149 M. RAILWAY. Through-train, including a 1st class saloon carriage
(10 fr. extra) with ‘wagon-restaurant’ in winter, in 7 hrs.; ordinary
train in 8¾ hrs. (fares 26 fr. 85, 19 fr. 20, 14 fr. 40 c.). Views to
the right as far as Fontaine des Gazelles. Railway Restaurants at
El-Guerrah, Batna, and El-Kantara.
Among the intermediate stations _Batna_ is important only as the
starting-point for Lambèse and Timgad (R. 45). _El-Kantara_ deserves a
stay of some days for the sake of its own scenery and as a base for
excursions to Tilatou, the Maâfa valley, etc.
From Constantine to (23 M.) _El-Guerrah_, see above and pp. 273, 272.
Passing (31 M.) _Aïn-M’Lila_ (2527 ft.), we reach the _Plateau des
Sbakh_, the great steppe of E. Algeria, with its numerous salt-lakes,
‘dreary in the extreme, yet grand in its motionless repose, with tufts
of grey-green alfa growing here and there on the salt soil, backed by
the bold precipices and pinnacles of bare rocky mountains’. Appropriate
accessories are, however, furnished now and then by the huts or tents of
nomadic tribes with their herds.
On the right rises the bare _Jebel Nif-Ensser_. Farther on we obtain,
especially by morning light, a fine view of the salt-lake of _Tinsilt_,
backed by the spurs of the Sahara Atlas (p. 170).
42½ M. _Les Lacs_ (2592 ft.), on the neck of land between Lake Tinsilt
and (on the left) _Chott Mzouri_. We now traverse a long embankment
crossing Lake Tinsilt, which is often enlivened by flamingoes and
wild-duck. 53 M. _Aïn-Yagout_ (2891 ft.).
58 M. _Fontaine-Chaude_ (about 2790 ft.), with a few tents of nomads,
near the small _Oued Mader_.
Just before the station we observe on the left the =Medracen= (Arabic
_Madghasen_), a pre-Roman royal tomb (of Masinissa?), the finest of
the kind in Algeria after the Tombeau de la Chrétienne (p. 238). The
huge monument (reached by a field-road from the station in 1¼ hr.)
stands in an ancient Berber burial-ground on the flat saddle between
two low, bare ranges of hills, about halfway between Fontaine-Chaude
and the (6 M.) _Sebkha Djendeli_, the ancient _Lacus Regius_. The
Medracen, one of the few existing tumulus-tombs in the Græco-Punic
style, consists of a massive cylindrical basement, 64 yds. in diameter
and only 14½ ft. high, on which rises a conical pyramid in twenty-four
steps, crowned with a platform of 12½ yds. in diameter (the total
height being 60 ft.). The sixty unfluted Doric half-columns recall the
oldest Greek temples of Sicily, while the concave moulding above the
architrave is Egyptian in character. The rude engravings on the
basement, as well as the Libyan and late-Punic inscriptions, are
ancient. Of the vestibule, 26 by 16 yds., but few vestiges are left.
The straight passage leading to the two small tomb-chambers in the
centre of the building collapsed in 1865. The two other shafts were
bored by treasure-hunting natives.
In the lofty valley of the Oued Mader we now reach the N. fringe of the
Sahara Atlas, between the spurs of the _Bellezma Mts._ on the W. and
_Jebel Bou Arif_ (5728 ft.), a range parallel on the N. with the Aurès
Mts. (p. 278).
62½ M. _El-Mader-Pasteur_ (2851 ft.) is the station for _El-Mader_, the
Roman _Casae_, a village with a little Byzantine fortress, situated 5 M.
to the S.E., at the foot of Jebel Bou Arif. A road leads from this
station also to (8 M.) _Pasteur_ and (19 M.) _Zana_.
The village of _Pasteur_ (two inns), on the _Oued Seriana_, was the
ancient _Lamiggiga_. In the market are Roman and early-Christian
relics.
=Zana= (no inn), the Roman _Diana Veteranorum_, a considerable colony
of veterans, has several interesting ancient buildings. A triumphal
arch of 165 A. D. is well preserved with the exception of the attica.
An arch of Macrinus (217 A. D.) formed afterwards part of a small
Byzantine fortress. The portal of a temple is still standing. The
ruined Byzantine church in the forum was built chiefly of materials
from Roman ruins.
The train mounts a steep gradient to (66½ M.) _Fesdis_ (3032 ft.), in a
defile scantily overgrown with bushes, between _Jebel Azeb_ (4485 ft.;
on the left) and the Bellezma Mts.
73 M. =Batna.=—_Rail. Restaurant_, déj. 3, D. 3½ fr., good.—HOTELS
(sometimes crowded in the season): _Hôt. des Etrangers_, Rue de Sétif.
R. 3–4, B. 1½, déj. 3–3½, D. 3½–4, omn. ¾–1 fr.; _Hôt. de Paris_, Rue
de Constantine, next the town-hall, R. 2½, B. 1¼, déj. 2½, D. 3, omn.
½ fr., plain but good; _St. Georges_, Rue de Sétif, unpretending
(attentive host).
_Batna_ (3412 ft.; pop. 7500, incl. 2400 Mohammedans and 700 Jews),
founded in 1844 as a military base for the advance upon Biskra, and now
the chief military station in S. Constantine and the key to the
important Sahara pass of El-Kantara, is a peaceful country-town with
regularly-built streets, and offers no attraction save perhaps the
‘_Village-Nègre_’ (comp. p. 181), to the S.E. of the Quartier Militaire.
