The road next passes below (2½ M. from Oran) the villa-suburb of Ste. Clotilde (197 ft.; Hôt. Ste. Clotilde), with its charming gardens in the shade of the hill (path to the Plateau du Marabout, see above). Just beyond Ste. Clotilde, in the ravine of Salto del Cavallo, is the spot where Tâkhfîn ben-Ali (p. 188) is said to have been slain when attempting to escape.

3¾ M. Roseville (99 ft.; not visible from the road) has a good bathing-beach. 4½ M. St. André de Mers el-Kébir (55 ft.; Hôt. National, on the shore), a poor village, inhabited almost entirely by Spaniards and Italians, lies at the S. base of the fortified Jebel Santon (1043 ft.), the N. spur of Jebel Murjajo.

The open roads of Mers el-Kébir (Arabic Mersa el-Kebîr, the great harbour), famed in Spanish military annals as Mazalquivir, now the naval harbour of Oran, are admirably sheltered from the W. and N. winds by Jebel Santon and by a rocky headland (lighthouse). Beyond the (5 M.) little fishing-village (Hôt. de l’Escadre, humble) rises a huge Fort, the outer walls of which date partly from the Spanish period.

To Aïn-et-Turk and Bou-Sfer (a day’s excursion from Oran; omn. and carr., see p. 176; provisions should be taken), an interesting drive, especially in spring, affording a good idea of the progress of agriculture in this coast-region. Beyond the headland of Mers el-Kébir the road is carried round the Jebel Santon, high above the sea, by means of cuttings, and then descends to the fertile Plaine des Andalouses, which is now inhabited chiefly by S. Spanish peasants. Its name recalls the landing here of the Moors expelled from Andalusia.

9½ M. (from Oran) Aïn-et-Turk (65 ft.; ‘Turkish well’), a little village, to which sea-bathers resort in summer, with a church on the hill (177 ft.), 2½ M. to the S.E. of Cape Falcon (p. 125), from which it is separated by a chain of sand-hills rising to a height of 397 ft.

The road, now perfectly straight, ascends to the S.W., through vineyards and corn-fields, to (13 M.) the large village of Bou-Sfer (486 ft.), on the well-watered N. slope of Jebel Murjajo, with its thriving farms where vegetables are largely grown. To Bou-Tlélis, see p. 185.

From Bou-Sfer a road, with fine views, leads along the hill-side, and then across the saddle (768 ft.) between Jebel Murjajo and Jebel Santon, back to (22 M.) St. André de Mers el-Kébir.

(3). A splendid walk, especially by evening light, is offered by the *Promenade des Falaises (Pl. G, H, 1), to the N.E. of Oran. Tramway No. 3 (p. 176) should be taken to the station outside the Porte d’Arzew (Pl. F, G, 3). Here we go to the left, skirting the town-walls, then to the N.E. across the harbour goods-line (p. 175), through the Ravin Blanc at a distance from the battery of that name, and up the fields to the (20 min.) highly picturesque margin of the plateau, whence we survey the whole coast from Mers el-Kébir on the W. to the Pointe de l’Aiguille and Jebel Orouze to the N.E. A little farther on we reach an avenue of palms which leads in a curve to the (¼ hr.) tramway-terminus in the suburb of Gambetta (Pl. H, 2).

Good walkers, starting very early, may extend their excursion from the Promenade des Falaises to the Pointe Canastel (784 ft.), near which ends the road coming from Gambetta (4 M.), and thence along the slope of Jebel Kahar or Montagne des Lions (2008 ft.), in 4–4½ hrs., to the Moorish village of Kristel (poor cafés), finely situated amid rich orange groves. Or, in calm weather, we may take a sailing-boat (see p. 176) from Oran to Kristel. We may now walk or ride (donkey 2½–3 fr.) up the steep hill to the saddle between Jebel Kahar and Jebel Kristel (1970 ft.); then past the Ferme Tazout (1105 ft.; to the left the iron and lead mines on Jebel Borosse, a spur of Jebel Orouze; p. 199) to the S.E., partly through underwood, and down to the (2½ hrs.) railway-station of Saint-Cloud (p. 199). We may there take the train viâ Damesme to Arzew (p. 199) and return to Oran in the evening.

From Oran to Hammam Bou-Hadjar, 45 M., steam-tramway twice daily (thrice on Sun., Mon., and Tues.) in 3¾–4¾ hrs. (fares 5 fr. 40, 3 fr. 95 c.). The line starts from the N. end of the Boul. Mascara (Pl. C, 4) and proceeds to the S.E. viâ (4 M.) La Sénia (p. 185) to (7½ M.) Valmy (p. 185), some distance beyond which it turns to the S.W. and runs parallel to the S. shore of the Sebkha d’Oran (p. 185). 12 M. Arbal, on the N. spurs of Jebel Tessala (p. 186); 25 M. St. Maur; 39 M. Aïn el-Arba. 45 M. Hammam Bou-Hadjar (574 ft.), near which are the baths of that name (Hôt. des Bains, plain but good). The hot mineral water (135–167° Fahr.), resembling that of Ems, rises among the calc-sinter terraces of the Fer à Cheval. A cool spring (64° Fahr.), strongly impregnated with iron, is used for drinking.

Excursion to Misserghin, see p. 185.

102½ M. Railway Train, with one 1st and 2nd cl. through-carriage, in 5¼–5¾ hrs.; (fares 18 fr. 55, 13 fr. 35 c., 10 fr.). Dep. from chief station (p. 175). As far as Aïn-Fezza (p. 186) finest views to the left. Railway Restaurant (D. 2 fr.) at Sidi Bel-Abbès only.

Motor Trip (p. 173) from Oran viâ Misserghin, Aïn-Temouchent, and Pont-de-l’Isser to (82½ M.) Tlemcen, returning viâ Sidi Bel-Abbès (128 M.), interesting; good road.

Between Lamur (p. 181) and Victor-Hugo, suburbs of Oran, the train crosses the Damesme and Perrégaux line (R. 32). Beyond the small salt-lake Daya Morselli, on the left, we enter the Plaine du Figuier, on the N. side of the Sebkha d’Oran, one of the largest salt-lakes in the Tell Atlas, 26 M. long and 6 M. broad.

