44. From Constantine to Biskra viâ El-Guerrah and Batna.
149 M. Railway. Through-train, including a 1st class saloon carriage (10 fr. extra) with ‘wagon-restaurant’ in winter, in 7 hrs.; ordinary train in 8¾ hrs. (fares 26 fr. 85, 19 fr. 20, 14 fr. 40 c.). Views to the right as far as Fontaine des Gazelles. Railway Restaurants at El-Guerrah, Batna, and El-Kantara.
Among the intermediate stations Batna is important only as the starting-point for Lambèse and Timgad (R. 45). El-Kantara deserves a stay of some days for the sake of its own scenery and as a base for excursions to Tilatou, the Maâfa valley, etc.
From Constantine to (23 M.) El-Guerrah, see above and pp. [273], 272. Passing (31 M.) Aïn-M’Lila (2527 ft.), we reach the Plateau des Sbakh, the great steppe of E. Algeria, with its numerous salt-lakes, ‘dreary in the extreme, yet grand in its motionless repose, with tufts of grey-green alfa growing here and there on the salt soil, backed by the bold precipices and pinnacles of bare rocky mountains’. Appropriate accessories are, however, furnished now and then by the huts or tents of nomadic tribes with their herds.
On the right rises the bare Jebel Nif-Ensser. Farther on we obtain, especially by morning light, a fine view of the salt-lake of Tinsilt, backed by the spurs of the Sahara Atlas (p. [170]).
42½ M. Les Lacs (2592 ft.), on the neck of land between Lake Tinsilt and (on the left) Chott Mzouri. We now traverse a long embankment crossing Lake Tinsilt, which is often enlivened by flamingoes and wild-duck. 53 M. Aïn-Yagout (2891 ft.).
58 M. Fontaine-Chaude (about 2790 ft.), with a few tents of nomads, near the small Oued Mader.
Just before the station we observe on the left the Medracen (Arabic Madghasen), a pre-Roman royal tomb (of Masinissa?), the finest of the kind in Algeria after the Tombeau de la Chrétienne (p. [238]). The huge monument (reached by a field-road from the station in 1¼ hr.) stands in an ancient Berber burial-ground on the flat saddle between two low, bare ranges of hills, about halfway between Fontaine-Chaude and the (6 M.) Sebkha Djendeli, the ancient Lacus Regius. The Medracen, one of the few existing tumulus-tombs in the Græco-Punic style, consists of a massive cylindrical basement, 64 yds. in diameter and only 14½ ft. high, on which rises a conical pyramid in twenty-four steps, crowned with a platform of 12½ yds. in diameter (the total height being 60 ft.). The sixty unfluted Doric half-columns recall the oldest Greek temples of Sicily, while the concave moulding above the architrave is Egyptian in character. The rude engravings on the basement, as well as the Libyan and late-Punic inscriptions, are ancient. Of the vestibule, 26 by 16 yds., but few vestiges are left. The straight passage leading to the two small tomb-chambers in the centre of the building collapsed in 1865. The two other shafts were bored by treasure-hunting natives.
In the lofty valley of the Oued Mader we now reach the N. fringe of the Sahara Atlas, between the spurs of the Bellezma Mts. on the W. and Jebel Bou Arif (5728 ft.), a range parallel on the N. with the Aurès Mts. (p. [278]).
62½ M. El-Mader-Pasteur (2851 ft.) is the station for El-Mader, the Roman Casae, a village with a little Byzantine fortress, situated 5 M. to the S.E., at the foot of Jebel Bou Arif. A road leads from this station also to (8 M.) Pasteur and (19 M.) Zana.
The village of Pasteur (two inns), on the Oued Seriana, was the ancient Lamiggiga. In the market are Roman and early-Christian relics.
Zana (no inn), the Roman Diana Veteranorum, a considerable colony of veterans, has several interesting ancient buildings. A triumphal arch of 165 A. D. is well preserved with the exception of the attica. An arch of Macrinus (217 A. D.) formed afterwards part of a small Byzantine fortress. The portal of a temple is still standing. The ruined Byzantine church in the forum was built chiefly of materials from Roman ruins.
The train mounts a steep gradient to (66½ M.) Fesdis (3032 ft.), in a defile scantily overgrown with bushes, between Jebel Azeb (4485 ft.; on the left) and the Bellezma Mts.
73 M. Batna.—Rail. Restaurant, déj. 3, D. 3½ fr., good.—Hotels (sometimes crowded in the season): Hôt. des Etrangers, Rue de Sétif. R. 3–4, B. 1½, déj. 3–3½, D. 3½–4, omn. ¾–1 fr.; Hôt. de Paris, Rue de Constantine, next the town-hall, R. 2½, B. 1¼, déj. 2½, D. 3, omn. ½ fr., plain but good; St. Georges, Rue de Sétif, unpretending (attentive host).
Batna (3412 ft.; pop. 7500, incl. 2400 Mohammedans and 700 Jews), founded in 1844 as a military base for the advance upon Biskra, and now the chief military station in S. Constantine and the key to the important Sahara pass of El-Kantara, is a peaceful country-town with regularly-built streets, and offers no attraction save perhaps the ‘Village-Nègre’ (comp. p. [181]), to the S.E. of the Quartier Militaire. It lies near the sources of the Oued Mader in a broad valley, often very cold in winter, between the wooded Bellezma Mts. on the W., Jebel Azeb (see above) on the N.E., and the spurs of the Aurès Mts. (p. [278]) on the S.