It lies near the sources of the Oued Mader in a broad valley, often very
cold in winter, between the wooded Bellezma Mts. on the W., Jebel Azeb
(see above) on the N.E., and the spurs of the Aurès Mts. (p. 278) on the
S.
Tho finest point of view is =Jebel Touggour= or _Pic des Cèdres_ (6870
ft.), to the W. of tho town, a grand pyramid belonging to the Bellezma
group. A rough road (mule 4–5 fr.), leading close past the station,
ascends the valley to the W. and then the _Ravin des Gardes_, between
Jebel Touggour and _Jebel Bou Merzoug_ (5840 ft.), to (7½ M.) the
_Maison Forestière Oued Hamla_. Thence a bridle-path on the richly
wooded S. slope of Jebel Touggour; lastly a climb, towards the N.E.,
through ancient but neglected cedar-forest (p. 210), to the (4 hrs.)
summit. The immense panorama embraces tho Bellezma group and the
distant Hodna Mts. (p. 270) to the W., the Plateau des Sbakh and the
Tell Atlas near Constantine to the N.E., the long range of the Aurès
Mts. to the S.E. and S., and part of the Sahara to the S.W.
From Batna to _Lambèse_ and _Timgad_, see R. 45.
Beyond Batna the train crosses the watershed (3543 ft.) between the
Plateau des Sbakh and the Sahara. Far away to the S.W. are seen Jebel
Metlili and the depression of the pass of El-Kantara (see below). 80 M.
_Lambiridi_ (3527 ft.), near the scanty ruins of the Roman town of that
name.
We descend the broad valley of the _Oued el-Ksour_ or _Oued Aïn Touta_,
one of the sources of the Oued Biskra (p. 279), to (94 M.) _Mac-Mahon_
(3002 ft.; Arabic _Aïn-Tuta_), a poplar-shaded oasis and alfa station
(p. 171), originally founded by Alsatians. The next part of the line,
through a steppe furrowed by the brook and the winter rains, is curious
and interesting.
99 M. _Les Tamarins_ (about 2460 ft.) is not far from the famous gorge
of the stream, here called _Oued Tilatou_ (comp. p. 277).
The train next threads tunnels and cuttings through the saddle between
the Tilatou valley and that of the _Oued Fedhala_ or _Guebli_, the
second feeder of the Oued Biskra, whence we descend in a wide bend to
the E. to (103 M.) _Maâfa_ (about 2130 ft.), at the influx of the brook
_Maâfa_ into the Fedhala (excursion to the Maâfa valley, see pp. 277,
278).
In the foreground we again sight the bold rocky slopes of El-Kantara. We
recross the Oued Guebli, which, below the mouth of the Tilatou (see
above), is named _Oued el-Kantara_, skirt the S.E. base of the Metlili
(p. 277), and cross the stream to—
114 M. =El-Kantara.=—_Rail. Restaurant._—HOTEL (comp. p. 174). *_Hôt.
Bertrand_, with view, R. 3–3½, B. 1, déj. 3–3½, pens. 10, omn. ½
fr.—POST OFFICE, opposite the hotel.—CARRIAGE 2½ fr. per hour.—MULE
with English saddle, per day 5 fr., with Arabian saddle 3½ fr. (in the
villages of the oasis 2½ fr., when not ordered through a guide).
_El-Kántara_ (1772 ft.; ‘the bridge’, so named from its Roman bridge),
the Roman _Calceus Herculis_, one of the most important caravan-stations
in E. Algeria prior to the opening of the railway, owes its fame to the
grand gorge of the Oued el-Kantara, called by the natives _Fumm
es-Sahara_ (‘mouth of the desert’). The river here suddenly emerges from
a wild Alpine region, flanked by the red limestone rocks of _Jebel
Gaous_ and _Jebel Essor_, into a highly picturesque palm-oasis, below
which it skirts the spurs of the _Aurès Mts._ (p. 278) and careers
rapidly down to the Sahara.
From the station the road on the left bank, overlooking the river-bed,
with its profusion of wild oleanders, and the charming orchards on the
floor of the valley, descends in 10 min. to the _Hôtel Bertrand_,
situated at the finest and wildest point of the ravine, in a basin
almost entirely shut in by grey rocky slopes. A few hundred paces
farther, just before the mouth of the *Gorge (here barely 45 yds. wide),
is the _Roman Bridge_, which was too thoroughly restored in 1862 under
Napoleon III., carrying the old road, now partly destroyed by a
landslip, from the right bank of the river to the left. From the bridge
we enjoy a peculiar and striking view across the palm-oasis to the red
weather-worn rocks of the Montagne d’Albâtre (p. 278). A similar view is
offered by the _Iron Bridge_, 8 min. lower down, whence we may look back
also into the ravine with Jebel Metlili rising behind it.
The neighbouring *OASIS (pop. 3500), with its three mud-built villages,
inhabited exclusively by natives of Berber descent, is, next to Bou
Saâda (p. 270), the northmost palm-oasis in Barbary. From the iron
bridge the road leads past a kubba and cactus-gardens to (12 min.)
_Dahraouïa_, the only village at the foot of the red rocks of the right
bank of the stream, named also _Village Rouge_ from the red mud-walls of
the houses at its W. end, below the old burial-ground. The flat roof of
the lower mosque, situated on the steep bank of the stream, affords a
splendid view of the village and of the oasis as far as the Village Noir
(see below).