3 M. La Sénia (325 ft.), a Spanish village, with productive vegetable-gardens and vineyards; also a station on the steam-tramway from Oran to Hammam Bou-Hadjar (p. 184).

To the S.W. from La Sénia diverges the Oran and Aïn-Temouchent Line (from Oran 47½ M., in 2¼–3 hrs.; fares 8 fr. 60, 6 fr. 15, 4 fr. 60 c.). The train skirts the S. base of Jebel Murjajo (p. 182), near the Sebkha d’Oran. 12½ M. Misserghin (360 ft.; Hôt. des Voyageurs, Hôt. de la Paix, both poor; pop. 4400), situated 9½ M. to the S.W. of Oran by the Tlemcen road, a spot much visited from Oran, possessing a large pépinière or nursery, and several monastic foundations; charming walk to the (2½ M.) Ravin de la Vierge through luxuriant orange, lemon, mandarin, and banana groves.—22½ M. Bou-Tlélis (295 ft.), whence a road leads viâ the Forêt M’Sila and El-Ançor to Bou-Sfer (p. 184). 29½ M. Lourmel (300 ft.), near the W. end of the salt-lake. 35 M. Er-Rahel (450 ft.), connected by road (6¼ M.) with Hammam Bou-Hadjar (p. 184). We cross the Rio Salado (Arabic Oued Malah) to (40 M.) Rio Salado (279 ft.), famed for its wine.—47½ M. Aïn-Temouchent (847 ft.; Royal Hotel; Hôt. de Londres; Hôt. de la Poste; pop. 7500), founded in 1851 on the site of the Roman Albulae, chiefly inhabited by Spaniards, lies amidst vineyards and orchards in the narrow valley of the Oued Senane, into which the Oued Temouchent falls here. The Thurs. market is worth seeing.

The Road to Tlemcen, 41 M. (diligence at 7 p.m. in 9 hrs., returning from Tlemcen at 9 p.m.; coupé 6 fr.) leads to the S.W. from Aïn-Temouchent through a hill-region, composed mainly of eruptive rock, and well-watered, to the thriving village of Aïn-Kial (1477 ft.; noted for its cattle), crosses the pass (1998 ft.; fine views) of Jebel Sebaa-Chioukh, and then descends past the onyx-quarries of the hill-village of Tekbalet to the Isser Valley. 20½ M. Pont-de-l’Isser (807 ft.; Hôt. Pomarès, humble), a village amid orange-gardens and olive-groves, is almost purely Mohammedan. The road, now shadeless, affording fine glimpses of Tlemcen, ascends for a long time in the valley of the Oued el-Guettara, and reaches (37½ M.) Safsaf (2493 ft.) and (41 M.) Tlemcen (2658 ft.; p. 187).

Another road (23 M.; omn. at 9 a.m.) leads to the W. from Aïn-Temouchent to the little seaport of Beni-Saf, the outlet for the iron-ores of the Comp. du Mokta el-Hadid (p. 303). From Beni-Saf a road (omn. at 6.45 a.m., in 9 hrs.; 5 fr.) leads viâ (5½ M.) Rachgoun (opposite the island mentioned at p. 125) into the fertile valley of the Tafna, the ancient Siga, and to (8¾ M.) Takembrit, the modern name for the ruins of the once important Roman town of Siga. Then, beyond the confluence of the Isser with the Tafna, the road reaches (27½ M.) Montagnac (735 ft.) and (36 M.) Hennaya (1346 ft.), whence it ascends to (42½ M.) Tlemcen (2658 ft.).

The Tlemcen Railway, beyond La Sénia, crosses the Plaine du Figuier, and beyond (6 M.) Valmy (p. 184) nears the salt-works on the Sebkha d’Oran (p. 185). 16 M. Ste. Barbe-du-Tlélat (492 ft.) is noted for its table grapes.

Our train here diverges to the S.E. from the line to Perrégaux and Algiers (R. 33), and follows the vine-clad valley of the Oued Tlélat. Beyond (20 M.) St. Lucien we pass a barrage or reservoir. 26 M. Les Lauriers-Roses lies on the N.E. spurs of Jebel Tessala (3481 ft.), the mountain which separates the great and fertile tableland of Sidi Bel-Abbès, one of the granaries of the province, from the basin of the Sebkha d’Oran.

The train crosses the Col des Ouled-Ali and the Oued Imbert (1578 ft.) in the fertile valley of that name, and reaches the top of the tableland. 38½ M. Les Trembles (1375 ft.); the village lies on a height to the left, between the Oued Mekerra (Sig, p. 206) and its affluent Oued Sarno. We then ascend the Mekerra valley to (42½ M.) Prudon (1477 ft.), where many of the wine-growers are Germans, old soldiers of the French foreign legion.

48½ M. Sidi Bel-Abbès (1542 ft.; Hôt. d’Orient & Continental; Hôt. des Voyageurs; pop. 29,080), a prosperous agricultural town, was founded in 1849 on the plan of a Roman camp, with streets at right angles, and is surrounded by suburbs occupied mainly by Spanish immigrants. This is the headquarters of the Légion Etrangère, composed mainly of adventurers and deserters from Germany and other countries, the first regiment of whom is located here and the second at Saïda (p. 201). The legion is for the most part stationed on the Sahara railway (p. 199), in Morocco, or in the colonies. Great market on Thursdays. Outside the S. gate, the Porte de Tlemcen, are pleasant public grounds (concerts).

A. E. W. Mason’s novel ‘The Truants’ (London, 1904) deals with the Foreign Legion.

62½ M. Tabia (2035 ft.), the next important station, is the junction for a line to (48 M.) Crampel (Ras el-Ma), used chiefly for the esparto traffic (p. 171).

We now near the main chain of the Tell Atlas of Oran. 77½ M. Aïn-Tellout, with the spring of that name and a waterfall. 83 M. Lamoricière (2349 ft.), in a fertile tract, on the Isser. Near Hadjar-Roum, to the E. of the station, lay the Roman Altava.

