Travel affords a person the chance to witness and experience a country’s history, culture and traditions. It helps educate the traveler about the country of destination, whether it’s new flavors to try out, historical sights and places to see or exciting things to do. Nothing beats knowing first hand what it’s like to be in a different country, to experience the climate and to get to know the people by learning to speak their language. When it comes to preparing a travel itinerary, it is best to do a bit of research and to find out more about the country of destination.

Our Travel Guide Algeria is a great way to learn more about this fascinating African country. As one of the earliest civilizations in the world, Algeria has much to offer in terms of history. In this section of our travel guide to Algeria, travelers could learn about one of the most feared and famous pirates in the world, the Berber pirates or Barbary corsairs. These infamous pirates once ruled the Barbary Coast. Travelers also learn about the national dish of Algeria, couscous. It is also worthwhile to visit the Sahara, the Great Desert that covers most of Algeria and look at the incredible rock painting and engravings at the Tassili n’ Ajjer.

Barbary Pirates

As the route to the East was discovered by the Europeans, the galleon trade flourished and tons of goods from the east made its way back to European shores. This made the ships high targets for piracy. During the 14th dynasty, the Berber dynasties emerged in Algeria while under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. These pirates wrought havoc in the Mediterranean Sea and brought much fear to European sailors and villages alike.

The rise of the corsairs emerged during the Ottoman rule of Algeria, headed by admiral Kemal Reis in 1487. Also called the Ottoman Corsairs or Barbary Corsairs, these privateers were largely based in Algiers, as well as in Tripoli and Tunisia, which is known as the Barbary Coast. Algiers was considered the most powerful city of the Barbary Coast. Although these privateers were based largely in the Mediterranean, their reach extended up to the Atlantic Seaboard and as far as Iceland’s North Atlantic.

What made them so fearsome was that aside from seizing ships, they also conducted raids or razzias on European towns and villages in France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Iceland. The people that were captured were turned into slaves and brought to North Africa and the Middle East. These slaves were brought to the Port of Algiers, which became a major slave trading port. Christian laborers and ships were targeted, while Muslim fleets were untouched.

These pirates were so effective; many coastal towns laid in ruins for many years out of fear of the pirates. An estimated 800,000 to over a million Christians were traded as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries. The pirates would only take the young and able-bodied people from the towns then gather the rest in churches, only to set them on fire. This established the corsair’s reputation for ruthlessness. The slaves ended up as galley slaves of ships, auctioned off to new masters and made to do hard labor, while women were added to harems or made to work in the sultan’s palace. Richer slaves were able to buy back their freedom after paying the hefty ransom fee, upon converting to Islam. From 1609 to 1616, the Barbary pirates seized and plundered 466 British merchant ships.

Some of the most famous corsairs were Hayreddin Barbarossa or Redbeard and Oruc Reis, two of the four infamous Barbarossa brothers. Not all corsairs were Arabs, since many Dutch and Englishmen later converted to Islam and became corsairs themselves, such as Captain Jack Ward. It was through the efforts of the corsairs that the Ottoman rule was extended to many parts of the world. These pirates utilized modern sailing techniques, which enabled them to have a strong naval fleet and have control of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Dutch also aided the corsairs and taught them effective sailing techniques, which further led to the strengthening of the Barbary pirates.

Some ships and countries formed treaties with the Barbary corsairs in order to be spared from attacks. England signed many peace treaties to protect their ships. These countries would pay tributes to the corsairs for protection from attacks. It is said that as much as 20% of the U.S. government expenses went towards paying the tribute to these corsairs. However, these treaties did not last long and eventually led to the First Barbary War in 1801, and the Second Barbary War, 14 years later.

The rule of the corsairs peaked during the 17th century. After the Napoleonic Wars, Europe banded together to put an end to the Corsair rule of the seas. It was only in the 19th century when their power became suppressed, thanks to the efforts of American sailors. In fact, it was the very threat presented by these Barbary Corsairs that the U.S. Navy was formed in 1794. With Algeria falling under the rule of the French government, the Berber pirates were finally neutralized from the region by 1830.

These Barbary corsairs have been able to instill fear in sailors for many generations and stimulate the imagination of the masses. Their influence has extended to the culture of modern day history. They have appeared in fictional works such as Daniel Defoe’s novel, Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte Cristo written by Alexandre Dumas and The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. They have also figured prominently in novels such as those written by Rafael Sabatini in The Sean Hawk and The Sword of Islam.

Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes was once a slave captured by the corsairs and lived in a bagnio or prison in Algiers for five years. His experience inspired him to write Don Quixote and many of his other novels. The trademark eye patch worn by pirates has its roots from the eye patch worn by corsair Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah in the 18th century.

Couscous: Algeria’s National Dish

Algerian cuisine is a reflection of the various influences to the country. However, one that stands out to become a staple of Algerian cuisine is couscous.

The land of Algeria has traditionally been a fertile ground for various items, including olive trees, figs, agave and even palm trees. The Carthaginians were the ones who introduced semolina wheat to the Berber tribes in Algeria. This new grain allowed the Berbers to create couscous or Seksu. This means well-rolled or rounded, owing to the shape of the grain. In Arabic, couscous is known as Kuskus. Moroccans claim that it is their national dish, but it is well known that the dish is a food staple for countries such as Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

The use of various spices in the food preparation undoubtedly came from the Muslim Arabs, who occupied Algeria in the 6th century. These Arabs brought exotic, yet delicious and highly flavorful spices, such as nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

Traditionally, couscous is a wheat dish prepared with meat of a vegetable stew. It is prepared by sprinkling water on the semolina and it is then rolled into small round pellets. This tedious process is done until small granules of couscous are done. In the olden days, village women would gather together to prepare the couscous then leave it out in the sun to be dried. It was then cooked using a food steamer or kiskas. Meats and vegetables were made into a stew and as the steam rose, it flavored the couscous.

In some cases, the couscous is served at the end of the meal. This is called seffa. As a dessert, it is served with cinnamon, almonds and sugar or even milk.

Today, travelers who go to Algeria could have a plate of couscous served with a hefty portion of stewed vegetables or a spicy meat stew. It is the perfect accompaniment to chicken, lamb and even mutton.

Couscous has found its way to the mainstream cuisine. This is because couscous is packed with nutrients. It is an excellent source of riboflavin, niacin, folate and vitamin B6, thiamine and pantothenic acid. It is a good source of protein, packing in as much as 3.6 grams. At the same time it is low in fat.

Sahara Desert and Tassili n’ Ajjer

Africa is a large continent and the world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, covers most of it. Algeria is the largest country in all of Africa, the Mediterranean Basin as well as in the Arab world. And almost 90% of Algeria is covered by the Sahara.

The name Sahara came from the Arabic word ṣaḥrāʾ. Also called the Great Desert, the Sahara spans a staggering 9.4 million square kilometers or 3.6 million square miles. It is almost the same size as the United States or China. The Red Sea bounds its eastern side while the Atlantic Ocean borders the Sahara on its western side. The Mediterranean Sea is its boundary on its northern side while it is enclosed by the Sahel on its southern front.

People have been living on the edge of the Sahara for generations. While most of it is undeveloped, it is still quite a marvel to see and explore for a bit, with an experienced tour guide. It features a topography that is enormously varied, most of it shaped by the wind over time. Sand seas or ergs, stone plateaus that remain barren; sand dunes that could rise to a height of 152 meters or more than 500 feet; dry valleys, salt flats and plains made of gravel are the main features of the Sahara. Several volcanic mountain ranges are also part of the desert landscape.

One of the most beautiful parts of visiting the Sahara while in Algeria is a trip to Tassili n’ Ajjer, a mountain range in the country. This is where you would find a large collection of the most beautiful rock art created since prehistoric times. The rock paintings and engravings cover the walls of caves and the side of mountains. It is actually a chronicle of the different periods in the lives of the pre-historic generations and the rock paintings were done by an unbelievably advanced group of people. Some of the paintings are very detailed and almost realistic, although there are some that historians liken to Martian images due to their shapes. The whole area has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Touring the many places in Tassili n’ Ajjer, you would see large scale engravings during the hunters and wild fauna period called Babalus. This is the period where the paintings show large herds of elephants, giraffes, rhinoceros and large-horned cattle. Look for them near Illizi at Wadi Djerat. Confined to Tassili n’ Ajjer are the rock art with rounded heads. Still on the large-scale size, these are human figures with round heads, shown interacting with wild animals. One of the best examples is the painting called The Great God found in Sefar, created in the 5th millennium BC, according to estimates. French author, ethnographer and explorer, Henri Lothe, called these paintings Martian-like.

Presumed to have been done by a refined group of nomadic tribes are the series of paintings showing cattle individually or in herds, and various depictions of everyday activities. There are also paintings of horses, which were introduced in the Sahara region around 1,200 BC. The human figures were not as artistically drawn as the previous ones, and shown with hourglass figures. These are found in the In Itenen area, together with the latter period drawings of camels