We now descend through luxuriant gardens to the right bank of the
El-Kantara, above which the village extends picturesquely, cross the
stream 10 min. lower down (by mule, or wading, or carried by a native),
and then, from the generally dry bed of the _Rivière Blanche_ (p. 278),
mount to the right to _Bourabès_ or _Village Noir_. From the N. end of
this village we ascend the valley in 8 min. to _Gueraguère_ or
_Khrekar_, known also as the _Village Blanc_, the largest village in the
oasis. We may walk through it and regain the hotel in 20–25 minutes.
If the El-Kantara is swollen we must return from Dahraouïa to the iron
bridge and visit Gueraguère and Bourabès from the left bank. By carriage
(7½ M., in 1½ hr.) we drive viâ Dahraouïa to the S. end of the oasis,
and return on the left bank viâ Bourabès and Gueraguère. In the villages
themselves we alight that we may better appreciate the novelty of the
scene.
The *=Jebel Metlili= (4900 ft.), a range of hills to the N.W. of
El-Kantara, scantily overgrown with scrub and alfa-grass (p. 171),
commands a splendid view of the steppe of El-Outaya (p. 278) and the
Sahara, as well as of the fringes of the Sahara Atlas as far as Jebel
Ahmar-Khaddou (p. 284). The clearness of the air and the wonderful
effects of light and shade enhance the fascination of the scene. The
mule-track (2½–3 hrs.) leads to the W. through the valley of the
generally dry _Oued Chebba_ and then winds up through a gorge and over
the hill-side to the summit. On the way are sometimes seen gazelles
and aoudads or maned sheep (Ovis tragelaphus, Arabic arwi;
occasionally even at El-Kantara).
The excursion to the *=Gorges de Tilatou= takes a whole day, or about
5–6 hrs. only if we go by train to _Les Tamarins_ (p. 276), sending
mules thither beforehand (provisions should be taken). Travellers from
Biskra should go by the morning train to El-Kantara and proceed thence
on mule-back to Les Tamarins, where they arrive in time for the
afternoon train to Constantine.—The very picturesque entrance to the
Tilatou valley is about 3 M. to the N.W. of El-Kantara. The grandest
part of the gorge is at the Berber village (dasbera) of _Tilatou_,
with its curious, still partly inhabited rock-dwellings. The village
lies about halfway between the mouth of the river and the station of
_Les Tamarins_.
A visit to the _Maâfa Valley_ takes a whole day from El-Kantara, or
from the _Maâfa_ station (p. 276), with the ride back to El-Kantara,
6–7 hrs. at least. The mule-track leads past the S. base of _Jebel
Groun_ (3905 ft.) and the small mosque of _Sidi Yahia_ to the
rock-villages of _Fetatcha_ and _Ameradsa_, inhabited by the Chaouïa
(see below), at the entrance to the wildest parts of the ravine. Good
riders may return to El-Kantara viâ _Beni-Ferah_ (see below).
The =Aurès Mts.=, the _Mons Aurasius_ of antiquity (Arabic _Auras_),
inhabited almost exclusively by the _Chaouïa_ (‘shepherds’), a Berber
tribe, not subdued by the French until 1845, rise to the E. of
El-Kantara, culminating in _Jebel Chelia_ (7634 ft.) and _Kef Mahmel_
(7615 ft.), the two highest peaks in Algeria. This grand
mountain-region, with the wild and interesting valleys of the _Oued
Abdi_ and the _Oued el-Abiod_, is as yet almost inaccessible to
tourists, no quarters being obtainable except by the courtesy of the
French officials or of the natives. A tour here, especially in winter,
necessitates almost as tedious and costly preparations as travelling
in Morocco (comp. p. 97). Better communication will, however, be
provided by the new, still unfinished road from _Markouna_ (p. 289) to
_Biskra_ (p. 279), by way of _Medina_ (4780 ft.) and _Aris_ (3842
ft.), opening up the head of the Oued el-Abiod valley, thence
following the line of the ancient Roman road through the grand _Ravine
of Tighanimine_, and descending from the zone of the cedar-forests to
_M’chounech_ and _Droh_, the palm-oases on the _Ahmar-Khaddou_ (p.
284).
A glance at the wild scenery of the Aurès Mts. is obtained by riding
past the _Jebel Haouidja_ (see below) to (10 M.) _Aïn-Zatout_ or
_Beni-Ferah_ (about 2950 ft.), a picturesque hill-village of the _Beni
Ferah_ tribe. Strength permitting, we may ride thence to the S. to
(17½ M.) *_Djemmorah_ (quarters at the sheikh’s) and (29 M.) _Branis_
(988 ft.), two palm-oases in the lower Oued Abdi valley, belonging to
the _Ouled Ziane_, the only Arab tribe in the Aurès, and to (42½ M.)
_Biskra_ (p. 279).
After leaving El-Kantara the RAILWAY passes through three short tunnels
into the _Gorge of El-Kantara_ (p. 276). Near the Roman bridge we obtain
a striking glimpse of the _Palm Oasis_, which, farther on, beyond the
bed of the _Rivière Blanche_, we survey in its full extent. Looking
back, on the right, we have a fine view of the red rocks in the gorge.
Running to the S.W., generally close to the Oued el-Kantara, the train
skirts the slopes of the _Montagne d’Albâtre_ or _Kef ed-Darsa_, a spur
of _Jebel Haouidja_ or _Jebel Kteuf_, which are geologically interesting
and have a splendid red glow in the sunshine.