Tho finest point of view is Jebel Touggour or Pic des Cèdres (6870 ft.), to the W. of tho town, a grand pyramid belonging to the Bellezma group. A rough road (mule 4–5 fr.), leading close past the station, ascends the valley to the W. and then the Ravin des Gardes, between Jebel Touggour and Jebel Bou Merzoug (5840 ft.), to (7½ M.) the Maison Forestière Oued Hamla. Thence a bridle-path on the richly wooded S. slope of Jebel Touggour; lastly a climb, towards the N.E., through ancient but neglected cedar-forest (p. [210]), to the (4 hrs.) summit. The immense panorama embraces tho Bellezma group and the distant Hodna Mts. (p. [270]) to the W., the Plateau des Sbakh and the Tell Atlas near Constantine to the N.E., the long range of the Aurès Mts. to the S.E. and S., and part of the Sahara to the S.W.
From Batna to Lambèse and Timgad, see R. 45.
Beyond Batna the train crosses the watershed (3543 ft.) between the Plateau des Sbakh and the Sahara. Far away to the S.W. are seen Jebel Metlili and the depression of the pass of El-Kantara (see below). 80 M. Lambiridi (3527 ft.), near the scanty ruins of the Roman town of that name.
We descend the broad valley of the Oued el-Ksour or Oued Aïn Touta, one of the sources of the Oued Biskra (p. [279]), to (94 M.) Mac-Mahon (3002 ft.; Arabic Aïn-Tuta), a poplar-shaded oasis and alfa station (p. [171]), originally founded by Alsatians. The next part of the line, through a steppe furrowed by the brook and the winter rains, is curious and interesting.
99 M. Les Tamarins (about 2460 ft.) is not far from the famous gorge of the stream, here called Oued Tilatou (comp. p. [277]).
The train next threads tunnels and cuttings through the saddle between the Tilatou valley and that of the Oued Fedhala or Guebli, the second feeder of the Oued Biskra, whence we descend in a wide bend to the E. to (103 M.) Maâfa (about 2130 ft.), at the influx of the brook Maâfa into the Fedhala (excursion to the Maâfa valley, see pp. [277], 278).
In the foreground we again sight the bold rocky slopes of El-Kantara. We recross the Oued Guebli, which, below the mouth of the Tilatou (see above), is named Oued el-Kantara, skirt the S.E. base of the Metlili (p. [277]), and cross the stream to—
114 M. El-Kantara.—Rail. Restaurant.—Hotel (comp. p. [174]). *Hôt. Bertrand, with view, R. 3–3½, B. 1, déj. 3–3½, pens. 10, omn. ½ fr.—Post Office, opposite the hotel.—Carriage 2½ fr. per hour.—Mule with English saddle, per day 5 fr., with Arabian saddle 3½ fr. (in the villages of the oasis 2½ fr., when not ordered through a guide).
El-Kántara (1772 ft.; ‘the bridge’, so named from its Roman bridge), the Roman Calceus Herculis, one of the most important caravan-stations in E. Algeria prior to the opening of the railway, owes its fame to the grand gorge of the Oued el-Kantara, called by the natives Fumm es-Sahara (‘mouth of the desert’). The river here suddenly emerges from a wild Alpine region, flanked by the red limestone rocks of Jebel Gaous and Jebel Essor, into a highly picturesque palm-oasis, below which it skirts the spurs of the Aurès Mts. (p. [278]) and careers rapidly down to the Sahara.
From the station the road on the left bank, overlooking the river-bed, with its profusion of wild oleanders, and the charming orchards on the floor of the valley, descends in 10 min. to the Hôtel Bertrand, situated at the finest and wildest point of the ravine, in a basin almost entirely shut in by grey rocky slopes. A few hundred paces farther, just before the mouth of the *Gorge (here barely 45 yds. wide), is the Roman Bridge, which was too thoroughly restored in 1862 under Napoleon III., carrying the old road, now partly destroyed by a landslip, from the right bank of the river to the left. From the bridge we enjoy a peculiar and striking view across the palm-oasis to the red weather-worn rocks of the Montagne d’Albâtre (p. [278]). A similar view is offered by the Iron Bridge, 8 min. lower down, whence we may look back also into the ravine with Jebel Metlili rising behind it.
The neighbouring *Oasis (pop. 3500), with its three mud-built villages, inhabited exclusively by natives of Berber descent, is, next to Bou Saâda (p. [270]), the northmost palm-oasis in Barbary. From the iron bridge the road leads past a kubba and cactus-gardens to (12 min.) Dahraouïa, the only village at the foot of the red rocks of the right bank of the stream, named also Village Rouge from the red mud-walls of the houses at its W. end, below the old burial-ground. The flat roof of the lower mosque, situated on the steep bank of the stream, affords a splendid view of the village and of the oasis as far as the Village Noir (see below).
