31. Prom Tlemcen to Nemours viâ Lalla-Marnia.
64 M. Railway to (36½ M.) Lalla-Marnia (two trains daily in ca. 2¼ hrs.; fares 6 fr. 65, 4 fr. 75, 3 fr. 55 c.), going on thence to (43 M.) Zoudj-el-Beghal, the terminus on the Moroccan frontier.
The Railway, admirably engineered, skirts the N. side of Tlemcen, and then, near the Bâb el-Kermâdîn (p. [193]), turns to the S.E. to (3 M.) Mansura (p. [193]) and crosses the Col du Juif (2664 ft.). Behind us there is a fine view of Tlemcen, while the distant view extends to the Plaine des Angad and Jebel Beni Snassen (see below). We next skirt the N. spurs of the Jebel Terni group (p. [187]) and pass through superb valleys and ravines.
7½ M. Aïn-Douz. Beyond (9½ M.) Zelboun we are carried through the valley of the Oued Zitoun, one of the chief tributaries of the Tafna (p. [185]).
18½ M. Turenne (1969 ft.; Hôt. Fournier and Hôt. Leclerc, poor), a thriving village in a well-watered region. Esparto is the chief export.
28½ M. Sidi-Medjahed, with a camp of wedded spahis (p. [390]). 31 M. Tralimet.
36½ M. Lalla-Marnia (1197 ft.; Hôt. de France; Hôt. de la Renaissance), properly Lalla-Maghrnia, on the site of the Roman castle of Numerus Syrorum, was founded in 1844 on the occasion of the campaign against Morocco, and named after the tomb of a female saint. It is now the most important frontier-town of the province of Oran; it was made a free mart in 1895, and holds a great Sunday *Market, much frequented by Moroccans. Lalla-Marnia forms the portal of the Plaine des Angad or Plaine d’Oudjda. This great plateau is bounded on the N. by the Traras Group (p. [198]) and the fertile Jebel Beni Snassen (4659 ft.), both inhabited by Berber tribes only, and on the S. by the main chain of the Tell Atlas. The old caravan route to Fez by Tâza, the key to N. Morocco, has been the scene of all the expeditions of the Arabs against Morocco ever since that of Sidi Okba in the 7th century.
From Lalla-Marnia a new road (motor-omnibus twice daily) leads to the S.W., crossing the frontier of Morocco halfway, to (ca. 15 M.) Oudjda or Ujda (2241 ft.; Hôt. Figari, good, quarters should be engaged by telegraph; pop. ca. 8000), the chief town of E. Morocco, which is said to have been founded by the governors of Tlemcen in the 10th cent., and was occupied by the French in 1814, 1859, and 1907. The picturesque town, the most fertile oasis in the Angad steppe, lies amidst orchards and olive-groves, not far from the Oued Isly, the battle-field of 1844 (p. [221]). We enter the town, passing the kubba of Oudjda, by the N. gate (Bâb el-Khemis). Straight on is the French Consulate in a pretty garden, while to the left are the Custom House and Post Office. In the S. quarter of the town rises the Kasba or Dâr el-Makhzen, the seat of the Moroccan Amel or governor. At the N. angle of the Kasba is the Chief Mosque, dedicated to Sidi Okba, to the N.E. of which lies the Sûk (p. [335]). Behind the mosque is the new Ecole Franco-Arabe. Outside the E. gate, the Bâb Sidi Abd el-Wahhâb, is the camping-ground of the caravans; and outside the S. gate (Bâb Oulad Amran), on a slight eminence 10 min. from the town, are the quarters of the French troops of occupation. The Thursday market is important. Famous horse-races in October, in connection with those of Lalla-Marnia.
For a visit to Oudjda travellers may use also the railway as far as Zoudj-el-Beghal (comp. p. [197]) on the Moroccan frontier, whence Oudjda is about 8 M. distant.
The Road to Nemours (diligence) leads to the N. from Lalla-Marnia through a hilly region, crosses the Oued Mouïlah, a tributary of the Tafna, near the Hammam Sidi-Cheikh, a small bath with saline springs (91° Fahr.), and then winds up, past the Kubba Sidi-Abdallah (on the left), towards the Traras Mts., which are famed for the beauty of their outlines. In the Jebel Masser, near the top of the pass, the Col de Bab-Taza (2664 ft.), is a cadmium mine, worked like the neighbouring mines of Jebel Maaziz by a Belgian company.—We now descend to the N.E. in many windings, passing not far from the onyx-quarries near the Kubba Sidi-Brahim, into the valley of the Oued Zebaïr.
