Chapter VI: Algeria (3)

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.

33. From Oran to Algiers.

262½ M. RAILWAY. Day-train, with 1st and 2nd cl. saloon carriages and
‘wagon-restaurant’ (déj. 4, D. 4½ fr.), in 11½ hrs. (fares 35 fr. 5,
26 fr. 5 c., 19 fr.); night-express in 9¾ hrs. (‘lit-salon’ 12 fr.
more than 1st cl. fare; sleeping-carriage 12 fr. extra). Scenery as
far as Affreville uninteresting. The best places for breaking the
journey are _Miliana_, _Hammam Rhira_, and _Blida_. At _Perrégaux_
this line is crossed by the line from Oran to Damesme and Beni-Ounif
de Figuig (R. 32).

From Oran to (16 M.) _Ste. Barbe-du-Tlélat_, see pp. 185, 186. Our train now crosses the _Tlélat_ (p. 186) and the flat saddle between the Tell Atlas and (left) the chain of _Jebel Djira_ (1083 ft.). On the S. slope of these hills lies the _Forêt de Mouley-Ismael_, an expanse of 11,000 acres of underwood, where Sultan Mulaï Ismail of Morocco (p. 96) was signally defeated by the Bey of Mascara (p. 200) in 1707.

32 M. _St. Denis-du-Sig_ (177 ft.; Hôt. du Louvre; pop. 11,900) lies in the fruitful plain of the _Sig_ (called Mekerra in its upper course, p. 186). The environs are watered by the great Barrage du Sig. Cattle-market on Sundays (‘marché arabe’).—38 M. _Bou-Henni_ (_Habra_; 66 ft.), at the foot of the _Beni Chougrane Mts._ (p. 200), not far from the marshes of the Macta (p. 200). Melons are much cultivated here.—The train crosses the _Habra_ (p. 200).

47½ M. =Perrégaux= (148 ft.; Hôt. des Colonies, Rue de Mostaganem, R. 2½, B. ½ fr., quite good; Hôt. des Voyageurs, near the station for Beni-Ounif; pop. 10,100, largely Spanish), is a pleasant town with a pretty _Jardin Public_ and a detachment of the Foreign Legion (p. 186). Wednesday market.

Railway to _Oran_ viâ _Damesme_ (_Arzew_), and to _Beni-Ounif_, see R.
32.

To the left stretches the _Plaine de l’Habra_ (p. 200); in the distance rise the hills near La Stidia (p. 200) and Mostaganem (see below). Beyond (55½ M.) _Nouvion-Oued-Malah_ (420 ft.) the train crosses the hill-region between the main chain of the Tell Atlas and _Jebel Bel-Hacel_ (see below), and at (65½ M.) _L’Hillil_ (410 ft.) enters the _Plaine de la Mina_, adjoining the plain of the Chélif (p. 208), one of the hottest regions of Algeria in summer.

A ROAD (12½ M.; omn. in winter at 1.30, in summer at 8.30) leads to
the S. from L’Hillil to the interesting and purely Mohammedan
hill-town of =Kalàa= (pop. 4800; Sat. market), once famous for its
carpet industry.

We cross the _Mina_, 2½ M. below the _Barrage de la Mina_, which waters some 25,000 acres of land.

77½ M. =Relizane= (289 ft.; Rail. Restaur.; Hôt. de la Paix; Hôt. de Paris, R. 2, B. ½, déj. 2, D. 2½, pens. 7 fr.; pop. 9000, half Mohammedan) is a small town amidst rich orchards. Our line is crossed here by the Mostaganem and Tiaret line.

FROM RELIZANE TO MOSTAGANEM, 47½ M., railway in 2¾–3 hrs. (fare 6 fr.
10 or 4 fr. 55 c.). The train crosses the Mina before (7½ M.)
_Bel-Hacel_, and then in a long bend to the N.E. skirts _Jebel
Bel-Hacel_ (1694 ft.). It next turns sharply to the S.W. to (18 M.)
_Mekalia_, crosses the hills of the _Forêt de Laktoube_ (1552 ft.),
affording fine views of the Chélif valley and of the Dahra range (p.
208), and then descends to (27½ M.) _Oued-el-Kheir_. From (34½ M.)
_Aïn-Tédelès_ (657 ft.; Hôt. Bellocq; pop. 2900, chiefly Mohammedan),
surrounded with olive-groves and orchards, a road leads to (4½ M.)
_Pont du Chélif_ (66 ft.) which, situated near the ancient Roman town
of _Quiza_, is named from the bridge built by Spanish prisoners from
Mazagran (see below) and rebuilt in 1850. Beyond (45 M.) _Pélissier_
we pass through the charming _Vallée des Jardins_.