We now descend through luxuriant gardens to the right bank of the El-Kantara, above which the village extends picturesquely, cross the stream 10 min. lower down (by mule, or wading, or carried by a native), and then, from the generally dry bed of the Rivière Blanche (p. [278]), mount to the right to Bourabès or Village Noir. From the N. end of this village we ascend the valley in 8 min. to Gueraguère or Khrekar, known also as the Village Blanc, the largest village in the oasis. We may walk through it and regain the hotel in 20–25 minutes.
If the El-Kantara is swollen we must return from Dahraouïa to the iron bridge and visit Gueraguère and Bourabès from the left bank. By carriage (7½ M., in 1½ hr.) we drive viâ Dahraouïa to the S. end of the oasis, and return on the left bank viâ Bourabès and Gueraguère. In the villages themselves we alight that we may better appreciate the novelty of the scene.
The *Jebel Metlili (4900 ft.), a range of hills to the N.W. of El-Kantara, scantily overgrown with scrub and alfa-grass (p. [171]), commands a splendid view of the steppe of El-Outaya (p. [278]) and the Sahara, as well as of the fringes of the Sahara Atlas as far as Jebel Ahmar-Khaddou (p. [284]). The clearness of the air and the wonderful effects of light and shade enhance the fascination of the scene. The mule-track (2½–3 hrs.) leads to the W. through the valley of the generally dry Oued Chebba and then winds up through a gorge and over the hill-side to the summit. On the way are sometimes seen gazelles and aoudads or maned sheep (Ovis tragelaphus, Arabic arwi; occasionally even at El-Kantara).
The excursion to the *Gorges de Tilatou takes a whole day, or about 5–6 hrs. only if we go by train to Les Tamarins (p. [276]), sending mules thither beforehand (provisions should be taken). Travellers from Biskra should go by the morning train to El-Kantara and proceed thence on mule-back to Les Tamarins, where they arrive in time for the afternoon train to Constantine.—The very picturesque entrance to the Tilatou valley is about 3 M. to the N.W. of El-Kantara. The grandest part of the gorge is at the Berber village (dasbera) of Tilatou, with its curious, still partly inhabited rock-dwellings. The village lies about halfway between the mouth of the river and the station of Les Tamarins.
A visit to the Maâfa Valley takes a whole day from El-Kantara, or from the Maâfa station (p. [276]), with the ride back to El-Kantara, 6–7 hrs. at least. The mule-track leads past the S. base of Jebel Groun (3905 ft.) and the small mosque of Sidi Yahia to the rock-villages of Fetatcha and Ameradsa, inhabited by the Chaouïa (see below), at the entrance to the wildest parts of the ravine. Good riders may return to El-Kantara viâ Beni-Ferah (see below).
The Aurès Mts., the Mons Aurasius of antiquity (Arabic Auras), inhabited almost exclusively by the Chaouïa (‘shepherds’), a Berber tribe, not subdued by the French until 1845, rise to the E. of El-Kantara, culminating in Jebel Chelia (7634 ft.) and Kef Mahmel (7615 ft.), the two highest peaks in Algeria. This grand mountain-region, with the wild and interesting valleys of the Oued Abdi and the Oued el-Abiod, is as yet almost inaccessible to tourists, no quarters being obtainable except by the courtesy of the French officials or of the natives. A tour here, especially in winter, necessitates almost as tedious and costly preparations as travelling in Morocco (comp. p. [97]). Better communication will, however, be provided by the new, still unfinished road from Markouna (p. [289]) to Biskra (p. [279]), by way of Medina (4780 ft.) and Aris (3842 ft.), opening up the head of the Oued el-Abiod valley, thence following the line of the ancient Roman road through the grand Ravine of Tighanimine, and descending from the zone of the cedar-forests to M’chounech and Droh, the palm-oases on the Ahmar-Khaddou (p. [284]).
A glance at the wild scenery of the Aurès Mts. is obtained by riding past the Jebel Haouidja (see below) to (10 M.) Aïn-Zatout or Beni-Ferah (about 2950 ft.), a picturesque hill-village of the Beni Ferah tribe. Strength permitting, we may ride thence to the S. to (17½ M.) *Djemmorah (quarters at the sheikh’s) and (29 M.) Branis (988 ft.), two palm-oases in the lower Oued Abdi valley, belonging to the Ouled Ziane, the only Arab tribe in the Aurès, and to (42½ M.) Biskra (p. [279]).
After leaving El-Kantara the Railway passes through three short tunnels into the Gorge of El-Kantara (p. [276]). Near the Roman bridge we obtain a striking glimpse of the Palm Oasis, which, farther on, beyond the bed of the Rivière Blanche, we survey in its full extent. Looking back, on the right, we have a fine view of the red rocks in the gorge.
Running to the S.W., generally close to the Oued el-Kantara, the train skirts the slopes of the Montagne d’Albâtre or Kef ed-Darsa, a spur of Jebel Haouidja or Jebel Kteuf, which are geologically interesting and have a splendid red glow in the sunshine.
