The Casbah of Algiers

The Casbah of Algiers is one of the most interesting areas I visited in Algiers…The meandering and curvaceous roads that lead to the hilly fortress makes it difficult for huge vehicles to navigate.

When one gets to the houses of the Casbah you are greeted by very narrow seemingly old corridors that feed into the whitish concrete houses inhabited by low class people of the city of Algiers. The houses around the Casbah have very little ventilation and one has to bend severally to avoid smacking their heads against the concrete roofs. The stair cases on the Casbah go round and round akin going to the high heavens.

The breathtaking scene is when one gets to the top of the Casbah to oversee the beautiful sight of the sea and the port. It’s amazing to see the number of small houses that align the edge of the seaport and how difficult it would be to demolish any of the houses to erect new ones.  It is difficult to tell the number of people that live in within the Casbah of Algiers and it will be equally frustrating if the government ever thinks of demolishing the houses for expansion to cater for the increasing population.

From the top of the Casbah overlooking the seaport

The Casbah has no mean fame as it is the site for the movie “Algiers” produced by Charles Boyer acting as the French “Pepe le Moko”. The battles of Algiers a film of 1966 is another historical narrative that begins with the organization of revolutionary cells in the Casbah. The song Rock the Casbah by the Clash is another hit that makes reference to the great hanging ancestral scene of this city of Algiers

Down to the streets in main town you experience the architectural designs of buildings whose edges start right next to the highway. It’s difficult to park your car outside as we do in other major towns.

President Abdelaziz bouteflika is said to be aging and ailing and fears are eminent on who really controls the oil rich gas-exporting country. The North African Country has beautiful road network deprived of potholes. The money form oil has made it possible for effective distribution of services. Almost every person owns a small car and the city of Algiers enjoy the services of electrified railway system. The Arab Country has experienced enough fights never to wish for more. The monument of Algeirs stands to commemorate the martyrs who died in the war of independence from France - some figures put it to 1.5 million people. The people of Algeria are peace loving. And they wish their country well. However they live in fear of any upsurge of terrorism and they keep praying for prevailing tranquility to persist.   

The policemen of Algiers are a disciplined lot. Each policeman patrolling the city and its neighborhood has a police motorbike or a heavy vehicle. They clear traffic while blowing whistles just like the policemen of Kampala Uganda. However they never harass motorists for flimsy mistakes like we find it happen in Nairobi Kenya.