Algeria is a country whose sights have developed as a result of the influence of various cultures, religions, civilizations. Acquaintance with it will give a lot of vivid and unforgettable impressions. There are cities on the rocks, fantastically fenced by nature itself, beautiful temples, mosques and ancient fortresses, the ruins of ancient castles and other attractions.
Algeria - African country
This Islamic state is located in northern Africa. Algeria is second in size on the continent. Interestingly, most of the country is occupied by sands, here is the world famous Sahara desert. Of course, these are far from all the sights. Algeria is the result of the influence of several generations of ancient civilizations, so it is difficult to overestimate the importance of its cultural heritage. In different parts of the country you can see the ruins of ancient cities.
It is known from history that in 1962, Algerians with arms in their hands won their independence, and before that, since 1834, Algeria was a colony of France and was considered part of it. This circumstance left its mark on how Algeria (the city) looks today . The sights here can tell both about the colonial page of life, and about more ancient events. It is noteworthy that the territory of Algeria is divided into two parts: the Old City (Kasbah) and the new one. In the first, wandering through the narrow streets, you can find small houses, ancient mosques, fortresses. Kasbah was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1992.
The new part, built by the French, is no less magnificent. There are tall houses and wide quarters, Notre Dame d'Afric is a special decoration.
Notre Dame Cathedral
This is the second name of the cathedral, which majestically rises on a hundred-meter-high cliff above the sea and the city. Its rounded domes are visible from everywhere.
Notre Dame d`Afric was built for almost fourteen years. The author of the project was the French architect Jean Eugene Fromazhau.
Near the entrance, parishioners are greeted by a statue of Our Lady. It is made of a bronze alloy and has become very dark, which misleads some tourists arriving here who believe that the Virgin Mary was black.
Despite the fact that the cathedral is Catholic, you can meet Muslims here. They come to pray to the Virgin Mary, their prayer request is inscribed on the apse of the temple altar. Interestingly, inside the cathedral all its walls are covered with prayers and quotes of psalms in different languages and dialects.
From the reviews of tourists it is known that during the evening worship, priests go to the rocky shore and bless all those who are in the Mediterranean Sea.
Cala Beni Hammad
Here, surrounded by mountain slopes, this ancient city is located - the capital of the Hammamid Empire. It is known that it was founded at the beginning of the eleventh century, but after a century and a half it was destroyed.
This ancient city is also included by UNESCO in the world heritage sites and represents the most valuable sights. Algeria, for its part, also granted a special status to this monument of history and architecture.
Kala Beni Hammad is located in the north of the country, on the territory of Msilah vilayet. Excavations have been ongoing here since the late nineteenth century. Archaeologists have been able to find here a lot of evidence that there was not only a fortress, but also a beautiful city. The remains of city walls, fortifications and signal towers are found.
Particularly impressive is the palace ensemble with a pool, decorated with expensive paintings, marble, majolica, testifying to the exquisite taste of representatives of ancient civilization. Also here a dilapidated mosque was discovered, including thirteen naves, each of which includes eight rows. The minaret reached a height of twenty meters.
Major Cities and Landmarks of Algeria: Constantine
This unique city is located in an unusual place. It rises 600 meters, located on a huge plateau. At the foot of the canyon. Thanks to such unusual environmental conditions, Constantine became a model in the art of mountain slopes. Fenced off by natural conditions, the slopes fancifully crown houses and fences, connect bridges and a viaduct.
Constantine is also called the city of seven bridges. Previously, this number was true, today there are four plus a viaduct, which can be called the bridge of life. The reviews of tourists who visited this city tell about rope crossings over the abyss, along which locals pass everyday, like in the subway.
The city of Constantine is the third largest in the country. But tourism is not particularly developed here. If you rely on the reviews of tourists who visited these places, the reason lies in the dangers of the mountain road.
Port city of Oran
Spread on the Mediterranean coast, this city is the opposite of the previous one. Note that this is another side that opens up the African country and its attractions. Algeria, as you probably already noticed, is very diverse.
This city arose in the tenth century, its founders were merchants who chose this place because of their good location. Two lions - so the name "Oran" is translated from French. It has its own history, which dates back to antiquity, or rather, the ninth century BC. Then these majestic animals inhabited these territories, they are depicted on the coat of arms of the city.
In the middle of the last century, Oran was considered the cultural and economic center of the country; by the composition of the population, it could well be attributed to European cities. However, after the war of independence, the situation in the country changed and many Europeans returned to their homeland.
Today, Oran is the largest seaport of the country and the northern part of the continent.