47½ M. =Mostaganem= (341 ft.; Grand-Hôtel, near the Place de la
République; Hôt. du Louvre; Hôt. de la Gare; pop. 22,000, incl. 10,900
Mohammedans and 1100 Jews), a seaport on the E. shore of the _Bay of
Arzew_ (p. 199), situated on an old coast-terrace rising abruptly from
the sea (perhaps the site of the Roman _Murustuga_), owes its
foundation, under the name of _Bordj el-Mehal_, to the Almoravide
Yûsuf ibn Têshufîn (p. 95). It is the oldest garrison of the
_Tirailleurs Indigènes_, a native regiment formed in 1847, and well
known as _Turcos_ in the Franco-German war (1870–1). The main quarter
of the town, with the station, the fine _Jardin Public_, the Place de
la République, a fine point of view, the _Market_, and the _Chief
Mosque_, founded by the Merinide Abû’l-Hasen Ali (p. 188) in 1342,
lies on the left bank of the _Aïn-Sefra_, fully ½ M. above the harbour
quarter. On the lofty right bank of the ravine are a second European
quarter and (outside the Porte des Medjes) the interesting Mohammedan
suburb of _Tidjit_. The _Harbour_, now choked with sand and
inadequately protected from N. and N.W. winds by two piers, lies
between two small tongues of land, _La Salamandre_ on the S.W., and
_Karouba_ (266 ft.), with its sacred grove, on the N.E.—The railway
from Mostaganem to La Stidia and La Macta (p. 200) passes (2 M.)
_Mazagran_ (459 ft.; Hôt. Pujol), old-Berber _Tamazaran_, where the
Spaniards sustained a severe defeat in 1558, and where a small French
force in 1840 repelled the attacks of 15,000 adherents of Abd el-Kâder
(p. 221; monument).

FROM RELIZANE TO TIARET, 75 M., railway in 4¾ hrs. (fare 9 fr. 65 or 7
fr. 25 c.). Scenery unattractive. Beyond (5½ M.) _Oued-Khelloug_ the
train follows the course of the _Mina_ (p. 207), which separates the
_Beni Chougrane_ (p. 200) from the _Ouarsenis Mts._ (p. 209). 12 M.
_Sidi-Mohammed-Benaouda_ (417 ft.), noted for the strange cult of the
local saint of that name, in whose zaouïa sacred lions were once kept;
the loftily situated kubba, a great resort of pilgrims, is guarded by
negroes who are said to be descendants of a servant of the saint
(popular festivals in Aug. and Oct.).—27 M. _Uzès-le-Duc_ or
_Fortassa_ (840 ft.).—54 M. _Méchéra-Sfa-Prévost-Paradol_. Near
Méchéra-Sfa, on the Mina, are two cemeteries, with several dolmens, of
the 4th cent., the sole relics of an ancient Berber town.—69 M.
_Takdempt_, with a ruined arsenal of Abd el-Kâder.

75 M. =Tiaret= (3577 ft.; Hôt. d’Orient or Lecat; Hôt. des Colonies,
R. 1½–3, déj. or D. 1½–3, pens. 4–6 fr.; pop. 7200; Mon. market) lies
on a mountain-pass not far from the fertile _Plateaux du Sersou_, on
the S. margin of the Tell Atlas, a cold but healthy site, once
occupied by _Tingartia_, the capital of W. Algeria in the Byzantine
period. New Tiaret, the capital of the Kharijite sect of the Ibadites
(p. 323), probably lay below the present town, in the direction of
Takdempt.—About halfway on the road from Tiaret to (35 M.) _Frenda_,
among the hills to the S. of Tiaret, are the *_Djedar_, step-pyramids
in the style of the ‘Tombeau de la Chrétienne’ (p. 238), but on square
foundations, tombs apparently of forgotten Christian Berber princes of
the 6–7th cent., composed partly of materials from 5th cent.
buildings. Three of these, all in a very ruinous condition, are on
_Jebel Hadjar_; ten, including the largest (52 by 49 yds.), lie on the
_Colline de Ternaten_, 3¾ M. farther to the S.

