64 M. RAILWAY to (36½ M.) Lalla-Marnia (two trains daily in ca. 2¼
hrs.; fares 6 fr. 65, 4 fr. 75, 3 fr. 55 c.), going on thence to (43
M.) _Zoudj-el-Beghal_, the terminus on the Moroccan frontier.
The RAILWAY, admirably engineered, skirts the N. side of Tlemcen, and
then, near the Bâb el-Kermâdîn (p. 193), turns to the S.E. to (3 M.)
_Mansura_ (p. 193) and crosses the _Col du Juif_ (2664 ft.). Behind us
there is a fine view of Tlemcen, while the distant view extends to the
Plaine des Angad and Jebel Beni Snassen (see below). We next skirt the
N. spurs of the _Jebel Terni_ group (p. 187) and pass through superb
valleys and ravines.
7½ M. _Aïn-Douz._ Beyond (9½ M.) _Zelboun_ we are carried through the
valley of the _Oued Zitoun_, one of the chief tributaries of the Tafna
(p. 185).
18½ M. =Turenne= (1969 ft.; Hôt. Fournier and Hôt. Leclerc, poor), a
thriving village in a well-watered region. Esparto is the chief export.
28½ M. _Sidi-Medjahed_, with a camp of wedded spahis (p. 390). 31 M.
_Tralimet_.
36½ M. =Lalla-Marnia= (1197 ft.; Hôt. de France; Hôt. de la
Renaissance), properly _Lalla-Maghrnia_, on the site of the Roman castle
of _Numerus Syrorum_, was founded in 1844 on the occasion of the
campaign against Morocco, and named after the tomb of a female saint. It
is now the most important frontier-town of the province of Oran; it was
made a free mart in 1895, and holds a great Sunday *Market, much
frequented by Moroccans. Lalla-Marnia forms the portal of the _Plaine
des Angad_ or _Plaine d’Oudjda_. This great plateau is bounded on the N.
by the _Traras Group_ (p. 198) and the fertile _Jebel Beni Snassen_
(4659 ft.), both inhabited by Berber tribes only, and on the S. by the
main chain of the Tell Atlas. The old caravan route to Fez by Tâza, the
key to N. Morocco, has been the scene of all the expeditions of the
Arabs against Morocco ever since that of Sidi Okba in the 7th century.
From Lalla-Marnia a new road (motor-omnibus twice daily) leads to the
S.W., crossing the frontier of Morocco halfway, to (ca. 15 M.)
=Oudjda= or _Ujda_ (2241 ft.; Hôt. Figari, good, quarters should be
engaged by telegraph; pop. ca. 8000), the chief town of E. Morocco,
which is said to have been founded by the governors of Tlemcen in the
10th cent., and was occupied by the French in 1814, 1859, and 1907.
The picturesque town, the most fertile oasis in the Angad steppe, lies
amidst orchards and olive-groves, not far from the _Oued Isly_, the
battle-field of 1844 (p. 221). We enter the town, passing the kubba of
Oudjda, by the N. gate (Bâb el-Khemis). Straight on is the French
Consulate in a pretty garden, while to the left are the Custom House
and Post Office. In the S. quarter of the town rises the _Kasba_ or
_Dâr el-Makhzen_, the seat of the Moroccan Amel or governor. At the N.
angle of the Kasba is the _Chief Mosque_, dedicated to Sidi Okba, to
the N.E. of which lies the _Sûk_ (p. 335). Behind the mosque is the
new _Ecole Franco-Arabe_. Outside the E. gate, the Bâb Sidi Abd
el-Wahhâb, is the camping-ground of the caravans; and outside the S.
gate (Bâb Oulad Amran), on a slight eminence 10 min. from the town,
are the quarters of the French troops of occupation. The Thursday
market is important. Famous horse-races in October, in connection with
those of Lalla-Marnia.