125 M. Fontaine des Gazelles (1280 ft.) lies in a stony waste between Jebel Selloum (2569 ft.), the S.W. buttress of Jebel Haouidja, and the singular Jebel Kroubset. The small sulphur-baths of Hammam Sidi el-Hadj, ½ hr. to the S.E. of the station, used by the natives only, occupy the site of the Roman Aquae Herculis; an elliptical Roman piscina, 107 yds. in circumference, still serves as a bath. The spring (97° Fahr.) rises at the N. base of Jebel el-Melah or Gharribou (2057 ft.), noted for its rock-salt.
Nearing (131 M.) El-Outaya (905 ft.), we survey on the right the extensive steppe of El-Outaya (‘the plain’), a kind of forecourt of the Sahara, bounded on the S. by the Chaîne de Sfa (p. [282]) and Jebel Matraf. The soil is white with saltpetre in places. To the left, beyond the station is a small palm-grove.
A little before (138 M.) Ferme Dufourg, the station for a modelfarm 2½ M. to the W., on the right bank of the stream, we sight on the left the hills of Ahmar-Khaddou (p. [284]), sometimes snow-clad in winter, the landmark of Biskra.
We cross the Plaine de Dar-Raous or Dar el-Aroussa, often enlivened by gazelles; it lies between the Aurès streams Oued Bou Gatou and Oued Abdi (p. [278]), which here fall into the El-Kantara, now called Oued Biskra.
Beyond the ‘Col des Chiens‘, a barren gorge at the foot of Jebel el-Mlaga (p. [282]), we observe on the left the Barrage of the Oued Biskra, constructed in 1897 and guarded by a block-house. On the right lies the Catholic cemetery and in the distance are the palm-oases of—
149 M. Biskra. The Station (Pl. A, 1) is at the N.W. end of the town, 8–12 min. from most of the hotels. Sleeping-car office at Bouillard & Simon’s, Rue Berthe.
Hotels (comp. p. [174]; often crowded in Feb. and March). *Royal Hotel (Pl. a; C, 3), Avenue Delacroix, at the S. end of the town, with garden-court, terrace, belvedere (p. [281]), and restaurant, R. 4–20, B. 1½–2, déj. 3½–4, D. 5–7, pens. 13–25, omn. 1 fr., closed May-Oct.; *Palace Hotel (Pl. b; B, C, 4), next the Casino (see below), well situated, with pretty garden, R. 6–20, pens. 16–25 fr., closed 16th April to 30th Nov.; Grand-Hôtel Excelsior (Pl. g; B, C, 4), with garden, R. 3–10, B. 1½, déj. 3–4, D. 4–5, pens. 12½–25 fr., closed 16th May–31st Oct., well spoken of.—*Hôt. Victoria (Pl. c; A, 2), Boul. Gambetta, with small garden, R. 3–6, B. 1½, déj. 3, D. 4, pens. 11–15, omn. ¾ fr., closed 16th May to 14th Oct.; *Hôt. du Sahara (Pl. e; B, 2), Rue Berthe, with restaurant and garden-court, R. 3–7, B. 1¼, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens. 9–10, omn. ¾ fr.; Hôt. de l’Oasis (Pl. d; C, 2), Rue du Card. Lavigerie, with restaurant, R. 3–5, B. 1, déj. or D. 3, pens. 9–12, omn. 1 fr., patronized by the French, open the whole year, good; Hôt. des Zibans (Pl. f; C, 2), Rue du Card. Lavigerie, R. 2½–5, B. 1, D. 2½, pens. 8½–10 fr., plain.
Cafés. At the Casino (see below); Glacier, Rue du Card. Lavigerie.
Carriages (stand in Square Dufourg; Pl. C, 3). From station to town with luggage 1½, per hour 2½, to Chetma or the Dunes of Oumache 10, to Sidi-Okba or Droh 20, to Oumache or Bordj Saâda 25 fr.—The tariff is high, but a bargain may often be made for much less, if without the intervention of hotel-porters or guides.
Horse or Mule, 3–6 fr., according to distance.—Camel, with attatouch (p. [174]) for ladies, 4 fr. per day; attendant ½–1 fr.
Tramway from the Casino (see below) every ½–1 hr. on the Route de Touggourt (Pl. C, 4, 5) to Old Biskra (in 12 min.; 10 c.; terminus near the Kasba Hill); also four times daily viâ Beni-Mora to Hammam es-Salahin (in 50 min.; 50 c.)—Diligence to Sidi-Okba (at 8.30 a.m.; returning at 3 p.m.); also to Touggourt (comp. p. [284]).
Physicians. Dr. Couillaud, Rue Malakoff 15 (2–4 o’cl.); Dr. Dicquemare, at the Gr.-Hôt. Excelsior.—Chemist. G. Isaac, Rue Berthe.—Moorish Bath (Pl. C, 4), Route de Touggourt.—Photographs at Fréchon’s, Bougault’s, and Maure’s, all in Rue Berthe.
Post & Telegraph Office (Pl. B, 2), Rue Saad 3.
English Church Service (Jan.-April) at the former Cercle Civil (Pl. 1; B, C, 2), Rue Graillet.
Amusements. Casino Dar-Diaf (Pl. B, C, 4; p. [281]), Route de Touggourt, with theatre and concert-room; varieties, dances of the Ouled Naïl, etc.—Ouled Naïl dancing-girls (originally of the nomadic tribe mentioned at p. [215]), and other native artists perform at the small native cafés in the Rue Arcelin and Rue Lapeyrouse (Pl. B, C, 3); visitors pay 1 fr. (incl. cup of Arabian tea or coffee).
