ARRIVAL BY SEA. The French steamboat lines (RR. 20, 22) have their own
piers. The fare for landing by boat from other steamers is 30 c.
(trunk 20 c.; small articles free). The tariff of the porters
(portefaix-commissionnaires, largely natives, mostly exorbitant) to
the lower part of the old town is 25 c. for a trunk of 25 kilos (55
lbs.), 50 c. up to 50 kilos, and 1 fr. up to 100 kilos; for porterage
to the custom-house (Douane; where baggage is not cleared on Sun. or
festivals) 25–50 c., according to bargain. The numbered porters of the
steamboat companies had better be employed; or the matter may be
entrusted to the hotel-agents. The services of guides, interpreters,
and the like should be declined.
=Railway Stations.= 1. _Chief Station_ (Gare; Pl. C, 3), Quai Sud,
below the Rampes Magenta (p. 223) and Boul. Carnot, 5–15 min. from the
hotels in the town, ¾–1 hr. from those at Mustapha-Supérieur: station
for all the hotel-omnibuses (no tramway; cabs, see p. 218).—2. _Gare
de l’Agha_ (Pl. C, 5, 6; also goods-station), Rue Sadi-Carnot, at
Agha-Inférieur (p. 232), a subordinate station for the S. quarters of
the town.—Town-offices of the railways, Boul. Carnot 2 and at the
Agence Lubin (p. 219).
=Hotels= (comp. p. 174; in Feb. and March rooms should be ordered in
advance). In the _Villa Quarter_ (Mustapha-Supérieur and Quartier
d’lsly; mostly closed in summer), suitable for some stay, clientèle
largely English and American: *HÔT. CONTINENTAL (Pl. c; A, 6), Chemin
du Télemly and Boul. Bon-Accueil (entered also from the Station
Sanitaire, p. 228), on a high site, with fine views and garden, R.
5–20, B. 1½, déj. 4–5, D. 6–8, pens. from 13, omn. 3 fr.; *HÔT. ST.
GEORGE (Pl. a; A, 8), Rue Michelet, with beautiful grounds, R. 5–15,
B. 1½, déj. 4–4½, D. 6–7, pens. 13–25, omn. 3 fr.; ALEXANDRA (Hôt.
Kirsch; Pl. b, A 8), same street, with garden and small terrace, R.
4–18, B. 2, déj. 3½–4½, D. 5–6, pens. 12–25, omn. 3 fr., good cuisine;
these three are of the first class.—HÔT. ORIENTAL (Pl. f; A, 6), Boul.
Bon-Accueil (entrance from Station Sanitaire), with garden, R. 5–10,
B. 1¼, déj. 3, D. 4, pens. from 9 fr., good cuisine; GRAND-HÔTEL (Pl.
g; A, 7), above Rue Michelet, with fine grounds, pens. 9–12 fr.; HÔT.
BEAU-SÉJOUR (Pl. e; A, 6), Rue Michelet, below the Museum Terrace (p.
228), R. 3–8, B. 1, déj. or D. 3, pens. 8–10, omn. 2½ fr., open
throughout the year; PENS. VILLA OLIVAGE, beyond the Bois de Boulogne
(p. 230), good; PENS. VICTORIA, Rue Michelet, near the Colonne Voirol.
In the _Town_, nearer the sights, more convenient for excursions:
*HÔT. EXCELSIOR (Pl. h; C, 4, 5), Boul. Laferrière, 8 min. from the
Gare de l’Agha, well fitted up, with restaurant, R. 1–30, B. 1¼, déj.
3½, D. 5, board 8, omn. (also from the Agha station) 1 fr.; *HÔT. DE
L’OASIS (Pl. k; C, 3), Rue du Laurier 2 and Boul. de la République 9,
with fine views, restaurant, and American bar, R. 3–18, B. 1½, pens.
from 10, omn. 1¼ fr.; HÔT. DE LA REGENCE (Pl. 1; C, 2), Place du
Gouvernement 3, R. 4–10, B. 1½, déj. 3½, D. 4½, pens. 12–20, omn. 1½
fr.; GR.-HÔT. ARAGO & DU PALMIER (Pl. m; C, 3), Rue Arago 6, quiet;
HÔT. DE NICE (Pl. n; C, 8), Rue Garibaldi 2 and Place de la République
(Square Bresson).
=Hôtels Garnis.= HÔT. DES ETRANGERS (Pl. i; C, 3), Rue
Dumont-d’Urville 1, near the Place de la République, R. 3½–7½, B. 1½,
HÔT. D’EUROPE & TERMINUS (Pl. o; C, 3), Rue Garibaldi, corner of Boul.
Carnot (R. 3–7, B. 1 fr.), ROYAL HOTEL (Pl. p; C, 3), Boul. de la
République 10 (R. from 2½ fr.), both with fine views; HÔT. REGINA,
Boul. Bugeaud.
=Cafés.= _Café Continental_ (_Brasserie Maxéville_), _Café d’Alger_
(_Brass. de Tantonville_), both Place de la République; _Café de
Bordeaux_, Boul. de la République 1, corner of Place du Gouvernement;
_Café d’Apollon_, Place du Gouvernement 4.—CONFECTIONER. _Maison
Fille_, Rue Bab-Azoun 2.
=Restaurants.= At the _Hôtel Excelsior_ (p. 217); _London House_, at
the Hôt. de l’Oasis, Boul. de la République 9, déj. 3, D. 4 fr.;
*_Taverne Gruber_, same boulevard, No. 7, a favourite resort (music in
the afternoon and evening); _Jaumon_, Rue Dumont-d’Urville, déj. 2, D.
2½ fr., plain but good.—For LUNCHEON (fish, sea-crayfish, shell-fish,
etc.): *_Restaur. Cassar_ and _Restaur. de la Pêcherie_, Rampe de la
Pêcherie.—BEER at the *_Brasserie Terminus_, Boul. Carnot 1 (in Hôt.
de l’Europe), D. 3 fr.; also, Rue de la Liberté 6, _Brass. de
l’Etoile_ (music in the afternoon and evening) No. 11, _Brass.
Suisse_; No. 8, _Brass. du Phénix_; No. 1, _Brass. Lorraine_.
=Cabs= (_voitures de place_).
‘_Double courses_’ (there and back):— │ │per
│ │hr.
a) within the _First Zone_, extending as far as the │ │
European cemetery of St. Eugène (beyond Pl. B, 1) to │ │
the N. and as the beginning of the Champ de Manœuvres │ │
(Pl. C, 7) to the S. │1.50│2.—
Each ¼ hr. │—.50│
b) within the _Second Zone_, including the W. margin of │ │
the town (Prison Civile, Télemly, Palais d’Eté at │ │
Mustapha, etc.) and extending as far as Deux-Moulins │ │
beyond St. Eugène (comp. Map, at p. 233) to the N. and │ │
the Cimetière Musulman (Pl. D, 9) at │ 2.—│2.—
Belcourt to the S. To the Jardin d’Essai (and back) │2.50│
Each ¼ hr. │—.75│
Within the _Third Zone_ comprising the regions beyond those │ │
just named: │ │
Half-day (6 hrs.), within a radius of 15 kilometers (9½│ │
M.) │11.—│
Whole day (12 hrs.), within a radius of 25 kilomètres │ │
(15½ M.) │20.—│
During the night-hours (12–6 a.m.) a fare and a half is charged.—For
waiting, ½ fr. extra for each ¼ hr.—Hand-luggage up to 20 kilos (44
lbs.) free; each piece exceeding that 50 c.
=Motor Cabs= (_Automobiles de place_; stand, Rue Garibaldi). Drive
under 900 mètres (984 yds.) 1 fr. 50 c.; for each addit. 300 m. 20 c.;
small articles free; trunk 50 c.
=Carriages= (cabs and ‘voitures de grande remise’; fares raised
on Sun. and holidays). _Vitoz & Co._, Rue Michelet 105,
Mustapha-Supérieur; _Sanino_, Rue de Strasbourg 3, and Rue
Michelet 117; _Comp. Générale des Voitures_, Rue de Strasbourg
7.—Saddle Horses let by _Vitoz_ and _Sanino_.—
=Motor Cars= for excursions: _Metrot_, _Marcé_, both Rue d’Isly 39;
_Anglo-American Garage_, Chemin du Télemly; _E. Paul_, Rue d’Isly 73.
=Tramways= (1st and 2nd cl.). =1= (without name-board). From _Hôpital
du Dey_ (Pl. A, B, 1) to Rue Bab el-Oued (Pl. C, 1, 2), Place du
Gouvernement (Pl. C, 2), Rue Bab-Azoun (Pl. C, 2, 3), Rue d’Isly (Pl.