53½ M. (from Tlemcen) Nédroma (1312 ft.; inn; pop. 4900), superbly situated in a fertile basin, is an antiquated little Berber town, with fine mediæval mosques. The *Market (Mon. and Thurs.) is worth seeing for the sake of the picturesque costumes of the peasants who flock to it from the mountains around. Home-industries are much in vogue in the environs.
The Jebel Fillaoussen (3727 ft.), the highest of the Traras group, to the E. of Nédroma, commands an extensive view, embracing in very clear weather the Sierra Nevada in the far N.
The road soon leaves the Oued Zebaïr and turns to the N.W. to the lower course of the brook, which takes the name of Oued Tléta farther on, and from the influx of the Oued Taïma to the sea that of Oued el-Mersa.
In the upper valley of the Taïma, on the slope of Jebel Kerkour (1884 ft.), are the Kubba Sidi-Brahim, where a small French force under Col. de Montagnac was almost entirely cut to pieces in 1845, and the Kubba Sidi-Tahar, where Abd el-Kâder (p. [221]) surrendered in 1847. The former event is recalled by a monument in the Vallée des Jardins, ¾M. to the S. of Nemours.
64 M. (from Tlemcen) Nemours (Hôt. de France; pop. 3900), a pleasant little town, noted for its mild and healthy climate, was founded in 1844 on the site of the Roman Ad Fratres, a name derived from two rocks near the beach. The banana culture thrives in the environs. On the Plateau de Taount (407 ft.), to the N.E. of the town, are the ruins of Djemâa el-Ghazaouât (‘marauders’ community’), once a Berber village, but afterwards a notorious den of pirates (p. [221]).—Nemours is a steamboat station (comp. R. 18).
32. From Oran to Beni-Ounif de Figuig (Colomb-Béchar) viâ Damesme and Perrégaux.
396 M. State Railway. Direct communication with dining-car (déj. 3, D. 3½ fr.) and sleeping-car (12 fr. extra) three times a week only (Tues., Thurs., and Sat.; returning Sun., Wed., and Frid.); express viâ (129½ M.) Saïda to (305½ M.) Aïn-Sefra in 16 hrs.; thence by ordinary train to Beni-Ounif in 5¼ hrs.; trains start from the Gare d’Arzew at Oran (p. [175]). As far as (55½ M.) Perrégaux we may travel by the Oran and Algiers train on the main-line (R. 33), noting that the stations there are 550 yds. apart (omn. 25 c.). Fares to Aïn-Sefra 39 fr. 35, 29 fr. 50 c. (sleeping-car, 1st cl. only, 12 fr. extra; 2nd cl. similar to Engl. 3rd); to Beni-Ounif 50 fr. 95, 38 fr. 20 c. (return-ticket, valid 16 days, 71 fr. 30 or 53 fr. 50 c.).—A good supply of copper coins will be found very useful.
The journey from Oran to the Sahara is most interesting, as it carries the traveller from the seaboard through a cultivated region, across the Tell Atlas to the Hauts-Plateaux, and then over the Sahara Atlas to the margin of the desert. The only good intermediate resting-place is Aïn-Sefra. A stay of several days at Beni-Ounif will be found pleasant, especially in spring. The oasis of Tiout is now eclipsed by that of Figuig, one of the most beautiful in the Sahara. The line goes on from Beni-Ounif to Colomb-Béchar, its present terminus.
Oran, see p. [175]. Our train crosses the Algiers main-line (R. 33), passes the suburb of Victor-Hugo and the Daya Morselli (p. [185]), and runs to the E. through vineyards, fields, and dwarf-palm underwood in succession, and then past the S. base of Jebel Kahar (p. [184]) to (12½ M.) Fleurus.
17½ M. St. Cloud (502 ft.; hotel) lies pleasantly on the spurs of Jebel Kristel, 6¼ M. to the S.E. of Kristel (p. [184]). 21 M. Renan-Kléber (433 ft.). The village of Kléber (505 ft.; Hôt. Voinson) lies 2 M. to the N.W., at the foot of Jebel Orouze (2070 ft.; semaphore), with its large quarries of white, yellow, and red marble (‘rosso antico’).