125 M. _Fontaine des Gazelles_ (1280 ft.) lies in a stony waste between
_Jebel Selloum_ (2569 ft.), the S.W. buttress of Jebel Haouidja, and the
singular _Jebel Kroubset_. The small sulphur-baths of _Hammam Sidi
el-Hadj_, ½ hr. to the S.E. of the station, used by the natives only,
occupy the site of the Roman _Aquae Herculis_; an elliptical Roman
piscina, 107 yds. in circumference, still serves as a bath. The spring
(97° Fahr.) rises at the N. base of _Jebel el-Melah_ or _Gharribou_
(2057 ft.), noted for its rock-salt.
Nearing (131 M.) _El-Outaya_ (905 ft.), we survey on the right the
extensive steppe of _El-Outaya_ (‘the plain’), a kind of forecourt of
the Sahara, bounded on the S. by the Chaîne de Sfa (p. 282) and Jebel
Matraf. The soil is white with saltpetre in places. To the left, beyond
the station is a small palm-grove.
[Illustration: BISKRA]
A little before (138 M.) _Ferme Dufourg_, the station for a modelfarm 2½
M. to the W., on the right bank of the stream, we sight on the left the
hills of _Ahmar-Khaddou_ (p. 284), sometimes snow-clad in winter, the
landmark of Biskra.
We cross the _Plaine de Dar-Raous_ or _Dar el-Aroussa_, often enlivened
by gazelles; it lies between the Aurès streams _Oued Bou Gatou_ and
_Oued Abdi_ (p. 278), which here fall into the El-Kantara, now called
_Oued Biskra_.
Beyond the ‘_Col des Chiens_‘, a barren gorge at the foot of _Jebel
el-Mlaga_ (p. 282), we observe on the left the _Barrage_ of the Oued
Biskra, constructed in 1897 and guarded by a block-house. On the right
lies the Catholic cemetery and in the distance are the palm-oases of—
149 M. =Biskra.= The STATION (Pl. A, 1) is at the N.W. end of the
town, 8–12 min. from most of the hotels. Sleeping-car office at
_Bouillard & Simon’s_, Rue Berthe.
=Hotels= (comp. p. 174; often crowded in Feb. and March). *ROYAL HOTEL
(Pl. a; C, 3), Avenue Delacroix, at the S. end of the town, with
garden-court, terrace, belvedere (p. 281), and restaurant, R. 4–20, B.
1½–2, déj. 3½–4, D. 5–7, pens. 13–25, omn. 1 fr., closed May-Oct.;
*PALACE HOTEL (Pl. b; B, C, 4), next the Casino (see below), well
situated, with pretty garden, R. 6–20, pens. 16–25 fr., closed 16th
April to 30th Nov.; GRAND-HÔTEL EXCELSIOR (Pl. g; B, C, 4), with
garden, R. 3–10, B. 1½, déj. 3–4, D. 4–5, pens. 12½–25 fr., closed
16th May–31st Oct., well spoken of.—*HÔT. VICTORIA (Pl. c; A, 2),
Boul. Gambetta, with small garden, R. 3–6, B. 1½, déj. 3, D. 4, pens.
11–15, omn. ¾ fr., closed 16th May to 14th Oct.; *HÔT. DU SAHARA (Pl.
e; B, 2), Rue Berthe, with restaurant and garden-court, R. 3–7, B. 1¼,
déj. 3½, D. 4, pens. 9–10, omn. ¾ fr.; HÔT. DE L’OASIS (Pl. d; C, 2),
Rue du Card. Lavigerie, with restaurant, R. 3–5, B. 1, déj. or D. 3,
pens. 9–12, omn. 1 fr., patronized by the French, open the whole year,
good; HÔT. DES ZIBANS (Pl. f; C, 2), Rue du Card. Lavigerie, R. 2½–5,
B. 1, D. 2½, pens. 8½–10 fr., plain.
=Cafés.= At the _Casino_ (see below); _Glacier_, Rue du Card.
Lavigerie.
=Carriages= (stand in Square Dufourg; Pl. C, 3). From station to town
with luggage 1½, per hour 2½, to Chetma or the Dunes of Oumache 10, to
Sidi-Okba or Droh 20, to Oumache or Bordj Saâda 25 fr.—The tariff is
high, but a bargain may often be made for much less, if without the
intervention of hotel-porters or guides.
=Horse= or =Mule=, 3–6 fr., according to distance.—CAMEL, with
attatouch (p. 174) for ladies, 4 fr. per day; attendant ½–1 fr.
=Tramway= from the Casino (see below) every ½–1 hr. on the Route de
Touggourt (Pl. C, 4, 5) to Old Biskra (in 12 min.; 10 c.; terminus
near the Kasba Hill); also four times daily viâ Beni-Mora to Hammam
es-Salahin (in 50 min.; 50 c.)—DILIGENCE to Sidi-Okba (at 8.30 a.m.;
returning at 3 p.m.); also to Touggourt (comp. p. 284).
=Physicians.= _Dr. Couillaud_, Rue Malakoff 15 (2–4 o’cl.); _Dr.
Dicquemare_, at the Gr.-Hôt. Excelsior.—CHEMIST. _G. Isaac_, Rue
Berthe.—MOORISH BATH (Pl. C, 4), Route de Touggourt.—PHOTOGRAPHS at
_Fréchon’s, Bougault’s_, and _Maure’s_, all in Rue Berthe.
=Post & Telegraph Office= (Pl. B, 2), Rue Saad 3.
=English Church Service= (Jan.-April) at the former Cercle Civil (Pl.
1; B, C, 2), Rue Graillet.