C, 3, 4), _Rue Michelet_, and _Station Sanitaire_ (Pl. A, 6), every 5
min. (but 5–6 a.m. and 10–12 p.m. every 10 min. only); fare 5–20
c.—=2= (red name-board). From _Place du Gouvernement_ to Rue d’Isly,
Rue Michelet, and _Colonne Voirol_ (comp. Pl. A, 8), every ½ hr. (from
6 a.m., last car at 8.5 p.m.), in 40 min.; fare 30 or 20 c.—=3=
(blue). From _Place du Gouvernement_ to Rue d’Isly, Rue Michelet, and
_Boul. Bru_ (Pl. A-C, 8, 9), every ½ hr. (last car 7.50), in ½ hr.; 30
or 20 c.—=4= (green). From _Place du Gouvernement_ to Boul. Carnot
(Pl. C, 3), Rue de Constantine (Pl. C, 4), Rue Sadi-Carnot (Pl. B, 5,
6), Rue de Lyon (Pl. B-E, 7–9), Le Ruisseau, and _Kouba_; as far as
Marabout (Cimetière Musulman de Belcourt) every 5 min.; to Les
Platanes (Jardin d’Essai) every 10 min.; to Kouba every 40 min.; fare
35 or 30 c.—=5= (red). From _Place du Gouvernement_ to Boul. Carnot,
Rue Sadi-Carnot, Jardin d’Essai (Oasis des Palmiers, in 27 min.),
Nouvel Ambert, _Maison-Carrée_ (in 1 hr.); as far as Nouvel Ambert
every 10 min., to Maison-Carrée every 20 min.; fare 60 or 45 c.—=6.=
From _Place du Gouvernement_ to Rue de la Lyre (Pl. C, 2, 3), Rue
Rovigo (Pl. C, 3), Prison Civile (Pl. B, C, 2; 20 or 15 c.), El-Biar
(comp. Pl. A, 4; 40 or 35 c.), and _Château-Neuf_ (in 50 min.; 50 or
40 c.); as far as Prison Civile every ¼ hr., to El-Biar every ½ hr.,
to Château-Neuf once every hr. (Sun. every ½ hr.).—=7.= From _Place du
Gouvernement_ to Boul. de France (Pl. D, 2), Esplanade (Pl. C, 1), Bab
el-Oued (Pl. B, 1), St. Eugène (comp. Pl. B, 1), and _Deux Moulins_,
every 9 min.; 30 or 20 c.
=Steam Tramways= from the Place du Gouvernement: to (7½ M.)
_Maison-Carrée_ (p. 247), and thence either to (4½ M.) _Fort-de-l’Eau_
(p. 248) and (12½ M.) _Aïn-Taya_ (p. 248), or to (10½ M.) _L’Arba_ (p.
247) and (15½ M.) _Rovigo_ (p. 248); to (22 M.) _Mazafran_ (p. 238),
and thence either to (6¼ M.) _Koléa_ (p. 238), or to (6½ M.)
_Castiglione_ (p. 238).
=Post & Telegraph Office= (Pl. 22, C4; p. 226), Rue de Constantine
133; branches at Rue de Strasbourg 2, in the Palais Consulaire (p.
223), at Rue Michelet 64 (Mustapha-Inférieur), near the Palais d’Eté
(p. 230), etc.
=Steamboat Agents.= _Cunard_, _North German Lloyd_ (R. 15b),
_Hamburg-American_, _German Levant_ (RR. 15b. 22), and _Hungarian
Adria_ (R. 22). R. Heckmann, Rue Colbert 1; _Comp. Générale
Transatlantique_ (RR. 20, 22), Boul. Carnot 6 and Quai de la Marine;
_Soc. de Transports Maritimes_ (R. 20), Boul. de la République 2 and
Quai de la Marine; _Comp. de Navigation Mixte_ (R. 20), Boul. Carnot 2
and Quai do la Marine; _White Star Line_, _Austro-American Line_, J.
Crispo, Boul. de la République 3; _Nederland Royal Mail_, J. Bergeret,
Boul. Carnot; _Compañía Mallorquina de Vapores_ (R. 20), J. J. Sitges
Frères, Quai Nord 40.
=Tourist Agents.= _R. Heckmann_ (Universal Tourist Office), Boul. de
la République 11; _Agence Lubin_, Rue de la Liberté 7; _Agence
Duchemin_, same street, No. 4.—Information obtainable also from the
_Comité d’Hivernage_, Rue Combe 2. 8–11 and 2–6 (Sun. 8–11).—_Club
Alpin Français_ (section de l’Atlas), Palais Consulaire (p. 223).
=Consuls.= British Consul-General, _B. S. Cave_, Boul. Carnot 6;
vice-consuls, _L. G. C. Graham_, _L. Graeme Scott_.—U. S. Consul, _A.
W. Robert_, Rue d’Isly 64.
=Physicians.= _Dr. Dangerfield_, Kent House, Colonne Voirol;
_Dr. Gubb_, Mustapha, Chemin des Glycines; _Dr. Nissen_,
Mustapha-Supérieur, Villa Bey, Rue Michelet.—CHEMISTS.
_Grandmont_ (_Obrecht_), Rue Bab-Azoun 28; _Licht_, Rue Michelet
85; _Brenta_, Rue Bab-Azoun 3.
=Baths.= _Bains du Palmier_, Rue Arago 6 (Gr.-Hôt. Arago & du
Palmier); _Bains du Hamma_, Rue du Hamma 1 (near the Théâtre
Municipal); _Bains Michelet_, Rue de Richelieu 25.—MOORISH BATHS
(comp. p. 175): _Bains de l’Alhambra_, Rue Marengo 4.—SEA BATHS
(June-Oct.; plainly fitted up; costume 50 c.): _Bains du Jardin
d’Essai_ (p. 233); _Bains Nelson_, Avenue Malakoff.
=Banks= (comp. p. 174). _Crédit Lyonnais_, Boul. de la République 6;
_Comp. Algérienne_, Rue Dumont-d’Urville; _Banque de l’Algérie_,
_Crédit Foncier et Agricole d’Algérie_, _Crédit Agricole et Commerciel
Algérien_ (J. Thibaud), all three in the Boul. de la République (Nos.
5, 8, & 4).
=Booksellers.= _Jourdan_, Place du Gouvernement and Rue Cléopâtre 1;
_Chaix_, Rue d’Isly 11bis; _Relin_, Rue d’Isly 11; _Ruff_, Rue
Bab-Azoun 10; _Carbonnel_, _Ledoux_, both Boul. de la République (Nos.
2 & 7).—=Newspapers= (5 c.). _La Dépêche Algérienne_ (morning); Les
Nouvelles, _Le Cri d’Alger_ (evening). For strangers, _The North
African News_ (Sat.; 25 c.).
=Shops= (caution almost as necessary as at Tunis; comp. p. 331).
PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIEWS. _Geiser_, Place de Chartres 2; _A.
Wollenweider_, Rue du Divan 4; _Hyam_, Station Sanitaire (Pl. A,
6).—ORIENTAL ARTICLES (partly made in France and Germany; also
Indian, Japanese, and Turkish wares). _Ratto_ (goldsmith), Rue
Socgémah 12; _Pohoomull Frères_, Rue Bab-Azoun 11; _Ratto-Magana_,
Rue de l’Etat Major 5; _Miss Jockyl_, English Club Buildings,
Mustapha-Supérieur.—EMBROIDERY. _Mme. Hémery_, Rue Michelet 89,
Mustapha-Supérieur.—COPPER AND BRASS WORK. _Zagha_ (from Damascus),
Rue Bruce 27; _Nassan_, Place Malakoff.
=Theatres.= _Théâtre Municipal_ (Pl. 26; C, 3), Place de la
République, for operas, operettas, and dramas, closed in summer;
_Kursaal_ (Pl. C, 1), Esplanade de Bab-el-Oued (tickets sold in
advance at 4 Boul. de la République.—_Casino Music Hall_), Rue d’Isly
9 (fauteuil 2½ fr.).—_Fêtes Mauresques_ at the Kasba, arranged by the
Comité d’Hivernage (p. 219), with native musicians and dancers (adm. 5
fr.).
=Band= plays in winter, Sun. and Thurs., 4–5, in the Place du
Gouvernement; in summer (May-Oct.), on Mon., Wed., and Sat., from 8 to
10.30, in the Place de la République (Square Bresson), and on Sun.,
Tues., and Thurs., from 8 to 10.30, in the Place du Gouvernement.
=Golf Club=, with good nine hole course, near the Pens. Villa Olivage
(p. 217).—SKATING RINK at the corner of Boul. Carnot and Rue Waïsse
(Pl. C, 4).
=Churches.= _English_ (_Ch. of the Holy Ghost_; p. 230), Rue Michelet
(Pl. A, 7), to the N. of the Alexandra Hotel (p. 217); Sun. services
at 8 and 11.30 or 9.45 a.m.; chaplain, _Rev. A. P. Cronyn, M.
A._—_Presbyterian_ (_St. Andrew’s_; Pl. 7, A 6) also Rue Michelet,
Sun. service at 10.30 a.m.; minister, _Rev. T. E. Jubb_, M. A.
=Sights=, with days and hours of admission:—
_Archevêché_ (p. 224), all day; fee ½–1 fr.
_Bibliothèque Nationale_ (p. 225), week-days 1–6; closed Aug. and
Sept.