Festivals. The Courses de Biskra, held for three days between 1st and 20th Feb., comprise camel-races (courses sahariennes de mehara), horse-races in the hippodrome of Beni-Mora (p. [283]), ‘Fantasia Arabe’ (equestrian performances, p. [99]), and processions of the natives.—The ‘grande prière’ on the Kasba Hill at the end of the fasting-month of Ramadan attracts many spectators.—To join the Falcon Hunts of an agha (see below) special permission is required.
Guides (p. xxvi; 4–5 fr. a day; 2 fr. for an evening only), like hawkers and beggars, are a local pest, but their services are entirely superfluous, even for drives or rides in the environs, where the drivers or attendants give information.
Climate. The season is Nov.–April. Lying at the S. base of the Sahara Atlas and on the margin of the desert, Biskra has all the characteristics of the Sahara climate (pp. [170], 171). The great fluctuations of temperature (mean winter maximum 65° Fahr., mean minimum 45°) are comparatively little felt, even by invalids, owing to the remarkable dryness of the air. The rainfall is very slight and sunless days are quite the exception. The dust, however, is sometimes troublesome, even in winter, and sand-storms, especially during the sirocco (S.E. wind), may occur at any season. When a cold N. or N.W. wind blows from the Sahara Atlas, the palm-oasis alone affords some shelter. As yet no special arrangements for invalids exist at Biskra.
Sights, when time is limited. On arrival, view from the belvedere of the Royal Hotel (p. [281]). 1st Day. Visit to Market (p. [281]) early, then Villa de Bénévent and *Old Biskra (p. [281]); in the afternoon, ride or drive to the Col de Sfa (p. [282]). 2nd Day. Excursion to Sidi-Okba (p. [283]).
The little town of Biskra (400 ft.; pop. 7400, of whom 6300 are Mohammedans, incl. Old Biskra) lies at the S. base of the low Chaîne de Sfa (p. [282]), on the right bank of the Oued Biskra, generally a very poor stream below the Barrage (p. [279]). Owing to its convenient situation at the end of the E. Algerian Sahara railway, and to its fine climate, it has grown into great favour of late as a winter resort and the ‘Nice’ of Algeria. The present town, with streets regularly built as in all the modern Algerian towns, has sprung up only since the French occupation of 1844. The mediæval Biskra, named after the small Roman settlement of Bescĕra, lay in the midst of the palm-oasis (p. [281]), on the top and on the slopes of a low hill, where, after the destruction of the town by Sala Reïs (1553), a Turkish fort (kasba) was built. The natives then settled anew in the still existing seven villages of the oasis.
Biskra is the capital and administrative centre of the Zab (‘oasis’, pl. ziban), the extensive girdle of oases on the S. fringes of the Monts du Zab (p. [170]) and the Aurès Mts. In accordance with their sites these oases are named Zab Dahraoui (N. Zab), on the margin of the Monts du Zab, Zab Guebli (S. Zab), on the Oued Djedi (p. [284]), and Zab Chergui (E. Zab), between the Aurès Mts. and the Chott Melrir (p. [284]). The natives of the Zab, who are under an ‘agha’ or chief, are mostly Berbers with a large infusion of Arabian and in some cases Turkish blood. Many of them, under the name of Biskris, are met with in the coast-towns as small traders.
The only business street is the Rue Berthe (Pl. B, C, 1–3), in the S. part of which there are a few small European shops. It intersects the whole town and connects the railway-station with the strangers’ quarter on the S. side.
Between the Rue Berthe and Fort St. Germain (Pl. B, C, 1, 2), the nucleus of the town, built in 1849–51, runs the Grande Allée past the Jardin Public, which, on its N.E. side, is adjoined by the Jardins de la Garnison.
The Rue Berthe leads to the Avenue Delacroix (Pl. C, 3), the favourite haunt of guides and hawkers, where, at its junction with the Square Dufourg, rises a bronze statue of Card. Lavigerie (Pl. 2, C, 3; p. [346]), the benefactor of Biskra.
The belvedere of the Royal Hotel (p. [279]), 92 ft. high, resembling a minaret (visitors kindly admitted), commands an excellent *Panorama of the town and its environs, finest in the early morning, or towards sunset, when the Ahmar-Khaddou (‘rosy cheek’; p. [284]) is bathed in a ruddy glow.
The Casino Dar-Diaf (Pl. B, C, 4; ‘house of the guests’), built by A. Ballu (p. [289]) in the neo-Moorish style in 1892–3, is the fashionable evening resort.
The Mairie (Pl. B, 2), the small Mosque (Pl. B, 3), and other public buildings are situated between the Rue Berthe and the quiet Boul. Carnot (Pl. A, B, 2, 3), which joins the Avenue Delacroix at the Casino.
The Marché (Pl. B, 3) presents a busy and picturesque scene, especially in the early morning, which will interest new-comers. The motley throng of traders, many of them Mozabites (p. [216]), offer the art-industrial products of the Berber tribes of the Aurès and the Sahara, besides Moroccan wares and ‘Oriental’ articles made in Europe, at unduly high prices. The fruit and vegetable market affords evidence of the fertility of the oases. The Marché aux Bestiaux is held in the Boul. Carnot on Mondays.