For a visit to Oudjda travellers may use also the railway as far as
_Zoudj-el-Beghal_ (comp. p. 197) on the Moroccan frontier, whence
Oudjda is about 8 M. distant.
The ROAD TO NEMOURS (diligence) leads to the N. from Lalla-Marnia
through a hilly region, crosses the _Oued Mouïlah_, a tributary of the
Tafna, near the _Hammam Sidi-Cheikh_, a small bath with saline springs
(91° Fahr.), and then winds up, past the _Kubba Sidi-Abdallah_ (on the
left), towards the _Traras Mts._, which are famed for the beauty of
their outlines. In the _Jebel Masser_, near the top of the pass, the
_Col de Bab-Taza_ (2664 ft.), is a cadmium mine, worked like the
neighbouring mines of _Jebel Maaziz_ by a Belgian company.—We now
descend to the N.E. in many windings, passing not far from the
onyx-quarries near the _Kubba Sidi-Brahim_, into the valley of the _Oued
Zebaïr_.
53½ M. (from Tlemcen) =Nédroma= (1312 ft.; inn; pop. 4900), superbly
situated in a fertile basin, is an antiquated little Berber town, with
fine mediæval mosques. The *Market (Mon. and Thurs.) is worth seeing for
the sake of the picturesque costumes of the peasants who flock to it
from the mountains around. Home-industries are much in vogue in the
environs.
The _Jebel Fillaoussen_ (3727 ft.), the highest of the Traras group,
to the E. of Nédroma, commands an extensive view, embracing in very
clear weather the Sierra Nevada in the far N.
The road soon leaves the Oued Zebaïr and turns to the N.W. to the lower
course of the brook, which takes the name of _Oued Tléta_ farther on,
and from the influx of the _Oued Taïma_ to the sea that of _Oued
el-Mersa_.
In the upper valley of the Taïma, on the slope of _Jebel Kerkour_
(1884 ft.), are the _Kubba Sidi-Brahim_, where a small French force
under Col. de Montagnac was almost entirely cut to pieces in 1845, and
the _Kubba Sidi-Tahar_, where Abd el-Kâder (p. 221) surrendered in
1847. The former event is recalled by a monument in the _Vallée des
Jardins_, ¾M. to the S. of Nemours.
64 M. (from Tlemcen) =Nemours= (Hôt. de France; pop. 3900), a pleasant
little town, noted for its mild and healthy climate, was founded in 1844
on the site of the Roman _Ad Fratres_, a name derived from two rocks
near the beach. The banana culture thrives in the environs. On the
_Plateau de Taount_ (407 ft.), to the N.E. of the town, are the ruins of
_Djemâa el-Ghazaouât_ (‘marauders’ community’), once a Berber village,
but afterwards a notorious den of pirates (p. 221).—Nemours is a
steamboat station (comp. R. 18).
32. From Oran to Beni-Ounif de Figuig (_Colomb-Béchar_) viâ Damesme and
Perrégaux.
396 M. STATE RAILWAY. Direct communication with dining-car (déj. 3, D.
3½ fr.) and sleeping-car (12 fr. extra) three times a week only
(Tues., Thurs., and Sat.; returning Sun., Wed., and Frid.); express
viâ (129½ M.) _Saïda_ to (305½ M.) _Aïn-Sefra_ in 16 hrs.; thence by
ordinary train to _Beni-Ounif_ in 5¼ hrs.; trains start from the Gare
d’Arzew at Oran (p. 175). As far as (55½ M.) _Perrégaux_ we may travel
by the Oran and Algiers train on the main-line (R. 33), noting that
the stations there are 550 yds. apart (omn. 25 c.). Fares to Aïn-Sefra
39 fr. 35, 29 fr. 50 c. (sleeping-car, 1st cl. only, 12 fr. extra; 2nd
cl. similar to Engl. 3rd); to Beni-Ounif 50 fr. 95, 38 fr. 20 c.
