65 or 63½ M. ROAD. From Tizi-Ouzou to Fort-National 17 M. (diligence
in 4 hrs., at 5 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.; returning at 8.45 and 1.15). From
Fort-National to Michelet 12½ M. (diligence in 2½ hrs., at 5.15 p m.,
returning 6 a.m.). From Michelet to Maillot 35½ M., to Tazmalt 34 M.
(no diligence). Carriage from Hôt. Lagarde at Tizi-Ouzou to
Fort-National 25–45, to Michelet (two days) 50–75, to Maillot or
Tazmalt 125–175 fr.; cheaper at the diligence office of Aug. Passicos
(p. 257), who will send a carriage to the Tizi-Ouzou station if
ordered by letter or telegram. Mules also may be hired at Michelet (on
Frid. they must be ordered in advance). The Tirourda Pass is seldom
fit for driving before the end of April.
_Tizi-Ouzou_, see p. 254. The FORT-NATIONAL ROAD descends to the E. into
the valley of the Sebaou, where, at the bridge (259 ft.) across its
affluent _Oued Aïssi_, we enjoy a splendid *View of the Jurjura Mts. (p.
258). It then branches off to the S.E., a little before the village of
_Sikh ou Meddour_, from the Azazga road on the left bank (p. 260), and
begins to ascend rapidly to the long _Massif de Fort-National_, the most
important branch of the *=Massif Kabyle=, which extends from the Sebaou
to the base of the Azerou-Tidjer (p. 259).
The road ascends in short windings, dangerous for motorists descending,
at one time following the S.W. slope of the hill above the Oued Aïssi,
where we have splendid mountain views, at another running along the N.E.
slope, above a second side-valley of the Sebaou. On every side we see
countless fig-trees, the favourite fruit-trees of the natives. We pass
isolated cottages and a few small Kabyle villages (_Adeni_, _Tamâzirt_,
and others), where the curious may obtain access to one or other of the
poor and uninviting huts. Lastly, the road ascends by a long bend (cut
off by a mule-track) to the N. to the top of the hill.
=17 M. Fort-National.=—HOTELS (comp. p. 174). _Hôtel des Touristes_,
R. 3, déj. 3, D. 3½ fr., food tolerable; _Hôt. Bellevue_,
humble.—CARRIAGES at the diligence-office, kept by _Aug.
Passicos_.—Picture post-cards at _Boussuge’s_, photographer.
_Fort-National_ (3035 ft.; pop. 1000), in the territory of the _Beni
Raten_ or _Iraten_ tribe, was built in 1857, to overawe the natives, on
the site of a Kabyle village, and is now the capital of the Massif
Kabyle, with a busy Wednesday market, and like Michelet (p. 258), is a
favourite centre for excursions. It consists of little more than a
single main street between the two town-gates. Several shops contain
Kabylian pottery and wood-carvings. The trinkets sold here are often of
Moroccan manufacture. The ‘cavalier’ or high bastion of the _Citadel_
(3153 ft.; adm. only by leave of the commandant) is a fine point of
view, reached from the N.W. town-gate by the short Rue Maréchal. A
similar distant view is obtained by walking round the _Town Walls_ on
the N.E. side, and also from the Michelet road (p. 258).
EXCURSIONS. The best insight into the character of the people and
their land is afforded by the interesting, but rather fatiguing walk
or ride through the =Djemâa Valley= to _Michelet_ (5–6 hrs.; mule 4–6
fr.; path unfit for riding at places). We leave the road a few hundred
paces outside the S.E. gate of Fort-National, pass the large village
of _Taourirt-Amokran_ (2424 ft.), the capital of the _Aït Ousammeur_
tribe, a place noted for its quaint old-fashioned pottery, and then
descend abruptly to the S. to the (1 hr.) _Djemâa Bridge_ (about 1300
ft.). On the left bank of the brook we ascend through the territory of
the _Beni Yenni_, well known for their various art-industries, to the
village of _Aït-Larbâa_ (2166 ft.; mission-house of the White Fathers
in the vicinity; p. 247), and then to the S.E. to (9½ M.)
_Taourirt-Mimoun_ (2435 ft.), whose white school-house is conspicuous
from a distance. The main track now leads to the S.E. on the crest of
the Beni Yenni Mts. viâ _Taourirt el-Hadjadj_ (2598 ft.) to _Tassaft
ou Guemoun_ (2545 ft.), and thence down steep zigzags to _Souk
el-Djemâa_ (1477 ft.), where we reach the steep road ascending to
_Menguellet_ (3350 ft.) and _Hôpital Ste. Eugénie_ (p. 258). Shorter,
but often impassable after rain, is the mule-track from
Taourirt-Mimoun to the (¾ hr.) _Djemâa Ford_ (about 1395 ft.), and
thence through a side-valley to (1¼ hr.) Menguellet.
To =Boghni= (8–9 hrs.; mule 8–10 fr.), a pleasant day’s excursion.