89½ M. Oued-Chouly, on the brook of that name, which bursts forth in cascades from a ravine to join the Isser. Near this, at Sidi-Hamza, are considerable onyx-quarries. The train now ascends rapidly to (97 M.) Aïn-Fezza (2855 ft.).

We next enter the upper *Safsaf Valley, enclosed by the high limestone slopes of Jebel Hanif (3928 ft.) and Jebel Chouka (3786 ft.), and in a sharp bend, passing through several tunnels, sweep round the gorge of El-Ourit (p. 196), with its waterfalls. We skirt the foot of Sidi Bou-Médine (p. 194), obtaining a beautiful view of the fertile hill-country to the right, and run through olive-groves to (102½ M.) Tlemcen (see p. 187).

The Station lies to the E., 6 min. beyond the Porte de Sidi Bou-Médine (Pl. D, 2, 3).

Hotels. Hôtel de France (Pl. b; C, 3), Rue de Fez, R. 2½–4, B. 1¼, déj. 3. D. 4, pens. 9–12, omn. 1 fr.; Hôtel Charles (Pl. a; C, 2), Place des Victoires, R. 3, B. ¾, déj. or D. 3, pens. 7½, omn. 1 fr., good, though plain, with restaurant.—Cafés in the Place de la Mairie, Place des Victoires, etc.

Carriages (mostly with three horses, poor but not dear; fares according to bargain) in the Place des Victoires and Esplanade du Méchouar.

Post & Telegraph Office (Pl. B, 2), Boulevard National.

One Day and a Half. 1st. Forenoon, *Great Mosque (p. 189), Museum (p. 190), *Sidi el-Haloui Mosque (p. 191), Agâdir (p. 196); afternoon, *Mansura (p. 193).—2nd. *Sidi Bou-Médine (p. 194). Mosques open daily 8–11 a.m.; at other times a permit of the sub-prefect (see Pl. B, 2) is required (comp. also p. 174).

Tlemcen (2658 ft.), the old capital of the central Maghreb (Maghreb el-Oust), was in the middle ages, along with Fez, one of the great trading stations between the W. Sahara and the Mediterranean, and had a factory of the Genoese and the Venetians. It is now, after Oran, the most important town in the province, with 37,300 inhab. (including 25,500 Mohammedans, chiefly Berbers and Moors, and 5000 Jews); it possesses the only Medersa (p. 228) in the province of Oran, founded in 1904, and is the chief military post on the W. frontier of Algeria. The town is very charmingly situated on a flat hill at the base of a ridge crowned with the Kubba Lalla-Setti (3363 ft.), a spur of the Jebel Terni or Massif de Tlemcen. Beyond the extensive hilly region to the N., sloping steeply down to the valleys of the Isser and the Tafna (p. 185), we descry the bold mountains of the Traras group (p. 198) and of Jebel Sebaa-Chioukh (p. 185). The nearer environs of the town, on the upper margin of the plateau, are exuberantly fertile. Luxuriant fruit-bearing hedges are interspersed with groves of gigantic olive, carob, and pistachio trees, from whose shade peep forth the white domes of numerous tombs of saints (p. 172).

Tlemcen still contains historic memorials of its mediæval prime and a number of Moorish works of art, mostly of the Abdelwadite and Merinide periods (p. 188). These last, like the buildings of Fez and Kairwan (p. 372), are among the most interesting in Barbary. Their great charm consists in the fact that their native characteristics have been preserved in a picturesque environment where customs and dress differ but slightly from those of the ancient East.

Pomaria, the earliest settlement in this region, was once, like Altava (p. 186) and Numerus Syrorum (p. 197), a Roman camp for the defence of the most important military road in Mauretania Cæsariensis (p. 244), but in Roman times, notwithstanding its favourable position, it was outstripped by Siga (p. 185). On its site, by the time of Sidi Okba (p. 322), there had already sprung up the Berber settlement of Agâdir, which, under Idris I. (p. 95) in 790, became the fortified capital of the E. province of Morocco for defence against the Kharijite kingdom in Tiaret (p. 208). For seven centuries from that time onwards it was involved in all the party struggles for the possession of Barbary. During the conflicts of Omaiyades (p. 69) and Fatimites (p. 323), the governors of Agâdir, descendants of Solaïmân ben-Abdallah, brother of Idris I., maintained their position as vassals of one or other of these dynasties, but in 973 the town was sacked by Bologgîn ez-Ziri (p. 323) in the course of a war against the Omaiyades.

In 1081 the Almoravide Yûsuf ibn Têshufîn (p. 95) appeared before the gates of Agâdir, and on the site of his camp (Berber ‘tagrârt’) founded the new town of Tagrârt, afterwards the Telensîn or Tlimsân of the Moors, and united W. Algeria with Morocco. In 1145 the vicinity of Tagrârt witnessed the decisive battle between Tâkhfîn ben-Ali (p. 183) and Abd el-Mûmen (p. 95) which sealed the fate of the Almoravide kingdom. Since then Tagrârt appears in history as the seat of Almohade governors of the family of Abd el-Wâd, settled near Tlemcen, a branch of the powerful Berber tribe of the Zenata, and also as a military camp, while the lower classes only inhabited Agâdir.

The fall of the Almohades (p. 95) gave rise to the kingdom of Tlemcen, which was soon extended to the W. to the Mulûya (p. 124) and to the E. to Bougie (p. 262). The first independent monarch was Yarmorâsen ben-Zeiyân (1239–82), of the Abdelwadites, who, with the aid of Moorish artists from Andalusia, transformed Tlemcen, his capital, into a rival of Fez as one of the most brilliant art-centres in Barbary.

Embellished in legend and in poetry, and most famous among episodes in the annals or the Maghreb were the two sieges of Tlemcen by the Merinides (p. 95). The first siege by Abû Yakûb and his grandson Abû-Tsâbit Omar (1299–1307) commenced with the foundation of the fortified town of El-Mahalla el-Mansura, which, saving the mosque, was razed to the ground by the Abdelwadites after the withdrawal of the Moroccan army, but was rebuilt by Abû’l-Hasen Ali (1335–7) on the occasion of the second, and this time successful, siege of Tlemcen.

