Algeria is a country whose sights have developed as a result of the influence of various cultures, religions and civilizations. Acquaintance with her will give many bright and unforgettable impressions. There are cities on the rocks, intricately fenced by nature itself, the most beautiful temples, mosques and ancient fortresses, the ruins of ancient castles and other attractions.
Algeria is an African country
This Islamic state is located in northern Africa. In terms of size, Algeria is the second largest on the continent. Interestingly, most of the country's territory is occupied by sands; here is the world-famous Sahara desert. Of course, these are not all attractions. 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 the Algerians won their independence with weapons in their hands, and before that from 1834Algiers 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 meet small houses, ancient mosques, fortresses. Kasbah in 1992 classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The new part, built by the French, is no less magnificent. There are tall houses and wide quarters, Notre Dame d'Afrique is a special decoration.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Africa
This is the second name of the cathedral, which rises majestically on a 120-meter cliff above the sea and the city. Its rounded domes are visible from everywhere.
Notre Dame d`Afrique was built almost fourteen years. The author of the project was the French architect Jean Eugene Fromageau.
At the entrance, the parishioners are greeted by a statue of Our Lady. It is made of a bronze alloy and has become quite dark, misleading some tourists arriving here, who believe that the Virgin Mary was dark-skinned.
Despite the fact that the cathedral is Catholic, you can also meet Muslims here. They come to pray to the Virgin Mary, their request for prayers is inscribed on the apse of the altar of the temple. It is interesting that inside the cathedral all its walls are covered with prayers and quotes from psalms in different languages and dialects.
From the reviews of tourists it is known that duringthe evening service, the priests go to the rocky shore and bless all those who are in the Mediterranean Sea.
Kala Beni Hammad
Here, surrounded by mountain slopes, is this ancient city - 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 in the UNESCO 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 Msila vilayet. Excavations have been carried out here since the end of the nineteenth century. Archaeologists managed to find here a lot of evidence that not only a fortress, but also a beautiful city was located here. Remains of city walls, fortifications and signal towers have been found.
Especially impressive is the palace ensemble with a swimming pool, decorated with expensive paintings, marble, majolica, testifying to the exquisite taste of representatives of an ancient civilization. Also, a dilapidated mosque was found here, including thirteen naves, each including eight rows. The minaret was twenty meters high.
Major cities and sights of Algiers: Constantine
This unique city is located in an unusual place. It rises to 600 meters, located on a huge plateau. At its foot is a canyon. Thanks to such unusual naturalconditions of Constantine became a model in the artistic design of the mountain slopes. Slopes wrought by natural conditions fancifully crown houses and fences, connect bridges and viaducts.
Konstantin is also called the city of seven bridges. Previously, this number corresponded to reality, today there are four of them plus a viaduct, which can be called the bridge of life. The reviews of tourists who visited this city tell about rope crossings across the abyss, along which locals routinely, like in the subway, pass.
The city of Constantine is the third largest in the country. But tourism is not particularly developed here. Based on the reviews of tourists who visited these places, the reason lies in the dangers of the mountain road.
Port City of Oran
Spread out on the Mediterranean coast, this city is the opposite of the previous one. Note that this is another side that opens 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 its good location. Two lions - this is how the name "Oran" sounds translated from French. It has its own history, which dates back to antiquity, or rather, the ninth century BC. Then these territories were inhabited by these majestic animals, they are depicted on the coat of arms of the city.
In the middle of the last century, Oran was consideredthe cultural and economic center of the country, according to 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.