_Conseil Général_ (p. 224), apply to secretary; week-days 8–11 and
1–5.
_Jardin d’Essai_ (p. 232), all day (_Zoologie_ 50 c.).
_Kasba Barracks_ (p. 227), apply to Etat-Major, Rue de la Marine 11.
_Medersa_ (p. 228), except during lectures; closed Sun., Frid., and
on great Mohammedan festivals.
_Mosquée de la Pêcherie_ (p. 223), at any time except during
prayers.
_Mosque, Great_ (p. 224), as above.
_Mosque of Sidi Abderrahmân_ (p. 228), Sun., Mon., Tues., 8–12 and
2–3; closed on the chief Mohammedan holidays.
_Musée Municipal des Beaux-Arts_ (p. 226), daily, except Friday.
_Museum_ (p. 229), daily, except Mon., 1–4 (1st April to 15th July
2–5; closed 16th July to 30th Sept.).
_Palais d’Eté du Gouverneur_ (p. 230), in his absence; fee ½–1 fr.
_Palais d’Hiver du Gouverneur_ (p. 225), as above.
_Synagogue_ (p. 227), all Frid., Sat. after 12, at other times apply
to keeper, 30–50 c.
As to visiting the _Mosques_, see p. 174.—Men are not admitted to the
_Mohammedan Cemeteries_ (p. xxvi) on Frid. and holidays 12–6.
TWO DAYS. 1st. Forenoon, _Place de la République_, _Boul. de la
République_, _Place du Gouvernement_, _Great Mosque_, _Archevêché_
(pp. 222–224), *_Kasba Quarter_ (pp. 226, 227), *_Mosque of
Sidi-Abderrahmân_ (p. 228), and *_Jardin Marengo_ (p. 224). Afternoon,
_Mustapha-Supérieur_ with the *_Museum_ (pp. 228–230).—2nd. Forenoon,
_Mohammedan Cemetery_ at _Belcourt_ (p. 232), *_Jardin d’Essai_ (p.
232). Afternoon, _Notre-Dame d’Afrique_ (p. 236) or _Bouzaréah_ (p.
235).
_Algiers_, French _Alger_, Ital. _Algéri_, the capital of the French
colony of Algeria, with 154,000 inhab. (incl. 35,200 foreigners, mostly
Italians and Spaniards, 33,200 Mohammedans, and 12,500 Jews), seat of
the archbishop of Algeria, a fortress, and a naval harbour, lies in
36°47′ N. lat. and 3°2′ E. long., on the W. side of the nearly
semicircular *_Baie d’Alger_, which is bounded on the W. by the _Pointe
Pescade_ (p. 237), and on the E. by _Cape Matifou_ (p. 248). It is the
most important coaling-station on the whole coast, and shares with Oran
the chief trade of Algeria. The town extends along the slopes of the
_Sahel of Algiers_, a range of hills about 44 M. long, culminating in
_Mt. Bouzaréah_ (p. 235), continued beyond the mouth of the _Oued
el-Harrach_ by low sand-hills, and separated from the Tell Atlas by the
_Mitidja_ (p. 169). With regard to climate, see pp. 170, 172.
On the site of the Roman _Icosium_, an unimportant place on the road
to Tipasa and Cæsarea (Cherchell, p. 244), _Bologgîn ez-Ziri_ (p.
323), about 940 (about the same date as the foundation of Miliana and
Médéa) founded the new colony of _Al-Jezaïr Beni Mezghanna_, so called
from the adjacent coast-islands (jezîra, pl. jezaïr) and from the
Berber tribe of the Beni Mezghanna who dwelt in this region. It is
recorded that in the 11th cent. the inhabitants of the new settlement
used the old Roman baths, of which there is now no trace, for their
amusements and an old Christian basilica for their worship. From that
time the history of Al-Jezaïr is a blank down to the end of the 15th
cent., when it began to serve the Moorish exiles from Spain
(afterwards called Tagarins here) as a base of their retaliatory
expeditions against Spain. In 1509 or 1510 the Spaniards, in the
course of their victorious career, occupied the largest of the
coast-islands, where they erected the fortress of _El-Peñón_, and
conquered the Mitidja which had recently been colonized by the Arabian
tribe of the Tsaliba. The little town, called _Argel_ by the
Spaniards, was inhabited by Mohammedans, who in 1516 summoned to their
aid, from Djidjelli, _Horuk (Arudj) Barbarossa_, a Turkish pirate of
Christian descent. Horuk complied with the request and established
himself at Al-Jezaïr, where, after repelling a Spanish expedition
under Diego de Vera (1516), he erected the Jenina as his residence and
the Kasba as his citadel.
Having fallen in a battle with the Spaniards near Tlemcen (p. 187),
Horuk was succeeded by his brother _Kheireddin Barbarossa_ (1518–36),
who became the real founder of the new barbaresco or piratical state.
As a vassal of the sultan of Turkey he extended his sway over the
greater part of Algeria. He defeated Hugo de Moncada, the Spanish
viceroy, in 1519, and in 1530, after having stormed the fortress of
Peñón, he constructed the Jetée de Kheireddin with its materials and
with others from Rusguniæ (p. 248) and Tipasa, thus creating the first
harbour of Algiers. Thenceforwards for three centuries the ‘Algerian
pirates’ were the terror of the seas, to whom, for protection of their
trade, England, Holland, the Hanseatic towns, and other maritime
countries ignominiously consented to pay tribute. Fourteen times the
European powers, from the time of the fruitless campaign of Charles V.
in 1541 to the British expedition of 1824, had besieged and bombarded
Algiers in vain. The beys (or, after 1600, deys) had succeeded in
maintaining their position, and in 1627 had even carried their
piratical expeditions as far as Iceland. It was not till 1830 that
these barbarous piracies were put a stop to by the French, and that
the way was thus paved for conquest of the whole of Algeria.
The most stirring events in the recent history of Algeria were the
conquest of Constantine (1837), the protracted struggles against _Abd
el-Kâder_ (1839–47), the defeat of his Moroccan allies on the Oued
Isly (1844), the subjection of Great Kabylia (1856–7), the revolts of
the natives in 1871–2, the rising of _Bou-Amama_ in S. Oran (1881),
the occupation of the Sahara as far as Tidikelt and the Tuat oases
(1892–1901), and lastly the French advance towards Morocco (comp. p.
96).
The Algiers of the Turkish period consisted solely of the triangular
quarter on the slope of the _Kasba Hill_, between the old landward
gates, _Bab Azoun_ on the S. and _Bab el-Oued_ on the N., with the _Sûk_
or Market Street (now Rue Bab-Azoun and Rue Bab el-Oued) as its nucleus.
Between these two gates ran the old Turkish wall, on whose site lie the
Boul. Gambetta (Pl. B, C, 3), on the S., and the Boul. Valée (Pl. C, 2),
on the N. The French ramparts constructed in 1845 extended the town as
far as the present Boul. Laferrière (Pl. C, 4, 5) to the S., and to the
Boul. du Général Farre to the N. (Pl. C, 1). Since the demolition of
these fortifications in 1904 the industrial suburbs on the coast and the
lofty villa-suburbs, _Quartier d’Isly_ (Pl. B, 4, 5), _Télemly_ (Pl. A,
5, 6), and _Mustapha-Supérieur_ (Pl. A, 7, 8), which last is little
frequented except in winter, have all been brought within the precincts
of the town.
a. Lower Quarter of the Old Town.
The chief business parts of the town are the arcades, with their
numerous shops, in the Rue Bab-Azoun (Pl. C, 2, 3) and Rue Bab el-Oued
(Pl. C, 2; p. 224), the Place du Gouvernement (Pl. C, 2; p. 223), the
focus of all the tramways, and above all the spacious PLACE DE LA
RÉPUBLIQUE (Pl. C, 3), with the gardens of _Square Bresson_ (band, see
p. 220), adorned with bamboos and magnolias, the _Théâtre Municipal_ (p.
220), and the most showy cafés. Between these two places and the sea, at
a height of 65 ft. above the quay and its warehouses, run the uniform
rows of houses of the BOULEVARD DE FRANCE (Pl. D, 2; p. 223), the
BOULEVARD DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE, completed in 1866, and the BOULEVARD CARNOT
(Pl. C, 3, 4), with the new _Préfecture_ (Pl. 23; C, 4) in the Moorish
style (1910). These streets, together 1 M. long, form a coast-promenade,
whence in clear weather we enjoy a splendid *View of the blue bay, the
Atlas Mts. of Blida, and the distant Jurjura chain (p. 258). In stormy
weather, however, the Rampe de l’Amirauté (Pl. D, 2; p. 223) and the
Boul. Amiral Pierre (Pl. C, D, 1, 2; p. 224) attract many walkers.