(return-ticket, valid 16 days, 71 fr. 30 or 53 fr. 50 c.).—A good
supply of copper coins will be found very useful.
The journey from Oran to the Sahara is most interesting, as it carries
the traveller from the seaboard through a cultivated region, across
the Tell Atlas to the Hauts-Plateaux, and then over the Sahara Atlas
to the margin of the desert. The only good intermediate resting-place
is _Aïn-Sefra_. A stay of several days at _Beni-Ounif_ will be found
pleasant, especially in spring. The oasis of Tiout is now eclipsed by
that of Figuig, one of the most beautiful in the Sahara. The line goes
on from Beni-Ounif to _Colomb-Béchar_, its present terminus.
_Oran_, see p. 175. Our train crosses the Algiers main-line (R. 33),
passes the suburb of _Victor-Hugo_ and the _Daya Morselli_ (p. 185), and
runs to the E. through vineyards, fields, and dwarf-palm underwood in
succession, and then past the S. base of _Jebel Kahar_ (p. 184) to (12½
M.) _Fleurus_.
17½ M. _St. Cloud_ (502 ft.; hotel) lies pleasantly on the spurs of
_Jebel Kristel_, 6¼ M. to the S.E. of Kristel (p. 184). 21 M.
_Renan-Kléber_ (433 ft.). The village of _Kléber_ (505 ft.; Hôt.
Voinson) lies 2 M. to the N.W., at the foot of _Jebel Orouze_ (2070 ft.;
semaphore), with its large quarries of white, yellow, and red marble
(‘rosso antico’).
26 M. _Damesme_, on the _Bay of Arzew_, the ancient _Laturus Sinus_. The
village lies above the station, to the S.
A BRANCH LINE (3 M., in 12–15 min.) connects Damesme with =Arzew= or
_Arzeu_ (7 ft.; Hôt. de la Nièvre; Hôt. des Bains; Brit. vice-consul,
A. Gautray; pop. 6000), a small seaport at the foot of _Jebel Sicioun_
(532 ft.), whence a goods-line runs to the S. to the (9 M.) salt-works
on the _Lac Salin d’Arzew_, or _El-Mellaha_. The harbour, naturally
one of the best and most sheltered in Algeria, but as yet little used,
has been improved since 1906. From here chiefly alfa (p. 171) is
exported to Great Britain and Germany.
From Damesme the train runs to the S.E., close to the shore. 28 M. _St.
Leu_ (177 ft.; Hôt. de l’Europe). To the S.E. of the village of St. Leu,
and 1 M. from the station, is the Berber village of _Bettioua_, near
which are the scanty ruins of _Portus Magnus_, the only Roman settlement
on the bay of Arzew.
34½ M. _Port-aux-Poules_ (Etablissement Thermal), with sulphur-baths, a
sea-bathing place in summer. The train skirts the narrow strip of
sand-hills and passes the mouth of the _Macta_.
37 M. =La Macta=, a village at the N. end of the _Marais de la Macta_,
or swamps of the river-plain of the _Sig_ (p. 206) and the _Habra_, very
malarious in summer, is connected by a branch-line with (7½ M.) _La
Stidia_, a village founded by German peasants in 1844, and with (18½ M.)
_Mostaganem_ (p. 207).
The train now runs inland, past the E. margin of the morasses, to (48½
M.) _Debrousseville_, in the broad _Plaine de l’Habra_. The village
belongs to the _Domaine de l’Habra et de la Macta_, the largest estate
in Algeria, watered by a network of cuttings (276 M. in length) from the
reservoir of the Oued Fergoug (see below). Since the failure of two
private companies the estate has been owned by the Crédit Foncier de
France. Of its 70,000 acres 44,000 are pasture-land, and the rest is
devoted to grain and fruit. Its headquarters are at _La Ferme-Blanche_,
near the railway.
At (55½ M.) =Perrégaux= we cross the Oran-Algiers line (p. 206).
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.