Sights of Algeria: photos and reviews of tourists

Algeria is a country whose sights are formed as a result of the influence of various cultures, religions, civilizations. Acquaintance with it will bring many bright and unforgettable impressions. There are cities on the rocks, quaintly protected by nature itself, beautiful temples, mosques and ancient fortresses, ruins of ancient castles and other sights.

Algeria is an African country

This is an Islamic state located in northern Africa. By its size, Algeria is the second on the continent. It is interesting that most of the territory of the country is occupied by sands, here is the Sahara desert, known to the whole world . Of course, this is far from all the sights. Algeria is the result of the influence of several generations of ancient civilizations, therefore it is difficult to overestimate the significance of its cultural heritage. In different parts of the country you can see the ruins of the most ancient cities.

From history it is known that in 1962 Algerians with arms in hand won their independence, and before that since 1834 Algeria was a colony of France and was considered a part of it. This circumstance left its imprint on the way Algeria (city) looks today . Sights here can tell both about the colonial page of life, and about more ancient events. It is noteworthy that the territory of Algeria is divided into two parts: the Old Town (Kasba) and the new one. In the first, wandering along narrow streets, you can find small houses, ancient mosques, fortresses. Kasbah in 1992 was attributed by UNESCO to the World Heritage.

The new part, built by the French, is no less magnificent. Here, high houses and wide quarters, a special decoration is Notre Dame d'Afrik.

Notre-Dame Cathedral

This is the second name of the cathedral, which rises majestically on a hundred-and-twenty-meter rock above the sea and the city. Its rounded domes are visible from everywhere.

Notre Dame d'Afrik was built almost fourteen years. The author of the project was the French architect Jean Eugène Fromazho.

Near the entrance of the parishioners meets a statue of Our Lady. It is made of bronze alloy and very dark, which deceives some tourists arriving here who believe that the Virgin Mary was dark-skinned.

Despite the fact that the cathedral is Catholic, one can meet Muslims here. They come to pray to the Virgin Mary, their request for prayers is inscribed on the apse of the altar of the temple. It is interesting that inside the cathedral all its walls are covered with prayers and quotations of psalms in different languages and dialects.

From the reviews of tourists it is known that during the evening service the priests go out to the rocky shore and bless all those who are in the Mediterranean Sea.

Cala Beni Hammad

Here, surrounded by mountain slopes, is located this ancient city - the capital of the Hammamid Empire. It is known that it was founded at the beginning of the eleventh century, but after a century and a half it was destroyed.

This ancient city is also included by UNESCO in World Heritage sites and represents the most valuable sights. Algeria, for its part, also granted a special status to this monument of history and architecture.

There is Cala Beni Hammad in the north of the country, on the territory of the Msila vilayet. Since the end of the nineteenth century, excavations have been carried out here. Archaeologists managed to find here a lot of evidence that there was not only a fortress, but also a beautiful city. The remains of city walls, fortifications and signal towers are found.

Particularly impressive is the palace ensemble with a swimming pool, decorated with expensive murals, marble, majolica, which testify to the exquisite taste of representatives of ancient civilization. Also, there is a dilapidated mosque including thirteen naves, each including eight rows. The minaret reached a height of twenty meters.

Big Cities and Attractions of Algeria: Constantine

This unique city is located in an unusual place. It rises to 600 meters, settling on a huge plateau. At its foot the canyon stretches. Due to such unusual natural conditions, Constantine became a model in the art of mountain slopes. Disfigured by natural conditions, the slopes are fancifully crowned with houses and fences, bridges and a viaduct connect.

Konstantin is also called the city of seven bridges. Earlier this number corresponded to reality, today there are four plus a viaduct, which can be called a bridge of life. Reviews of tourists who visited this city, tell about the rope crossings across the abyss, which are everyday, as in the metro, are local residents.

The city of Constantine is number three in the country. But tourism is not particularly developed here. If you rely on the reviews of tourists who visited these places, the reason lies in the dangers of the mountain road.

Port city of Oran

Spread out on the Mediterranean shore, this city is the opposite of the previous one. Note that this is another side that opens the African country and its attractions. Algeria, as you may have already noticed, is very diverse.

This city was born in the tenth century, its founders were merchants who chose this place because of its favorable location. Two lions - so the name "Oran" sounds in French. It has its own history, which dates back to antiquity, to be exact, the ninth century BC. Then these territories were inhabited by these majestic animals, they are depicted on the coat of arms of the city.

In the middle of the last century, Oran was considered a cultural and economic center of the country, in terms of its population it could easily be attributed to European cities. However, after the war for independence, the situation in the country changed and many Europeans returned to their homeland.

Today Oran is the largest seaport of the country and the northern part of the continent.