The ALGIERS RAILWAY, running to the N.E., at some distance from the _Sebkha de Relizane_ or _de Sidi Bou Chiane_, enters the desolate lower plain of the _Chélif_ (p. 215), the ancient _Chylimath_ (Arabic _Kelmitu_). 98 M. _St. Aimé_ or _Djidiouïa_ (243 ft.), with a petroleum-refinery for the oil-springs of _Aïn-Zeft_ (_Taghia_), lies on the _Dahra_, the coast-hills to the N. of the Chélif. The train crosses the _Oued Djidiouïa_.

104 M. _Inkermann_ or _Oued-Riou_ (263 ft.; Hôt. des Voyageurs; Hôt. d’Inkermann; pop. 5200, of whom 4200 are Mohammedans), with large quarries and a Wednesday market.

The little Berber town of =Mazouna=, 18 M. to the N. of Inkermann, on
a branch of the road to _Renault_, superbly situated, the capital of
the W. Algerian beylic before Mascara (p. 200), is one of the
quaintest places in the Algerian Tell Atlas. Home industries
(burnouses, haiks, etc.) are much in vogue. Interesting Thursday
market.

The train crosses the _Oued Riou_. 110½ M. _Le Merdja_, the last station in the province of Oran.

117½ M. _Charon_ or _Bou-Kader_, a little town of 5200 inhab., almost all Mohammedans, lies in the province of Algiers (Thurs. market). On a low hill, 2 M. to the N., are Roman ruins, called _El-Aouna_ by the natives. At _Touchaïd_, 3 M. to the S.W., is a cavern in the rock, 330 ft. long, consisting of a number of low passages, and containing huge layers of bats’ guano. The _Trou du Diable_, 4 M. to the S. of Charon, is another object of interest.

We cross the _Oued Sly_, with its barrage, to (122 M.) _Malakoff_ or _Oued-Sly_, and then pass through a wood of Aleppo pines and carob-trees.

131½ M. =Orléansville= (410 ft.; Hôt. du Palais, pens. 5 fr.; Hôt. des Voyageurs; pop. 4900, of whom 2300 are Mohammedans), founded in 1843 on the site of the Roman _Castellum Tingitanum_, is a smiling oasis, irrigated by a conduit from the Chélif, but one of the hottest places in Algeria (maximum 125½° Fahr.). The chief sight is the early-Christian _Basilica_ in the Place de la Mosaique, discovered in 1843, and recently further excavated. It was built in 324, and is the oldest Christian church in Algeria. The foundation walls are alone preserved. It consisted of a nave and double aisles, without a transept, with two entrances from the outer aisles and a rounded W. apse, to which was added in 475 a second choir-recess at the E. end, containing the tomb of Bishop Reparatus. Considerable fragments of the mosaic pavement also have been preserved. The town has also a _Mosque_ (1894) and a _Carpet Making School_. The Saturday market is important. From the N. ramparts we have a fine view of the Chélif ravine and the Dahra Mts.

A ROAD (railway in course of construction) leads from Orléansville to
_Ténès_ (33 M.; diligence in 6 hrs., at 2, from Ténès at 6 p.m.). It
crosses the Chélif and beyond the suburb of _La Ferme_, hidden among
trees, leads through a eucalyptus avenue, and then to the N.W. across
a plain to (8½ M.) _Warnier_ (394 ft.), at the mouth of the _Oued
Ouahran Valley_. Then to the N., through the _Dahra Mts._, inhabited
almost solely by Berbers, to (17 M.) _Les Trois-Palmiers_ (525 ft.),
with its gypsum quarries, and across the (19½ M.) _Col de Kirba_ (1476
ft.) to the valley of the _Oued Allala_ and (30 M.) _Montenotte_, with
its orchards and iron-mines. 32½ M. _Vieux-Ténès_, picturesquely
situated above the gorge of the Allala, said to have been founded by
S. Spanish Moors in 875, was notorious as a den of pirates in the
Turkish period. 33 M. =Ténès= (164 ft.; Hôt. des Arts; Hôt. de
l’Univers, etc.; pop. 5000, Berbers 3300), founded in 1843, is perched
like Mostaganem on the edge of a plateau rising above its little
frequented harbour, which is fairly sheltered on the E. only by the
huge rocky _Cape Ténès_ (2093 ft.; lighthouse visible for 40 M.). Of
_Cartenna_, the earliest settlement here, originally founded by
Phœnicians, a few Roman cisterns only have been preserved. At the W.
end of Ténès there are also some rock-tombs belonging to an
early-Christian cemetery.