To the brief sway of the Merinides (1337–59) Tlemcen is indebted for almost all the important buildings outside of its walls. The chief residence of Abû’l-Hasen Ali (d. 1348), next to Fez, was Mansura, where he erected a new ‘palace of victory’ as his kasba; but the place was abandoned under Abû Inân Fâres (1348–58), and from that time down to the French period it merely served as a stone-quarry.

During the brilliant reign of Abû Hammu Mûsa II. (1359–89), the first of the Ziyanides (1359–1517), the younger Abdelwadite dynasty, his court vied with that of Granada as a resort of artists, poets, and scholars; but from that time onwards Tlemcen shared the general decadence of Barbary. It was not only the chief scene of all the conflicts between the Merinides and Hafsides (p. 323), but was grievously torn by internal dissensions also, so that it soon lost all importance. After the overthrow of the Ziyanides by Horuk Barbarossa (p. 221), and after a short occupation by the Spaniards (1518), Tlemcen became a poor provincial town in the beylic of Oran. The present town-walls (1855–6) and a whole new quarter are creations of the French régime, under which, in 1842, Tlemcen was incorporated with their new colony of Algeria.

Comp. Marçais’s book on Tlemcen mentioned at p. 175 and A. Bel’s ‘Tlemcen et ses Environs’ (Oran, 1909).

From the Porte de Sidi Bou-Médine (Pl. D, 2, 3), the chief gate of the town, the Rue de Sidi Bel-Abbès leads in 2 min. to the Esplanade du Méchouar (Pl. C, 3), planted with fine plane-trees. On the left rises the—

Méchouar (Arabic meshwâr, the king’s castle), the residence of the Abdelwadites and Ziyanides, erected by Yarmorâsen about 1255, a great quadrangular pile, forming like the Alhambra a complete quarter of the town. The building was largely destroyed during a revolt against Hassan, Bey of Mascara, in 1670, and in 1842 was replaced by French barracks. The only relics of the original edifice are the Castle Wall, built by Abû’l-Abbâs Ahmed, the thirteenth Ziyanide, with its modern clock-tower of 1843, and the Castle Mosque, founded in 1317, which was long used as a storehouse. The latter, having been converted into a chapel for the military hospital, has lost its original character in the interior (adm. on application).

From the E. end of the Esplanade the Rue du Théâtre leads to the Place des Victoires (Pl. C, D, 2), planted with trees, from the parapet of which we look down on the E. Mohammedan quarter (p. 191) and the hills of the Safsaf valley.

A little to the N.W. is the Place de la Mairie (Pl. C, 2), which, together with the Place d’Alger (p. 190) on its W. side, forms the business centre of the town. On its S. side rises the Mairie (Pl. C, 2), erected in 1843. In the court are two onyx columns from Mansura, bearing two huge stone balls which were thrown into the town during one of the Merinide sieges.

The *Great Mosque (Pl. C, 2; Arabic Jâma el-Kebîr), the back of which bounds the N. side of the square, now the only edifice of the Almoravide period at Tlemcen, is very important in art-history as one of the few Moorish buildings of the 12th cent. that have survived without alteration. The inscription on the frieze of the drum of the mihrâb dome records the name of the founder, the caliph Ali ibn Yûsuf, who with the aid of Andalusian artists erected the court and the house of prayer adjacent to the Kasr el-Kadîm, or royal castle, in 1135–8. The minaret was not added till the reign of Yarmorâsen (after 1250). The kubba at the S.W. angle, adjoining the Rue de France, once perhaps the tomb of Yarmorâsen and several of the Ziyanides, now contains the vault of Mohammed ben-Merzûg. On the E. side of the mosque, near the old vine in the side-street, is a second saint’s tomb, the kubba of Ahmed Bel-Hasen el-Ghomari (d. 1466). The library, a later addition next to the minaret, has been removed by the French.

The square court of the mosque, which we enter on the E. side, is flanked on three sides by triple or quadruple arcades; the two aisles of the N. arcade, which precede the minaret, are of later date. The irregular plan of the arcades and of the main portal leading into the nave of the mosque was probably due to the situation of the castle. The onyx pavement of the court is preserved in part only.

The Interior, consisting of a central nave (15 by 10½ ft.) with twelve narrower aisles, is entered by five portals on the S. side of the court, whose arches are of round or pointed horseshoe form or multifoil, and also by two E. portals. The arcades, whose arches are mostly horseshoe-shaped, but in a few cases pointed, rest on short pillars. The open roof is well preserved. The nave is crowned with two domes, the nearer rising behind the sedda (p. 180), while the second, over the mihrâb chapel, shows beginnings of stalactite vaulting. The great candelabrum under the central dome is modern and is for the most part an imitation of the old one said to have been presented by Yarmorâsen and now in the Museum (see below). The mimbar and kursi (p. 451) are of no artistic value, and the maksûra (p. 71) has disappeared. The elegant stucco ornamentation of the *Mihrâb, which even extends to the exterior, where the stone slabs are framed with multifoil arches, recalls the mosque of Cordova. The prayer-niche is lighted by three perforated windows of plaster. Behind the mihrâb is the sacristy.

The Minaret, 115 ft. high, resembling the tower of Agâdir (p. 196), affords a beautiful view of the town and environs.

On the W. side of the Place d’Alger (Pl. C, 2), where the ruins of the famous Medersa Jadîda or Tâkhfînîya, a school for the learned erected by the Abdelwadite Abû Tâkhfîn (1322–37), existed down to 1876, rises the—

*Sidi Bel-Hassen Mosque, now the Museum (Pl. 2, B, C, 2; custodian in the court of the Mairie; fee ½ fr.), erected in 1296 by the Abdelwadite Abû Saïd Otsmân. It consists of nave and two aisles, with a low minaret. Used by the French successively as a storehouse and a school, it was carefully restored in 1900, and is now a perfect gem in the interior. The stucco *Decoration of the walls, preserved in part only, with its rich and graceful arabesques (p. 445), and the geometrical ornamentation of the round-arched plaster windows, recall the sumptuous rooms of the Alcázar at Seville and the Alhambra of Granada. The half-dome of the **Mihrâb, whose horseshoe mural arch rests on two small columns of onyx, is borne by stalactite or honeycomb vaulting. The ancient roof of cedar is well preserved in the left aisle only.

