Part 31

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.

* * * * *

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.

* * * * *

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.)

* * * * *

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).

32. From Oran to Beni-Ounif de Figuig (_Colomb-Béchar_) viâ Damesme and Perrégaux.

396 M. STATE RAILWAY. Direct communication with dining-car (déj. 3, D. 3½ fr.) and sleeping-car (12 fr. extra) three times a week only (Tues., Thurs., and Sat.; returning Sun., Wed., and Frid.); express viâ (129½ M.) _Saïda_ to (305½ M.) _Aïn-Sefra_ in 16 hrs.; thence by ordinary train to _Beni-Ounif_ in 5¼ hrs.; trains start from the Gare d’Arzew at Oran (p. 175). As far as (55½ M.) _Perrégaux_ we may travel by the Oran and Algiers train on the main-line (R. 33), noting that the stations there are 550 yds. apart (omn. 25 c.). Fares to Aïn-Sefra 39 fr. 35, 29 fr. 50 c. (sleeping-car, 1st cl. only, 12 fr. extra; 2nd cl. similar to Engl. 3rd); to Beni-Ounif 50 fr. 95, 38 fr. 20 c. (return-ticket, valid 16 days, 71 fr. 30 or 53 fr. 50 c.).—A good supply of copper coins will be found very useful.

The journey from Oran to the Sahara is most interesting, as it carries the traveller from the seaboard through a cultivated region, across the Tell Atlas to the Hauts-Plateaux, and then over the Sahara Atlas to the margin of the desert. The only good intermediate resting-place is _Aïn-Sefra_. A stay of several days at _Beni-Ounif_ will be found pleasant, especially in spring. The oasis of Tiout is now eclipsed by that of Figuig, one of the most beautiful in the Sahara. The line goes on from Beni-Ounif to _Colomb-Béchar_, its present terminus.

_Oran_, see p. 175. Our train crosses the Algiers main-line (R. 33), passes the suburb of _Victor-Hugo_ and the _Daya Morselli_ (p. 185), and runs to the E. through vineyards, fields, and dwarf-palm underwood in succession, and then past the S. base of _Jebel Kahar_ (p. 184) to (12½ M.) _Fleurus_.

17½ M. _St. Cloud_ (502 ft.; hotel) lies pleasantly on the spurs of _Jebel Kristel_, 6¼ M. to the S.E. of Kristel (p. 184). 21 M. _Renan-Kléber_ (433 ft.). The village of _Kléber_ (505 ft.; Hôt. Voinson) lies 2 M. to the N.W., at the foot of _Jebel Orouze_ (2070 ft.; semaphore), with its large quarries of white, yellow, and red marble (‘rosso antico’).

26 M. _Damesme_, on the _Bay of Arzew_, the ancient _Laturus Sinus_. The village lies above the station, to the S.

A BRANCH LINE (3 M., in 12–15 min.) connects Damesme with =Arzew= or _Arzeu_ (7 ft.; Hôt. de la Nièvre; Hôt. des Bains; Brit. vice-consul, A. Gautray; pop. 6000), a small seaport at the foot of _Jebel Sicioun_ (532 ft.), whence a goods-line runs to the S. to the (9 M.) salt-works on the _Lac Salin d’Arzew_, or _El-Mellaha_. The harbour, naturally one of the best and most sheltered in Algeria, but as yet little used, has been improved since 1906. From here chiefly alfa (p. 171) is exported to Great Britain and Germany.

From Damesme the train runs to the S.E., close to the shore. 28 M. _St. Leu_ (177 ft.; Hôt. de l’Europe). To the S.E. of the village of St. Leu, and 1 M. from the station, is the Berber village of _Bettioua_, near which are the scanty ruins of _Portus Magnus_, the only Roman settlement on the bay of Arzew.

34½ M. _Port-aux-Poules_ (Etablissement Thermal), with sulphur-baths, a sea-bathing place in summer. The train skirts the narrow strip of sand-hills and passes the mouth of the _Macta_.