Algeria

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Entry posted by korver · October 24, 2020

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Algeria is a country of 42 million people and one of the world's largest countries. Predominantly Sunni Muslim, Algeria was colonized by France in the 19th century but gained autonomy in the early 1960s. Many empires have left legacies here, and ancient ruins can be seen dotting the country's beautiful coastline. Algeria is home to all sorts of impressive man-made and natural features - small oasis towns, modern cities, sprawling farmlands, and rural areas sit alongside massive sand dunes, and mountains. Algeria is a truly beautiful country, and today we'll be exploring some of its many wonders.

Our look at Algeria begins in Constantine, also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina - the capital of the Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the French department of Constantine until 1962, and over the years has grown in size and popularity with tourists. The city is well known for its dramatic location perched high above a river gorge, which many narrow bridges cross over.

North of Constantine, near the country's shoreline is one of Algeria's most prized historical destinations, Timgad. Located in the Aurès Mountains of Algeria, it was founded by the Emperor Trajan around CE 100. The full name of the city was Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi. Trajan named the city in commemoration of his mother Marcia, eldest sister Ulpia Marciana, and father Marcus Ulpius Traianus. Today, the city has unfortunately been reduced to ruins - but back in the day, it would have been quite the sight to see.

The entire northern region of Algeria is dominated by the foothills and slopes of the majestic Atlas Mountains. They're especially impressive when seen from space.

We head further north for a stop in Algiers, the country's sprawling capital city. Home to nearly 3,000,000 people, it's also Algeria's chief seaport and the political, economic, and cultural center of Algeria.

After exploring the capital, we catch a flight for the oasis town of Timimoun in the interior of the country. This outpost is home to small green groves of palms and countless sparkling lakes - and for centuries, it's been one of the most important stops for camel caravans on trips across the country.

After discovering some of the wonders of the Timimoun Oasis, we head back north towards the slopes of the Atlas mountains - a region of the country known for its agriculture and produce. Orchards and olive groves can be seen for miles around, especially along the narrow, forested river gorges that cross the foothills.

Immediately south of the Atlas mountains lies the impressive Grand Erg Occidental - this region is known for being especially barren and desolate, with some of the world's highest recorded temperatures and massive sand dunes that stretch for hundreds of miles in every direction.

We now head north to one of Algeria's most beautiful cities, Ghardaïa. Originally part of a pentapolis, Ghardaia is the only one of five hilltop cities built almost a thousand years ago in the M'Zab valley that survives today - and in current times, it's a bustling, vibrant market town that draws in tourists and locals from all around. This market town truly comes to life at sunset.

On market day, the center of the city's old town can get quite crowded and chaotic.

After checking out Ghardaïa, we've decided to venture further back into the Erg. Our camel caravan takes us through the heart of the country over many days and weeks - and the dunes are so vast that it seems they stretch on for an eternity.

The immense size of the Erg makes it clear that we'll need to hop aboard a plane for the last leg of the journey.

We make a quick stop at a nearby oasis on the country's border with Mali - and we head back out towards the southern part of the country for our last impressive sight from above.

The extreme southern region of Algeria is dominated by the Ahaggar Mountains - a region that's known for ancient volcanic activity which has resulted in massive plugs of rock shooting through the surface. Over the millennia, wind and rain have taken their toll, turning these massive rocks into a truly unique natural feature. We'll conclude with a look over this impressive region from high above, an unforgettable sight.