Algiers

Algiers is the capital city of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria and is considered as one of the most important Mediterranean ports in northwest Africa. Algiers is located in Northern Algeria and is set against forested mountains along the Mediterranean coast. Algiers is situated on the slopes of the Sahel hills and extends ten miles along the west side of the Bay of Algiers on the Mediterranean Sea. In 2005, census data showed that Algiers has a population of more than 1.5 million in its city proper, over 2.1 million in the urban areas and 3.5 million in the metropolitan area.

The city of Algiers is nicknamed Alger la Blanche, or Algiers the White, because of its white buildings that are seen rising up from the sea. The Algiers skyline is dominated by two structures: the box-shaped Hotel Aurassi in the city center and the Martyrs Monument or Makam ech-Chahid in the southern part of the city.

The city layout of Algiers

The city of Algiers can be seen as consisting of three parts: the lower part or the French areas, the upper part known as the kasbah and the large suburban areas that surround the city. The French lower part of the Algiers is where colonial structures can be found: cathedrals, museums, galleries and cafes, opera house and theatre. This part of Algiers is also where the University of Algiers can be found.

Originally built in the early 16th century as an Ottoman fort, the Kasbah is now one of the least developed parts of Algiers. Over the recent decades, the area has obviously from a decline when it comes to living conditions compared to other part of Algiers and North Africa. Meanwhile, the suburbs that constitute the third part of Algiers have been in existence since the post-colonial period. They cover most of the land area of the Metidja plain.

Tourism in Algiers

The city of Algiers is home to numerous hotels and tourist accommodations, which include the Hilton Hotel, Sheraton Club Des Pins Resort, El Djazair Hotel, El-Aurassi Hotel and Sofitel Alger Hotel. Aside from hotels, tourists and visitors flocking to Algiers will also find restaurants, souvenir shops and seaside resorts such as Sidi Fredj, Douaouda, Zeralda, Palm Beach and the Club of the Pines.

Algiers is also home to the site of Icosium, a legendary city believed to be founded by Hercules' 20 companions. The part of the city where Icosium lies used to serve as a coastal trading post throughout the Carthaginian and Phoenician eras. Included in the list of tourist destinations in Algiers are the Notre Dame d'Afrique monument, Bardo Museum, Museum of Antiquities and the Ketchaoua Mosque, a grand mosque located in the Kasbah quarter and built by Dey Baba Hassan in 1794.

Even though tourism in Algiers is not as developed as those of Tunisia or Morocco, the city still draws in a significant number of tourists and is slowly climbing their way up the tourist destinations ladder.