Below the two friezes with Cufic inscriptions adjoining the Mihrâb are fragments, built into the wall, of fayence tiles from the old Medersa Tâkhfînîya and the Méchouar. The beautiful onyx basin once belonged to the latrine-court of the Great Mosque. Along the walls are several Roman and numerous Mohammedan tombstones, some of them belonging to kings of Tlemcen. Near the entrance is the so-called Coudée Royale, a marble slab from the Kessaria (comp. p. 191), bearing an ell-measure and regulations for the trade of Christian merchants with the natives (1328). In the second room are the old candelabrum and remains of the old maksûra of the Great Mosque (comp. above), Moorish and Turkish tiles, etc. On the first floor is the Geological Museum.

The dirty streets to the S. of the Place de la Mairie and the Place d’Alger, which have been laid out in straight lines under the French régime, belong to the Jewish Quarter, where, however, a few of the old one-storied houses with a kind of sunken flat, still survive.

A pleasanter walk may be taken through the Mohammedan Quarters, especially that to the E. of the Place de la Mairie, where we may witness, especially on market-day (Mon.), the most lively and picturesque scenes of native life. The busiest points are the Marché Couvert (Pl. C, 2) in the Place du Kessaria, where the Italian merchants had their offices in the middle ages, and also the Rue de Mascara (Pl. C, D, 2, 1) and the Rue Kaldoun (Pl. C, D, 1). Adjoining the Rue de Mascara, once the Sûk el-Berada’in (saddlers’ market), is an impasse called the Derb el-Msoufa, in which is situated the little Mosque of Sidi Senoussi (Pl. D, 2; his tomb is near Sidi Bou-Médine, p. 194), with a graceful minaret inlaid with tiles and a small house of prayer on the first floor.

In the street between the Rue de Mascara and the Rue Kaldoun are the so-called Bains des Teinturiers (Pl. D, 1; Hammâm es-Sebbâghîn), an ancient Moorish bath-house (12th cent.?), the plan of which seems to have been an exact copy of the Roman bath.

The ante-room, now much altered, was apparently the tepidarium. Straight on we come to the apodyterium, a domed room on twelve short mediæval columns, with a gallery running round it. To the left of this room is the caldarium in three sections, with the heating apparatus on the E. side. The S. side-room is the frigidarium.

At the end of the Rue Kaldoun we leave the town by the Porte de l’Abattoir (Pl. D, 1; road to Agâdir, see p. 196), and turn to the left, skirting the town-walls, above the dilapidated Sidi Lahsen Mosque, built by Abû’l-Abbâs Ahmed (p. 189), which has an elegant minaret and an interior restored in the Turkish period.

On a slope near the N.E. angle of the town-walls, below the railway, and formerly below the Bâb Sidi’l-Haloui, is the tomb of the saint of that name (d. 1307), adjoined by the—

*Sidi el-Haloui Mosque, a creation of the Merinide Abû Inân Fâres (p. 188). The pinnacled outer gateway leads to the now freely restored chief portal, with its fine inlaid mosaic tiles, two friezes with inscriptions, and a projecting timber roof.

The ground-plan of this mosque is similar to that of the slightly earlier mosque of Sidi Bou-Médine (p. 194). From the court, enclosed by a single arcade, we enter the house of prayer with its nave (11 ft. broad), double aisles (10 ft.), and transept. The square mihrâb chapel is covered by a slightly elevated tiled roof instead of a dome. The old timber ceiling of the interior has recently been much restored, and remains of the superb stucco decoration have lately been brought to light from under the whitewash. The mihrâb has lost all its rich ornamentation save the stalactite vaulting. The eight onyx *Columns, brought from Mansura, which support the pointed horseshoe arches of the arcades, are remarkable for their beautiful capitals in the Moorish style.

The minaret added at the W. angle of the court, with its multifoil arched niches in the two lower stories and reticulated work on the upper, resembles that of the mosque of Sidi Bou-Médine. A portal opposite with a projecting roof leads to the domed Latrines.

We now follow the path to the W., skirting the town-walls, and affording fine views, to the Porte du Nord (Pl. B, 1), through which we enter the Rue de France. From this street the Boulevard National soon diverges to the right to the large Place Cavaignac (Pl. B, 1, 2), the chief square in the uniformly built French quarter. The font in the church of St. Michel (Pl. B, 2) came from the mosque of Mansura.

On the E. side of the church runs the Rue Ximénès, intersecting the whole town. This street, or the Rue de la Victoire (Pl. C, B, 2), which begins at the Place d’Algier, forms the chief approach to the S. W. Mohammedan Quarter, which was inhabited in the Turkish period mainly by Kuluglis (p. 171). At the S. end of the Rue Ximénès, on the left, is the interesting Ecole Professionnelle Indigène de Tapis (Pl. C, 4; adm. daily 8–11 and 2–5, except on Sun., Frid., and great festivals).

The busy Rue Haëdo, prolonging the Rue de la Victoire, leads to the S.W. to the Porte de Fez (Pl. A, 4). In the Rue Sidi-Brahim, the first side-street on the left, is the—

Sidi Brahim Mosque (Pl. B, 3), formerly belonging to the Medersa Yakûbîya. The Medersa was built in 1362 by Abû Hammu Mûsa II. (p. 188), and named after his father, but the last vestiges of it were removed in 1846. This small mosque, with nave and double aisles, received its present decoration in the Turkish period. The mihrâb, adorned with the Turkish crescent, has mural tiles with gold lustre in the Gubbio style. The present pulpit, from which the Friday prayer was recited for the Kuluglis, was executed by the Turkish artist Mohammed Ben-Hasen Ben-Ferfara (1831–2), and the door of the old sacristy was carved by Sâlim Bu-Jenân Ben-Ferfara. The Kubba of Sidi Brahim (d. 1401), adjoining the mosque, still contains its old geometric stucco decoration and mosaic tiles.