Camel caravans from the Sahara may be seen at the Fondouks (Pl. A, 3), the inns of the natives on the Route des Zibans.
The quite modern Village-Nègre (Pl. C, 4; comp. p. [181]) is very dirty and uninteresting.
A few hundred yards to the S. of the town, between the Route de Touggourt and the Route de Sidi-Okba, is the Villa de Bénévent or Jardin Landon (Pl. C, 5; adm. 2 fr.), a creation of Count Landon (p. [305]), the beautiful *Grounds of which are stocked with a marvellous profusion of tropical and subtropical plants, and afford a delightful shady retreat in hot weather.
The great attraction in the nearer environs is *Old Biskra (Vieux-Biskra; see inset Map, at p. [279]), with its clay-built oasis-villages (ksar, pl. ksûr) inhabited by Biskris (p. [280]), and its oasis 3 M. long by 110–550 yds. wide, with some 150,000 date-palms and 6000 fruit-trees (apricots, figs, oranges), besides corn-fields and small kitchen-gardens. The palms, being well watered from the Barrage (p. [279]), are well grown and beautifully green; the dates, however, have less flavour than those of the Oued Rhir (p. [285]), the Djerid (p. [386]), and particularly those of the Souf (p. [285]). The traveller may induce a native (20–30 c.) to show him one of the palm-gardens, or he may be satisfied with a glimpse at them over the low mud-walls or through gaps.
From the Villa de Bénévent (p. [281]) walkers follow the right bank of the Oued Biskra, in the bed of which stands the kubba of Sidi Zerzour, to the (20 min.) village of M’Cid, the eastmost in the oasis, with its tall cypress, 130 ft. high, and its pertinacious beggars. The lofty minaret of the small mosque of Sidi Moussa or Sidi Malek (muezzin, 30–50 c.) affords a fine survey of the oasis, backed on the N.E. by the distant and usually snow-clad Jebel Chelia (p. [278]), and extending to the S.E. to Sidi-Okba (p. [283]).
About ¼ hr. to the S.W. of M’Cid is the picturesque village of Bab el-Dharb, infested by begging children, where, at the great lotus-tree near the two conduits, we enjoy a charming view of the palm-gardens. Close by is the mosque of Sidi Abd el-Moumen, whose minaret is another famous point of view (ascent toilsome).
Between Bab el-Dharb and the tramway-terminus (p. [279]; Café Petit Robinson) rises the Kasba Hill, crowned with the old mud-built Turkish fort, now partly washed away by rain, where the first French garrison was massacred by the natives in 1844. View limited.
The village of Bab-Fath, to the S.W. of the Kasba Hill, has a picturesque shrine, the marabout of Sidi Lahsen.
We return to Biskra by tramway on the Route de Touggourt, passing the poor Mohammedan Cemetery on the left and the Hôpital Lavigerie on the right; or we may choose the road (½ hr.) through the village of Ras el-Guéria, noted for the gaily coloured costumes of its inhabitants.
For Carriages (tariff, see p. [279]) the route prescribed for avoiding the narrow roads is viâ M’Cid to Bab el-Dharb, and back by the Route de Touggourt or viâ Ras el-Guéria. With this excursion may be combined a drive to the small oasis of Cora, with most characteristic Sahara surroundings, and to (6¼ M. from Biskra) the Dunes d’Oumache, or even to the (10 M.) Oase Oumache, where the ksar, defended by ancient moats, contains many remains of Roman buildings. Fine view at the marabout. The excursion to Oumache takes at least half a day. Provisions should be taken.
The (5 M.) *Col de Sfa, which has long been famed for its view, is a depression in the Chaîne de Sfa, between Jebel Bou Rezel (1322 ft.) and Jebel el-Mlaga (1302 ft.), on the shadeless road to El-Kantara and Batna. We drive (by the hour, see p. [279]), or (preferable) ride to the pass; in the latter case we may extend our trip from the pass to the (¼ hr.) ruinous Poste Optique, whence we survey the steppe of El-Outaya (p. [278]) to the N., and to the S. the endless undulating expanse of the yellow Sahara, spotted like a panther’s hide, as Strabo has described it, with its green oases (Chetma, Biskra, Sidi-Okba, etc.). Finest light towards sunset.
The (5 M.) Hammam es-Salahin (443 ft.; ‘bath of the saints’) or Fontaine-Chaude, the Roman Ad Piscinam, is most conveniently reached by tramway (p. [279]). The car runs through the whole of the Boul. Carnot (p. [281]), turns to the W. past a hill crowned with a disused Optic Telegraph (Pl. A, 3), and then passes the small oasis of Beni-Mora and crosses the streamlet Oued Zemour.
The Bath House (pens. with baths 10 fr.) attracts many visitors from Biskra, especially in summer. It lies in a most dreary region between Jebel Bou Rezel (p. [282]) and the sandy Jebel Maouya Gorah. The quadrangle, where the surprisingly copious salt and sulphur spring (115° Fahr.) bursts forth, is enclosed by cells for Europeans (1½ fr.) and men’s and women’s baths for the natives. The roof-terrace affords a good view of the environs. About 1 M. to the N. is a small mountain-lake of volcanic origin.