A second ROAD (36 M.; ‘courrier’ on Mon., Wed., and Frid. at 6 a.m.,
in 8 hrs.) leads from Orléansville to the S.E., through the _Ouarsenis
Mts._, viâ (33 M.) _Boucaïd_, with the zinc and galena mines of the
Belgian Vieille-Montagne Co., to (36 M.) _Beni-Hindel_ (3825 ft.) at
the S. base of the triple-peaked _Ouarsenis_ (6512 ft.). To _Teniet
el-Haâd_, see p. 211, 210.

Leaving Orléansville, the train runs to the N.E., near the Chélif, to (135 M.) _Pontéba_. Fine view, to the left, of the hill-region on the E. margin of the lower plain of the Chélif. 140 M. _Le Barrage_, near the largest reservoir of the Chélif. The train sweeps round to the S., away from the river, and traverses a fertile and well shaded plain to (146 M.) _Oued-Fodda_ (522 ft.), a small town of 5300 inhab., near the left bank of the _Oued Fodda_, through whose valley peeps the three-peaked Ouarsenis (see above).

In the _Plaine des Attafs_, as the very monotonous central plain of the Chélif is called, we next come to (148 M.) _Temoulga-Vauban_, at the foot of the bare _Jebel Temoulga_ (1749 ft.; with iron-mines), to (162 M.) _Oued-Rouïna_, and (166 M.) _Kherba_, the station for a village 3 M. to the N., on the margin of the Dahra Mts.—To the right, in the foreground, rises the range of _Jebel Doui_ (3409 ft.), whose spurs bound the central Chélif plain. To the left, for a short time, we have a *View of _Jebel Bou Maad_ (4643 ft.), generally snow-clad in winter, and of _Jebel Zaccar Gharbi_ (p. 212). 171 M. _Duperré_ (820 ft.), at the foot of Jebel Doui, near the ancient Roman _Oppidum Novum_.

The train crosses the Chélif above the influx of the _Oued Ebda_. To the left, in the river-bed, is the pier of a bridge on the old Roman military road. We now pass through a defile between barren hills; to the right we have a glimpse of the broad upper plain of the Chélif. 178½ M. _Littré_ or _Les Arib_ (853 ft.), in the _Plaine des Aribs_, at the foot of the Dahra. 184 M. _Lavarande_ (945 ft.), on the spurs of the Zaccar range.

186½ M. =Affreville= (1020 ft.; Rail. Restaurant, with rooms, good; Hôt. de l’Univers, in the village, next to the diligence-office, R. 2, B. ½, D. 2 fr.; Hôt. du Haut-Chélif; Hôt. de Vaucluse, near the station, well spoken of; pop. 2000), at the foot of Jebel Zaccar Gharbi, is one of the stations (Miliana-Margueritte being the other, see p. 211) for Miliana (6¼ M.; diligence 3 times daily, 1 fr.; carr. 10–12 fr.), and the starting-point for Teniet el-Haâd.

The EXCURSION TO THE CEDAR FOREST OF TENIET EL-HAÂD takes a
day-and-a-half (motor-omnibus, 5 or 6 fr., in ca. 3 hrs.; diligence,
leaving at 11 a.m., returning at 9.40 a.m., in 8 hrs.; carriage 50 fr.
or more, hardly recommended). To the E. of Affreville, beyond the
market (Thurs.) and the _Oued Souffay_, our rather featureless road
diverges to the S. from the Dolfusville road; it leads among
eucalyptus trees to the (2¾ M.) Chélif, and then, beyond (7½ M.) _Le
Puits_ (971 ft.), ascends by the _Oued Massin_ through an almost
uninhabited part of the Tell Atlas, between hills thinly clad with
pines. 10½ M. _Pont-du-Caïd_ (1329 ft.); 16½ M. _Caravansérail de
l’Oued-Massin_; 22 M. _Marbot_ (2287 ft.). Beyond the 39th
kilomètre-stone (24½ M.) we observe on the right the curiously shaped
sandstone rock of _Jebel Hadjra Touïla_. We then cross a pass (2920
ft.), whence We have a pleasing view of the valley of the Massin
behind us, to (27½ M.) _Dutertre_ on the _Oued Rouïna_.

