Algeria: Ottoman echoes in the ‘White City’

[Al-khiyal]

September 6, 2007 -- We arrived in Algeria after flying for three hours at an altitude of 11,000 meters and at a speed of 720 kilometers per hour. First we passed through Greek airspace, then Italian and then Tunisian.

Algeria’s total land size is 2.38 million square kilometers - three times as big as Turkey - and it has a 1,200-kilometer-long coastline. It is bordered by Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, and Tunisia. It is an oil and natural gas-rich country, exporting the second largest amount of natural gas in the world. The Sahara, also known as the Great Desert, covers 85 percent of Algeria’s land. Northern Algeria has a mild Mediterranean climate, whereas southern Algeria has hot desert temperatures. Its population is 33 million with 70 percent under the age of 30.

After three centuries of Ottoman rule, Algeria was colonized by France. Buildings, cars, newspapers, radio and TV programs all still carry the effect of this colonialism. In fact, Algeria still imports most of its goods from France. There are satellites on almost all roofs and porches - even on shanty houses. Most are for European, especially French, channels. Buildings built under French colonial rule, the narrow streets and the French architecture are features that make Algeria unique. Apartment buildings in the capital are white, giving it its nickname the “White City,” but their windows are as blue as the Mediterranean.

When the French occupied Algeria in 1830, the first church they built was the Notre Dame D’Afrique. They wiped away Ottoman remains overnight and even removed the graveyard of martyr Oruç Reis. In the 1830s the French killed so many people in a valley near the city of Oran that the valley became known as Şu’betül Lahm, the Meat Valley. Forests were also destroyed during the same campaign. Nor were buildings spared; the French turned the Keshova Mosque into a church and altered its structure - it was remade into a mosque after Algeria won its independence. However, traces of the Ottoman Empire remain; the New Mosque and the Ulu Mosque are both from the Ottoman period and are two of the rare buildings that survived French colonialism.

The first step of French colonialism was introducing the language of the colonizer. The form of Arabic Algerians use has changed tremendously and French remains the second-most common language. The Ottomans ruled these lands for 300 years, but no one speaks Turkish. The French, however, ruled this country for 130 years and just about the entire population can speak French.

There are many Turkish families of Ottoman descent in Algeria and their last names are still Turkish; Demirci, Bakırcı, Kalaycı, Kahveci, İzmirli, İstanbullu, Menemenli, Bursalı and Çavuş. There are traces of the Turkish cuisine as well, such as börek, çörek, baklava, dolma and döner. We came across some streets and districts with Turkish names such as Bir Murad Reis, Deli İbrahim, Hüseyin Bey and Baş Cerrah - derived from Cerrah Paşa.

On a recent trip there, we encountered Sheikh Ahmet Bey, the imam of the Ulu Mosque, while walking through the market. We told him we were from Turkey and he welcomed us with warmth and happiness. Algerians refer to the Ottomans as the Hıyarün Nas, the best of the best people. Even today, when they see Turkish people, they identify them as Hıyarün Nas.

We visited the bazaar next to the Ottoman mosques next. This bazaar has been here for many centuries and is always very crowded. While walking through it, we decided to enter a date store established in 1940. Algerian dates are very popular and Turkish visitors always buy dates before returning to Turkey. The dates in this store were still on their branches. Although priced at $3 per kilogram, we couldn’t resist trying some. They were as good as they looked. Next, we headed toward the older districts. The Ottoman neighborhood that leads toward the town is there.

Algerians fought for their independence from France between 1954 and 1962. During those years, the French killed 1.5 million people in Algeria. If we consider that the total population of Algeria was 10 million at the time then we can begin to understand the magnitude of the atrocity.

In honor of the martyrs, Algerians built the Makam-ı Şehid (martyrdom) memorial in 1987. There were many Algerians the day we went to visit the memorial. Teachers had taken their students on a field trip to teach them about Algeria’s struggle for independence. One of the other rare monuments in Algeria is a sculpture of Emir Abdulkadir, the first leader in the 1840s to revolt against the French and the man who set into motion the war of independence. Because of this the Algerians honor him with love and gratitude.

Next we headed south to Biskra. We arrived 45 minutes after leaving the capital. Biskra lies on Algeria’s desert front and is known for its date trees, but unfortunately we arrived out of season. During our chats with the locals, we learned that Turkey buys a large portion of dates from Biskra. We also visited the Ukbe bin Nafi mosque in the city. Ukbe bin Nafi was an important figure in bringing Islam to North Africa. He lived in Biskra for 20 years and was buried next to the mosque after he died in 683. The neighborhood this mosque lies in is also named after Ukbe bin Nafi.

Algeria: Ottoman echoes in the ‘White City’

[Bent_Bladi]

Nice to hear that the french were failures ...