ALGERIAN SAHARA
It is possible to fly from Mediterranean Algiers
over snow-capped mountains to the northern reaches of the Sahara in just over one hour.
ALGERIA’S UNESCO SITES
Ghardaia is one of the pentapolis settlements of the
UNESCO-protected Saharan M’Zab Valley, which includes the walled town of Beni
Isguen – normally closed to foreigners – where the women, clad entirely in
white, reveal a single eye to the outside world.
ROMAN ALGERIA
Djemila, Timgad,
Tipasa: Algeria’s triumvirate of Roman
World Heritage sites ranks amongst the world’s finest, perhaps even more
impressive than Libya’s Leptis Magna.
TOWNS & CITIES OF ALGERIA
Amongst the most delightful cities of Algeria are the Mediterranean capital, Algiers; Tlemcen,
renowned for its Jewish heritage; Oran, the
most Spanish of settlements; Constantine, "city of bridges" and "capital of
culture"; and El Oued, "city of a
thousand domes".
TIPASA
Nestling undisturbed among palm trees on the shores of the Mediterranean,
Tipasa once served as an inspiration to
Albert Camus, and is one of Africa’s most splendid
Roman sites.
TADRART
Set within the deepest reaches of the Algerian Sahara, Tadrart is dotted with gueltas, pre-historic rock
paintings, strange rock formations and lofty dunes of virgin sand.
DJEMILA
The Roman world’s only serious rival to Leptis Magna,
Djemila’s forum, temples, basilicas,
triumphal arches and houses delight even the most seasoned Classical traveller.
M’ZAB AND GHARDAIA
Surrounded by desert, Ghardaia has retained the primitive flavour of
a land unpolluted and even spurned by tourism. But it is here that the Sahara begins.
DJANET AND TASSILI
Whitewashed Djanet, encircled by desert mountains, is the
gateway to a Saharan landscape of towering sand dunes, sheer-sided canyons and
beguiling "forests of rock" – the Tassili.
ORAN
Relaxed, dynamic and welcoming, the sites of Mediterranean
Oran include the Bey’s Palace, the
14th century fort of Merinid Sultan Abou Hassan and some fine colonial
architecture.