36 M. =Teniet el-Haâd= (3806 ft.; Hôt. du Commerce, R. 2, déj. 2, D.
2½ fr., tolerable; Hôt. de la Colonie, humble; pop. 2100), the
starting-point of caravan-routes to Tiaret (p. 208) and to Chellala
and Laghouat (p. 215), situated on one of the most important passes of
the Tell Atlas, owes its name (‘Sunday Pass’) to its Sunday market,
attended chiefly by the inhabitants of the Plateaux du Sersou (p.
208). On the E. side of the little town lies the poor ‘Village-Nègre’
(comp. p. 181).

The *_Cedar Forest of Teniet el-Haâd_, on the slopes of _Jebel
el-Meddad_ (5863 ft.; ‘cedar-mountain’), to the W. of the town, is
still the finest in Algeria, although largely cut down of late and
bereft of its primæval character. The Atlas cedar (Cedrus Atlantica
Manetti), with its silvery and very short needles, and of gnarled and
often fan-like growth, is smaller and less showy than the Himalaya
cedar (Cedrus Deodora Roxburg) and the cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus
Libani), but in a few cases attains a circumference of 30 ft. The
cedars are mingled, particularly in the lower parts of the forest,
with evergreen or holm oaks and cork-trees (Quercus ilex, cenis, and
suber). The excursion to the forest, as far as the Rond-Point and
back, takes 4½–5 hrs., or including Kef Siga 6–7 hrs. (Mule, obtained
from the natives, or horse, from the Bureau des Messageries, 5 fr.;
carr. from the latter, 20–25 fr., hardly advisable as the road is
bad.) The road to the (8¾ M.) Rond-Point leaves the highroad to the S.
of the town, but riders and walkers take a short-cut from the W. side
of the town, thus saving about 1¼ M. In about 40 min. we come to the
_Parapluie_, on the right side of the carriage-road, an
umbrella-shaped cedar on a rocky height on the N. slope of the _Kef
Sachi_ (5134 ft.), and in 25 min. more to the forester’s hut (gourbi
forestier) of _Pré-Maigrat_. The finest parts of the forest are near
the forester’s house at the _Rond-Point des Cèdres_ (4889 ft.; rfmts.
if required), on the N. margin of the Jebel el-Meddad, where the
_Sultane_, one of the grandest of the cedars is pointed out. From the
Rond-Point a steep zigzag path ascends to a saddle with a pasture in a
clearing (on the right), where we dismount, and whence we climb over
the rocks to the top of the _Kef Siga_ (5624 ft.), the N.W. peak of
the ‘cedar-mountain’. The *View embraces the whole of the Ouarsenis
group (p. 209); to the E. rise the mountains of Boghar; to the N. the
Zaccar range with Miliana. To the S. we survey the Hauts-Plateaux,
with the bare hills of Chellala, as far as the distant Jebel Amour (p.
170) in the Sahara Atlas.

From the Rond-Point we may ride on to the W. to (5–6 hrs.)
_Beni-Hindel_ (p. 209).

The train crosses the _Oued Boutan_. It then runs to the N.E., soon with a retrospect of the Ouarsenis Mts., and ascends the luxuriantly fertile valley of the _Oued Souffay_, between the Zaccar range and _Jebel Gontas_ (2858 ft.), to (193½ M.) _Miliana-Margueritte_ or _Adélia_ (about 1700 ft.), the station for _Miliana_, 5½ M. to the W. (reached by steam-tramway, in connection with the trains, in ¾ hr.), and for _Margueritte_ (p. 212; diligence).

* * * * *

=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).

205 M. _Bou-Medfa_ (797 ft.), about 1 M. to the W. of the village of that name, is the station for the baths of _Hammam Rhira_. (Hotel-omnibus meeting every train, up in 1, down in ¾ hr.; trunk ½–1½ fr.)

