Miliana.—Hotels. *Hôtel du Commerce & d’Isly, Rue de Constantine, near Place Carnot; Hôt. Valentin, Place Carnot, next the diligence-office, with dépendance (Hôt. d’Europe) in Rue Fontenoy, R. 2 fr., B. 40 c., déj. or D. 2, pens. 6 fr., unpretending, attentive landlord.—Diligence to Affreville (in the morning in connection with the motor-omnibus to Teniet el-Haâd), see p. [210].
Miliana (2428 ft.; pop. 8400, incl. 5300 Mohammedans), which is said to have been founded by Bologgîn ez-Ziri (comp. p. [221]) on the site of the Roman Zucchabar, lies most romantically on a terrace on the S. slope of Jebel Zaccar Gharbi, amidst luxuriant gardens, and is particularly charming in April when the fruit-trees are in blossom.
The chief gate, the N. gate of the modern town-walls, is the Porte du Zaccar, near the tramway-terminus, a few paces from the small public Jardin Magenta.
Passing the covered Marché Arabe the Rue St. Paul, a beautiful avenue of planes, leads in 3 min. to the Place Carnot, in the centre of which rises an ivy-clad Minaret (now a clock-tower), a relic of the chief mosque, which was destroyed during the war with Abd el-Kâder (p. [221]).
Near the S.W. angle of the Place Carnot passes the Rue St. Jean, also planted with plane-trees, leading to the S. to the Esplanade de la Casbah (nicknamed Pointe aux Blagueurs), which affords a delightful view of the Chélif plain and the Ouarsenis Mts. The orchards around and the cascades of the Oued Boutan (see above) are better seen from the rampart promenade on the E. side of the town.
The *Jebel Zaccar Gharbi (5181 ft.; ‘Western Zaccar’) is ascended by a good mule-path in 2½–3 hrs. (mule 4–5 fr.). The view of the wooded Dahra Mts., of the Chenoua (p. [242]), of part of the Mitidja, and of the S. Tell Atlas, is one of the finest in Algeria.
A delightful *Excursion, by carriage or on foot, especially in spring, may be taken to (6¼ M.) Margueritte, the road to it being part of that from Affreville to Blida and Algiers (comp. p. [214]). The road branches to the left, a few minutes to the N.E. of the Porte du Zaccar, from the Adélia road, and soon passes close below the iron and copper mines of the Société des Mines du Zaccar, which are connected by a line of rails with the road tramway. Farther on, ascending gradually through orchards, a perfect sea of blossom in spring, we reach the gorge of the Oued Righas or Rirhas, between Jebel Zaccar Gharbi and Jebel Zaccar Chergui (5027 ft.; ‘Eastern Zaccar’), which also is famed for its view.
Margueritte (2395 ft.; Hôt. du Zaccar, poor) lies picturesquely on the S.E. slope of the hill, 3 M. above the rail. station of Miliana-Margueritte (p. [211]), with a fine view of the valley of the Oued Souffay, and yields one of the best red wines in Algeria.—Farther on the road skirts the E. slope of the Zaccar Chergui, rounds the gorge of the Oued Tizi-Ouchir, and then descends in windings across the Col des Oliviers (1834 ft.; beyond this a rough road to the left diverges to Hammam-Rhira, see below), aside from the village of Vesoul-Benian (1653 ft.; 4½ M. to the N. of the rail. station, see below), to (9 M.) the Pont de l’Oued el-Hammam (see below).
Just beyond Miliana-Margueritte the Railway passes through a tunnel (2525 yds.) into the bleak valley of the Oued Zeboudj. 200½ M. Vesoul-Benian, station for the village (see above).