26 M. Damesme, on the Bay of Arzew, the ancient Laturus Sinus. The village lies above the station, to the S.
A Branch Line (3 M., in 12–15 min.) connects Damesme with Arzew or Arzeu (7 ft.; Hôt. de la Nièvre; Hôt. des Bains; Brit. vice-consul, A. Gautray; pop. 6000), a small seaport at the foot of Jebel Sicioun (532 ft.), whence a goods-line runs to the S. to the (9 M.) salt-works on the Lac Salin d’Arzew, or El-Mellaha. The harbour, naturally one of the best and most sheltered in Algeria, but as yet little used, has been improved since 1906. From here chiefly alfa (p. [171]) is exported to Great Britain and Germany.
From Damesme the train runs to the S.E., close to the shore. 28 M. St. Leu (177 ft.; Hôt. de l’Europe). To the S.E. of the village of St. Leu, and 1 M. from the station, is the Berber village of Bettioua, near which are the scanty ruins of Portus Magnus, the only Roman settlement on the bay of Arzew.
34½ M. Port-aux-Poules (Etablissement Thermal), with sulphur-baths, a sea-bathing place in summer. The train skirts the narrow strip of sand-hills and passes the mouth of the Macta.
37 M. La Macta, a village at the N. end of the Marais de la Macta, or swamps of the river-plain of the Sig (p. [206]) and the Habra, very malarious in summer, is connected by a branch-line with (7½ M.) La Stidia, a village founded by German peasants in 1844, and with (18½ M.) Mostaganem (p. [207]).
The train now runs inland, past the E. margin of the morasses, to (48½ M.) Debrousseville, in the broad Plaine de l’Habra. The village belongs to the Domaine de l’Habra et de la Macta, the largest estate in Algeria, watered by a network of cuttings (276 M. in length) from the reservoir of the Oued Fergoug (see below). Since the failure of two private companies the estate has been owned by the Crédit Foncier de France. Of its 70,000 acres 44,000 are pasture-land, and the rest is devoted to grain and fruit. Its headquarters are at La Ferme-Blanche, near the railway.
At (55½ M.) Perrégaux we cross the Oran-Algiers line (p. [206]).
Ascending the valley of the Habra, here called Oued el-Hammam (‘bath-river’), we now penetrate the Beni Chougrane Mts., the N. marginal chain of the Tell Atlas. On the left, just before (61½ M.) Barrage, lies the *Barrage de Perrégaux or de l’Oued Fergoug, the largest reservoir in Algeria, which irrigates some 90,000 acres of land. The embankment, is 550 yds. long, 130 ft. high, and from 130 ft. thick at the bottom to 12½ ft. at the top. The reservoir once contained 33 million tons of water, but the quantity is constantly being diminished by the deposits of the stream.
67½ M. Dublineau (443 ft.). 78 M. Bou-Hanifia is the station for the small baths of Hammam Bou-Hanifia, on the right bank of the Habra, 2½ M. to the S.W. (Bath Hotel). The eight saline springs (136° Fahr.) are the Aquae Sirenses of antiquity.
86 M. Tizi or Thizi (1490 ft.; Rail. Restaur.) in the Plaine d’Eghris, a lofty and fertile tract between the N. lateral chain and the main range of the Tell Atlas.
Branch Line (7½ M., in ca. ½ hr.) from Tizi to Mascara (1903 ft.; Hôt. Bourelly, Rue de Dalmatie, R. 2½, B. 1, déj. 2½ omn. ½ fr., quite good; Hôt. du Luxembourg, Rue Victor-Hugo; Café de la Brasserie, Place Gambetta; pop. 22,930), beautifully situated on a chain of hills on the N. margin of the Eghris plain. This was the capital of the beylic of Oran in 1701–92, and in 1832–41 was the residence and chief stronghold of Abd el-Kâder (p. [221]). The chief quarter of the town, with the Place Gambetta as its centre, has a Mosque (18th cent.) in the Place Nationale, and a Beylic (now military offices), built by Mohammed el-Kebîr (p. [178]), in the street of that name. This quarter is separated by the ravine of the Oued Toudman, now a public park, from the spacious Place de l’Argoub (market on Thurs. and Frid.) and from the barracks quarter. Outside the Porte d’Oran, the W. gate, we have a delightful view. Outside the Bâb-Ali, the N. gate, lies the Mohammedan quarter of that name (where burnouses are woven). Mascara is famed for its wine.