From Fort-National we first follow, to the S.W., the fine open road to
the village of _Aït-Atelli_ (2648 ft.), and then descend viâ
_Aït-Frah_ (2126 ft.) to the _Lowest Djemâa Ford_ (about 900 ft.).
Thence we follow the right bank of the _Oued Aïssi_ (p. 256) and go
through the side-valley of the _Acif Djerra_ to _Souk el-Haad_ (about
1300 ft.), the chief market of the _Ouadhia_. We then skirt the S.
slope of _Jebel Iril ou Moula_, crowned with the village of that name,
and reach _Aïn-Sultan_ (1313 ft.), a copious spring shaded by huge
nettle-trees (Celtis australis L.), 3¾ M. from _Boghni_ (p. 254).
Good climbers, properly equipped, may in the warmer season explore
some of the fine passes among the *=Jurjura= or =Djurdjura Mts.=, the
Roman _Mons Ferratus_, and ascend some of the higher peaks. Provisions
and guides necessary; night-quarters are obtainable at the
school-houses. =1.= To _Souk el-Haad_, see p. 257 and above; then viâ
_Aït-Krelifa_ (2230 ft.), along the W. spurs of the _Chenacha Mts._,
and through the wild valley of the _Beni Bou Addou_ to the _Lac de
Tizi-Koulmin_, one of the few mountain-lakes in the Atlas. The lake
lies at the foot of the pass (5813 ft.) of that name, which separates
the _Râs Tachgagalt_ or _Pic Ficheur_ (p. 254) from the
_Azerou-Ncennad_ or _Pic de Galland_ (7002 ft.), the westmost peak of
_Jebel Akouker_. From the pass we descend to the S.W. through remains
of a fine cedar-forest to _Bouïra_ (p. 250).—=2.= From Fort-National
viâ _Taourirt-Amokran_ (p. 257) to _Aït-Lahssen_ (2851 ft.), the
north-westmost village of the Beni Yenni (p. 257); then viâ _Souk
el-Arba_ (1221 ft.), a market-village in the valley of the _Acif
el-Arba_, to _Aït-Touddeurt_ (2271 ft.) and _Taguemoun_ (3852 ft.), on
the S. slope of _Jebel Kouriet_ (5027 ft.), one of the Chenacha Mts.
(see above); thence across three passes, the _Col de Taguemoun_ (3681
ft.), the _Tizi Guessig_, on the E. side of the _Azerou es-Guessig_,
one of the Akouker group, and the _Tizi Boulma_ (5532 ft.), between
the Azerou-Ncennad (see above) and the _Râs Timedouine_ (7563 ft.),
the highest peak of Jebel Akouker; thence down to _Bouïra_.—=3.= Viâ
_Souk el-Arba_ (see above) to the village of _Tiroual_ (2664 ft.), on
the spurs of the _Azerou ou Gougane_ (7080 ft.) and _Azerou Thaltatt_;
next across the _Tizi n-Assoual_ (5683 ft.) to _Ansor el-Akhal_ or
_Ansor Lekhal_ (about 2950 ft.), and through the valley of the _Oued
Beurd_ to _El-Adjiba_ (p. 251).
The ROAD TO MICHELET (29½ M.; diligence, see p. 256), starting from the
S.E. gate of Fort-National, leads at first along the S.W. slope of the
Massif de Fort-National, soon affording a superb *View of the Jurjura
Mts., from Jebel Haïzer (p. 254), on the W., and from Jebel Akouker (see
above) to the Lalla Khedidja (p. 259). To the right, in the valley, lies
the village of Taourirt-Amokran (p. 257); opposite us, beyond the deep
ravine of the Oued Djemâa (see p. 257), rise the Beni Yenni Mts. (p.
257).
About 4½ M. beyond Fort-National a rough road diverges to the left to
(20 min.) the small hill-village of _Icherridêne_ (3494 ft.) and the
_Monument d’Icherridêne_, erected by the French in memory of the
decisive battles of 1857 and 1871. Near the pyramid we obtain a
splendid distant *View. We may descend to the highroad on the other
side.
For a short distance the road skirts the E. margin of the hills and
overlooks the hill-country of the _Aït Yahia_. It then ascends in
windings, passing near the villages of _Azerou-Kellat_ and _Taskenfout_
on the right, to a height where the road to (20 min.) _Hôpital Ste.
Eugénie_ and _Menguellet_ (p. 257) branches off to the right.
29½ M. =Michelet= (3543 ft.; Hôt. des Touristes or Calanchini, R. 3–3½,
B. 1–1½, déj. 3, D. 3½ fr., clean and quite good; mule to the Tirourda
Pass 4–5, to Tazmalt 6 fr.; pop. 200, chiefly French), the capital of
the _Canton du Djurdjura_, one of the most thickly peopled districts in
Algeria, is prettily situated, on the partly vine-clad S.W. slope of the
hills, with fine views all around.