Jebel Maouya Gorah, the E. spur of Jebel Matraf, is a good standpoint for surveying the girdle of oases formed by the Zab Dahraoui and Zab Guebli (p. [280]), stretching to the distant Oued Djedi (p. [284]). The S. base of this range, where the building and paving stones of Biskra are now quarried, is skirted by the Route des Zibans, much used by caravans.
The Excursion to Sidi-Okba (13 M.; diligence, see p. [279]; carr. tariff, see p. [279], but 12–15 fr. is usually accepted) is the favourite among the longer trips from Biskra. The Route de Sidi-Okba (Pl. C, 4, 5) fords the Biskra (sometimes dangerous after winter rains) and skirts the small oases of Lalia and Filliache. Between these is the Nécropole, once a Berber burial-ground.
For the long drive through the dreary steppe at the S. foot of the Aurès Mts., enlivened only by the begging children of the nomads, we are repaid by the verdant Palm Oasis of Sidi-Okba, the most fertile of the Zab Chergui group (p. [280]), watered by a network of conduits from the Oued el-Abiod (p. [278]).
The small town of Sidi-Okba (144 ft.; restaurant, at the entrance to the town; pop. 4900), the religious centre of the Zab, owes its origin and its fame as a resort of pilgrims to the tomb of Sidi Okba (p. [322]), who ended his victorious career in the adjacent oasis of Thouda. The now poor town, with its mud-built fortifications and houses, and its beggars, lepers, and importunate guides, vividly recalls a mediæval Sahara town.
On alighting we walk straight on, then bear to the left, and soon reach a small square with the Maison du Kaïd and other picturesque houses. Turning here to the left we come to a second place, where on the left, preceded by a colonnade, rises the plain Mosque of Sidi-Okba, the oldest in Algeria, containing the tomb of the saint, which is shown on Fridays only. The main entrance to the court of the mosque consists of a carved *Door in the so-called Berber style (10th cent.). The minaret should be ascended for the sake of the excellent survey it affords of the town and the oasis (custodian 50 c.). Adjoining the mosque is the Zaouïa, with a Mohammedan law-school.
Passing through the gateway we now follow the first street on the right to the Market, with its quaint and busy crowd.
The steppe adjoining Aïn-Naga, 14½ M. to the E. of Sidi-Okba, on the caravan route to Négrine, which in late-Roman times was an important military road, is a favourite resort in winter of gazelle-stalkers from Biskra. Mirages (Fata Morgana) are often witnessed here.
The *Excursion to M’chounech, which is much grander than the last-named, is very fatiguing, but will be greatly facilitated by the opening of the new road through the Aurès Mts. (p. [278]). We ride to the E., across the Biskra ford, to (5 M.) Chetma, a small palm-oasis on the outskirts of the Aurès, where the road at present ends. After a short rest in the village (ksar), with its mud-built houses, or beside the adjoining springs, we proceed viâ (10½ M.) Droh to (14 M.) El-Habel (778 ft.), where we reach the deep-set valley of the Oued el-Abiod (p. [278]). We then ascend on the right bank of the stream to (19 M.) M’chounech (1083 ft.; quarters at the sheikh’s), a beautiful palm-oasis with 1300 inhab., at the foot of the Ahmar-Khaddou (6315 ft.).
The hill on which the ksar stands affords a very curious and striking view of the neighbouring *Ravines (accessible in dry weather only) and the upper course of the stream with its oases, as far as Baniane; but we may obtain a still grander view by riding to the (24 M.) Poste Optique (3691 ft.), on the S. margin of the Ahmar-Khaddou, whence the most impressive desert panorama stretches as far as the Chott Melrir (see below). The summit of the mountain may be gained in 4–5 hrs. more, but few travellers will care to face the toilsome ascent.
From Biskra to Branis, Djemmorah, Beni-Ferah, and El-Kantara, see p. [278]; to the Gorges de Tilatou, see p. [277].
Hardy and well-equipped (pp. [173], 174) travellers will be repaid by the interesting Sahara Route to Touggourt (127 M.; ‘courrier postal’, open omnibus with awning, on Mon., Wed., and Frid. at 3 a.m., in 28 hrs., excl. 10 hrs.’ halt for the night at M’raïer; fare 40 fr.; carr. from the hirers Viallard or Tourenq, 300–400 fr.; a driver that speaks French should be asked for). A railway from Biskra to Touggourt is now under construction.—The Route de Touggourt leads to the S.E. from Old Biskra (p. [281]) through the steppe to (19 M.) Bordj Saâda (85 ft.), in the plain of the Oued Djedi (comp. p. [215]), and thence to the S. to (32½ M.) Bordj Chegga, to the W. of the Chott Melrir (95 ft. below the sea-level), the largest salt-lake in Algeria. 45½ M. Bir Sethil, on the Oued Itel, across the bed of which, generally dry, the road is carried by an embankment over 100 yds. long, built of blocks of gypsum. 50 M. Kef ed-Door (374 ft.), a plateau affording fine views, with a Poste Optique communicating with Ahmar-Khaddou (see above), and said to be the southmost point reached by Sidi Okba (p. [322]) in the course of his campaigns. 63½ M. Ourir, a small oasis near the Chott Merouan, the S. arm of Chott Melrir, contains the kubba of Sidi Makfi, a favourite resort of pilgrims.