The sole =Harbour=, prior to the French period, was the _Ancien Port_,
or _Darse de l’Amirauté_ (Pl. D, 2), constructed by Kheireddin
Barbarossa, once a nest of piratical vessels, and now a torpedo-boat
station and anchorage for yachts and fishing-boats. The new _Port de
Commerce_ and _Port Militaire_, 213 acres in area, with the _Quai de la
Marine_, which was extended in 1908, have been formed since 1848 at a
cost of 46 million francs. They are protected by the wave-beaten _Jetée
du Nord_, 984 yds. long, the prolongation of the old Jetée of Kheireddin
(comp. p. 221), and by the Jetée du Sud, 1350 yds. in length. The
entrance is 268 yds. in breadth. A second commercial harbour, the
_Arrière-Port_ (Pl. C, D, 5, 6), was begun in 1898, but is still
uncompleted.
The harbour is approached by the _Rampes Magenta_, descending from Boul.
Carnot to the principal railway-station (p. 217), by the _Rampes
Chasseloup-Laubat_, connecting the Boul. de la République with the
Douane (Pl. D, 3) and with the warehouses and offices of the French
steamboat-companies, and by the _Rampe de l’Amirauté_ (Pl. D, 2), on the
old Jetée of Kheireddin. This jetty or quay, the oldest of all, connects
the old Porte de France on the mainland (once the Turkish sea-gate) with
what was once the island of Peñón (p. 221), now the _Presqu’île de
l’Amirauté._ Walkers may descend also by the _Escaliers du Bastion
Central_, opposite the Square Bresson (p. 222), or from the Place du
Gouvernement by the _Escaliers de la Pêcherie_, past the mosque of that
name and the _Fish Market_, which is worth seeing in the early morning.
On the Quai du Nord, between the approach to the fish-market and the old
Porte de France, a pretty _Turkish Fountain_ has been preserved.
Adjoining the neo-Moorish _Palais de l’Amirauté_ (Pl. D, 2) is the
Turkish _Gate_, with two heraldic animals (panthers?), an interesting
relic of the Bordj Ras el-Moul which was burned down in 1816. We notice
also several muzzle-loading guns built into the wall, now serving as
bulkheads or as posts for mooring vessels. Visitors are not admitted to
the _Phare_ (Pl. D, 2; lighthouse), a relic of the Turkish fort erected
in 1544 on the site of the Spanish castle of Peñón, nor to the small
_Station Zoologique_ (Pl. D, 2).
We now follow the Boul. de France, past the handsome _Palais Consulaire_
(Pl. 19, D 2; chamber of commerce, exchange, etc.), to the—
PLACE DU GOUVERNEMENT, the noisiest place in the town, crowded with
natives at all hours (concerts, see p. 220). The equestrian statue, in
bronze, of the _Duke of Orleans_ (1810–42), a distinguished general in
the Algerian campaigns, is by the Piedmontese Carlo Marocchetti (1845).
Behind the statue, and half concealed by the Boul. de France, is the
curiously incongruous—
=Mosquée de la Pêcherie= (Pl. 16, D 2; Arabic _Jâma el-Jedid_, new
mosque), erected by Turkish architects in 1660 for adherents of the
Hanefite ritual (p. 445). It is a cruciform building with nave and
aisles, a huge central dome tastelessly painted inside, a rich marble
pulpit of Italian workmanship, and a square minaret (now clock-tower).
Entrance in the Rampe de la Pêcherie (adm., see p. 220).
A few paces to the E. of the Place du Gouvernement, adjoining the Rue de
la Marine (Pl. D, 2), the harbour-street of the Turkish and early French
period, is the small Place de la Pêcherie, the site of the pirates’
_Slave Market_.
Close by is the =Great Mosque= (Pl. 15, D 2; Arabic _Jâma el-Kebîr_),
the oldest and largest mosque in the town, founded in 1018 for believers
in the Malekite ritual, but often altered since then. Both the mosque
and its minaret, originally built by the Abdelwadite Abû Tâkhfîn (p.
190) in 1322–3, have now been modernized. The entrance is by a portico
in the Rue de la Marine, erected in 1837 with materials from a mosque of
the Jenina (p. 225), leading into a court, embellished with a Turkish
fountain, and to the unadorned sacred building itself, with its eleven
aisles or arcades and horseshoe arches resting on low pillars.
The quarter to the N.W. of the Rue de la Marine, between Boul.
Amiral-Pierre (Pl. C, D, 1, 2) and Rue Bab el-Oued (see below), is
inhabited mainly by Italians and natives and still contains many
mediæval features in its sombre lanes and passages. Soon after entering
it, we come to a pleasing _Turkish House_, Rue Duquesne, No. 15, in the
small square of that name, with a marble portal and a two-storied court.
The building of the =Conseil Général= (Pl. 5a, D 2; adm., see p. 220),
close by, Rue de la Charte No. 5, a good example of Moorish-Turkish
architecture, with its Renaissance portal, was the British consulate in
the Turkish period. No. 29, in the adjoining Rue d’Orléans, has a
remarkably rich Italian Renaissance portal.
The short Rue du Quatorze-Juin, the last houses in the Rue des Consuls
(Pl. D, 2), occupied by the other European consuls in the Turkish
period, and the adjacent narrow Rue Navarin and Rue Jean-Bart, all have
the character of the Kasba quarter (p. 227).
The narrow passage called Rue des Postes leads here to the Rue Volland
(Pl. C, 1), the cross-street between Boul. Amiral-Pierre and the AVENUE
BAB EL-OUED (Pl. C, 1). Here, on the right, are the barracks and the
_Kursaal Theatre_ (p. 220), and on the left the _Lycée National_, on the
site of the Turkish janissaries’ barracks.
The Rampe Valée ascending hence to the Kasba quarter skirts the *=Jardin
Marengo= (Pl. C, 1), a public park, laid out in 1834–47 on the site of
the Mohammedan cemetery; the grounds, with their wealth of palms,
yuccas, and bamboos, climb the hill-side as far as the mosque of Sidi
Abderrahmân (p. 228).
We now return by the RUE BAB EL-OUED (Pl. C, 2; p. 222) to the Place du
Gouvernement. Halfway, in the Rue de la Kasba (p. 227), rises on the
right the church of _Notre-Dame des Victoires_ (Pl. 8; C, 2), formerly a
mosque (_Jâma Bitchnîn_, of 1622).
From the W. side of the Place du Gouvernement (p. 223) the Rue du Divan
and Rue du Soudan lead to the small PLACE MALAKOFF, on the E. side of
which, between these streets, rises the—
*=Archevêché= (Pl. 1, C 2; archbishop’s palace), the finest and but
little modernized relic of the _Jenina_ founded by Horuk Barbarossa (p.
221) in 1516. In the course of centuries this residence of the beys was
gradually extended to the Rue Jenina and the Rue Socgémah, and in 1816
was at length superseded by the Kasba (p. 227). The entrance is by the
Renaissance portal (adm., see p. 220; apply to the concierge).
The fine court, with its two stories and horseshoe arches resting on
slender winding columns, is remarkable for its harmonious proportions.
The walls are adorned with tiles of little value, but the rich
wrought-iron gratings of the windows deserve notice. The upper story,
whose galleries have small domed chambers at the four corners, is
adjoined by rooms sumptuously decorated like those of the Alcázar at
Seville (p. 61). We note in particular the lavish ornamentation in
stucco, the elegant window-shutters, restored in part, and the
beautiful ceilings in cedar and oak panelling. The room converted into
a chapel has been materially altered.
The =Cathedral= (Pl. 3, C 2; _St. Philippe_), on the W. side of the same
Place, built since 1843 in a strangely mingled Moorish and Romanesque
style, occupies the site of the _Ketshâwa Mosque_ erected by Hassan
Pasha in 1791 (see below). The façade is adorned with two towers
resembling minarets. The first chapel contains the bones of the
so-called Gerónimo, a Christian Arab (comp. p. 230), who is said to have
been immured alive in 1569.
The _Palais d’Hiver du Gouverneur_ (Pl. 21, C 2; adm., see p. 220),
built by Hassan Pasha (1791–9), like the National Library (see below),
is one of the latest specimens of Moorish-Turkish architecture in
Algeria; but it has been entirely remodelled to suit its present purpose
and has been provided with a new façade. Above the old portal, Rue du
Soudan No. 5 (now Bureau Arabe; see p. 174), is a pretty carved
projecting roof. No. 7, next door, has a rich marble portal. The roof
affords a good survey of the whole of the Jenina buildings.
To the N. of the Place Malakoff, in the Rue de l’Etat-Major, No. 12, on
the left, is the—
=National Library= (Pl. 2; C, 2), in the old palace of Mustapha Pasha
(1799–1805), containing about 40,000 vols. and 2000 MSS. Adm., see p.
220. Librarian, M. E. Maupas.
Adjoining the vestibule (skiffa), adorned with clustered columns and
Delft fayence, on the left, is the two-storied *Quadrangle, similar to
that of the archiepiscopal palace. In the gallery of the first floor
are views of Old Algiers (including the bombardment by the British
fleet in 1824). Adjacent are two small reading-rooms containing a
valuable collection of Arabic, Berber, and Turkish MSS. (shown only on
application to the curator M. Abdeltif). The charters of the Turkish
period also are important.