From (½ hr.) the crest of the hill (4042 ft.), to which a path ascends
to the left from the Hôtel des Touristes, we have an extensive
*Panorama of the neighbouring Jurjura Mts., among which the Lalla
Khedidja (see below) stands forth grandly, of the Massif Kabyle, the
depression of the Sebaou Valley, and the distant coast hills. The view
is peculiarly impressive in the early morning, when the snow-capped
Jurjura and the green lower hills with their countless Kabylian
villages protrude like islands from the sea of mist in the valleys.
The *=Lalla Khedidja= (7572 ft.), the highest of the Jurjura Mts., may
be ascended from Michelet by one of two different routes. One route is
viâ _Souk el-Djemâa_ (p. 257), the hill-villages of _Aït-Saada_ (3055
ft.) and _Darna_ (3314 ft.; night-quarters), and the passes _Tizi
Tirkabin_ (4587 ft.) and _Tizi n-Kouïlal_ (5178 ft.), near the sources
of the _Oued el-Hammam_. The other route is viâ the _Tirourda Pass_
(p. 260), the village of _Aït-Ouabane_ (about 3380 ft.), in the basin
between the offshoots of the _Azerou Tidjer_ (see below) and the
_Azerou Madène_ (6401 ft.), and across the Tizi n-Kouïlal, where the
mules are left behind. The ascent is, however, easier and shorter from
Maillot (p. 251). A bridle-path leads thence to the (4½ hrs.) village
of _Tala Rana_ (4508 ft.; night-quarters). Then 1 hr. through
cedar-forest (see p. 210), and lastly an ascent on foot, over loose
stones, in 2 hrs. more to the top, where three ruinous stone huts
afford some shelter. The imposing view embraces the whole mountain
region of Great Kabylia, the main ranges of Little Kabylia (p. 266),
the Sahel valley (p. 266), the Chaîne des Biban (p. 270), and the
extensive Hauts-Plateaux (p. 169). Early in the morning in clear
weather we may descry, with the aid of a telescope, the white houses
of Algiers, while the sea is visible in the direction of Bougie. In
the height of summer, on seven Thursdays, hundreds of the neighbouring
Kabyles make this ascent.
Beyond Michelet begins the finest part of the road, which now rapidly
nears the Jurjura range. After ½ hr. it skirts for a short time the E.
slope of the range, where a path to the left diverges to the village of
_Aït-Mellal_; then, returning to the W. slope, it passes close below the
villages of _Tifferdout_ (3927 ft.) and _Tazerout_ (3884 ft.). The *View
is particularly grand at a bend near the 53rd kilomètre-stone (33 M.),
whence we observe a road-mender’s house in the foreground, at the foot
of the bare _Azerou Tidjer_ (5745 ft.), which conceals the Lalla
Khedidja. Opposite, on the hill beyond the head of the Oued Djemâa
valley (p. 257), lie the three large villages of the _Beni Akbil_.
35 M. _Maison Cantonnière_ (4111 ft.; closed in winter). The road soon
crosses (7 min.) the narrow saddle between the lower hills and the
Azerou Tidjer, and is then carried along the abrupt E. slope of the
latter by means of numerous embankments, galleries, and two short
tunnels. On the left lies the deep-set _Tirourda Valley_, enlivened by
herds of cattle in summer, with the village of _Tirourda_ (about 3870
ft.), viâ which the pass may sometimes be reached when the road is
blocked with snow. Behind it rise the four bare peaks of _Jebel
Tizibert_ (5754 ft.) and the pointed cone of the _Azerou n-Tohor_ (p.
260).
The road at length pierces the E. margin of the _Azerou n-Tirourda_
(6437 ft.) by means of a cutting called the _Porte Civili_ after its
engineer, and ascends in a curve to the pass.
39½ M. =Col de Tirourda= (5775 ft.), the most frequented pass in the
Jurjura, where we have a striking view of the hills of the Sahel valley,
the Chaîne des Babors (p. 266), and Chaîne des Biban (p. 270).
Most travellers are satisfied with the ascent of the slight hill on
the right of the road. The view is, however, much more extensive from
the _Azerou n-Tirourda_ (see p. 259 and above), and still more so from
the marabout on the _Azerou n-Tohor_ (6181 ft.), which may be scaled
in ½ hr. from the _Piste de Chellata_, the road to the _Col de
Chellata_ (4806 ft.; p. 251).
The road descends from the pass in many windings into the valley of the
_Oued Aghbalou_, called _Oued Tixiriden_ lower down, and beyond the (44½
M.) _Maison Cantonnière d’Aïn-Zebda_ crosses to the right bank. The
small villages of _Selloum_ (about 2630 ft.) and _Tixiriden_ (about 1970
ft.) lie a little to the right. Near the 94th kilomètre-stone (58½ M.)
we reach the road in the valley, above the left bank of the Sahel, about
halfway between (65 M.) _Maillot_ and (63½ M.) _Tazmalt_ (p. 251). The
direct descent to Tazmalt by the bridle-path is preferable to the long
drive round by the road.