69 M. M’raïer or Merayer (13 ft. below sea-level; Caravansérail, R. 2–3, B. ½, D. 3½ fr.; pop. 1700), a thriving but fever-haunted village, with a luxuriant palm-oasis watered by artesian wells.
We next come to the region of the Oued Rhir, also malarious, with the largest girdle of oases in Algeria. These oases, artificially irrigated under the French régime by the sinking of numerous very costly artesian wells, have gained immensely in fertility, and their palms (about 950,000) supply the European markets with dates of the clear or pale variety (deglet en-nûr). Passing the posting-stations of Sidi-Khelil and El-Berd we come to Ourlana (69 ft.; pop. 4000), on the so-called Sea of Ourlana, a chain of lakes where the water of the Oued Rhir comes to the surface. 109½ M. Djemaâ (Caravansérail, R. 3, B. ¾, D. 3 fr., quite good), lies near the oasis of Tiguedidin, with its pretty lake in a palm-grove. Then Tamerna, with 1600 inhab., and Sidi-Rached. The swarthy complexion of the natives, mostly Rouaras, akin to the Harrâtin (p. [94]), now indicates that we are nearing the Sudan.
127 M. Touggourt or Tougourt (259 ft.; Hôt. de l’Oasis, Grande Place, near the Bureau Arabe, R. 3, D. 3, pens. 12½ fr.; mule and attendant 5 fr. per day; pop. 7100), a rapidly increasing little town, with a great Friday market, is important as the junction of the caravan-routes to the Mzab (p. [216]), Ouargla (or Wargla), and the Souf (see below). New Touggourt (T. el-Djedida) lies at the foot of a hill crowned with the ruins of Old Touggourt (T. el-Khedima). The distinguishing features of the town are two tall square towers, a minaret, and the clock-tower of the Kasba. The new gypsum-built houses, some of them in several stories, produce a striking effect. The inhabitants—Rouaras, many Mozabites (p. [216]), and Jews and negroes who have embraced Islam—live in separate quarters (zgag) and in large suburbs. Their home-industries, especially weaving and carpet-making, are thriving. It is very interesting to ride through the *Oasis, or to make an excursion to the S. to the little oasis town of (8 M.) Temacin and the (9½ M.) Zaouïa of Tamelhat, one of the most influential monasteries in the Sahara, with a superb *Mosque.
In order to avoid the long route back to Biskra, and at the same time to see more of the Sahara, we may ride from Touggourt viâ El-Oued, to the N.E., in 4–5 days direct to Nefta (p. [387]; trotting-camel to El-Oued 10, and for the ‘Saharien’ a fee of 3 fr. per day; comp. also p. [174]). The caravan-route, marked only by pyramidal signals, crosses the great dunes of the Souf, where ‘desert-roses’ (p. [270]) abound, one of the N. offshoots of the Erg Oriental, as the great E. desert of the Sahara is called. The only houses of call are (12½ M.) Bordj Mguitla, (24 M.) Bordj Mouiat Ferdjana, and (44½ M.) Bordj Mouiat el-Kaïd. The first village in the Souf is (53 M.) Ourmes.
61½ M. El-Oued (263 ft.; good quarters at the house of the merchant Sagnier, R. 3, déj. or D. 4¼ fr.; pop. 7400), the interesting capital of the Souf, with windowless houses covered with barrel-vaulting and small domes, is best viewed from the minaret or from the dune on the N. side. El-Oued and particularly the neighbouring oasis of Guémar are famed for their weaving; their wares are sent by the caravan-route to the S.E. viâ Bir er-Ressof (Beresof) to Ghadâmes in Tripolitania.
The *Oases of the Souf, containing about 180,000 palm-trees, have quite a different system of cultivation from all others in Barbary. The remarkably thick and long-leaved palms stand in funnel-shaped hollows (entonnoirs, Arabic ritan), and are protected against sand-drift by palisades of palm-twigs. The irrigation is provided by surface-water collected in wells, from which the water is raised by means of long draw-beams. The dates, owing to the peculiar mode of culture and the great heat of the sun, are noted for their sweetness and fine flavour. They are usually exported to Europe by way of S. Tunis.
Beyond (74½ M.) Debila, where the high dunes end, we ride to the Tunisian frontier across the pastures of the nomadic tribes, watered by artesian wells. A delightful scene is presented by the watering of the cattle, driven in from every direction, and indefatigably supplied by the swarthy herdsmen.
Beyond Choucht el-Ihoudi and Bir el-Asli, the first stages in Tunisia, we traverse the dreary steppe to the N.W. end of the Chott Djerid (p. [386]), through which we ride for a short way on the Trik Douaria. 137 M. Nefta (p. [387]), where we must announce our arrival at the custom-house.—From Nefta viâ Tozeur to Metlaoui (and Gafsa), see pp. [387], 386.