?16years after their discovery... Where did Algeria's dinosaurs disappear
?16years after their discovery... Where did Algeria's dinosaurs disappear 1----261
A dinosaur from the sauropod family, a herbivore discovered in Bruce Alger (Ain Al-Safra).
On February 21 of every year, public opinion renews the question about the fate of the dinosaur skeleton that was excavated by the geology team, affiliated with the “Sonatrach” company, in the year 2000. Every time the anniversary comes, The residents of Ain Sefra, in the southwest of the country, experienced disappointment in those who filmed for them a series of Arkoob promises, the biggest of which was transforming the discovery site into “Jurassic Park,” the first of its kind in Algeria.
The first news about the dinosaur
since the late nineteenth century. The Ain Sefra district (Ostrich Province) attracted the attention of French geological researchers, given its diverse geological formations dating back to the second geological period.
The beginning was with the researchers Pouyanne and Peron, who completed a geological study covering the period from 1874 to 1883, taking the suburb of Tiout, located east of Ain Sefra, as its stage. Then Flamond followed them with his famous reference field study in 1911, reported in 1001. A page in which he discussed the geology and geography of the Upper Oran Strip and the Sahara.
Then Cornet came, in 1949, to complete another study of the region, followed by Denis Galmier with aerial coverage of the Atlas Saharan palaces in southern Oran, which resulted in nine reference maps in 1972. As for Jean Paul Bassoullet, he completed a study in 1973 on the second geological time of the Western Saharan Atlas. The year 1998 came when the Algerian geological researcher, Al-Arabi Makhali, presented his study on the geological development of the Saharan Atlas palaces.
The first talk about traces of dinosaurs dates back to when researcher Basoli came to the region in 1973, along with researcher Philippe Taki, in Ain Safra, to examine and study a rock bearing fingerprints consisting of three lines, along with researcher Youssef Elio, where the results they arrived at revealed that it was traces of a dinosaur leg.
This discovery did not last long, as the rock was crushed because it was located in a gravel quarry, and its owner was unaware of the value of such excavations. The first discovery of dinosaur bones and vertebrae goes back to an amateur researcher, named Bin Yaqoub Abdel Majeed, who, starting in 1989, was able to collect 16 dinosaur bones, after frequenting the place called “Ruwais Al-Jir”, around the village of Aulqaq, in the province of Al-Safisifa district. He also took the initiative to contact the researcher at the Sonatrach Research and Development Center, Farida Muhammad.
After the center announced the discovery of the Qasr dinosaur, it assigned its nephew, herbalist Mustafa Khalifi, to deliver the dinosaur vertebrae and bones it had collected to the head of the project in exchange for a delivery receipt. This happened following a dinner organized in honor of the project team.
?A general view of the town of Sfisifa and its suburb towards the Algerian-Moroccan border. Where did the dinosaurs graze
?Where did the Qusur dinosaur go
In October 2000, the geology team, affiliated with the Sonatrach Research and Development Center, discovered three sites of dinosaur fossils in Jebel Ruwais al-Jir (60 km west of Ain Safra). The first site began work in March 2001, in field coordination with researchers from the Faculty of Science. Earth and Geography (University of Oran).
In order to ensure a sure start to its work, the Algerian research team sought the services of the international French paleontologist Philippe Taki, especially at the stage of determining the position and orientation of the bones, not to mention surrounding them with a plaster cast, as they are often shattered and broken.
The research and excavation team was able to collect more than 300 bones, including vertebrae, noting that the dinosaur’s skeleton consists of 700 bones, which are of the palace dinosaur, as they called it, a young man from the (Les Sauropodes) species, reaching 9 meters in length, from herbivores. He walks on four legs. He lived within an era ranging from 160 to 175 million years ago within the Middle Jurassic period of the Western Saharan Atlas (Algerian High Atlas).
In the midst of the rain of doubts and questions about the direction taken by the “Dinosaur of Palaces”, the official version, presented by the Research and Development Center to Sonatrach, stated that the dinosaur is still preserved in the center located in Boumerdes Province, while knowledgeable sources say that the dinosaur was transferred to a specialized laboratory in Paris for analysis and molding. It was released in the original version, but he “went out and did not return.”
The owners of the Dinosaur Project, under the leadership of Ms. Farida Mohammed, rushed to publish their scientific research on the discovery of the “New Century” in Algeria in specialized scientific journals in French and English, starting in 2002, where they focused on the fact that this Algerian “sauropod” is the first clear-cut discovery, given its appearance. Partially complete (skeleton, pieces of skull, teeth). Perhaps this scientific achievement that defined the region in international scientific forums is the only souvenir from the research team that did not return.
French paleontologist Philippe Takey
Philippe Takey’s will to the Algerians
Paleontologist Philippe Takey said about the discovery that it was a very important event on the grounds that the site contains bones of the same animal. He considered that achieving the collection of 300 bones was a bet that there would be other dinosaurs, and if this were to be achieved, the area would become It is famous, which will raise it to the ranks of countries where tourism has boomed thanks to dinosaur traces, such as France, which has a geological reserve with local tour guides, and the same is the case in Portugal. If Algeria wants - according to him - to promote the development of tourism in the Ain Sefra region, then tracing the traces and fingerprints of dinosaurs is the most prominent mechanism for getting it out of isolation and the unknown.
In conclusion, Taki praised neighboring Morocco’s efforts to establish a geological park in its south, after a team of French researchers discovered dinosaur fossils, in the same geological structure in which Algeria’s dinosaur sites are located, in the province of Al-Faisifa District.
Where is the dinosaur of palaces found: in Boumerdes, in Paris, or elsewhere?
Pink dreams and sweet promises
resulted in the region's association movement responding to this major event by announcing the establishment of the “Dinosaur Friends Association,” where members of the research team joined it as honorary members.
This association pinned hopes on this discovery in terms of its contribution to employing the youth of the region and developing tourism, especially when the project leader spoke about the prospects of transforming the place into “Jurassic Park,” the first of its kind in Algeria, especially since the dinosaur sites were intended to continue research work until More than ten years, and in parallel, arrangements are being made to open a branch of the Geology Museum in Ain Safra.
The reality of the situation suggests that everything has gone with the wind, and none of those dreams and promises have been fulfilled except to build a museum in the open, close to the discovery sites, far from residential complexes. They claimed that its engineering design would be in the form of a dinosaur, but the achievement came in a disgusting caricature form. And laughing at the same time. It reflects the extent of disdain for the feelings and minds of the people of the region.


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