At (93½ M.) Thiersville (1601 ft.) the train crosses a range of hills to the stony tableland of Guerdjoum (much overgrown with dwarf-palms). Beyond (102½ M.) Oued-Taria (1618 ft.) it crosses the brook of that name, the chief feeder of the Habra, and at (110½ M.) Charrier (1792 ft.), in the fertile valley of the Oued Saïda, reaches the main chain of the Tell Atlas. 122 M. Les Eaux-Chaudes, Arabic Hammâm Ouled-Khaled, with saline springs (113° Fahr.); 126½ M. Nazereg (2625 ft.).
129½ M. Saïda (2746 ft.; Hôt. Lugan or Riu, in the market-place, 10 min. from the station, R. 2, D. 3, pens. 7, omn. ½ fr.; Hôt. Vergnon; Hôt. de la Paix; pop. 8100), the southmost town in the Tell Atlas of Oran, founded in 1854, lies in an uninteresting region. In front of the Mairie rises an imposing Monument (1910) to the soldiers of the Foreign Legion who fell in S. Oran. From the Place du Marché Arabe (market on Mon.), where the Mosque is situated, the Rue Thiers and the Rue Nationale lead to the S.W. to the high-lying barracks of the Foreign Legion (p. [186]). Above the market-place lies the Native Quarter.
The train next passes (on the left) the scanty ruins of the last Fortress built by Abd el-Kâder affording a view of Saïda as we look back, and ascends between barren hills to the tableland on the S. margin of the Tell Atlas. 136½ M. Aïn-el-Hadjar (3360 ft.; ‘rock-spring’), a village of 1500 inhab. in a fertile well-watered district, with a military prison.
On the bleak tableland, between the region of the Hassasna on the N.E. and the Maalif Plain on the S.W., we pass several small stations. 157 M. Kralfallah (3638 ft.), with great stacks of esparto grass, was the scene of the massacre of the Spaniards at the hands of Bou-Amama (p. [222]) in 1881.
The train now descends to the Hauts-Plateaux (p. [169]), where an occasional caravan or a few grazing camels only are seen, while the vegetation is limited to saline plants and patches of esparto grass (p. [171]). 166 M. El-Beïda (3497 ft.), the first fortified station. 171 M. Modzbah (3471 ft.), with its great stacks of esparto grass and the goods-station of a branch-line to (22 M.) Marhoum, used solely for the esparto traffic.
192 M. Le Kreider (3241 ft.; Hôt. de Paris, R. 2, déj. 1½, D. 2 fr.), on the N. bank of the Chott ech-Chergui (p. [169]). commanded by a small fort on the hill above it, was founded in 1881 as a military base of defence against the partisans of Bou-Amama. The barracks, in the neo-Moorish style, are surrounded with plantations which are watered by means of a wind-pump.
We at length reach the salt-marshes, pass between low sand-hills, and are carried through the masses of mud by means of a short embankment to (201 M.) Bou-Ktoub or Bou-Guetoub (3264 ft.), the starting-point of a road to Géryville (66 M.; diligence). We then mount gradually to the N. spurs of the Sahara Atlas (p. [170]). Stations uninteresting.
242 M. Méchéria (3806 ft.; Hôt. des Voyageurs; pop. 700), at the foot of the Jebel Antar range, contains barracks for convicts of the foreign legion and a small mosque.—The train again traverses the Hauts-Plateaux. To the left rises the distant Jebel el-Malha. Near (262½ M.) Naâma (3825 ft.) is the salt-lake of that name, not visible from the train.
384 M. Mékalis (4311 ft.), the highest point on the line, with a few fruit-trees. The train now crosses the watershed between the Hauts-Plateaux and the Sahara, and descends into the Faïdjet el-Betoum, a broad valley so named after its terebinths (Pistacia Terebinthus L.; Arabic b’tom or betoum). The valley is flanked on the E. by Jebel Aïssa (7336 ft.), and on the W. by Jebel Morghad (7008 ft.), the two highest of the Montagnes des Ksour, as the Sahara Atlas is usually called here. Beyond (299 M.) Tirkount appear in the foreground Jebel Mekter (6762 ft.), with a Poste Optique or signal-station, used at the time of the conflicts with Bou-Amama, and the long chain of sand-hills near Aïn-Sefra.
