Rock the Casbah

My first introduction to the beauty of Algeria was the summer before I went to high school. I was taking a French summer school class at the local community college and often afterward, I would go to the library to wait until Mom or Dad could pick me up. I quickly discovered the wonders of the film collection and the televisions where one could watch a film of choice. Here I discovered the film The Battle for Algiers and was quite moved by this brutally beautiful and honest film about the Algerian War for Independence. Much of this film takes place in the narrow alleys of the Casbah, an old quartier of Algiers that was a fortified citidel previously. It is now divided in two by a wide road that runs between the two sections.

So on Saturday, I went with the portier of the CED, Mohamed, to walk around the Casbah. Up until that day, I had not really been beyond the Grande Poste, a monumental building in the Centre Ville which, in my mind, seemed to indicate the end of the Centre Ville. However, to my delight, this is far from the case and beyond the Grande Poste is some lovely arcades, pedestrian areas,

and the Casbah. Built on a hill like much of Algiers, no cars are allowed in the Casbah (and understandably so, as the winding roads are not wide enough!) and the air is freshingly free of car fumes. Here the storefronts are even more narrow than elsewhere, hardly wider than their doors, and inside, one can see all sorts of traditional crafts. The buildings are sadly in various states of disrepair, but still quite stunning in their shabby, uneffected simplicity and elegance. The people walking around were primarily locals, but they were quite charmed by my enthusiastic picture snapping, some stopping to encourage me in my filming. Pride of country runs deep in Algerians and the Casbah truly represents a beautiful and historically-important part of Algiers.

For lunch, I finally got to eat Merguez, delicious spicy lamb sausages that are like nothing one can find in America. Passing through the crowds and crowds of Algerians, we saw only one group of tourists. Despite its rich patrimony, Algeria does not have the touristq that most countries with its level of beauty would attract.