The Oulâd el-Imâm Mosque (Pl. B, 3), to the N. of the Rue Haëdo, was built about 1310 by the Abdelwadite Abû Hammu I. as a chapel for the Medersa el-Kadîma, the oldest school of the learned at Tlemcen, but is now in a sad state of ruin. The minaret still shows traces of fayence mosaics. The fine mihrâb was probably redecorated under the Ziyanides.

In the Rue d’Hennaya, near the Fez Gate, rises the modern Medersa (Pl. A, B, 3), a tasteful new-Moorish edifice (visitors admitted).

To the W. of the modern town-walls, between the Porte de Fez and the Porte d’Oran, lies the Grand Bassin (Pl. A, 3; Arabic Sahrîj el-Kebîr or ben-Bedda), a large reservoir, similar to the reservoirs of Kairwan and Marakesh, constructed of concrete, 220 yds. long, 110 yds. broad, and 10 ft. deep, now used as a drill-ground. It is said to have been made by Abû Tâkhfîn (p. 190). According to a tradition the last of the Ziyanide dynasty were drowned here by Horuk Barbarossa (p. 221) in 1517.

To the N.W. of the French town-walls, between the Porte d’Oran and the Porte du Nord (p. 192), rises the *Bâb el-Kermâdîn (Pl. A, 1; potters’ gate), which already existed in the time of Yarmorâsen (p. 188), so named from the potsherds contained in its concrete masonry. The gateway, with its four towers and quadrangle, resembles the propugnaculum of late-Roman town fortifications.

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The *Ruins of Mansura, the old entrenched town of the Merinides (p. 188), are reached from the Porte de Fez (p. 192) by the road to Lalla-Marnia (p. 197), to the S.W., in 20–25 min. (carr. there and back 2½–3 fr.), The road passes (¼ hr.) the so-called Bâb el-Khemîs, a brick structure of unknown use, now much restored. A little above it are the ruins of a second building of uncertain origin (possibly the ancient Mosalla).

In 6 min. more we reach the old *Town Wall of Mansura, near the former E. gate of the town, within the precincts of which, to the left, above the road, is ensconced the modern agricultural village of Mansura amid luxuriant vegetation. The walls, 40 ft. high, constructed of concrete, enclose a great irregular quadrilateral space of about 4400 yds. in length, and are still largely preserved on the N.W. and S.W. sides. Of the towers, about 80 in number, connected by a crenellated passage, most are rectangular in form, but the four far-projecting corner-towers, like the eight gate-towers, are quadrangular.

Near the old E. gate, above the road, are a Bridge and remains of a rudely paved Street of the Merinide period. Of the old Palace of Victory, the Kasba of Abû’l-Hasen Ali (p. 188), once sumptuously fitted up, there are now, on the highest ground in the town precincts, at the S.E. angle of the present village, a few scanty relics only, the chief of which is the inner court, resembling the myrtle court of the Alhambra (p. 83).

Close to the old W. gate, on a plateau above the road, rises the **Mansura Tower (130 ft.), the minaret of the chief mosque, founded by Abû Yakûb (p. 188). The back-wall, the staircase, the upper platform, and the muezzin’s turret have fallen in, but the ruin, with its golden-toned masonry glowing in the sunshine, its peaceful surroundings, and the superb view from its base, has an indescribable charm. The ruin was restored in 1877.

The portal of the minaret formed the central entrance to the court of the mosque. Of the three concentric gateway arches the inmost horseshoe arch, resting on two onyx columns, has been entirely renewed. The first story here, as in no other Moorish minaret, is adorned with a balcony, borne by corner brackets and stalactite pendentives, now without columns. The second story, relieved by narrow window openings, has the usual reticulated ornamentation, while the upper story is adorned with multifoil arched niches. Remains of the fayence mosaics are still visible at places.

The custodian, who has generally to be asked for in the village, shows the ruins of the court and of the mosque itself, which once had thirteen arcades.

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The hill-village of Sidi Bou-Médine (2841 ft.), picturesquely situated amid olive-groves on the slopes of Jebel Mefroûch, 20 min. to the E. of Tlemcen, contains, like Mansura, some of the finest existing memorials of the Merinide period. It was once named Eubbâd el-Fûki (‘upper Eubbâd’), and at a very early period belonged to a monastery, the Ribât el-Eubbâd, but it derives its present name from Sidi Abû-Median, a scholar from Seville (about 1126–97), who was buried here by order of the Almohade Mohammed en-Nâsir (1198–1213). Around the kubba of that great scholar and saint, which for centuries attracted countless pilgrims, are grouped the buildings of the Merinide sovereigns.

The road to Sidi Bou-Médine, only the lower half of which is fit for driving, branches to the right from the Sidi Bel-Abbès and Aïn-Temouchent road, 2 min. from the Porte de Sidi Bou-Médine, and passes below the Mohammedan Cemetery (makbara), with its wealth of cypresses. By the wayside are a number of saints’ tombs, mostly in ruins, among which is the kubba of Sidi Senoussi (d. 1490), with its green-tiled roof. We pass also the remains of mosque walls and a ruined minaret, which belonged to the village of Eubbâd es-Sefli (‘lower Eubbâd’) once situated here.

We ascend through a defile shaded with fine old fig and cherry trees, and soon reach the lower entrance of the village, whence we go straight on to the mosque, with its conspicuous minaret, and the kubba of the saint (guide quite needless). The outer gateway, decorated anew in the later Turkish period, with its clumsy wooden penthouse in front, is the entrance to a forecourt, within which are the two sacred edifices and the Maison de l’Oukil (now the works-office), a building of the time of Mohammed el-Kebîr (p. 178), on the site of the ancient Zaouïa or pilgrims’ hospice.

The Kubba of Sidi Bou-Médine, to which steps descend to the left under the penthouse, was restored by the Merinide Abû’l-Hasen Ali (p. 188), and towards the end of the 18th cent. was injured by a fire. It owes its present decoration, save the four onyx columns from Mansura and the sacred fountain in the vestibule, to Mohammed el-Kebîr, whose artist, named in the inscription on the frieze of the gateway, was El-Hâshmi ben-Sarmashîk (1793). The vault, richly garnished with flags, ostrich-eggs, votive offerings, etc., contains the coffins of Sidi Abû-Median and the Tunisian saint Sidi Abd es-Selâm side by side (custodian 20–30 c.).

