Sidi Bel Abbes (Algeria)

City of Sidi Bel Abbes

Sidi Bel Abbes wants to show increasing its tourist potential. This city which is nicknamed "The little Paris" has something spellbound. It remains deeply marked by its urbanism that has suggested to Napoleon III during his visit (May 1865): "It's a lil Paris! The styles of the second half of the nineteenth century there are noticeable. This is an open-air museum. There are large shady avenues lined with beautiful buildings including castles, Châtelets, administrative buildings and mansions beautifully made. Sidi Bel Abbes is an airy city where the walk takes us from one discovery. Among the recommended monuments include the office of the Town Hall, built in 1875, with its imposing facade, the old church, the gatehouse Lomet to the more sober lines, which currently houses the School of Fine Arts, the Napoleon Castle Square November 1st (ex-Carnot) which is the center of the city and is flanked by the theater, on one hand, and the court, on the other hand, with its center in a nice booth that decorates the 'reigning atmosphere. There was also the dome, built in 1954 to serve the wholesale market for fruits and vegetables, and public garden containing rare species introduced from layout and a set of equipment. A first artificial beach, nationally, will be located at the lake Sidi M'hamed Benali, located in the town of Ain TLID, 3 km from the town of Sidi Bel Abbes. This artificial beach will last a lake with an area of 7700 square meters and a depth of between 80 cm and 1 meter. The project is supported by the local management of hydraulics, which will undertake all the amenities and will transfer the lake water to the artificial beach, processing and installation of adequate equipment to create mini waves . The creation of this artificial beach is part of a project to build a leisure center on this natural site, which drains, especially during weekends and holidays, hundreds of visitors, looking for a place to rest and tranquility. Located three kilometers from Sidi Bel Abbes, this lake, nestled at the foot of Tessala Mountains is a tourist site greatly appreciated for its beauty and its micro-climate that prevails. Many tourists who expressed their amazement at the stunning scenery and mild climate. Space of discovery and knowledge, Lake Sidi M'hamed Benali is also, for lovers of photography, a photographic base, because it is a true rich deposit in migratory birds and waterfowl such as mallard , ducks and moorhens, the flamingo, the greylag goose. Fishing trips are organized between friends, just to cut with the daily fast-paced major cities. Here, the visitor is in the arms of nature. A sort of homecoming, authenticity and beauty of the landscape. You do not see the time passing. Young and old alike can jog to fresh air and keep fit. For those who want to drink spirituality and ancient wisdom, there many brotherhoods such as El Aissaouia, Eddarkaouya El Ulwya and Tidjania located in Ras El Ma. Many delegations come to stop. Religious tourism is a major trend that transforms the global travel industry. An estimated 330 million the number of passengers who fly every year to sacred sites and places of pilgrimage. Traditionally reserved for devout practitioners leading a strict religious approach this market now affects people eager for new experiences and motivated by different aspirations. Like religion, religious tourism is becoming more individualized, is a reflection of a more modern religiosity and a more contemporary spirituality. Thus, Sidi Bel Abbes can surf three products: urban tourism, ecological tourism, spiritual tourism. Le P'tit Paris thinks big!

Largest city in the west of the country, 80 km south-west of Oran, at an average altitude of 470 m on the Mekerra the center of a vast plain between the Jebel Tessalah north and the mountains Dhaia to south, its area is around 8300km² and the number of inhabitants was 529,704 in 1998.

 originally Sidi Bel Abbes was built in a checkerboard pierced rectangular central four-door watching the cardinal points. Doors and demolished walls allowed the extension of the city where the suburbs widened steadily.

 The main arteries connecting the old doors, the street that extends Tebessi Larbi Mohamed V Avenue, the Republic Boulevard and the boulevard Emir Abdelkader former General Rollet cross at the right angle at the intersection of four clocks, geometric center of the city. The entertainment center is the place of the former Carnot 1 November 1954, which extends between the court and the regional theater, nationally renowned, Sidi Bel Abbes. The cultural center Sheikh Benghazi equipped with computer equipment allows the youth of the city to be connected with its 'cyberspace', in addition to books and other reading magazines.