The _Bureaux du Gouvernement_, Rue Bruce 10, which once belonged to the
Jenina buildings, also are worth seeing (apply to the governor’s
secretary). So, too, is the pleasing _Dwelling House_, Rue Socgémah 12
(now owned by M. Ratto, goldsmith; p. 220).—The old _Dâr Soof_
(wool-exchange), Rue de l’Intendance 1, one of the most ornate
Mauro-Turkish buildings in the town, is now a private house and can be
seen only by special introduction.
We now turn to the E. to visit the Rue de Chartres or the Rue de la Lyre
(Pl. C, 2, 3), which, like the neighbouring Rue Randon in the Kasba
quarter (p. 227), contain countless little shops kept by Jews and
Mozabites (p. 216). The _Marché de Chartres_ and the _Marché de la Lyre_
(Pl. 14; C, 3) are the chief provision markets. In the afternoon the
former is devoted to the sale of second-hand goods. The Rue de Chartres
and the two flights of steps in the Place de la Lyre, next to the
theatre, lead back to the Place de la République (p. 222).
To the S. of the Place de la République are the new quarters of the
town. At the beginning of the RUE DE CONSTANTINE (Pl. C, 3, 4), on the
left, is the new _Palais de Justice_ (Pl. 20; C, 3), in the
pseudo-classical style. On the right is the new-Romanesque church of
_St. Augustin_ (Pl. 9; C, 3).
At the back of this church runs the Rue Dumont-d’Urville (Pl. C, 3),
passing almost immediately on the left the Rue de Tanger, in which rises
the small _Mosque of the Mozabites_ (p. 216), and leading to the long
and monotonous RUE D’ISLY (Pl. C, 4). The latter crosses the Place
d’Isly. (Pl. C, 4), where a monument has been erected to _Marshal
Bugeaud_ (1784–1849), the conqueror of Abd el-Kâder (p. 221).
Farther on in the Rue de Constantine, on the left, at No. 32 is the
_Musée Municipal des Beaux-Arts_ (adm., see p. 220), containing a small
collection of pictures mostly by French painters.
The Rue de Constantine and Rue d’Isly reach the boundary of the old town
at the new _Post Office_ (Pl. 22, C, 4; p. 219), a neo-Moorish building
(1910), on the N. side of the BOULEVARD LAFERRIÈRE (Pl. C, 4, 5; p.
222), or Boul. Militaire Sud. To the right, above, are the handsome
offices of the _Dépêche Algérienne_ (p. 220), in the neo-Moorish style.
The open space on the left, down by the sea, is destined for the future
_Central Station_.
From Boul. Laferrière to _Mustapha-Supérieur_, see pp. 231, 230; to
_Belcourt_ and _Le Hamma_, see p. 232.
b. The Kasba.
To avoid the steep ascents in the Kasba Quarter we take the tramway
(No. 6, p. 219) to the Prison Civile, glance at the Mohammedan
Cemetery and the Kasba Barracks, and then descend from the Boul. de la
Victoire by one or other of the streets (very slippery in wet weather)
between the Rue de la Kasba (Pl. C, 2) and Boul. Gambetta (Pl. B, C,
3). It should be noted that all the ascending streets lead to the
Boulevard de la Victoire, and the descending streets to Rue Randon or
Rue Marengo. Ladies in particular may sometimes gain admission to one
of the better Moorish houses (comp. p. xxvi), where they should not
omit to see the view from the roof. A walk through the Kasba quarter
by moonlight is delightful, but safe only for a considerable party.
The *=Kasba Quarter= (Pl. B, C, 2, 3), the almost unaltered main portion
of old Algiers, bounded by the Rue Randon, Rue Marengo, and Boul. de la
Victoire, lies on the hill-side below the _Kasba_, the old castle and
afterwards the residence of the Turkish rulers, and still presents a
highly attractive picture of Oriental life, though partly inhabited by
Maltese and Spaniards as well as by Mohammedans of various races and
creeds (p. 171). A few streets only, with small mosques, coffee-houses,
and shops, show signs of life in the daytime, and that chiefly on
Fridays and Sundays. Most of the streets, however, often only 6–7 ft.
wide, with their jutting upper stories and balconies supported by
brackets of beams, and the numerous blind alleys and sombre vaulted
passages are shrouded in silence, while their bare, almost windowless
walls and their closed doors, marked with the sign of the warning hand
(p. 81), enhance their impenetrable mystery.
The chief business street of the Kasba is the RUE RANDON (Pl. C, 2, 3;
comp. p. 226), especially the S. part of it with its shops, between the
Marché de la Lyre (p. 226) and the SYNAGOGUE (Pl. 24, C 2; adm., see p.
220), a building with a huge dome and three women’s galleries.
The Rue de la Girafe and Rue Caton, the last two side-streets before the
Synagogue, ascend to the RUE KLÉBER (Pl. C, 2), where, at the crossing
of the Rue d’Anfreville and Rue du Palmier, opposite an Arabian
coffee-house, rises the small _Mosque of Sidi Mohammed ech-Chériff_ (Pl.
17; C, 2).
The Rue d’Anfreville leads to the left to the long RUE DE LA PORTE-NEUVE
(Pl. C, 2, 3), a street starting from the Rue de la Lyre (p. 226). A
little way down we may visit its side-streets, Rue des Dattes and Rue
Médée, and then return by the Rue de la Mer Rouge to the upper part of
the Rue Kléber. We may next follow the Rue du Palmier (see above) and
the Rue Annibal, or its side-street Rue Tombouctou, to the long and
steep RUE DE LA KASBA (Pl. C, 2), which ascends in steps from the Rue
Bab el-Oued (p. 224) to the Kasba barracks.
The small square at the top of the Rue de la Kasba, adjoining the
BOULEVARD DE LA VICTOIRE (Pl. B, C, 2), is a resort of jugglers and
story-tellers, with their admiring audience.
Passing the _Prison Civile_ (Pl. B, C, 2; on the right), and crossing
the moat, we may now visit the Mohammedan _Cimetière d’el-Kettar_ (Pl.
B, 2), prettily situated on the slope above the _Frais-Vallon_ (p. 234).
The =Kasba= (Pl. B, 2; 427 ft.), originally an octagonal pile of
buildings, surrounded by large gardens, was erected by Horuk Barbarossa
in 1516, but was afterwards much altered. In 1816–30 it was the
residence of the deys (comp. p. 221), and now serves as the Zouave
barracks. The large two-storied quadrangle in the Mauro-Turkish style is
a relic of the original building. The old mosque is now used as a
storehouse. Adm., see p. 220.
The road to El-Biar (p. 234) leads through the Kasba and then
traverses the old _Quartier des Tagarins_ (comp. p. 221), which
extended to the Porte du Sahel (Pl. B, 3).
From the Prison Civile the steep BOULEVARD VALÉE (Pl. C, 2; p. 222)
leads back to the town, the lower part commanding a superb *View of
Algiers and its bay.
This boulevard joins the RUE MARENGO, opposite the MEDERSA (Pl. C, 2;
adm., see p. 220), opened in 1904, one of the three recently founded
Mohammedan colleges of Algeria, a building in an appropriate neo-Moorish
style. No. 46, nearly opposite, is the pretty little Medersa of the
Turkish period.
The *=Mosque of Sidi Abderrahmân= (Pl. 18, C 2; adm., see p. 220), built
in 1696 and dedicated to the learned marabout Sidi Abderrahmân et-Tsalbi
(1387–1468), the chief saint of the Tsaliba (p. 221), has no attraction
beyond its elegant minaret, adorned with coloured tiles; but its
situation near the Jardin Marengo (p. 224), and the charming view it
commands, are most impressive. The kubba of the saint is bedecked, as is
usual in the case of such tombs, with flags, ostrich-eggs, and other
offerings. The small burial-grounds attached are relics of the chief
Mohammedan cemetery (p. 224).
c. Mustapha-Supérieur and Environs.
The narrow coast-plain, here called _Plaine de Mustapha_, is the
somewhat abrupt margin of the _Sahel_, to the S. of the old town, on
which lie the _Quartier d’Isly_, _Télemly_, and _Mustapha-Supérieur_,
where the white villas dating from the Turkish period, with their
superb gardens and luxuriant orchards, are occupied chiefly by English
and American residents. This is the favourite promenade of foreign
visitors. Tramways Nos. 1, 2, and 3, see pp. 218, 219. To avoid
ascents the traveller had better begin his walk at the terminus of
line No. 2 or No. 3.
The main street of *=Mustapha-Supérieur= is the RUE MICHELET (Pl. B, A,
5–8), a street nearly 2½ M. long, in line with the Rue d’Isly. The first
third of it is uninteresting. It passes the former _Académie_ (Pl. B,
5), situated on a high terrace below the Quartier d’Isly, which was
converted into a university in 1909 (1442 students). Farther on the road
leads through the suburb of _Agha-Supérieur_ to the (½ M.) so-called
_Plateau Saulière_ (Pl. B, 6, 7; tramway-terminus, Station Sanitaire; p.
218).
