopenedin1973.But chitect Fernand Pouillon, wasTlemcen’s Zianides, designedbycelebrityFrench ar- baths. cilities are awashbasin orthenearbypublic budget hotel, where the onlywashingfa- is fresher thantheroomsinthiscentral s/d withoutbathroomDA400/800) o Hôtel lesZianides Hôtel Hôtel Agadir Hôtel Hôtel El-Mansour Hôtel Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com

( ( x x 043 262546; place Cheikh Ibrahimi; Ibrahimi; 043 262546;placeCheikh 043 271962; 19 rue Khedim Ali;s/d/ 043 271962;19rueKhedim

( pas x

(043 265678;placedes 043 277221; 12 rue Khedim 043 277221;12rueKhedim A modernhotel Thewelcome lonelyplanet.com ) The red-brick The Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com bouli ofruns east PlEmirAbdelkader. alongrueMerabetnouses Mohamed, which its textiles. Youcanfindgood-qualitybur- and the service isfriendly. and theservice butthesimplemealsarestandards, reliable the Coupoleisn’tquite uptoFamiliale’s top-quality, hand-woven rugsandblankets. merchantestablished whohasarange of of excellentmeals thisplaceserves taurants, lonelyplanet.com nine to10 hours) (DA180, twohours) andAlgiers (DA1100, Abbes(DA250, three hours), SidiBel The maindestinationsarestation. Oran Taxis collectifs TAXI 6pm (DA700,10hours). toAlgiers leaving at runs anexpress service (DA600, 12hours). SafarMabrouk Coaches two hours) andtownsenroute toAlgiers Abbes(DA150, five hours), SidiBel (DA80, dir onblvdGhezlaouiAbdeslam toOran besideHôtel Aga-day fromthestation There are regular departures duringthe BUS ( town, nearthevillage of Zenata. Aeroport Messali el-Hadj is21kmoutof AIR &Away There Getting Métiers and craftsinthe As wellasgeneral shoppingintheKissaria Shopping DA300-400) Damardji Tedjini) empty. ifthehotel itsometimescloses is because checkcouscous dinner,though ahead, agood name,thisrestaurantsame serves Algiers (fromDA4558,onehour). DA300) Ali; dishesDA300-600) mended. Near Bab SidiBoumediene mended. NearBab side oroutonthecovered terrace. Recom- chickenand rotisserie withvegetables, in- noon & 1.30-5pmSat-Thu) x Restaurant Agadir Restaurant Restaurant FamilialeRestaurant Restaurant Coupole Restaurant harira 043 264518;www. rueduDocteur airalgerie.dz;

( AcrosstheroadfromHôtel Moderne, x

( x Onarowof simpleres- several thickmeat,lentil&chickpea soup 043 264783;8placeCdtFerradj) 043 263224; inside the Mechouar; 043 263224;insidetheMechouar; fliesdirect fromTlemcento leave frombesidethebus Situated inthehotel of the Chambre de l’Artisanat et des etdes del’Artisanat Chambre

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(4 rue1Novembre; meals (blvd GouarHocine;meals 043 271962; 19 rue Khedim 043 271962;19rueKhedim Farouk Stam- isalong- Air Algérie h 8.30am-

street orcall Taxisthe station. canbeflagged downinthe Boumediene unlessyouare leaving from to beof getting toMansourah use orSidi should costaroundDA100. Hôtel Ziri Hôtel Sleeping &Eating (DA150 in protected bay,some70kmfromTlemcen Algeria’s westernmost portsitsinawell- GHAZAOUET tired. therearound, though are ifyouget taxis The centre of Tlemceniseasytowalk Around Getting of isthe7.30amforOran. Tlemcenstation runningout roccan border,theonlyservice cancelled followingtheclosure of the Mo- express wasSince theOran–Casablanca TRAIN balconies. 34 rooms allhave view bathrooms andsea the rockson eastern end of town,its Ghazaouet’s only viablehotel. Perched on and line. as welllocalstryingtheirluckwithrod and watch boats thefishbeinglandedoff east endof theport,isagoodplacetowalk now alibrary( 1931). The ered market (1938)andthecentralchurch, centre stillhasaFrench feel, withitscov- cannedinitsfactory.Theand sardines had areputation forthequalityanchovies French aristocratwho governed here, and the portwasknownasNemours, after the mouth of theharbour. UndertheFrench outof25m rocksthatrise thewater atthe Fratres (the TwoBrothers), after thetwin can border. gling cheap Algerian petroltothe Moroc- vehicles, fromtruckstosmallcars, smug- with people hitch withthepetrolsmugglers. border. Toget there acar. you’ll need Some bytheMoroccan thatiscutthrough sand Marsa benM’hidi,a2kmstretch of fine go’. There isalsogoodswimmingwest,at east where, therich ‘even like itissaid, to the port.There’s afashionablebeach 10km There isno bustotheairport,butataxi The best The Romanscalled Ghazaouet Ad NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Ghazaouet NORTHWEST halabiyah, Camionettes

( x taxis collectifs 043 323025; www.hotel-ziri.com; 043 323025;www.hotel-ziri.com; swimming Taxi benAli ﻏﺰوات theso-called‘milkrun’of (local buses) are (localbuses) unlikely isfoundawayfrom ( x ). Theroadisbusy 043 203148/49) Pecherie , atthe pa . 151

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NORTHWEST ALGERIA NORTHWEST NORTHWEST ALGERIA shack. at themore basicEtoiledeMer, inanearby grilledorfried.Fishisalsoonoffer served in thePecherie, where thelocalcatch is for refurbishment atthetimeof writing) in townisserved Dauphin(closed atLe minutes fromthechurch, butthebestfood the market inthecentre of town,afew the above - ‘Do the right thing withourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsand conditionsonoursiteforalonger wayofsaying youknow,orresell it. See everyone site,mass emailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfairtoaskyou useitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake 152 © LonelyPlanetPublications There are cheap several placestoeatnear NORTHWEST ALGERIA••Ghazaouet NORTHWEST the daywillcostaroundDA1200. for aprivate taxi Otherwise, DA200 aseat. (www.trasmediterranea.es) The Spanishferry company &Away There Getting utes). Tlemcen (DA140, onehourand40min- to Inland there isanirregular busservice GhazaouetandAlmeriainSpain. between Taxis collectifs operates a ferry service operates aferry service make thejourneyfor Trasmediterránea lonelyplanet.com