The Casbah
Introduction to
Algiers
The Casbah
http://www.ovpm.org/ovpm/photos/palger1.html
Introduction/Geography
Algiers, originally called Al-Jaza'ir, lies in what is today the North African country of Algeria ("Algeria" ArabNet). Built into the Sahel hills, Algiers runs for ten miles along the Bay of Algiers, located on the Mediterranean Coast ("Algiers" Britannica Online). The Bay of Algiers, meaning the bay of 'islands' in the prominent Algerian language of Arabic, was filled with small islands, including the historically significant island of Peñon (see Background/History) ("Algiers" Britannica Online). The city itself faces both north and east ("Algiers" Britannica Online). Algiers held great importance as a port due to its prime location on the northern coast of Africa ("Algiers" Britannica Online). This coastal location made it perfect for the Barbary pirate stronghold it would become in 1529, when the pirate "Redbeard" expelled the Spanish from the island of Peñon, gaining control of the city for the Ottoman empire (see History) ("Barabossa" Britannica Online). As the most important Ottoman city in the Maghrib region consisting of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, Algiers used its geographical location to the political and economic advantage of the Ottoman empire and of the city itself (Hourani, 229). To the north of the city was situated the Casbah, meaning Turkish fort, which still exists even today except now as a ghetto area with terrible living conditions rather than a Turkish fort ("Algiers" Encyclopaedia of the Orient). The complex labyrinths and a fortress from the 1500s remain in the Kasbah as reminders of the past (Hourani, 229).
Along the northern coast of Africa runs the Saharan Tell mountain range, interspersed with low valleys and flat plains. South of the Saharan Tell runs the Saharan Atlas range, marking with its path the line between the farming land up north and the dessert land to the south. ("Algeria" AfricaNet)
Climate
The climate of Algiers varies nearly as much as its geography. Due to its coastal location, temperatures in Algiers range from about 12°C in the wintertime to about 25°C in the summer (inland temperatures average 33°C in the winter ), and the amount of rain in Algiers ranges from nothing at all to about 100 centimeters. ("Algeria" AfricaNet)
Language
The main language of Algiers is Arabic although some Berber remains from the time of the Berber rule in 950 ("Algeria" AfricaNet ;"Algiers" Encyclopædia of the Orient).
Sights to See/Transportation/Problems
Boats of Algiers
The Main Form of Transportation
http://www.algeria-un.org/images/old/old20%Pix/old.htm
Algiers itself was a site to see during the years of the Ottoman rule, but it was dangerous because it was a pirate stronghold. If someone traveled there by boat, the main form of transportation in the port city, he or she ran the risk of being captured if on a non-Ottoman vessel unless a peace had been bought from the pirates (Hourani, 230). Once inside, one would also have to be wary of religious observances like the Islamic periodic fasts and the policy of not consuming alcohol. It was considered very impolite to eat or drink in front of someone who is fasting, and the restaurants did not open until after sun down when the Muslims were allowed to eat and drink ("An Overview of Algeria"). Religious tolerance was an issue as well in Algiers. Although there was not much discrimination against people of different faiths, tensions did exist, and so non-Muslim travelers would have to be wary ("Turkey and Ancient Anatolia" Britannica Online).
Despite initial danger in getting to Algiers and despite cultural/religious differences within the city, the Ottoman Algiers would still be a great place to visit. To visit a pirate stronghold in itself would be interesting, but there were also many sights to see inside the city. The architecture, influenced by the Ottoman genius Sinan, was be best represented in the mosques of Algiers, like the Mosque of Djamaa Djedid (Kühnel, 173). Lezard Street and the gates to the city itself would also be main attractions, not to mention the Bay of Algiers and its islands like Peñon, most of which today no longer exist ("Algiers" Britannica Online). The mountains and all of the geography that was part of the city would serve as an attractions to a visitor, and the Casbah in its peak during the Ottoman rule offered the traveler a unique opportunity to see the lifestyle of the people of Algiers. Inside the city, mules were a popular form of transportation as well ("Algeria-un"). Unfortunately, the Algiers of the Ottoman empire no longer exists; it has been changed by the French colonization and by modern advances. Read this guide and step back into the Algiers of pirates and plundering, of the great Casbah and the famous mosques-- the Ottoman Algiers.
Main Intro History Money/Economy Government Religion Society Culture Map