10Recommended destinations to visit in Oran
A professor of history at Boston University says, "Oran represents the beginning of the concept of globalization, as it contains enough evidence of the mixing of civilizations since the Middle Ages."
When you visit the city of Oran, you wonder where to start the
?journey of exploring this city that never sleeps
The city derives its name from the word "Ehran", which means "lions" in the Berber language. Whoever visits the city of Oran for the first time, draws his attention to two statues of two lions standing on the main square of the city, and these two lions are hovering around them many legends; Legend has it that the two sculptures come to life every night, transforming into real lions, roaming the alleys of an empty city.
When you visit the city of Oran, you will wonder where to begin the journey of exploring this city that never sleeps. Do I start from its beaches, its popular markets, or its forests? In the city, there is enough for your stay in it to be royal par excellence. It is obvious that the "rai songs" in which the people of the city have excelled and made it the capital of this international musical style will accompany us.
1- city center
A wanderer in the streets of Oran notices at first sight this civilizational momentum, which was the product of a succession of civilizations.
The city also inherited modern buildings dating back to the French colonial era, a combination of which Robert Doisy, the French architect, said: “In front of me is a wide landscape of landmarks. If enough facilities were allocated to it, it would be able to match Marseille and Barcelona, and become a destination for the
inhabitants of the Mediterranean.”
2- La Corrida, a Spanish bullring
“La Corida ” is one of the most important historical monuments in Oran, and it is the only one in Algeria. It was built in 1908 at the request of the Spanish community residing in Oran. The neighborhood in which the circuit is located bears the name “Toro” meaning the bull, before its name was changed to the Prince Khaled neighborhood.
At the beginning of its opening, the Oran Circuit had a capacity of 4 thousand spectators, then the number rose to 10 thousand in 1954 after the renovations that affected its grandstands.
The local authorities turned to it, and it was included in the restoration program in 1986, but it was not activated. In 1987, the circuit hosted some events in the framework of an event called "Sidi El Houari Season", then the absence seized it until 2009, when a studies office was assigned to complete a project, a budget was allocated, a plan was drawn up, and the desired was not achieved, to be restored and reopened to coincide with the sea games The Mediterranean, which will be hosted by the city of Oran.
3. Taste the Karantika
It can be asserted that “Karantica” or “Alcaran”, as the people of Oran abbreviate its name, is the most popular food there, and it is a dish that the city inherited from the Spanish presence in it, as this is due to the fact that the Ottomans surrounded the Spanish garrison in the city’s fortress, in the eighteenth century. When the supplies are running out, the cooks find nothing but chickpeas, so they created this dish that penetrated the city after the siege was lifted.
Read also: Karantica.. Spaniards dish in Oran
Karantika consists of chickpea flour mixed with water, scrambled eggs, oil and cumin. The mixture is left for a while to solidify, then placed in the oven to ripen, and eaten hot either in the form of squares, or placed in bread in the form of a sandwich. And if the origin was the result of a need in the Spanish fortress, so that it became called the “little” eater, meaning the poor, the carnitica exceeded this place, to attract all segments, including the bourgeoisie, to become a eater indicating an identity and not a class.
4- Fort Santa Cruz
The pleasure of visiting Oran would not be complete, without passing on the "El Marjago" mountain, where the fortress of "Santa Cruz" built by the Spaniards, is still lofty telling to the arrivals the story of Oran, and turns the books of history. Its corridors and secret tunnels connected directly to the marina, and the church built under the fort attracts the mind of the visitor, and he is fascinated by the way in which the castle was built, which made it maintain its cohesion despite the passage of centuries since its construction.
A visit to Santa Cruz is also not complete without passing through the Church of the Holy Cross, which is located below the castle, and which was built in 1850, during the French occupation of Algeria, with the intention of intercession, in the wake of the cholera epidemic that left thousands of victims.
5- Al-Basha Mosque
The Hassan Pasha Mosque is one of the mosques of Oran. It was built in 1797 during the reign of the Great Bey, by order of Baba Hassan Pasha, Algiers. The first imam of the mosque was Sheikh Sidi Mohamed Al-Sani Al-Mahaji.
After France's occupation of Algeria, the colonizer seized the mosque and emptied it of all its contents, but it was returned to the Algerians to practice rituals in it in 1883 on the orders of General Demchel, but it was soon returned by order of Napoleon III and weapons were attached to its doors.
Today, the mosque is waiting to be restored by the guardians, so that it can be used by worshipers.
6- Popular markets
While visiting Oran, try not to miss the opportunity to shop in its popular markets. Head towards the "La Baste" market, the beating heart of trade in Oran, and it is one of the most important popular markets in the state, which despite the great development and its location in the heart of Oran, remains preserving its special character and the spirit of popular markets, despite Sophistication and modernity. When you enter the market, you are greeted by the smells of vegetables, fruits, fish and spices. On your right and left, you see bright tables with all colors and grains.
7- Oran Cathedral
Oran Cathedral was built between 1904 and 1913, that is, during the period of the French occupation of Algeria.
The Oran Cathedral is one of the most important landmarks that contributed to encouraging tourism in Oran, which has a cultural and heritage nature. Oran Cathedral is one of the monuments built in the Roman and Byzantine style, in addition to the presence of the artistic style in the eastern decoration.
The cathedral remained neglected after Algeria’s independence, but the authorities turned it into a regional library in 1984, and it remained that way until 1996, when it was turned into a public library, and it will host chess competitions during the Mediterranean Games that the city will host.
8- Oran Theater
The regional theater of Oran is located in the heart of the most prominent streets of the city, opposite a square that attracts many visitors and tourists from different states of the country.
Its completion dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century during the French period in Algeria. It was opened by the French in 1907 under the name of the Oran Opera, and underwent restoration after independence, where the most important national theatrical works were shown .
9- The beaches of Oran
Thanks to its presence on the Mediterranean, Oran has many wonderful beaches for tourists to enjoy the clear waters. The beaches of Oran are bordered by a wonderful mountainous nature for recreation, in addition to the possibility of practicing various water sports. Among the most prominent beaches of the city are Andalusia Beach and Oyoun Al Turk, which attract most tourists who go to Oran in summer.
10- Sidi El Hawary
The good guardian "Sidi El Houari" was the spiritual father of the city of Oran, and the district of Sidi El Houari in the city of Oran is one of the most famous and oldest neighborhoods, as it was listed as a protected sector in the light of an executive decree dated January 22, 2015 regarding the establishment and identification of the protected sector of the old city of Sidi Al-Hawari and published in the Official Gazette.
Sidi El Hawari includes many historical sites and monuments that testify to the various eras that Oran has lived through since its founding in 902 AD. A number of landmarks have previously been classified, while the procedure did not include other landmarks.
Sidi El Haouari includes many historical sites and monuments that testify to the various eras that Oran has lived through since its founding
The neighborhood embraces the tomb of Sidi El Hawary. In these alleys, which were the origin of the city, the Spaniards came five centuries ago and put their fingerprints on every corner, from shops to housing to all manifestations of urbanization.
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