3¾ M. Roseville (99 ft.; not visible from the road) has a good bathing-beach. 4½ M. St. André de Mers el-Kébir (55 ft.; Hôt. National, on the shore), a poor village, inhabited almost entirely by Spaniards and Italians, lies at the S. base of the fortified Jebel Santon (1043 ft.), the N. spur of Jebel Murjajo.
The open roads of Mers el-Kébir (Arabic Mersa el-Kebîr, the great harbour), famed in Spanish military annals as Mazalquivir, now the naval harbour of Oran, are admirably sheltered from the W. and N. winds by Jebel Santon and by a rocky headland (lighthouse). Beyond the (5 M.) little fishing-village (Hôt. de l’Escadre, humble) rises a huge Fort, the outer walls of which date partly from the Spanish period.
To Aïn-et-Turk and Bou-Sfer (a day’s excursion from Oran; omn. and carr., see p. [176]; provisions should be taken), an interesting drive, especially in spring, affording a good idea of the progress of agriculture in this coast-region. Beyond the headland of Mers el-Kébir the road is carried round the Jebel Santon, high above the sea, by means of cuttings, and then descends to the fertile Plaine des Andalouses, which is now inhabited chiefly by S. Spanish peasants. Its name recalls the landing here of the Moors expelled from Andalusia.
9½ M. (from Oran) Aïn-et-Turk (65 ft.; ‘Turkish well’), a little village, to which sea-bathers resort in summer, with a church on the hill (177 ft.), 2½ M. to the S.E. of Cape Falcon (p. [125]), from which it is separated by a chain of sand-hills rising to a height of 397 ft.
The road, now perfectly straight, ascends to the S.W., through vineyards and corn-fields, to (13 M.) the large village of Bou-Sfer (486 ft.), on the well-watered N. slope of Jebel Murjajo, with its thriving farms where vegetables are largely grown. To Bou-Tlélis, see p. [185].
From Bou-Sfer a road, with fine views, leads along the hill-side, and then across the saddle (768 ft.) between Jebel Murjajo and Jebel Santon, back to (22 M.) St. André de Mers el-Kébir.
(3). A splendid walk, especially by evening light, is offered by the *Promenade des Falaises (Pl. G, H, 1), to the N.E. of Oran. Tramway No. 3 (p. [176]) should be taken to the station outside the Porte d’Arzew (Pl. F, G, 3). Here we go to the left, skirting the town-walls, then to the N.E. across the harbour goods-line (p. [175]), through the Ravin Blanc at a distance from the battery of that name, and up the fields to the (20 min.) highly picturesque margin of the plateau, whence we survey the whole coast from Mers el-Kébir on the W. to the Pointe de l’Aiguille and Jebel Orouze to the N.E. A little farther on we reach an avenue of palms which leads in a curve to the (¼ hr.) tramway-terminus in the suburb of Gambetta (Pl. H, 2).
Good walkers, starting very early, may extend their excursion from the Promenade des Falaises to the Pointe Canastel (784 ft.), near which ends the road coming from Gambetta (4 M.), and thence along the slope of Jebel Kahar or Montagne des Lions (2008 ft.), in 4–4½ hrs., to the Moorish village of Kristel (poor cafés), finely situated amid rich orange groves. Or, in calm weather, we may take a sailing-boat (see p. [176]) from Oran to Kristel. We may now walk or ride (donkey 2½–3 fr.) up the steep hill to the saddle between Jebel Kahar and Jebel Kristel (1970 ft.); then past the Ferme Tazout (1105 ft.; to the left the iron and lead mines on Jebel Borosse, a spur of Jebel Orouze; p. [199]) to the S.E., partly through underwood, and down to the (2½ hrs.) railway-station of Saint-Cloud (p. [199]). We may there take the train viâ Damesme to Arzew (p. [199]) and return to Oran in the evening.
From Oran to Hammam Bou-Hadjar, 45 M., steam-tramway twice daily (thrice on Sun., Mon., and Tues.) in 3¾–4¾ hrs. (fares 5 fr. 40, 3 fr. 95 c.). The line starts from the N. end of the Boul. Mascara (Pl. C, 4) and proceeds to the S.E. viâ (4 M.) La Sénia (p. [185]) to (7½ M.) Valmy (p. [185]), some distance beyond which it turns to the S.W. and runs parallel to the S. shore of the Sebkha d’Oran (p. [185]). 12 M. Arbal, on the N. spurs of Jebel Tessala (p. [186]); 25 M. St. Maur; 39 M. Aïn el-Arba. 45 M. Hammam Bou-Hadjar (574 ft.), near which are the baths of that name (Hôt. des Bains, plain but good). The hot mineral water (135–167° Fahr.), resembling that of Ems, rises among the calc-sinter terraces of the Fer à Cheval. A cool spring (64° Fahr.), strongly impregnated with iron, is used for drinking.
Excursion to Misserghin, see p. [185].