Algiers الجزائر, Algeria

The coastal view of Algiers from the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Algiers_coast.jpg
Author: Damien Boilley


Algiers (Arabic: الجزائر) is the capital and largest city in Algeria. It covers 1,190 sq km (480 sq mi) and has a population of approximately 3.6 million people (2012 estimate).

Although the present city of Algiers was founded by Bologhine ibn Ziri in AD 944, the area has been inhabited much earlier, going back to the time of the Phoenicians and Romans. Different forces occupied the city, including the Spaniards, who controlled the islet of Peñon in front of Algiers harbor from 1302 until 1516, when they were ousted. After a volatile period, Algiers was annexed into the Ottoman Empire in 1529.

Under the Ottomans, Algiers became a walled city with five gates leading out of it. Algiers fell to the French in 1830, and became the capital of French Algeria. Apart from during the Second World War, when it was seized by the Nazi, Algiers was to remain under French rule until the independence of Algeria in 1962, following a bloody independence struggle. The recent history of Algiers reflects its often tumultuous past. In December 2007, two car bombs exploded in Algiers, claiming the lives of sixty-two people.

Visitors to Algiers will find many places of interest in the city. The downtown area has numerous stately historic buildings.

Visiting Algiers

The Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG), located 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Algiers, is the base for flag carrier Air Algerie. It receives flights from Aleppo, Alicante, Barcelona, Basel, Beirut, Brussels, Cairo, Casablanca, Cologne, Damascus, Doha, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Jeddah, Lille, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Madrid, Marseilles, Milan, Montpellier, Nice, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly, Rome, Toulouse, Tripoli, Tunis and Valencia, among others, as well as domestic destinations. Upon arrival, you can take a taxi from outside Hall 2. The ride to downtown Algiers takes just 20 minutes and should cost around US$4.

Map of Algiers

Places of Interest in Algiers

Algiers, Algeria
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amiraut%C3%A9.jpg
Author: Yves Jalabert


The New Mosque at Martyrs' Square in Algiers
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alger-Place-des-Martyrs-Casbah.jpg
Author: Ludovic Courtès

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