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What to see and do — Mascara

Mascara (Mu'askar in Arabic, "the camp") was founded in the 16th century as a Turkish garrison. The city took on major historical significance when Emir Abdelkader was proclaimed Sultan there in November 1832, aged 24, by the western tribes. Mascara then became the capital of the first modern Algerian state, which resisted the French for 15 years. The city hosted palaces, madrasas, weapons workshops, and an administration. The French took and destroyed it in 1835, but Abdelkader briefly retook it. At his surrender in 1847, Mascara passed permanently under French rule. Under colonization, it became a prosperous wine center (Mascara wines were among the most renowned of French Algeria). At independence, it kept its status as Algerian wine capital and agricultural hub, celebrated as "Abdelkader's city."

• 📍Emir Abdelkader Palace and traditional cultural center — Proclamation site of the sultanate (1832), memorial to the Emir
• 📍Old Ottoman Medina — Winding alleys, 17th-18th century mosques, traditional souks
• 📍Mascara Vineyards — Estates producing Coteaux de Mascara AOC, tastings by appointment
• 📍Aïn Beïda Mosque — Historic mosque founded by Abdelkader, classical Maghreb architecture
• 📍Hammam Bouhanifia — Roman thermal springs 18 km out, spa town renowned for rheumatism
• 📍Bouhanifia Reservoir Lake — Tourist body of water, leisure base, fishing, hiking