 Nearly four clocks on the Avenue Larbi Tebessi the Officers' Mess (converted to complex) surrounded by cool shades, remains an attraction of the city because of its beautiful garden. The Republic Square, along the avenue Mohamed V we arrive at Martyrs Square dominated right cupola, art architecture, home to a planetarium and various shops, further north the intersection of road Oran, west of Avenue Lieutenant Khelladi leads to the district of Sidi Bel Abbes.

 The cemetery and the marabout Sidi Bel Abbes, holy character of the line of descendants of the prophet and son of Sidi El Bouzidi and who lived in the eighteenth century and left the entire region a revered memory. North Tessalah going towards the university area, home of the faculties of science and law. 

 Place Carnot

 Beni Tala Hotel

School of Fine Arts

The current Sidi Bel Abbes has become a major center radiating socioeconomic over the entire region, firstly by its rich industrial fabric of an industrial area located southeast of the city, there are two large industrial complexes (electronic and mechanical) and the small and medium enterprise (plastics, building materials, ...). The city of Sidi Bel Abbes continues to grow and is among the cities that passed its urban plan.

 The University of Djillali Liabes whose District Office is located on the former agricultural school occupies a special place in the life of the city, different scientific and cultural events are controlled by the university added to that the different interactive projects including academics associated (eco-development projects, statistics, studies, etc ...).

public garden

The Avenue Macta

 The city of Sidi Bel Abbes also has a park with rare species of trees, vegetable garden once, became the oxygen area of the city where young and old are exercised jogging, garden recently with wild animals. Adjoining the park, the outdoor theater, a relaxation area designed for cultural and musical entertainment for hot summer nights. In Macon area, north of the city, the garden and the forest house, reserve archive for history enthusiasts. Further north on the way to the foot of the Ain Trid Tessalah Mountains, Lake If M'hamed Benali, large water reservoir surrounded by a beautiful pine forest, a must for walkers spring and summer.

 Lake Sidi M'hamed Ben Ali

In reality it is not a pond, a water reservoir intended to contain and to initially control flooding of Mekerra who was Sidi Bel Abbes often swamp the taste of settlers who made their Eldorado. Sidi M'hammed - Ben Ali is powered recovering runoff from Mount Tessalah and canal diverting the overflow flood of Mekerra. This is simply a pond with stagnant water, most of the year and which is connected to the spillway dam Sarno, famous in the circle of the architecture for the originality of its daisy shaped design to eight petals. If nothing is done by Mother Nature, such waters reserves (this also applies to certain types of lakes) are doomed, and even condemned to be gradually filled by alluvial deposits that accumulate as on their funds. Excessive evaporation doing the rest, only frequent water receiving may, without a doubt, make the "lake" optimal viability and thus perpetuate the now in a natural setting, at the option of human genius. At birth it was decided to let the water take it easy to blend with nature itself - indeed welcoming. This allowed the stabilization of a particular ecosystem in the region of Sidi Bel Abbes, ecosystem formed by an association of living beings (biota) and its environment. It is a dynamic complex of micro-organisms, plants, fish, plankton that eventually settle and give life to a whole unsuspected world, though vulnerable, constantly in critical danger and easy to destabilize. It is this dynamic complex - which should have been protected - which has done to the ecosystem an unprecedented upheaval, engaging the lake in an accelerated agony and we absolutely do not accept fate, too easy parade to clear itself. Where were the environmentalists and their multiple associations, who are worried today unjustly for harvesting some carob trees on the route of the tramway, with strength and hype? Where was the university with its patented experts? These circles were alerted use their weight and their scientific arguments to oppose any work on and around the lake, knowing with certainty that we were going to a disaster foretold, while we, neophytes, had everything to deter policymakers braving the regulations since they were, at that time, no registered for the operating budget. After the catastrophe predicted with certainty and enjoying the executive change, some associations boasting ecologists, unknown to the larger number and a bag arisen conjurer, have suddenly awakened to deplore the visual degradation of the lake,, well, oh too late in adopting a new approach in the zeitgeist, gesturing for ulterior motives, reminding them how dedicated this adage: "other times, other morals" of course.