The road ascends to the W. from the station in the valley of the _Oued
el-Hammam_, which at Bou-Medfa joins the Oued Zeboudj to form the
_Oued Djer_ (p. 213). 2 M. _Pont de l’Oued el-Hammam_ (883 ft.), at
the junction of our road with that leading from Affreville and Miliana
to Bourkika (p. 243), Blida, and Algiers. We follow the latter into
the side-valley of the _Oued Djir_, whence we ascend to the S.W. in
windings to the (7 M.) village of _Hammam Rhira_ (1542 ft.; Hôt.
d’Orient, poor).

7½ M. =Hammam Rhira= (1706 ft.; *Grand-Hôt. des Bains, of the first
class, with beautiful grounds shaded with palms, and baths including
two hot swimming-baths, R. 4–8, B. 1½, déj. 3½, D. 5, pens. 10–18 fr.,
open 15th Dec.–15th May only; Hôt. Bellevue, dépendance of the former
and below it, also with baths, plainer, pens. 7–9 fr., open May-Dec.),
the _Aquae Calidae_ of antiquity, Arabic _Hammâm Sidi-Slîmân_
(Solomon’s Bath), is the most fashionable watering-place in Algeria.
It lies on a barren terrace descending abruptly to the S.E. to the
Oued el-Hammam, affording a fine view of Jebel Zaccar Chergui to the
W., and of Jebel Gontas (p. 211), Jebel Louhe (4751 ft.), and Jebel
Mouzaïa (p. 213) to the S. The hot springs (113–166° Fahr.), which are
strongly impregnated with carbonate and hydrated sulphate of lime, are
used as a cure for rheumatism, gout, etc., while the water of a cold
chalybeate spring is drunk by anæmic and dyspeptic patients. The chief
season for foreign visitors is from the middle of Feb. to the middle
of April; in summer the military hospital, which contains three
restored ancient piscinæ, and the Mohammedan and Jewish baths below
the Hôt. Bellevue are much frequented by Algerians. The Allée des
Ruines in the public grounds contains a few relics from the ancient
Aquæ Calidæ. We may walk thence to the W., between vineyards which
yield excellent red wine, in ¼ hr. to the _Forêt de Chaïba_, a
pine-forest of 2000 acres, in which the ‘petit tour’ of 2½ or the
‘grand tour’ of 5 M. may be taken. The _Samsam_ (2800 ft.) commands a
fine view of the Mitidja and the Sahel (p. 221). Pleasant drives
(carr. 15–40 fr. per day; driver and horses to be fed by the hirer)
viâ (12½ M.) _Margueritte_ to (18½ M.) _Miliana_ (comp. p. 212); viâ
Bourkika and Marengo to (23 M.) _Tipaza_ or to _Cherchell_ (see pp.
243, 244).

From Bou-Medfa the train descends to the N.E., skirting the _Oued Djer_, and through a defile, overgrown with underwood, at the foot of the _Nador des Soumata_ (2507 ft.), to (214 M.) _Oued-Djer_, and then to the E. into the broad plain of the _Mitidja_ (p. 221). To the left in the distance rises the Chenoua (p. 242), and on the Sahel range (p. 221) may be seen the ‘Tombeau de la Chrétienne’ (p. 238).

219½ M. _El-Affroun_, a village on the Affreville and Algiers road, is like Castiglione (p. 238) a starting-point for Tipaza and Cherchell (steam-tramway, see p. 243). To the right rise the hills of Blida, with the deep incision of the Chiffa ravine (p. 215).

222½ M. _Mouzaïaville_ (368 ft.; pop. 5000) lies near the spurs of the wooded _Jebel Mouzaïa_, inhabited by the Berber tribe of that name. 225½ M. _Chiffa_ (364 ft.), near the left bank of the _Chiffa_ (see p. 238), and nearly 4 M. from the entrance to the ravine (by the Rocher Blanc, p. 215).—We cross the stony bed of the Chiffa, opposite the influx of the _Oued el-Kébir_ (see below), and then ascend through fields, vineyards, and cactus-hedges to—

230 M. =Blida.=—The STATION (689 ft.) lies about ¾ M. below the town,
to the N.W., 18–20 min. from the chief hotels. Omnibus to the Place
d’Armes, with luggage, 10 (at night 20) c.; cab 50 c.