The *Mosque, erected in 1339 by Abû’l-Hasen Ali, about the same date as the myrtle-court palace of the Alhambra (comp. p. 80), is one of the most brilliant creations of the exuberant Moorish art of the 14th cent.; and, thanks to the sanctity of its site, it has survived the wars of the Ziyanide age and resisted the decadence of the Turkish period without serious damage. The custodian is usually to be found in the vestibule of the gateway.

The **Chief Portal, now skilfully restored, is a masterpiece of artistic decoration. The superb outer gateway, whose lofty horseshoe arch opens into the vestibule, is lavishly enriched with fayence mosaics, which show beautiful arabesque patterns in the rectangular stonework of the doorway, and geometrical designs above the frieze with the inscriptions. The gateway is crowned by a tiled roof resting on narrow brackets.

Eleven steps ascend to the vestibule, where the stucco decoration of the upper wall-surfaces vies in beauty with the stalactites of the dome. At the inner gateway the lower part of the doors of cedar-wood has been skilfully encrusted anew with bronze. The door-knockers resemble those of the present Puerta del Perdón at Cordova (p. 70).

We now cross the simple Court of the Mosque, flanked with single arcades, to the Mosque itself, with its nave and double aisles. The somewhat broader nave and the transept by the wall of the mihrâb recall the ground-plan of Sidi Okba’s Mosque at Kairwan (p. 374). The arcades, whose horseshoe arches, like those in the court, rest on pillars of masonry, and all the wall-surfaces are encrusted with stucco. The richly coffered stucco ceiling of the aisles is well preserved, but the perforated dome of the mihrâb chapel was tastelessly restored in the later Turkish period. The *Mihrâb, with its stalactite half-dome, its friezes with Cufic inscriptions, and the three perforated plaster windows, deserves special attention. The capitals of the two onyx columns which support the horseshoe arch of the niche are the finest at Tlemcen. The pulpit is modern.

The *Minaret, like the Kutubia at Marakesh, which it resembles in its lowest story, still shows the three copper balls on its muezzin-turret. The rosette ornamentation under the platform is peculiar. The ascent is recommended for the sake of the fine survey we obtain of the village and the beautiful view of the hilly plain of Tlemcen with the minarets of Agâdir (p. 196) and Mansura.

A few paces above the outer gateway of the mosque court a flight of steps on the right ascends to the old Medersa, now a national school. This edifice, erected by Abû’l-Hasen Ali in 1347, is the only learned school of the kind still preserved in Barbary, besides that of Marakesh; but it has been almost entirely restored, first by Mohammed el-Kebîr about 1793, and lately by the French government. The building is usually shown by the teacher (50 c.).

The portal, ornamented with fayence mosaics and surmounted by a projecting roof like the chief door of the neighbouring mosque, opens into a court, adorned with a fountain and flanked with an arcade. On each side are six cells for the students (tholba, sing. thaleb); and there are four others in the small court adjoining the S.E. angle. The niches in the walls for the books and lamps of the students should be noticed. In the centre of the S. wall of the court is the entrance to the old room for study and prayer, with a mihrâb and a wooden dome which was probably restored in the time of Mohammed el-Kebîr. The stucco enrichment of the walls is best preserved on the entrance side. The old court of ablutions adjoins the N.W. angle of the main quadrangle.

The platform of the upper floor of the court, where there are twelve more cells, affords the best view of the minaret of the mosque.

At a small house near the Medersa we obtain the key (fee 30 c.) of the so-called Petit Palais d’el-Eubbâd, a ruin popularly called Dâr es-Soltân (palace of the sultan), situated below the Kubba of Sidi Bou-Médine. The building, which also dates from the Merinide period, was more probably a hospice for the richer pilgrims. It comprises three courts with small side-rooms or alcoves, like those of the Alhambra, and remains of baths and latrines. A visit to it hardly repays if time is limited.

On the way to the ‘Dâr es-Soltân’ we pass the Latrine Court of the mosque and the so-called Kubba of Sidi el-Eubbâd. From (2 min. farther) the E. end of the village we may descend, and cross the railway, to (6 min.) the Sidi Bel-Abbès road.

This road leads to the E. through olive-groves, and then, turning to the S., through the Safsaf Valley to (¾ hr., or from Tlemcen 1 hr.) the gorge of *El-Ourit (p. 186; carr. there and back 4–5 fr.). The bridge across it affords a fine view of the valley and the lower waterfalls. (Rfmts.)

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The road to Aïn-Temouchent (p. 185) diverges to the left from the Sidi Bel-Abbès road, at a point 10 min. from the Porte de Sidi Bou-Médine (p. 188), and about ½ M. farther passes near the gorge of the Oued Metchkâna, which lies a little to the left. Here, beneath superb old terebinths (p. 202), on the site of the old Cemetery of Agadîr (‘Cimetière de Sidi Yacoub’), are situated the pretty kubba of Sidi Wahhâb, the oldest saint of this region, said to have been a companion of the prophet, and the so-called Tombeau de la Sultane, a dilapidated octagonal domed building (12th cent.?), which served in 1412 as a tomb for a Ziyanide princess.

The ruins of Agâdir (p. 187) may be reached in about 10 min. from the Porte de l’Abattoir (Pl. D, 1; p. 191) by the old Safsaf road to the N.E. (p. 185). Of the chief mosque founded here by Idris I. (p. 95) the only relic is the elegant *Minaret, 105 ft. in height, erected by Yarmorâsen at the same time as the tower of the Great Mosque (p. 190). The substructures, 19 ft. high, composed of Roman blocks of stone from the ancient Pomaria, and with Roman inscriptions built into them outside and in the staircase, probably belonged to an earlier minaret.—A little to the E., beyond the ravine, are preserved a few fragments of the E. Wall of Agâdir built by the Berbers. A few paces to the N. of the road rises the handsome Kubba of Sidi’d-Dâoudi (d. 1011); the present building is probably of the Merinide period.