=Amusements.= _Casino Dar-Diaf_ (Pl. B, C, 4; p. 281), Route de
Touggourt, with theatre and concert-room; varieties, dances of the
Ouled Naïl, etc.—_Ouled Naïl_ dancing-girls (originally of the nomadic
tribe mentioned at p. 215), and other native artists perform at the
small native cafés in the Rue Arcelin and Rue Lapeyrouse (Pl. B, C,
3); visitors pay 1 fr. (incl. cup of Arabian tea or coffee).
=Festivals.= The _Courses de Biskra_, held for three days between 1st
and 20th Feb., comprise camel-races (courses sahariennes de mehara),
horse-races in the hippodrome of Beni-Mora (p. 283), ‘Fantasia Arabe’
(equestrian performances, p. 99), and processions of the natives.—The
‘grande prière’ on the Kasba Hill at the end of the fasting-month of
Ramadan attracts many spectators.—To join the _Falcon Hunts_ of an
agha (see below) special permission is required.
=Guides= (p. xxvi; 4–5 fr. a day; 2 fr. for an evening only), like
hawkers and beggars, are a local pest, but their services are entirely
superfluous, even for drives or rides in the environs, where the
drivers or attendants give information.
=Climate.= The season is Nov.–April. Lying at the S. base of the
Sahara Atlas and on the margin of the desert, Biskra has all the
characteristics of the Sahara climate (pp. 170, 171). The great
fluctuations of temperature (mean winter maximum 65° Fahr., mean
minimum 45°) are comparatively little felt, even by invalids, owing to
the remarkable dryness of the air. The rainfall is very slight and
sunless days are quite the exception. The dust, however, is sometimes
troublesome, even in winter, and sand-storms, especially during the
sirocco (S.E. wind), may occur at any season. When a cold N. or N.W.
wind blows from the Sahara Atlas, the palm-oasis alone affords some
shelter. As yet no special arrangements for invalids exist at Biskra.
=Sights=, when time is limited. On arrival, view from the belvedere of
the _Royal Hotel_ (p. 281). 1st Day. Visit to _Market_ (p. 281) early,
then _Villa de Bénévent_ and *_Old Biskra_ (p. 281); in the afternoon,
ride or drive to the _Col de Sfa_ (p. 282). 2nd Day. Excursion to
_Sidi-Okba_ (p. 283).
The little town of _Biskra_ (400 ft.; pop. 7400, of whom 6300 are
Mohammedans, incl. Old Biskra) lies at the S. base of the low _Chaîne de
Sfa_ (p. 282), on the right bank of the _Oued Biskra_, generally a very
poor stream below the Barrage (p. 279). Owing to its convenient
situation at the end of the E. Algerian Sahara railway, and to its fine
climate, it has grown into great favour of late as a winter resort and
the ‘Nice’ of Algeria. The present town, with streets regularly built as
in all the modern Algerian towns, has sprung up only since the French
occupation of 1844. The mediæval Biskra, named after the small Roman
settlement of _Bescĕra_, lay in the midst of the palm-oasis (p. 281), on
the top and on the slopes of a low hill, where, after the destruction of
the town by Sala Reïs (1553), a Turkish fort (kasba) was built. The
natives then settled anew in the still existing seven villages of the
oasis.
Biskra is the capital and administrative centre of the _Zab_ (‘oasis’,
pl. _ziban_), the extensive girdle of oases on the S. fringes of the
_Monts du Zab_ (p. 170) and the _Aurès Mts._ In accordance with their
sites these oases are named _Zab Dahraoui_ (N. Zab), on the margin of
the Monts du Zab, _Zab Guebli_ (S. Zab), on the _Oued Djedi_ (p. 284),
and _Zab Chergui_ (E. Zab), between the Aurès Mts. and the _Chott
Melrir_ (p. 284). The natives of the Zab, who are under an ‘agha’ or
chief, are mostly Berbers with a large infusion of Arabian and in some
cases Turkish blood. Many of them, under the name of _Biskris_, are
met with in the coast-towns as small traders.
The only business street is the RUE BERTHE (Pl. B, C, 1–3), in the S.
part of which there are a few small European shops. It intersects the
whole town and connects the railway-station with the strangers’ quarter
on the S. side.
Between the Rue Berthe and _Fort St. Germain_ (Pl. B, C, 1, 2), the
nucleus of the town, built in 1849–51, runs the _Grande Allée_ past the
_Jardin Public_, which, on its N.E. side, is adjoined by the _Jardins de
la Garnison_.
The Rue Berthe leads to the AVENUE DELACROIX (Pl. C, 3), the favourite
haunt of guides and hawkers, where, at its junction with the Square
Dufourg, rises a bronze statue of _Card. Lavigerie_ (Pl. 2, C, 3; p.
346), the benefactor of Biskra.
The belvedere of the _Royal Hotel_ (p. 279), 92 ft. high, resembling a
minaret (visitors kindly admitted), commands an excellent *Panorama of
the town and its environs, finest in the early morning, or towards
sunset, when the Ahmar-Khaddou (‘rosy cheek’; p. 284) is bathed in a
ruddy glow.
The _Casino Dar-Diaf_ (Pl. B, C, 4; ‘house of the guests’), built by A.
Ballu (p. 289) in the neo-Moorish style in 1892–3, is the fashionable
evening resort.
The _Mairie_ (Pl. B, 2), the small _Mosque_ (Pl. B, 3), and other public
buildings are situated between the Rue Berthe and the quiet Boul. Carnot
(Pl. A, B, 2, 3), which joins the Avenue Delacroix at the Casino.