HOTELS. _Hôt. d’Orient_ (Pl. a; C, 3), Rue d’Alger and Place d’Armes,
R. 3–5, B. 1–12, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens. 12, omn. ½ fr. good; _Hôt.
Géronde_ (Pl. b; B, 2), Rue Lamy, plainer; _Hôt. de la Mitidja_ (Pl.
c; B, 2), Rue Flatters, corner of Rue Pélissier, R. 2, déj. or D. 2
fr., plain but good; _Hôt. de la Gare_, near the station, déj. 1½, D.
2 fr., humble.—_Café d’Orient_, in the hotel, and _Brasserie
Lyonnaise_, both in the Place d’Armes.

POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE (Pl. 5; C, 3), Place d’Armes.

CABS (stand in the Rue de l’Hôpital, behind the Place d’Armes). In
town ½, to Sid-el-Kébir 3–5, Chiffa Ravine 8–12 fr. (according to
bargain).

SIGHTS. Forenoon, _Jardin Bizot_, _Bois Sacré_, cemetery of
_Sid-el-Kébir_, and _Stud Farm_ (‘la Remonte’); afternoon, trip to the
_Chiffa Ravine_, either from Sidi-Madani or Camp-des-Chênes (p. 215).
If desired Algiers may be reached by train the same evening. The
attractive mountain tours (Les Glacières, etc.) are feasible in summer
only.

_Blida_ (886 ft.; pop. 18,400, incl. 10,700 Mohammedans), one of the pleasantest provincial towns in Algeria, with a strong garrison, is charmingly situated at the N. base of the Tell Atlas, on the right bank of the _Oued el-Kébir_. To this so-called ‘great river’, as well as to the considerable rainfall in winter, the town is indebted for the splendid timber in its public grounds and the luxuriant vegetation of its orchards, notably the orange-groves between the N. suburbs of _Joinville_ and _Montpensier_. The town is said to have been founded by Andalusian Moors in 1535; in 1825 it was destroyed by an earthquake; it has been rebuilt since 1838, but in 1867 was again much damaged by an earthquake.

From the station we proceed viâ the Avenue de la Gare to the Bab el-Sebt (Pl. A, B, 2), 5 min. to the N.E. of the Bois Sacré (see below), and within the town-walls we follow the Rue Lamy, called also Boulevard Trumelet, to the—

PLACE D’ARMES (Pl. C, 3), which, with the adjoining Rue d’Alger (Pl. C, 3, 2), is the centre of traffic. This pleasant square is planted with plane-trees and has a fountain in the centre shaded by a great date-palm (a band plays here in winter). Adjacent is the Place Lavigerie with the Catholic church of _St. Charles_ (Pl. C, 4).

The streets to the N. of the Place d’Armes, with the two small _Mosques_ (Pl. 3 & 4; C, 3, 2), and the lanes near the Place du Marché-Indigène (Pl. C, D, 3; interesting Friday market) are inhabited mainly by Mohammedans and Jews. From the Place d’Alger, at the end of the Rue d’Alger, the Rue Zaouïa leads to the left to the large _Stud Farm_ (Dépôt de Remonte; Pl. C, 1), where fine horses of the Arab and Barb breeds may be seen.

From the Place d’Armes the Rue and Porte Bizot lead to the S.W. to the *_Jardin Bizot_ (Pl. B, 4), containing fine araucarias, palms, and magnolias. On the N. side of the Avenue du Champ-de-Manœuvres, 5 min. to the W. of the Porte Bizot, lies the famous _Bois Sacré_ (Pl. A, 3, 4), where two picturesque tombs of saints are shaded by superb groups of Aleppo pines, araucarias, and olive-trees.

The Avenue du Champ-de-Manœuvres joins, near the drill-ground, the
highroad to Boukirka (and Affreville; comp. p. 212), from which, just
before Chiffa (p. 213), 5 M. to the W. of Blida, the road to the
_Chiffa Ravine_ and _Médéa_ (p. 215) diverges to the left. This route
to the _Rocher Blanc_ (p. 215) is uninteresting and in summer
extremely dusty (cabs, see p. 213).