The upper Rue Michelet, which, in spite of its steep hills, is the most
fashionable drive in Algiers, ascends, partly in windings, past the
hotels (p. 217), a number of handsome villas, and several charming
points of view, to the top of the Sahel. Beyond the _Scottish Church_
(p. 220) at the first sharp bend in the road, rises, behind the
view-terrace of the _Museum Garden_, the—
*=Museum= (_Musée National des Antiquités Algériennes_; Pl. A, 6, 7),
opened in 1897, containing the finest collection of the kind in Algeria.
Adm., see p. 220. Catalogue rather old (1899). Director, M. Stéphane
Gsell.
The GARDEN contains a dolmen (of the Beni-Messous) from Guyotville (p.
237), Roman tombstones, vases, etc.
In the VESTIBULE are views of Old Algiers, from the 17th cent.
onwards. Over the inner door is an early-Christian mosaic from
Rusguniæ (p. 248) representing Christ as the Good Shepherd.—The COURT
contains modern views of Algiers and Arabic, Jewish, and Turkish
inscriptions. In the centre is a Roman mosaic from Sila, representing
Scylla (p. 155) and marine deities.—On the right is—
ROOM I. The cases in the middle and most of the wall-presses contain
prehistoric antiquities from the provinces of Algeria and Oran and
from the Sahara, including the Flamand collection (1889–90). Along the
walls are ranged casts and copies of the graffiti or rock-drawings of
Tiout (p. 202), Moghrar-Tahtàni (p. 203), etc.; Libyan (early Berber)
tomb-stelæ; on the end-wall to the right, a warrior on horseback, from
Abizar in Great Kabylia; two cases with relics from Phœnician tombs at
Gouraya (some of them imported from Greece); also Punic tomb-stelæ,
etc.—In the centre are a fine mosaic from Aïn-Babouch and models of
the mausoleum of Le Khroub (p. 273), of the so-called Tombeau de la
Chrétienne (p. 238), and of the Medracen (p. 274).—We now pass through
R. IV into—
ROOM II. In the centre are antique marbles: *Torso of a Venus (in the
style of the Capitoline Venus), draped female *Statue (replica of a
work of the age of Phidias; the head added later), colossal statue of
Poseidon (after a Greek original of the 4th cent.), torso of Bacchus,
Satyr and Hermaphrodite (after a group of the Hellenistic period; a
torso), two elegant decorative pillars, all of these coming from the
so-called museum of king Juba at Cherchell (p. 244); then a colossal
bust of Minerva from Khamissa; bronze *Figure of a boy with an eagle,
from Lambèse. By the wall next the court is a fragment of a
sarcophagus-relief, Warrior with wounded Amazon (Achilles and
Penthesilea?). By the back-wall are casts of the chief antiques of
Cherchell, marble busts, including Jupiter Serapis and a god of the
lower regions, both from Carthage. The wall-cabinets contain Greek and
Etruscan vases and fragments of Roman sculptures and inscriptions.
Around are mosaics: Boar and panther hunt from Orléansville; fragment
of a representation of the Four Seasons, from Lambèse; Europa with the
bull, Jupiter and Antiope, Oceanus and Nereids. In the centre is a
relief-plan of Timgad (p. 289).—We next pass through R. V into—
ROOM III. Among the bronzes in the first case are a mask (3rd cent. B.
C.) from El-Grimidi; a statuette of Venus untying her sandal, from
Cherchell; adjacent, an early-Christian bronze lamp (5th cent.). Then
come cases with Greek, Roman, and Mauretanian coins, lamps, etc. The
case by the wall next the court contains early-Christian reliquaries
(in terracotta). Along the walls are ranged Roman and early-Christian
inscriptions, reliefs, and architectural fragments; by the
entrance-wall is the tombstone of a bishop from Mouzaïaville (5th
cent.); by the end-wall Roman busts (incl. Hadrian); a slab bearing
regulations as to rights of using water, from Lamasba (Mérouana);
early-Christian sarcophagus from Dellys (4th cent.).
The corner-rooms (IV and V) contain the ORIENTAL SECTION (Art of
Islam), which has received considerable additions and for which five
new rooms are being prepared.
ROOM IV. Berber and early Moorish works of art. In the ante-room
Berber vases, tissues, and wood-carving from Great Kabylia, etc.,
incl. an ancient Kabylian cradle. In the central case are Berber
trinkets, chiefly from Great Kabylia (Dra el-Mizan; work of the
Beni-Yenni), and Tunisian vases. Cases with Algerian bronzes and
curiosities from Kalâa des Beni-Hammad (p. 270; stucco-work, fragments
of vases). Cases and two wall-presses containing superb Moroccan
embroidery (some showing Spanish-Moorish influence), mostly from the
region of Fez. A large majolica vase from Palma (Majorca). Also, on
the walls, *Carpets from the district of Jebel Amour, from Kalâa (p.
207), Kairwan, Rabât, and of the tribe of the Rirha (near Sétif).
ROOM V, devoted mainly to the Mauro-Turkish art of the barbaresques.
At the entrance is a marble portal of Italian workmanship. Stands with
weapons (some of them in the Louis XVI. style), trinkets, richly
embroidered slippers, pistol-cases, cartridge-belts, etc., and also
gorgeous feminine apparel. On a stand, with gold embroidery from
mosques and saints’ tombs, is placed the cast of the so-called
Gerónimo (p. 225). By the walls are two superb saddles, copper
vessels, furniture inlaid with mother-of-pearl, etc.; presses with
Algerian *Embroidery (curtains of ladies’ chambers, bath-veils, etc.).
By the back-wall, Jewesses’ costumes from Constantine. In the gallery
are Smyrna carpets.
In the Rue Michelet, a few paces farther, beyond the Chemin du Télemly
(see below), is a small round space with a marble _Statue of Mac Mahon_
(1808–93; governor of Algeria in 1864–70). Opposite, to the left, is
the—
_Palais d’Eté du Gouverneur_ (Pl. A, 7), a fine neo-Moorish building
with beautiful grounds. Adm., see p. 220.
Farther on we cross the Chemin de Gascogne or Chemin Romain, the
shortest route from Mustapha-Inférieur (p. 232) to the Colonne Voirol
(see below). Near the lower half of that road is the _Orphelinat St.
Vincent-de-Paul_ (Pl. A, 7), on the site of a villa of Mustapha Pasha
(p. 225), to whom this quarter owes its name.
Following the Rue Michelet farther to the S. we pass, on the right, the
new _English Church_ (p. 220), in the Moorish style. The cost of
building, which amounted to 7000_l._, was defrayed by the French
Government in compensation for the site of the former English church
which was required for the new post-office (p. 226).
Beyond the bifurcation of Boul. Bru (p. 231) the Rue Michelet takes a
sharp turn to the N.W. and leads along the margin of the so-called _Bois
de Boulogne_ (Pl. A, 8, 9), a sparse pine-wood, to the _Colonne Voirol_
(689 ft.; tramway-terminus, see pp. 218, 219), a monument in memory of
General Voirol.
* * * * *
One of the finest and easiest walks at Mustapha-Supérieur is the
*=Chemin du Télemly= (Pl. A, B, 6–4), which diverges to the right from
the Rue Michelet just beyond the Museum garden (p. 228) and leads along
the slope of the Sahel, halfway up, passing through several verdant
ravines (_Ravin des Sept-Sources_, etc.), to the (1¾ M.) _Quartier
d’Isly_ (Pl. B, 4, 5), a charming, loftily-situated villa-quarter. This
road affords several splendid views of the bay.
From the Quartier d’Isly we may either descend by the Rue Edouard-Cat
and Avenue Pasteur to the lower Rue Michelet and the Rue d’Isly (p.
226), or we may follow the main road as far as the town-wall, between
the Boul. Laferrière (p. 226) and the Porte du Sahel (p. 233).
Side-roads connect the Chemin du Télemly with the _Campagne Bellevue_
(see below) on one side, and with _St. Raphaël_ (p. 234) on the other.
As the road, mostly bordered with hedges, which leads from the Colonne
Voirol (p. 230) to (1¼ M.) _El-Biar_ (p. 234), passing the _Campagne
Bellevue_ (794 ft.) halfway, is monotonous, the =Chemin de Maclay=,
leading from the Colonne Voirol to (1¾ M.) _Château-Neuf_ (p. 234), is
far preferable. It passes through the upper valley of the _Oued Knis_
(see below), verdant with fruit-trees, eucalypti, and pines, runs to the
N.W. to the (½ M.) _Café d’Hydra_, and at the (½ M.) _Café-Restaurant du
Retour de la Chasse_ joins the highroad coming from Blida.
A little way to the S.W. of the Colonne Voirol, on the road from
Algiers to Douéra and Boufarik (p. 216), is the beautiful _Château
d’Hydra_, once a country-seat of the Deys, but now private property.