The MARCHÉ (Pl. B, 3) presents a busy and picturesque scene, especially
in the early morning, which will interest new-comers. The motley throng
of traders, many of them Mozabites (p. 216), offer the art-industrial
products of the Berber tribes of the Aurès and the Sahara, besides
Moroccan wares and ‘Oriental’ articles made in Europe, at unduly high
prices. The fruit and vegetable market affords evidence of the fertility
of the oases. The _Marché aux Bestiaux_ is held in the Boul. Carnot on
Mondays.
Camel caravans from the Sahara may be seen at the _Fondouks_ (Pl. A,
3), the inns of the natives on the Route des Zibans.
The quite modern _Village-Nègre_ (Pl. C, 4; comp. p. 181) is very dirty
and uninteresting.
A few hundred yards to the S. of the town, between the Route de
Touggourt and the Route de Sidi-Okba, is the VILLA DE BÉNÉVENT or
_Jardin Landon_ (Pl. C, 5; adm. 2 fr.), a creation of Count Landon (p.
305), the beautiful *Grounds of which are stocked with a marvellous
profusion of tropical and subtropical plants, and afford a delightful
shady retreat in hot weather.
The great attraction in the nearer environs is *=Old Biskra=
(_Vieux-Biskra_; see inset Map, at p. 279), with its clay-built
oasis-villages (_ksar_, pl. _ksûr_) inhabited by Biskris (p. 280), and
its oasis 3 M. long by 110–550 yds. wide, with some 150,000 date-palms
and 6000 fruit-trees (apricots, figs, oranges), besides corn-fields and
small kitchen-gardens. The palms, being well watered from the Barrage
(p. 279), are well grown and beautifully green; the dates, however, have
less flavour than those of the Oued Rhir (p. 285), the Djerid (p. 386),
and particularly those of the Souf (p. 285). The traveller may induce a
native (20–30 c.) to show him one of the palm-gardens, or he may be
satisfied with a glimpse at them over the low mud-walls or through gaps.
From the Villa de Bénévent (p. 281) walkers follow the right bank of the
Oued Biskra, in the bed of which stands the kubba of _Sidi Zerzour_, to
the (20 min.) village of _M’Cid_, the eastmost in the oasis, with its
tall cypress, 130 ft. high, and its pertinacious beggars. The lofty
minaret of the small mosque of _Sidi Moussa_ or _Sidi Malek_ (muezzin,
30–50 c.) affords a fine survey of the oasis, backed on the N.E. by the
distant and usually snow-clad Jebel Chelia (p. 278), and extending to
the S.E. to Sidi-Okba (p. 283).
About ¼ hr. to the S.W. of M’Cid is the picturesque village of _Bab
el-Dharb_, infested by begging children, where, at the great lotus-tree
near the two conduits, we enjoy a charming view of the palm-gardens.
Close by is the mosque of _Sidi Abd el-Moumen_, whose minaret is another
famous point of view (ascent toilsome).
Between Bab el-Dharb and the tramway-terminus (p. 279; Café Petit
Robinson) rises the _Kasba Hill_, crowned with the old mud-built Turkish
fort, now partly washed away by rain, where the first French garrison
was massacred by the natives in 1844. View limited.
The village of _Bab-Fath_, to the S.W. of the Kasba Hill, has a
picturesque shrine, the marabout of _Sidi Lahsen_.
We return to Biskra by tramway on the Route de Touggourt, passing the
poor _Mohammedan Cemetery_ on the left and the _Hôpital Lavigerie_ on
the right; or we may choose the road (½ hr.) through the village of _Ras
el-Guéria_, noted for the gaily coloured costumes of its inhabitants.
For CARRIAGES (tariff, see p. 279) the route prescribed for avoiding
the narrow roads is viâ M’Cid to Bab el-Dharb, and back by the Route
de Touggourt or viâ Ras el-Guéria. With this excursion may be combined
a drive to the small oasis of _Cora_, with most characteristic Sahara
surroundings, and to (6¼ M. from Biskra) the _Dunes d’Oumache_, or
even to the (10 M.) _Oase Oumache_, where the ksar, defended by
ancient moats, contains many remains of Roman buildings. Fine view at
the marabout. The excursion to Oumache takes at least half a day.
Provisions should be taken.
The (5 M.) *=Col de Sfa=, which has long been famed for its view, is a
depression in the _Chaîne de Sfa_, between _Jebel Bou Rezel_ (1322 ft.)
and _Jebel el-Mlaga_ (1302 ft.), on the shadeless road to El-Kantara and
Batna. We drive (by the hour, see p. 279), or (preferable) ride to the
pass; in the latter case we may extend our trip from the pass to the (¼
hr.) ruinous Poste Optique, whence we survey the steppe of El-Outaya (p.
278) to the N., and to the S. the endless undulating expanse of the
yellow Sahara, spotted like a panther’s hide, as Strabo has described
it, with its green oases (Chetma, Biskra, Sidi-Okba, etc.). Finest light
towards sunset.
The (5 M.) =Hammam es-Salahin= (443 ft.; ‘bath of the saints’) or
_Fontaine-Chaude_, the Roman _Ad Piscinam_, is most conveniently reached
by tramway (p. 279). The car runs through the whole of the Boul. Carnot
(p. 281), turns to the W. past a hill crowned with a disused _Optic
Telegraph_ (Pl. A, 3), and then passes the small oasis of _Beni-Mora_
and crosses the streamlet _Oued Zemour_.
The _Bath House_ (pens. with baths 10 fr.) attracts many visitors from
Biskra, especially in summer. It lies in a most dreary region between
_Jebel Bou Rezel_ (p. 282) and the sandy _Jebel Maouya Gorah_. The
quadrangle, where the surprisingly copious salt and sulphur spring (115°
Fahr.) bursts forth, is enclosed by cells for Europeans (1½ fr.) and
men’s and women’s baths for the natives. The roof-terrace affords a good
view of the environs. About 1 M. to the N. is a small mountain-lake of
volcanic origin.