From Porte Bizot we may turn to the E. and walk round the town-walls through an avenue of carob-trees to the Bab el-Rabah (Pl. D, 4), the S.E. town-gate, which is reached also from the Place d’Armes by the busy Rue Tirman. To the S. of this gate the Avenue des Moulins, a broad avenue of planes, leads along a conduit with several mills into the pretty valley of the _Oued el-Kébir_. After 10 min. we diverge to the right by a shadeless road, passing pleasant orange-groves and crossing the stream twice, and then, just beyond (½ hr.) a mill, ascend a path to the left to the poor village of _Sid-el-Kébir_. Above the village are the _Zaouïa_ and the picturesque _Cemetery of Sid-el-Kébir_, with the tombs of Ahmed el-Kebîr (d. 1560), the founder of Blida, and his two sons, to which on great Mohammedan festivals pilgrims flock from far and near. A second footpath to the N. descends hence into the valley.

The highest mountains of Blida, the _Jebel Mouzaïa_ (p. 213) and the *_Pic des Beni-Salah_ or _Jebel Sidi Abd el-Kâder_ (5345 ft.), are famed for their cedar-forests, where the natives, however, have made sad havoc, and for the grand panorama they command. The distant view embraces the Tell Atlas from the Ouarsenis (p. 209) to Jebel Dira (p. 250), the Dahra (p. 208), and the whole of the Mitidja with the Sahel and the Jurjura chain (p. 258). The ascent of the Jebel Sidi Abd el-Kâder viâ _Aïn-Talazit_ takes 4 hrs.—Hardly less repaying is the ascent of the _Kef Chrea_ (5085 ft.), to the S.E. of Blida, to which a bridle-path (mule 4–5 fr.) leads from the Avenue des Moulins (p. 214), viâ the village of _Les Glacières_ (3957 ft.; Hôt. d’Altitude, déj. 3 fr., good) in 4 hrs.

FROM BLIDA TO BERROUAGHIA, 52 M., railway in 4 hrs. (fares 9 fr. 40, 6
fr. 70, 5 fr. 5 c.). The train diverges to the S.W. from the Oran and
Algiers line, crosses the Oued el-Kébir and the _Chiffa_ (p. 213), and
beyond the _Rocher Blanc_ (466 ft.; inn) enters the =Gorges de la
Chiffa=, a grand defile, flanked with the slopes of the Pic des
Beni-Salah and Jebel Mouzaïa, here over 3000 ft. high. At (7½ M.)
_Sidi-Madani_ (597 ft.) begins the finest part of the ravine; the
grandest scenery is around the _Hôt. du Ruisseau-des-Singes_ (738 ft.;
déj. 1¾–3, D. 3 fr.), at the mouth of the side-valley of the _Oued
Tamesguida_, and at the waterfalls beyond the inn. The numerous apes
(p. 171) that dwell in the rocks here sometimes descend to the bottom
of the valley.—12 M. _Camp-des-Chênes_ (1253 ft.; inn), beyond the
lateral valley of the _Oued Merdja_. Following the valley of the _Oued
Mouzaïa_ the train leads round the S. slope of Jebel Mouzaïa to (19½
M.) _Mouzaïa-les-Mines_ (1640 ft.), with its deserted copper and iron
mines, and then, in numerous windings, ascends the W. slope of _Jebel
Nador_ (3675 ft.; fine views) to (28 M.) _Lodi_ (3042 ft.).—31 M.
=Médéa= (3019 ft.; Hôt. d’Orient; Hôt. du Commerce; pop. 3800, incl.
1900 Mohammedans and 1200 Jews), a small town, perhaps on the site of
the Roman _Lambdia_ (_Tirinadis?_), was founded by Bologgîn ez-Ziri
(comp. p. 221), and was the capital of a beylic in the Turkish period
under the name of _Titteri_. Great native markets (Thurs. and Frid.).
The environs yield excellent white wine, but it is often
adulterated.—The train next ascends to the S.E., in numerous windings,
to (44½ M.) _Ben-Chicao_ (3790 ft.), the highest station on the
line.—52½ M. _Berrouaghia_ (2953 ft.; Hôt. de France; Hôt. des
Voyageurs), a small town of 2300 inhab., is the present terminus of
the line, which is being continued to Djelfa.

A diligence runs daily in 5½ hrs. (at 1 p.m., returning at 9.35 a.m.)
to (27½ M.) =Boghari= (2077 ft.; Hôt. Célestin, R. 2, déj. or D. 2½
fr.), a small trading town of some importance on the upper _Chélif_
(p. 208), with a Monday market and a picturesque Ksar on a hill
(evening dances by girls of the Ouled Naïl tribe; see below).