From the Colonne Voirol we may now walk through the _Bois de Boulogne_
(p. 230), or follow the road to the S.E. in the valley of the _Oued
Knis_, past the sanatorium of Dr. Verhaeren and the _Villa des Grottes_
(curious rock sculptures, among others the expulsion of Adam and Eve
from Paradise), to (1 M.) the poor agricultural village of =Birmandreis=
(354 ft.; Café-Restaur. des Platanes). From Birmandreis we have the
choice of two routes. We may walk through the _Ravin de la Femme
Sauvage_ (to the N.E. and E.), as the cool and shady lower Oued Knis
valley is popularly called, to (1¾ M.) the village of _Le Ruisseau_
(tramway No. 4, p. 219), ½ M. beyond the Jardin d’Essai (p. 232). Or we
may take the road (to the S.E. and E.), through orchards and
market-gardens, and across a fine open hill, to the (1¼ M.) poor village
of _Vieux-Kouba_ and (½ M.) _Kouba_ (p. 233).
From the Rue Michelet the =Boulevard Bru= (Pl. A-C, 8, 9; p. 230;
tramway No. 3, see p. 219) leads between villas, affording near the
farther end a beautiful view of Algiers, to (¾ M.) the _Cimetière de
Mustapha_ (Pl. C, 9), incorporating the _English Cemetery_. Here at the
tramway-terminus the Boul. Bru joins the Chemin de Fontaine-Bleue, a
road coming up from Mustapha-Inférieur (p. 232). We follow the latter
road straight on to its junction with the Chemin Shakespeare or des
Crêtes, beyond which, in the same direction, the Rue Laurent-Pichat
brings us to the (¼ M.) _Villa Sesini_ (Pl. D, 9), superbly situated
above Belcourt (p. 232). Straight on we follow the Rue de Béhagle, a
narrow field-road diverging from the Rue Laurent-Pichat; this road after
5 min. leads to the left, through a small oak-copse and past the _Fort
des Arcades_ (Pl. D, 9), to the verge of the plateau (*Bench with view)
and then, taking the name of Chemin des Arcades, goes on to the
hill-garden of the _Jardin d’Essai_ (see p. 232).
d. The S.E. Suburbs.
The only attractions here are the Mohammedan Cemetery at Belcourt
(near the Marabout station of tramway No. 4; p. 219) and the Jardin
d’Essai. It is best to go to the latter by the inner line, just
mentioned, and to return by No. 5, the outer line.
The suburbs of _Agha-Inférieur_, with its railway-station (p. 217) and
the new Arrière-Port (p. 223), _Mustapha-Inférieur_, _Belcourt_, and _Le
Hamma_, together with the adjacent little town of _Hussein-Dey_, are the
industrial quarters of Algiers.
Along the coast, beyond Boul. Laferrière (p. 226), run the Rue Baudin
(Pl. C, 5), in line with the Rue de Constantine (p. 226), and the RUE
SADI-CARNOT (Pl. B-E, 5–8), over 2½ M. long, from which, at the N.E.
angle of the _Champ de Manœuvres_ (Pl. C, 7; also a race-course),
diverges the RUE DE LYON (Pl. B-E, 7–9), 2 M. in length, the route of
the inner tramway-line (No. 4).
The unattractive Rue de Lyon leads to (about ¾ M.) the =Cimetière
Musulman de Belcourt= (Pl. D, 9), the finest Mohammedan burial-ground in
Algiers, containing a number of handsome monuments and the picturesque
_Kubba_ of Sidi Abderrahmân Bu-Kobrin (d. 1793), a famous Algerian
saint, a native of Great Kabylia. Adm., see p. 220. As a rule only the
side-entrance in the Rue Colonel-Combes is open.
The so-called _Grotte de Cervantes_ (Pl. D, 9), with a bust and
memorial tablet of the famous Spanish author, who lived in captivity
at Algiers in 1575–80, is said to have been his hiding-place when
attempting to escape. Ascending a road from the end of the Rue Col.
Combes beyond the cemetery, we follow a (5 min.) path to the left, and
turning to the left again, somewhat downhill, we reach the (9 min.)
grotto.
The Rue de Lyon next leads through the suburb of _Le Hamma_ to the (½
M.) *=Jardin d’Essai= (Pl. E, 9; adm., see p. 220), or _Jardin du
Hamma_, the botanic garden of Algiers and at the same time a
nursery-garden and public promenade. Founded by government in 1832 and
frequently extended, it became the property of the Compagnie Algérienne
(p. 219) in 1878. In wealth of vegetation it vies with the botanic
gardens of Palermo and Lisbon, which, however, have been more
advantageously laid out. It consists of two sections: a hill-garden on
the verge of the Sahel plateau and the main garden in the once marshy,
but now extremely fertile coast-plain.
Opposite the S. ENTRANCE of the main garden, in the Rue de Lyon, is
the dilapidated Mauro-Turkish _Fontaine du Hamma_ (16th cent.). From
this point, near the small _Hôt.-Restaurant du Château Rouge_, the
Chemin des Arcades (p. 231) ascends to the =Hill Garden=, a wooded
park, with tall araucarias, huge eucalypti, and other trees.
Through the =Main Garden= a magnificent avenue of planes runs from the
chief entrance towards the sea. Halfway is a circular space with a
café. The W. half of the garden, to the left of the avenue, is
occupied by the less interesting nursery-garden.
[Illustration: BAIE D’ ALGER]
[Illustration: BAIE D’ ALGER]
The E. half of the garden is intersected by shady walks at right
angles to each other. Parallel with the main avenue are the narrower
dragon-tree and palm avenue and the magnolia and fig-tree avenue. The
chief cross-walks, parallel with the Rue de Lyon, are the date-palm,
the bamboo, and the dwarf-palm and rose avenues. From the S. entrance
we turn at once to the right into the date-palm avenue, where, from
the steps opposite the offices (‘administration’), we have a charming
view of the dragon-tree and palm avenue. Then, passing the magnolia
and fig-tree avenue, we go straight to the S. angle of the garden,
where we are struck with the profusion of tropical plants, outstanding
among which are the huge Ficus nitida with its exposed roots and a
group of yuccas (the rare Yucca draconis and other palm-lilies). A
little lower down, near the artificial island with its aquatic plants,
are a group of *Strelitzias and (beyond a tall Livistona australis) a
beautiful little palm-grove. We next follow the *Bamboo walk, and from
it turn to the right into the *Dragon-tree (p. 30) and palm avenue,
which leads towards the sea. Farther on, to the left, beyond the
dwarf-palm (Chamærops excelsa) and rose avenue, is the small
_Zoologie_ (adm., see p. 220), with a few specimens of Algerian
animals.
Opposite the N. ENTRANCE, in the Rue Sadi-Carnot, at the station of
the outer tramway-line, rises a group of date-palms, where the cafés
_Oasis des Palmiers_ and _Closerie des Palmiers_ are much frequented
by the citizens in the afternoon (déj. 2½, D. 3 fr.). Beyond the
railway line, from the shore near the sea-baths (p. 219; restaur.), we
obtain a delightful *View of Algiers. When the wind is to the N. or
N.W. the breakers here are grander than at the Rampe de l’Amirauté (p.
223).
The Rue Sadi-Carnot ends at the _Oued Knis_ (p. 231), on the outskirts
of the small town of =Hussein-Dey= (Hôt. de la Gare; railway and tramway
station; see pp. 217, 247), where the _Tobacco Factory_ has swallowed up
the villa of the last deys of Algeria. The inhabitants (5700) are mostly
Spaniards from the Balearic Islands (‘Mahonnais’), who grow early
vegetables.
From Hussein-Dey to _Maison-Carrée_, see p. 247.
From the village of _Le Ruisseau_ (p. 231), at the end of the Rue de
Lyon and at the mouth of the Ravin de la Femme Sauvage, a road ascends
in windings to the (1¼ M.) village of =Kouba= (427 ft.; tramway No. 4,
see p. 219), in a charming, well-wooded site. At the entrance to the
village, on the site of a kubba, stands a _Church_ with a long flight of
steps. The flat roof of the _Grand Séminaire_, a training-college for
priests founded by Card. Lavigerie (p. 346; adm. by leave of the
Superior), commands an extensive *Panorama of the Mitidja, the Atlas of
Blida, and the Jurjura range.
From Kouba vià _Vieux-Kouba_ to _Birmandreis_, see p. 231.
e. El-Biar and Bouzaréah.
TRAMWAY (No. 6, p. 219) to El-Biar and Château-Neuf. From Château-Neuf
diligence several times daily to Chéraga and six times daily to
Bouzaréah (notices are posted in the Place du Gouvernement, at the
corner of Rue Bab-Azoun).
A favourite circular trip for one day (motor-cars and carriages, see
p. 218) embraces El-Biar, Château-Neuf, Chéraga, Staouéli-Trappe,
Sidi-Ferruch (p. 237), Guyotville (p. 237), Pointe-Pescade (p. 237),
St. Eugène (p. 236), and Algiers. A popular drive for half-a-day
includes Bouzaréah, Forêt de Baïnem, Bains Romains (p. 237), Pointe
Pescade, and Algiers.