_Jebel Maouya Gorah_, the E. spur of Jebel Matraf, is a good
standpoint for surveying the girdle of oases formed by the Zab
Dahraoui and Zab Guebli (p. 280), stretching to the distant Oued Djedi
(p. 284). The S. base of this range, where the building and paving
stones of Biskra are now quarried, is skirted by the _Route des
Zibans_, much used by caravans.
The EXCURSION TO SIDI-OKBA (13 M.; diligence, see p. 279; carr. tariff,
see p. 279, but 12–15 fr. is usually accepted) is the favourite among
the longer trips from Biskra. The Route de Sidi-Okba (Pl. C, 4, 5) fords
the Biskra (sometimes dangerous after winter rains) and skirts the small
oases of _Lalia_ and _Filliache_. Between these is the _Nécropole_, once
a Berber burial-ground.
For the long drive through the dreary steppe at the S. foot of the Aurès
Mts., enlivened only by the begging children of the nomads, we are
repaid by the verdant _Palm Oasis of Sidi-Okba_, the most fertile of the
Zab Chergui group (p. 280), watered by a network of conduits from the
Oued el-Abiod (p. 278).
The small town of =Sidi-Okba= (144 ft.; restaurant, at the entrance to
the town; pop. 4900), the religious centre of the Zab, owes its origin
and its fame as a resort of pilgrims to the tomb of Sidi Okba (p. 322),
who ended his victorious career in the adjacent oasis of Thouda. The now
poor town, with its mud-built fortifications and houses, and its
beggars, lepers, and importunate guides, vividly recalls a mediæval
Sahara town.
On alighting we walk straight on, then bear to the left, and soon reach
a small square with the _Maison du Kaïd_ and other picturesque houses.
Turning here to the left we come to a second place, where on the left,
preceded by a colonnade, rises the plain _Mosque of Sidi-Okba_, the
oldest in Algeria, containing the tomb of the saint, which is shown on
Fridays only. The main entrance to the court of the mosque consists of a
carved *Door in the so-called Berber style (10th cent.). The minaret
should be ascended for the sake of the excellent survey it affords of
the town and the oasis (custodian 50 c.). Adjoining the mosque is the
_Zaouïa_, with a Mohammedan law-school.
Passing through the gateway we now follow the first street on the right
to the _Market_, with its quaint and busy crowd.
The steppe adjoining _Aïn-Naga_, 14½ M. to the E. of Sidi-Okba, on the
caravan route to _Négrine_, which in late-Roman times was an important
military road, is a favourite resort in winter of gazelle-stalkers
from Biskra. Mirages (Fata Morgana) are often witnessed here.
The *EXCURSION TO M’CHOUNECH, which is much grander than the last-named,
is very fatiguing, but will be greatly facilitated by the opening of the
new road through the Aurès Mts. (p. 278). We ride to the E., across the
Biskra ford, to (5 M.) _Chetma_, a small palm-oasis on the outskirts of
the Aurès, where the road at present ends. After a short rest in the
village (ksar), with its mud-built houses, or beside the adjoining
springs, we proceed viâ (10½ M.) _Droh_ to (14 M.) _El-Habel_ (778 ft.),
where we reach the deep-set valley of the _Oued el-Abiod_ (p. 278). We
then ascend on the right bank of the stream to (19 M.) =M’chounech=
(1083 ft.; quarters at the sheikh’s), a beautiful palm-oasis with 1300
inhab., at the foot of the _Ahmar-Khaddou_ (6315 ft.).
The hill on which the ksar stands affords a very curious and striking
view of the neighbouring *Ravines (accessible in dry weather only) and
the upper course of the stream with its oases, as far as Baniane; but we
may obtain a still grander view by riding to the (24 M.) _Poste Optique_
(3691 ft.), on the S. margin of the Ahmar-Khaddou, whence the most
impressive desert panorama stretches as far as the Chott Melrir (see
below). The summit of the mountain may be gained in 4–5 hrs. more, but
few travellers will care to face the toilsome ascent.
From Biskra to Branis, Djemmorah, Beni-Ferah, and _El-Kantara_, see p.
278; to the _Gorges de Tilatou_, see p. 277.
Hardy and well-equipped (pp. 173, 174) travellers will be repaid by
the interesting SAHARA ROUTE TO TOUGGOURT (127 M.; ‘courrier postal’,
open omnibus with awning, on Mon., Wed., and Frid. at 3 a.m., in 28
hrs., excl. 10 hrs.’ halt for the night at M’raïer; fare 40 fr.; carr.
from the hirers Viallard or Tourenq, 300–400 fr.; a driver that speaks
French should be asked for). A railway from Biskra to Touggourt is now
under construction.—The Route de Touggourt leads to the S.E. from Old
Biskra (p. 281) through the steppe to (19 M.) _Bordj Saâda_ (85 ft.),
in the plain of the _Oued Djedi_ (comp. p. 215), and thence to the S.
to (32½ M.) _Bordj Chegga_, to the W. of the _Chott Melrir_ (95 ft.
below the sea-level), the largest salt-lake in Algeria. 45½ M. _Bir
Sethil_, on the _Oued Itel_, across the bed of which, generally dry,
the road is carried by an embankment over 100 yds. long, built of
blocks of gypsum. 50 M. _Kef ed-Door_ (374 ft.), a plateau affording
fine views, with a Poste Optique communicating with Ahmar-Khaddou (see
above), and said to be the southmost point reached by Sidi Okba (p.
