Sidi Fredj, Algeria

Sidi Fredj, Algeria, originally uploaded by Umm Ibrahim.

I caught the Flickr bug and have started uploading a few photographs and thought I would test out the ‘blog this’ function for pictures so here goes…

Oh, and you can find my Flickr photostream here.

Hammam Melouane

Hammam Melouane is a small town at the foot of the Blidean Atlas mountains; 37km south west of Algiers. Hammam is the Arabic for baths and it is the presence of the baths with thermal spring water that gives the town it’s name.

The drive from Algiers to Hammam Melouane is a beautiful one; as you turn inland away from the coast the scenery quickly becomes mountainous and you drive past fields upon fields of olive trees, apricot trees, orange groves already bearing tiny green spheres which will grow and become ripe by December, fig trees which have already been harvested for the first batch of larger figs – the smaller sweeter ones will come later, grape vines and prickly pear cacti which are interestingly named in Algerian although I am unsure as to why: they are called Qarnous Nasaara (Pears of the Christians) or Hindi (Indian).

As you enter the town of Hammam Melouane, you drive along a narrow road through the mountains and arrive in a populated valley with green mountains rising on all sides; these mountains are covered in snow during the winter.

If you pass right through the town, you will come to another mountain road and the stream which comes from higher in the mountains and people enjoy bathing there.

The actual hammam, Station Thermale, is reasonably priced at 120Dinars (6Riyals/75p) for adults and 60Dinars for children. The men’s section is to one side and ladies’ section to the other side. There are private rooms with a chair and bath so there’s no need for communal bathing.

The water is hot and salty and full of minerals, rare gases, nitrogen, magnesium and iron. It is especially recommended for those with any kind of rheumatism; illnesses of the bones; joint pain; problems with the intestines, liver, pancreas and kidneys; circulation problems in addition to other conditions.

It is not recommended for those in the final stages of cancer, those with advanced tuberculosis and those with acute infections. *

On the main road through the town there is a busy street market and shops selling seasonal fruits, traditional clayware and other souvenirs and novelties.

La Grande Poste

This beautiful piece of Arabesque architecture surprisingly is La Grande Poste in central Algiers and was built in 1910.

The steps you can see leading down in the photograph below lead to the metro station although Algiers is still awaiting completion of that project.

Amir Abdelkader

Briefly, Amir Abdel Kader was, “… a political and military leader who led a struggle against the French invasion in the mid-nineteenth century, for which he is seen by the Algerians as their national hero.” He lived from 1808 – 1883 and died in Damascus.

The monument below is a statue of the Amir and stands in Algiers on the Rue Larbi.

Algeria’s first international fast food restaurant, ‘Quick’ is right next to the monument along with other icecream shops and cafes.

Oh yes, and we did go into Quick as dd12 was desperate for a cheeseburger (kids!). It was packed in there contrary to what I had heard about the place being unpopular and too expensive. A Double cheeseburger with french fries and a Coke was 270Dinars (13.5Riyals; £1.70) – maybe a little expensive by Algerian standards but in line with the price in Saudi and Europe.

Ketchaoua mosque

I have posted photographs of various mosques in Saudi Arabia and UAE but none of any mosques in Algeria yet so here are two which are very close together and both in the capital, Algiers. We went to Algiers during the week and our walk started from the Rue de la Lyre where the Ketchaoua mosque is situated.

Ketchaoua mosque (pronounced ‘Ketchowa’) which is at the foot of the Casbah has quite an interesting history. It was mosque then cathedral and then later, mosque once again. Originally it was built by the Ottomans but was coverted into a cathedral during French colonial times; it was restored back to a mosque in 1962.

“The Ketchaoua mosque (Djamaa Ketchaoua جامع كتشاوة), at the foot of the Casbah, was before independence in 1962 the cathedral of St Philippe, itself made in 1845 from a mosque dating from 1612. ” *

The mosque has some very beautiful architecture as can be seen in the photographs I managed to snap.

You can just see the mosque in the picture below; there are crowds of people because the street just near to the mosque is the site of a popular market selling dates, clothing and other items.

Looking in the other direction you can see the Masjid El-kabir; it is the oldest mosque in Algiers apparently dating back to at least 1097.

Cherchell

Cherchell Port

We took a drive along the coast to Cherchell during the week. It was a two and a half hour drive through some beautiful scenery: the Mediterranean sea to the right and fertile, green hills to the left. After Tipaza the road to Cherchell turned inland and the landscape became more lush: fields growing tomatoes, figs, plums and lots more besides. There were children at the sides of the roads selling baskets of freshly picked produce such as prickly pears and tomatoes.

My 4 year old son was delighted every time we drove past donkeys which are used quite a lot for labour in the area.

The actual town of Cherchell is quite old and run down like most towns I have visited in Algeria but it has a long and rich history dating back to 1500BC and the Ancient Egyptians. However it is best known for it’s Roman ruins and the modern name Cherchell is the ‘Berberisation‘ of the Roman name for the town, Caesarea.

The Masjid Er-Rahmane is quite a strange building built in the style of the Pantheon complete with Romanesque pillars.

We also drove past a Roman aquaduct coming back out of Cherchell going back to Tipaza but I missed the opportunity to photograph it. See a photograph here. Amazingly intact piece of architecture.

Tipaza – Roman remains

Tipaza is about an hour and a half’s drive from Algiers or 70km and the drive along the coastal road is a pleasant one with tree covered hills to the left and the Mediterranean to the right.

Tipaza was originally founded by the Phoenicians and later the emperor Claudius made it into a Roman military colony and thereafter a Municipium. There are remains of an amphitheatre, churches and temples and graveyards among other things.

The entrance fee is 20DA (15p) for adults and 10DA for children. You can stroll around the remains, some of which are well shaded by trees including olive trees and even sit looking out at the Mediterranean since the ruins extend down to the rocky sea front and along the coast.

Map of the area (click on image to enlarge):

The forum:

Some of the original mosaic tiling we found covered by sand. This tiling was in the ruins of one of the temples:

More tiling in one of the basilicas:

Allee that extends down towards the seafront:

View from within towards the bay:

Judicial court: