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What to see and do — Biskra

Biskra has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The Romans built Vescera here, a stop on the Saharan frontier (limes). In the 7th century, Sidi Okba, a companion of the Prophet, died here and is buried in the first mosque of the Maghreb (still visible in Sidi Okba village, 18 km). The city passed under the Aghlabids, Hammadids, then became an independent Berber sultanate under the Banou Mozni in the 14th century. The Ottomans attached it to the Regency of Algiers. The French occupied it in 1844, turning it into a winter resort prized by wealthy Europeans (Empress Eugénie de Montijo stayed here). Henri Matisse, André Gide, Oscar Wilde drew inspiration. Today, Biskra is a major agricultural, university and tourist center of southern Algeria.

• 📍Sidi Okba Mosque — First mosque of North Africa (7th century) 18 km away, ancient burial site of the Prophet's companion
• 📍Biskra Palm Groves — A million Deglet Nour palm trees, oasis gardens crossed by foggara irrigation channels
• 📍El Kantara Gorges — Spectacular defile at the foot of the Aurès, nicknamed "the mouth of the Sahara" by Eugène Fromentin
• 📍Old Biskra (Bab Darb) — Ochre old medina with winding lanes and traditional mud-brick houses
• 📍Sahara Museum — Archaeological and Saharan ethnographic collections, oases and palm groves
• 📍Hammam Salihine — Hot thermal springs (~50°C) 8 km out, frequented since Roman antiquity