322) in the course of his campaigns. 63½ M. _Ourir_, a small oasis
near the _Chott Merouan_, the S. arm of Chott Melrir, contains the
kubba of _Sidi Makfi_, a favourite resort of pilgrims.
69 M. =M’raïer= or _Merayer_ (13 ft. below sea-level; Caravansérail,
R. 2–3, B. ½, D. 3½ fr.; pop. 1700), a thriving but fever-haunted
village, with a luxuriant palm-oasis watered by artesian wells.
We next come to the region of the =Oued Rhir=, also malarious, with
the largest girdle of oases in Algeria. These oases, artificially
irrigated under the French régime by the sinking of numerous very
costly artesian wells, have gained immensely in fertility, and their
palms (about 950,000) supply the European markets with dates of the
clear or pale variety (deglet en-nûr). Passing the posting-stations of
_Sidi-Khelil_ and _El-Berd_ we come to _Ourlana_ (69 ft.; pop. 4000),
on the so-called _Sea of Ourlana_, a chain of lakes where the water of
the Oued Rhir comes to the surface. 109½ M. _Djemaâ_ (Caravansérail,
R. 3, B. ¾, D. 3 fr., quite good), lies near the oasis of
_Tiguedidin_, with its pretty lake in a palm-grove. Then _Tamerna_,
with 1600 inhab., and _Sidi-Rached_. The swarthy complexion of the
natives, mostly _Rouaras_, akin to the Harrâtin (p. 94), now indicates
that we are nearing the Sudan.
127 M. =Touggourt= or _Tougourt_ (259 ft.; Hôt. de l’Oasis, Grande
Place, near the Bureau Arabe, R. 3, D. 3, pens. 12½ fr.; mule and
attendant 5 fr. per day; pop. 7100), a rapidly increasing little town,
with a great Friday market, is important as the junction of the
caravan-routes to the Mzab (p. 216), Ouargla (or Wargla), and the Souf
(see below). New Touggourt (_T. el-Djedida_) lies at the foot of a
hill crowned with the ruins of Old Touggourt (_T. el-Khedima_). The
distinguishing features of the town are two tall square towers, a
minaret, and the clock-tower of the Kasba. The new gypsum-built
houses, some of them in several stories, produce a striking effect.
The inhabitants—Rouaras, many Mozabites (p. 216), and Jews and negroes
who have embraced Islam—live in separate quarters (_zgag_) and in
large suburbs. Their home-industries, especially weaving and
carpet-making, are thriving. It is very interesting to ride through
the *_Oasis_, or to make an excursion to the S. to the little oasis
town of (8 M.) _Temacin_ and the (9½ M.) _Zaouïa of Tamelhat_, one of
the most influential monasteries in the Sahara, with a superb *Mosque.
In order to avoid the long route back to Biskra, and at the same time
to see more of the Sahara, we may ride from Touggourt viâ _El-Oued_,
to the N.E., in 4–5 days direct to _Nefta_ (p. 387; trotting-camel to
El-Oued 10, and for the ‘Saharien’ a fee of 3 fr. per day; comp. also
p. 174). The caravan-route, marked only by pyramidal signals, crosses
the great dunes of the =Souf=, where ‘desert-roses’ (p. 270) abound,
one of the N. offshoots of the _Erg Oriental_, as the great E. desert
of the Sahara is called. The only houses of call are (12½ M.) _Bordj
Mguitla_, (24 M.) _Bordj Mouiat Ferdjana_, and (44½ M.) _Bordj Mouiat
el-Kaïd_. The first village in the Souf is (53 M.) _Ourmes_.
61½ M. =El-Oued= (263 ft.; good quarters at the house of the merchant
Sagnier, R. 3, déj. or D. 4¼ fr.; pop. 7400), the interesting capital
of the Souf, with windowless houses covered with barrel-vaulting and
small domes, is best viewed from the minaret or from the dune on the
N. side. El-Oued and particularly the neighbouring oasis of _Guémar_
are famed for their weaving; their wares are sent by the caravan-route
to the S.E. viâ Bir er-Ressof (Beresof) to Ghadâmes in Tripolitania.
The *_Oases_ of the Souf, containing about 180,000 palm-trees, have
quite a different system of cultivation from all others in Barbary.
The remarkably thick and long-leaved palms stand in funnel-shaped
hollows (entonnoirs, Arabic ritan), and are protected against
sand-drift by palisades of palm-twigs. The irrigation is provided by
surface-water collected in wells, from which the water is raised by
means of long draw-beams. The dates, owing to the peculiar mode of
culture and the great heat of the sun, are noted for their sweetness
and fine flavour. They are usually exported to Europe by way of S.
Tunis.
Beyond (74½ M.) _Debila_, where the high dunes end, we ride to the
Tunisian frontier across the pastures of the nomadic tribes, watered
by artesian wells. A delightful scene is presented by the watering of
the cattle, driven in from every direction, and indefatigably supplied
by the swarthy herdsmen.
Beyond _Choucht el-Ihoudi_ and _Bir el-Asli_, the first stages in
Tunisia, we traverse the dreary steppe to the N.W. end of the _Chott
Djerid_ (p. 386), through which we ride for a short way on the _Trik
Douaria_. 137 M. _Nefta_ (p. 387), where we must announce our arrival
at the custom-house.—From Nefta viâ _Tozeur_ to _Metlaoui_ (and
_Gafsa_), see pp. 387, 386.