(1). The road to EL-BIAR leads from the old town through the Kasba and
the _Porte du Sahel_ (Pl. B, 3; comp. p. 228). Walkers may note two
possible digressions. To the left, just outside the gate, a path
descends in 10 min. to _Boul. Laferrière_ (p. 226). To the right, 2 min.
farther, diverges the Chemin de Fontaine-Fraîche (Pl. A, 3, 4), the road
to (10 min.) the charmingly situated village of _Birtraria_, whence one
may either ascend to the S.W. in 20 min. to _El-Biar_ (see below), or
walk to the N.E. through the pretty _Frais-Vallon_ and then descend the
Avenue du Frais-Vallon (Pl. A, B, 2, 1), on the right bank of the _Oued
M’Kacel_, to (½ hr.) the _Quartier Bab el-Oued_ (see below).
The highroad passes near the foot of the _Fort l’Empereur_ (Pl. A, 4;
689 ft.), almost hidden by trees. This was the site of the camp of
Charles V. (p. 221), and on it was built the _Mulaï Hassan Fort_ (1545),
which was partly blown up by its Turkish defenders when bombarded by the
French in 1830. The road then winds up to the tramway station of _St.
Raphaël_ (788 ft.), whence a charming road branches off to (1¼ M.)
_Mustapha-Supérieur_ (to the left, and after 3 min. to the left again,
joining the _Chemin du Télemly_ close to the Hôt. Continental).
The large village of =El-Biar= (784 ft.), 2 M. to the S.W. of the Porte
du Sahel, and the village of _Château-Neuf_ (*Hôt.-Restaur. Mallard,
pens. from 6 fr.; a favourite Sunday afternoon resort), lying on the
monotonous plateau ½ M. beyond El-Biar, uninteresting in themselves, are
the starting-points of the roads to the _Colonne Voirol_ and to
_Bouzaréah_ (p. 235).
A road leads from Château-Neuf to (5½ M. from the Porte du Sahel)
_Chéraga_ (650 ft.; Hôt. des Voyageurs, humble), a pleasant village
among fruit-trees, and (3 M.) _Staouéli-Trappe_ (p. 237), situated on
a shelf-like terrace above the coast, where the French first
encountered the troops of the dey in 1830. The old Trappist monastery
founded here in 1843 was purchased in 1904 by the Swiss Consul
Borgeaud, who has converted the abbey-lands of about 3000 acres into a
model farm (no admittance). The burial-ground contains the tomb of
Col. Marengo (1787–1862).
From Staouéli-Trappe a road descends to the N.W. to (1 M.) _Staouéli_
(p. 237). The highroad joins the Castiglione road at (11 M.)
_Sidi-Ferruch_ (p. 237), a station on the steam-tramway.
(2). TO BOUZARÉAH a new road (2½ M.) leads to the N.W. from _El-Biar_
(see above), through the pretty valley of the _Oued bel-Elzar_, one of
the feeders of the Oued M’Kacel (see above), while the old road (2 M.)
leads to it from _Château-Neuf_ (see above), crossing an uninteresting
plateau and, about ½ M. short of Bouzaréah, passing the _Ecole Normale
Primaire_.
A more interesting route to (5 M.) Bouzaréah is from the _Quartier Bab
el-Oued_ (Pl. B, 1), formerly the N.W. suburb of Algiers, inhabited
chiefly by Spaniards. From the Boul. du Général-Farre or Boul. Militaire
Nord (Pl. C, 1; p. 222) we follow the Avenue de la Bouzaréah (Pl. C, B,
1) and the Avenue Beau-Fraisier, in the old suburb of _Cité Bugeaud_, to
the Pont du Beau-Fraisier crossing the Oued M’Kacel. We thence ascend
the fine Chemin des Carrières, passing near the blue-limestone quarries
on the spurs of Mont Bouzaréah, then through a side-valley of the
Frais-Vallon (p. 234), with its luxuriant vegetation, and lastly mount
in windings past the _Hospice des Vieillards_.
The village of =Bouzaréah= (1230 ft.; Hôt. de France, humble; pop.
2500), in an open site on the crest of _Mont Bouzaréah_ (1335 ft.), the
culminating point of the Sahel, is a favourite goal for excursionists in
summer. A road leads to the N.E. from the village, past the _Fort de la
Bouzaréah_, on the left, and the _Christian Cemetery_, on the right, to
(¾ M.) the _Observatoire d’Alger_ (1148 ft.). The roof of the
observatory affords a fine view of the Bay of Algiers and of the hills
of Great Kabylia as far as Cape Bengut (p. 254).
From the Observatory we may descend either to the E. by the steep
Chemin Sidi Ben-Nour, passing the fort of that name, to the _Avenue
des Consulats_ (see below), or to the N. by a steep and stony path to
the _Vallée des Consuls_ (p. 236).
A road leads to the N.W. from Bouzaréah in ¼ hr. to the poor huts of the
_Village Arabe de la Bouzaréah_, on the slope of a flat hill (1178 ft.),
overgrown with cacti and dwarf-palms, where we have a splendid *View of
the forest of Baïnem, Cape Caxine (p. 237), the S.W. chain of the Sahel,
with the ‘Tombeau de la Chrétienne’ (p. 238), and Jebel Chenoua (p.
242), as also of the Blida Atlas with the deep incision of the Chiffa
Ravine (p. 215).
From the Arab village the road descends to the W. to the (1¼ M.)
=Forêt de Baïnem=, the largest wood (1250 acres) near Algiers. We
follow the ‘Route Forestière Wendling’, high on the slope of the
Sahel, with a fine view of the coast between Pointe Pescade (p. 237)
and Cape Caxine, at first through underwood, richly carpeted with
flowers in spring. We then pass through the remains of a pine-forest
to the (1¾ M.) _Rond des Eucalyptus_, a bifurcation in a small
eucalyptus grove (straight on is the Route Forestière Mignerot leading
to Guyotville, 3¼ M.; p. 237). We follow, to the right, the beautiful
Route Forestière Combe (2 M.), which descends through groups of
cork-trees, pines, and eucalypti, past a ravine, to the _Maison
Forestière_, whence it is continued by a eucalyptus and mimosa avenue
down to _Villas_ (p. 237), on the Castiglione road, a station on the
steam-tramway.
f. Notre-Dame d’Afrique and St. Eugène.
TRAMWAY (No. 1, p. 218) to the Hôpital du Dey; thence an omnibus every
½ hr. (1–4 pers. 1 fr. 20 c.; each addit. pers. 30 c.) to the church
of Notre-Dame d’Afrique.—TRAMWAY (No. 7, p. 219) to St. Eugène. The
terminus ‘Deux-Moulins’ is only a few paces from the station of the
steam-tramway to Castiglione (R. 35).
The tramway through the Avenue des Consulats ends at the _Hôpital
Militaire du Dey_ (Pl. A, B, 1), which, with its gardens, occupies the
site of a villa of Hassan Pasha (p. 225). We follow the Boul. de
Champagne, and then diverge to the right by the Route de Notre-Dame
d’Afrique (½ hr.), a narrow road, shady towards evening, affording
splendid *Views of the Bay of Algiers.
The large domed church of =Notre-Dame d’Afrique= (443 ft.), a
pilgrimage-church for sick persons and mariners, founded by Card.
Lavigerie in 1872, rises conspicuously on a spur of the N.E. slope of
_Mont Bouzaréah_ (p. 235), above the Christian and the Jewish
burial-grounds (see below). From the terrace in front of the church,
where the blessing of the sea by the clergy every Sunday at 3.30
attracts many spectators, we survey the coast as far as the Pointe
Pescade (p. 237). Behind the church is the _Hôt. Bompard_.
The _Vallée des Consuls_, which has its name from the villas of the
European consuls of the Turkish period, a shady and extremely fertile
vale above _St. Eugène_ (see below), affords charming walks. A pleasant
road leads through it from Notre-Dame d’Afrique, shaded by gnarled old
olive-trees. We may thence mount to the _Observatory_ (comp. p. 235), or
else descend in 20 min. to St. Eugène; but the descent viâ _Fort
Duperré_ to _Deux-Moulins_ (p. 237) is very rough and fatiguing.
From the lower end of the Boul. du Général-Farre (p. 234), beyond the
still uncompleted _Quartier de l’Esplanade_ (Pl. C, 1), runs the AVENUE
MALAKOFF (Pl. C, B, 1), close to the shore and protected against the
breakers by a high limestone wall, leading to the _Fort des Anglais_, an
old Turkish fort on a rocky headland. Opposite, to the left, on the
spurs of Mont Bouzaréah, lie the _Christian Cemetery_ and the
interesting _Jewish Cemetery_ of Algiers.
Beyond the cemeteries we come to the little town of =St. Eugène=
(Hôt.-Restaur, du Château-Vert, déj. 2½, D. 3 fr.; Restaur.
Deux-Moulins; pop. 4800, incl. 500 Jews), with several factories and
pretty villas. The tramway-terminus, _Deux-Moulins_, at the N.W. end of
the town, is the starting-point for walks to the _Pointe Pescade_ (p.
237), the _Forêt de Baïnem_ (p. 235), and other places.