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The textured streets of Biskra's old town |
Since I first came to Algeria five years ago, I seemed to hear those words all the time. But the desert oasis in question was 400km (250 miles) southeast of Algiers—not exactly a short trip.
So when the exhibition "Biskra: Visions of an Oasis" opened at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris last September, it piqued my interest, and I began searching for a moment to break away for a Parisian vacation. But busy month after busy month kept slipping by, and soon it was January and I still hadn't budged. With the exhibition set to end in just days, I toyed with the idea of a quick weekend escape to Paris. That's when I found out I would need to take a work trip... to Biskra. I was thrilled—as if I'd just found out I would need to miss a visit to the Louvre to go meet the real-life Mona Lisa. You can't beat the real thing!
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Dates up there, me down here: a very Biskra problem. |
In colonial times, Biskra was an important French garrison town, but gained real notoriety as a favorite destination for European tourists looking to dip their toes in the sand. Many foreign painters, writers, and other artists traipsed through, seeking inspiration among the palm groves. (A visit to the city inspired Henri Matisse to paint his famous 1907 work "Blue Nude - Souvenir de Biskra", which now resides in the art museum in my hometown of Baltimore. Small world.)
Biskra was also the target of many anti-colonial uprisings over the years. And it was on a remote mountain road east of the city, on November 1, 1954, that the FLN launched the fumbling attack that would herald the start of Algeria's war for independence.
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The mausoleum of Sidi Okba, outside Biskra city |
When the weekend arrived, I took a day with Djazil and Tarik (and the latter's young daughter) for a day trip to some of the area's best sights.
Just outside the city, we visited another mausoleum, that of Okba Ben Nafaa, the early Muslim conqueror who carried Islam from Egypt clear across North Africa to Morocco's Atlantic coast in the late seventh century, only to perish, during his return, in an ambush laid by the local Berber king Aksel and his Byzantine allies outside Biskra (then known by its Romanized name, Vescera). While local pride in the early Berber leaders still runs strong, with the passage of centuries residents have come to embrace Sidi Okba as a saint, if not a founding father of the region. Time heals all wounds, it seems.
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Roman remnants decorate a ksour near El Kantara, north of Biskra city. |
That afternoon we traversed the M'chouneche oasis and again climbed into the mountains, reaching the Balcons de Ghoufi a few hours before sunset. Here the Oued Abiod river winds deep within a massive, snaking canyon (though owing to the gorge's horizontal bands of red-and-yellow rock, it has long been called the "balconies" of Ghoufi rather than the "canyon").
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Traditional mud-brick homes at the Balcons de Ghoufi, with winter snows in the background |
Their choice of site was neither entirely crazy nor at all original: the area's Berber inhabitants had been building among the cliffs for centuries.
Today, there is some occasional chatter about rebuilding the hotel, though I'm not holding my breath.
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At right, the ruins of the Hotel Transatlantique catch the late afternoon sun. |
The downside of the trip, however, was the secret police detail shadowing us constantly. As a foreigner working with civil society in Algeria, I'm no longer surprised when the government here treats me with suspicion, but I had never encountered such overzealous surveillance. These officers got my companions' phone numbers, called them continuously to ask where we were headed next, and freaked out the one time I managed to slip them by ducking out of the hotel early one morning.
In Algeria, I've learned to save my energy for the things I can control. The secret police is not one of them. So I just shook my head and laughed at the absurdity of it when, by the second day, the two plainclothes were eating every meal with us, chatting away at the same table. (One of them even recommended I watch the latest anti-government video circulating among young Algerians on Facebook.) When I left town, I thanked Djazil and Tarik profusely for their generosity, and gave them each a calendar. Then I gave one to each of the officers, and was on my way.
If you enjoyed my Rolleicord photos above, click here to see the full album from my trip to Biskra.
7 comments:
The balcons de Ghoufi looks like the Grand Canyon back in the US,no?
I really miss biskra I used to visit it 3 to 4 times a year since my mom is from there but when my grandma died 5 years ago i had no reason to go but i really all my friends and relatives:'(:'( .
Keep up the good work Andrew nice job. Best of luck :-)
Appreciate your posts Andrew! Keep up the great work!
- Your DZ American fan
Thanks Said and Rayane!
Not sure how it compares to the Grand Canyon because I've never visited! Pretty soon I will have seen more of Algeria than I have of my own country :)
Thanks for reading!
I'm from Biskra, and I was very honored to hear such a nice words about my city coming from you.
Omg great job man I'm from the sahara but I've never visited biskra before but now i'm just explored my country through ur blog ya3tiik sahaa khoya andrw ���� ����
waww super
J'ai lu quelque part une citation qui disait ' la solitude est un mensonge l'univers m'accompagne ' moi je dirai 'la solitude est un mensonge l'Algérie m'accompagne ' ..
Je sais pas si je dois commenter sur le coup ou attendre à lire d'autre textos.. mais en faite parfois on ne peux s'empêcher de commenter .. de dire des mots qu'on croyait jamais devoir dire ..
Une inspiration colossal transporte mon esprit à chaque fois que je lis un truc pareil ou regarder un reportage .. Une vidéo
..
Je reviendrai pour commenter d'autre texto prsq à ce moment je ne px que me laisser emporter avec cette sensation.
Avant que je vous remercie je suppose que ce que vous ressentez -à chaque fois que vous prenez une photo ou que vous écrivez un texte .. à chaque fois vous flânez des ces ruelles .. a chaque fois que vous régaler l'horizon- s'est bien en charger de le faire ( Merci )
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