305½ M. Aïn-Sefra (3577 ft.; Hôt. de France or Plasse, R. 3, déj. 3, D. 3½ fr.; 5 Hôt. des Voyageurs, both in the chief square, very plain; Café Bienvenu), not founded until 1881, with a strong garrison and about 1400 inhab., is grandly situated in a broad valley between Jebel Aïssa and Jebel Mekter. The village, lying on the left bank of the Oued Aïn-Sefra (‘yellow spring’), was devastated by an inundation in 1904. A market (Mon.) is held here for the Berbers of the environs, who still speak Tamâzirt (p. [94]). An iron bridge crosses to the Barracks, a neo-Moorish building. Through the Berber Village (ksar, p. [281]) behind the barracks we may climb in ¾ hr. to the top of the reddish-brown *Sand Hills, formed by disintegration of the rock, which give the landscape its very peculiar character, and whose shifting sands threaten to overwhelm Aïn-Sefra in spite of the sheltering plantations.
The famous oasis of Tiout, 10½ M. to the E. of Aïn-Sefra and 3 M. to the N. of the railway-station of Tiout (p. [203]), is a favourite goal of tourists. A horse or mule should be ordered in good time, cheapest at the ‘Subdivision’ (2 fr.; attendant 1½–2 fr.); the traveller may shorten the long ride by returning from Tiout by train. The track leads through the broad, shadeless valley, some way from the brook Aïn-Sefra; we have a fine retrospect of Aïn-Sefra and its sand-hills. We pass several red-sandstone rocks. About halfway the rail. station of Tiout and the oasis beyond it come in sight.
In this little oasis (3445 ft.), one of the highest palm-oases in the Atlas, lies an interesting Berber Village (pop. 400). The low-lying gardens, protected by high mud-walls, yield fruit and vegetables under the shade of the well-kept date-palms. Their irrigation is provided by a small Reservoir to the N. of the village, a charming spot, where we may rest under the palms on the bank of the brook. A few minutes’ walk from this point, to the N.E. of the village, rises a reddish rock, on which, about 65 ft. above the valley, protected by a grating, are traced figures of animals and hunters (archers), a prehistoric curiosity, called the Hadjra Mektouba, with later Libyan-Berber and Arabic inscriptions.
About 8 M. to the W. of Aïn-Sefra, on the road to Aïn-Sfissifa (4176 ft.) and the Moroccan oasis of Ich (3724 ft.), is the copper-mine of Hasi-ben-Hedjir.
Beyond Aïn-Sefra the train (with the engine now at the other end) follows the valley of that name and rounds the Jebel Mekter group in a long curve to the E. Beyond (312½ M.) Tiout (oasis, p. [202], visible on the left) it descends to the S., lastly through masses of débris and rock-cuttings, to (321 M.) Aïn-el-Hadjadj. We then pass through a defile between Jebel Mekter and Jebel Djara. To the left, framed by rocks, lies a low reddish-brown sand-hill.
Farther on, to the left, between Jebel Djara and Jebel BouLeghfad (5545 ft.), opens the broad mountain-valley of the Rouïba, which at (328 M.) Rouïba joins the Aïn-Sefra to form the Oued en-Namous. The train turns to the S.W., at the S. base of Jebel Mekter, a little to the right of the palm-oasis of Moghrar-Tahtâni (2710 ft.; ‘lower Moghrar’), famed for its prehistoric rock-drawings. 340 M. Moghrar-Foukâni (‘upper Moghrar’), beyond which we pass its *Palm Oasis, overlooked by a kubba on a low hill.
We next pass through the Gorges de Moghrar, a sandstone ravine full of rocky débris, into El-Faïdja, a valley at the S. base of the Mir el-Jebel (6790 ft.) and Jebel Mezi (6988 ft.). 359 M Djenien-bou-Resg (3254 ft.) has a Redoute, or fortified camp (on the left), in the style of a Roman camp, a small palm-oasis, and a pretty military club in the Moorish style, shaded with palms.