31. Prom Tlemcen to Nemours viâ Lalla-Marnia.

64 M. Railway to (36½ M.) Lalla-Marnia (two trains daily in ca. 2¼ hrs.; fares 6 fr. 65, 4 fr. 75, 3 fr. 55 c.), going on thence to (43 M.) Zoudj-el-Beghal, the terminus on the Moroccan frontier.

The Railway, admirably engineered, skirts the N. side of Tlemcen, and then, near the Bâb el-Kermâdîn (p. 193), turns to the S.E. to (3 M.) Mansura (p. 193) and crosses the Col du Juif (2664 ft.). Behind us there is a fine view of Tlemcen, while the distant view extends to the Plaine des Angad and Jebel Beni Snassen (see below). We next skirt the N. spurs of the Jebel Terni group (p. 187) and pass through superb valleys and ravines.

7½ M. Aïn-Douz. Beyond (9½ M.) Zelboun we are carried through the valley of the Oued Zitoun, one of the chief tributaries of the Tafna (p. 185).

18½ M. Turenne (1969 ft.; Hôt. Fournier and Hôt. Leclerc, poor), a thriving village in a well-watered region. Esparto is the chief export.

28½ M. Sidi-Medjahed, with a camp of wedded spahis (p. 390). 31 M. Tralimet.

36½ M. Lalla-Marnia (1197 ft.; Hôt. de France; Hôt. de la Renaissance), properly Lalla-Maghrnia, on the site of the Roman castle of Numerus Syrorum, was founded in 1844 on the occasion of the campaign against Morocco, and named after the tomb of a female saint. It is now the most important frontier-town of the province of Oran; it was made a free mart in 1895, and holds a great Sunday *Market, much frequented by Moroccans. Lalla-Marnia forms the portal of the Plaine des Angad or Plaine d’Oudjda. This great plateau is bounded on the N. by the Traras Group (p. 198) and the fertile Jebel Beni Snassen (4659 ft.), both inhabited by Berber tribes only, and on the S. by the main chain of the Tell Atlas. The old caravan route to Fez by Tâza, the key to N. Morocco, has been the scene of all the expeditions of the Arabs against Morocco ever since that of Sidi Okba in the 7th century.

From Lalla-Marnia a new road (motor-omnibus twice daily) leads to the S.W., crossing the frontier of Morocco halfway, to (ca. 15 M.) Oudjda or Ujda (2241 ft.; Hôt. Figari, good, quarters should be engaged by telegraph; pop. ca. 8000), the chief town of E. Morocco, which is said to have been founded by the governors of Tlemcen in the 10th cent., and was occupied by the French in 1814, 1859, and 1907. The picturesque town, the most fertile oasis in the Angad steppe, lies amidst orchards and olive-groves, not far from the Oued Isly, the battle-field of 1844 (p. 221). We enter the town, passing the kubba of Oudjda, by the N. gate (Bâb el-Khemis). Straight on is the French Consulate in a pretty garden, while to the left are the Custom House and Post Office. In the S. quarter of the town rises the Kasba or Dâr el-Makhzen, the seat of the Moroccan Amel or governor. At the N. angle of the Kasba is the Chief Mosque, dedicated to Sidi Okba, to the N.E. of which lies the Sûk (p. 335). Behind the mosque is the new Ecole Franco-Arabe. Outside the E. gate, the Bâb Sidi Abd el-Wahhâb, is the camping-ground of the caravans; and outside the S. gate (Bâb Oulad Amran), on a slight eminence 10 min. from the town, are the quarters of the French troops of occupation. The Thursday market is important. Famous horse-races in October, in connection with those of Lalla-Marnia.

For a visit to Oudjda travellers may use also the railway as far as Zoudj-el-Beghal (comp. p. 197) on the Moroccan frontier, whence Oudjda is about 8 M. distant.

The Road to Nemours (diligence) leads to the N. from Lalla-Marnia through a hilly region, crosses the Oued Mouïlah, a tributary of the Tafna, near the Hammam Sidi-Cheikh, a small bath with saline springs (91° Fahr.), and then winds up, past the Kubba Sidi-Abdallah (on the left), towards the Traras Mts., which are famed for the beauty of their outlines. In the Jebel Masser, near the top of the pass, the Col de Bab-Taza (2664 ft.), is a cadmium mine, worked like the neighbouring mines of Jebel Maaziz by a Belgian company.—We now descend to the N.E. in many windings, passing not far from the onyx-quarries near the Kubba Sidi-Brahim, into the valley of the Oued Zebaïr.

53½ M. (from Tlemcen) Nédroma (1312 ft.; inn; pop. 4900), superbly situated in a fertile basin, is an antiquated little Berber town, with fine mediæval mosques. The *Market (Mon. and Thurs.) is worth seeing for the sake of the picturesque costumes of the peasants who flock to it from the mountains around. Home-industries are much in vogue in the environs.

The Jebel Fillaoussen (3727 ft.), the highest of the Traras group, to the E. of Nédroma, commands an extensive view, embracing in very clear weather the Sierra Nevada in the far N.

The road soon leaves the Oued Zebaïr and turns to the N.W. to the lower course of the brook, which takes the name of Oued Tléta farther on, and from the influx of the Oued Taïma to the sea that of Oued el-Mersa.

In the upper valley of the Taïma, on the slope of Jebel Kerkour (1884 ft.), are the Kubba Sidi-Brahim, where a small French force under Col. de Montagnac was almost entirely cut to pieces in 1845, and the Kubba Sidi-Tahar, where Abd el-Kâder (p. 221) surrendered in 1847. The former event is recalled by a monument in the Vallée des Jardins, ¾M. to the S. of Nemours.

64 M. (from Tlemcen) Nemours (Hôt. de France; pop. 3900), a pleasant little town, noted for its mild and healthy climate, was founded in 1844 on the site of the Roman Ad Fratres, a name derived from two rocks near the beach. The banana culture thrives in the environs. On the Plateau de Taount (407 ft.), to the N.E. of the town, are the ruins of Djemâa el-Ghazaouât (‘marauders’ community’), once a Berber village, but afterwards a notorious den of pirates (p. 221).—Nemours is a steamboat station (comp. R. 18).