The train enters the valley of the Oued Dermel, one of the sources of the Oued Zousfana. In the distance we sight Jebel Beni Smir and Jebel el-Maïz (p. [204]). An iron bridge carries the train across the Dermel, usually dry, to the ruins of (379 M.) Duveyrier, at the mouth of the Oued Douis, which has been deserted since an inundation in 1904. We then descend between low ranges of hills, Jebel Tamednaïa (2953 ft.) on the left, on the margin of the desert, and Djermân-Tahtâni and Jebel el-Haïmer on the right, to the Zousfana (beyond rises the old fort of Campo), where the palms of Beni-Ounif become visible.
396 M. Beni-Ounif de Figuig (2707 ft.; Hôt. du Sahara, B. 1½, déj. 3, D. 3½, pens. 12 fr., plain but good; advisable to secure rooms beforehand by telegraph; 1300 inhab.), founded in 1903, as being then the terminus of the railway, adjacent to a ksar, or Berber village (ât ouinîfi), and a Camp Militaire, is now a free mart, rapidly growing in importance. Its total trade with Morocco and the Tuat oases amounts to about 4 million francs. The few and quiet streets, planted with palms, present a marked contrast to those of Biskra, which is now overrun with tourists. The white domed building near the railway-station serves at once as a church, a town-hall, and a law-court. Behind it is a fondouk (p. [281]).
The only sights are the Zaouïa Sidi Slîmân ben-Bou-Smaha, the chief sanctuary of the Ouled Sidi-Cheikh, a Berber tribe of S. Oran, and the Ksar (p. [281]), a poor village inhabited by Harrâtin (p. [94]), at the back of the barracks quarter, where the mode of irrigating a palm-oasis may be observed.
Beni-Ounif, situated in a rocky wilderness, commanded on the N. and W. by jagged and fissured mountains, Jebel Beni Smir (6857 ft.), Jebel el-Maïz (6037 ft.), and Jebel Grouz (5328 ft.), and separated from Figuig by a chain of low barren hills, possesses to the full the fascination of a Sahara landscape (p. [172]). The most striking view, especially towards evening, of Beni-Ounif, the palm-oasis, and the village of Figuig, as well as of the spurs of the Sahara Atlas, is obtained from Jebel Melias (3986 ft.), a spur of Jebel Grouz, 2 hrs. to the N. of the little town. For this ascent, and for all the longer excursions, travellers must procure an escort of Cavaliers du Maghzen (p. [390]), who usually provide horses for the journey (horse for half-a-day 2½–3, whole day 5 fr.; fee to each ‘cavalier’ 2 fr.). Application for the escort has to be made at the Bureau Arabe (p. [174]) in the Camp Militaire.
*Figuig, to the N. of Beni-Ounif, first visited by a European, Gerh. Rohlfs, in 1862, is the largest and most fertile oasis in the Sahara Atlas of Oran (containing about 400,000 date-palms). According to the treaty of 1845 it belongs to Morocco, but only nominally since its bombardment by French troops in 1903. From the earliest times the oasis has been in high repute. It embraces seven villages (ksûr), in three groups, the Feghiha castra tria of antiquity. In the early 16th cent. Leo Africanus extols the artistic skill of the inhabitants; their industries, however, are now limited to the weaving of burnouses and carpets (similar to the knot-worked carpets of Fez) and to the manufacture of small articles in leather. The place is inhabited by Berbers, besides a large number of Jews, the Harrâtin, and a few negro slaves. Tamâzirt (p. [94]) is their chief language, but Arabic also is spoken at places.
The S. margin of the oasis, and its boundary towards Beni-Ounif, is formed by a range of hills running from Jebel Melias (see above), W. to E., to Jebel el-Haïmer (p. [203]), and crossed by four passes, the Col des Moudjâhdine, the Col de la Juive (Arabic Teniet el-Ihûdia), the Col de Zenâga, and the Col de Taghla or Tarla. The shortest route is viâ the Col de Zenâga, commonly called El-Kheneg (‘the pass’). By this route the whole excursion, there and back, takes 5–6 hrs.; but, time permitting, it is preferable to go by the Col de Taghla, watered by the Zousfana, and bounded on the E. by the sombre rocks of Jebel Sidi-Youssef (3484 ft.), and to return by the Col de Zenâga or the Col de la Juive, a full day’s expedition. The ascent of one of the hills adjoining these passes (stout boots advisable) in the company of an escort is to be recommended on account of the fine view.
The route over a stony plain to the (½ hr.) Zenâga Pass crosses the Oued Melias, the bed of which is generally dry, near the frontier of Morocco, indicated by heaps of stones. The vegetation here is limited to a few thorn-bushes—jujubes (Zizyphus vulgaris; Arabic sedra; French jujubier) and the prickly Anabasis arietoïdes (Arabic ajerem), the ‘chou-fleur du Sahara’ of the soldiers, which is much used in this part of the Sahara as fuel. At the entrance to the pass, about 200 yds. in breadth, we may observe to the left, on the stony slope of Jebel Zenâga (3435 ft.), several graffiti, or rudely engraved sketches on the rock (comp. p. [202]), but not very distinguishable under the black patina. Beyond the first palms of the oasis, at the exit of the pass, rise the Kubba Sidi-Fedel, surrounded with numerous votive stones (kerkours, rĕ-yems), and the Haouïta Sidi-Tifour, an open walled rectangle. We have here a good survey of the lower part of the oasis, with the village of Zenâga (p. [206]) and numerous bordjs (round watch-towers), backed by the Jebel Grouz range, while on the edge of the plateau of the six upper villages gleams the conspicuous Kubba Sidi ben-Aïssa l’Aredj.
Our route now leads to the N.E. across the barren, dazzling white Plaine de Bagdbâd (2818 ft.). We may first visit El-Hammâmin, the two E. villages, Hammâm-Tahtâni, on the slope of the high plateau, and Hammâm-Foukâni (2950 ft.), where Bou-Amama was encamped in 1900–2 (p. [222]); but it is more usual to go direct to the four W. villages, at first through small fields of barley and vegetable-gardens, and then between the high mud-walls of the palm-gardens.
We ascend through a picturesque defile on the rocky and fissured slope of the upper plateau, whence the water flows down in open cuttings (see p. [94]) to the village of El-Maïz. We note here the quaint architecture and the lanes arched over with palm-wood beams, under which the natives take their siesta on stone benches in the hot season. Some of the little houses of the Mellah, or Jewish quarter, are owned by Morocco leather-workers.
Through the contiguous village of Ouled-Slîmân we pass to El-Oûdâghîr (Berber ât a’addi), the largest village in Figuig next to Zenâga. Since 1902 this has been the seat of a Moroccan Amel, or governor, who with his few soldiers occupies the dilapidated Dâr el-Beïda (‘white house’) on the barren H’sen, as the upper plateau is called (2940–3000 ft.). The mud-built houses of the village, mostly consisting of two or more stories, are overlooked by the new square minaret of the Chief Mosque, where the governor attends the Friday prayers. A second mosque has a very old and graceful octagonal minaret. The Prison (visitors admitted), the tents of the Amouriât, the girls of the nomad tribe of the Amour, whose habits resemble those of the Ouled Naïl (p. [215]), and the Mellah, where the escort prepare tea in their own peculiar manner, also may be visited with interest.
To the W. of El-Oûdâghîr is the basin of the Aïn-Tzadert, a spring which supplies Zenâga also and has often given rise to bitter quarrels between the two villages. From the massive Bordj belonging to the villagers of El-Oûdâghîr, adjoining the basin, we obtain a splendid *Panorama of the oasis and the girdle of mountains around it. At our feet lies El-Abîd (ât enneï), with its many towers, the westmost village, now dilapidated and partly deserted.
On our way back, passing the underground Aïn-Meslout, with two vaulted baths (hammâm), we come suddenly to the precipitous brink of the plateau (here about 100 ft. high), where we enjoy a beautiful view of the forest of palms around Zenâga.
The village of Zenâga (Berber iznâïn), 1¼ M. to the S. of El-Oûdâghîr, and 4¼ M. to the N. of Beni-Ounif, with its one-storied mud-built houses, its massive towers, its mellah, and many vaulted lanes, has for its centre the chief mosque and the square in front of it. A smaller mosque lies outside the village. The large basin is fed by underground conduits (p. [94]) from the Aïn-Tzadert.