Belcourt & Makam Echahid

To see recent photos of everyday Algiers, Belcourt and the Makam Echahid, click here.

After completing my first watercolor, I went to the Translation Department to look into perhaps starting my class earlier. The students want to finish class before 5pm so they can get home. They say it’s harder to get a bus later in the day. I wonder why the buses don’t run later much. Anyways, there’s no classroom available at 1pm so, we’ll have to just make do.

I visited Ali in the Copy room and we chatted for awhile. I mentioned to him that I was headed to the Belcourt neighborhood and that I wanted to see the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of the Moujahid (Revolution). He offered to show me the Anatomy Collection on campus. So I took him up on it. It was amazing to see the displays of real skeletons and various body parts in formaldehyde. There are a lot of cross sections of skulls and views of brains and mouths and organs, twins and fetuses. It is fascinating yet at the same time not for the faint of heart. Another amazing thing there is a stretched out human skin. Belonging to a pirate, the skin has a lot of tattoos of women and dragons and various images. Ali had mentioned there was a peau to see there, but I had not expected such illustrations on the skin. They also showed me rooms where cadavers are dissected for study by the medical students.

One student was there, a young lady clad in a dark brown abaya robe. Those robes kind of look "nun"-ish to me. She was studying a huge model of the heart and generously gave me an explanation in French of the different parts and functions of the heart.

I had also mentioned to Ali that I wanted to visit the Jardin d’Essai which is a big amazing botanical garden in Algiers. He said that they had a unique tree of which only 70 remain worldwide. Not sure of the name at all, but they also have one of these at the Fac. Centrale and Ali showed it to me. As you can see it is quite a different tree.

Another cool thing about touring campus with Ali, is that he knows all of the special back routes and hidden stairways etc. After that, I stopped by La Grande Poste to mail more postcards. I feel “Grande” whenever I slip postcards in the slot there.

I bumped into some Bouzareah students in the area near La Grande Poste. It’s nice to see familiar faces and feel more comfortable. They were glad to see me too.

I then hopped a shared taxi to the neighborhood where Albert Camus grew up, Belcourt. Today, I’m told it’s “Shaabi”..which is Arabic for “popular”. This is popular in the sense of everyday people, not as in something popular to do. I liked it a lot and indiscreetly snapped some candid shots which produced some interesting images.

After walking through a crowded street market, I snacked on a M’hadjeb. A M’hadjeb is a lightly fried bread turnover that is filled with a spicy tomato sauce. The dough is oily enough and laid out in a squared off form, then tomato sauce is spooned into the center and the corners are covered and squared off again then put on the pan grill. I also stopped at another place for some mini-skewers of liver and meat. Tasty eats here and there.

I was looking for the Teleferique, a kind of bonde or cablecar skyride that goes up from Belcourt to the Makam Echahid, or Monument to the Martyrs. I found one, but it was under repair. They said another one was further up ahead so I kept walking.

I came to a huge modern building with a gated entrance lined with many country flags. I asked somebody, and they said it was the Homma., or National Library. This I wanted to see. The American Corners, I had been told, was located there. So, I went in and left my ID at the door. The interior is modern, clean and befitting of a national library. On the ground level I also found a nice exhibit of paintings called “Crossed Glances”. It’s a collection of works that were inspired by photos, so they have mounted the photos right next to the resultant pieces.

Upstairs on the 2nd floor, I found the entrance and asked for the American Corners. The attendant happily escorted me there. And sure enough it was in one corner of the building, a big one though. There were posters up with information on different places and faiths in America, some computers, a wall of magazines and a special large desk with the US and the Algerian flags up.

She presented me to Radia, who works the American Corners there. At the American Corners they provide information about America and about studying in America to the public. Radia and I talked about our programs. I intend to do some outreach there through, discussions, presentations etc. This is part of my work too.

I was pleasantly surprised to find one of my Fac. Centrale Students there. Asia, that’s her name, pronounced, “AHS-ya”.

Radia was very nice and hospitable and offered to give me the grand tour of the library. They have several special collections, computer labs, media, journals, and even a separate part for young children and adolescents. Radia studies English there too. Language classes are offered there, including English, Berber and Chinese! The Jardin d’Essai is right behind the National Library and is quite impressive. Currently it is not open, but from one of the 2nd floor windows you can see part of it. I really enjoyed my visit to the National Library and look forward to going there again and again.

After that, I went on to find this other funicular. From the street level the Canadian-built Monument to the Martyrs is straight up. And directly below it is the Musee des Beaux-Arts. It was already 3:30pm and I decided to save that one for another day. I found the funicular and rode it up. It’s a nice ride for 20 dinars and at the top there are some good views of the Jardin d’Essai, a nearby stadium, and the beaches along the western side of Algiers.

Atop one of the highest points, the enormous Makam Echahid can be seen from all over Algiers. Up close, this city landmark dominates. Just under it, is the Museum of the Moudjahid, which chronicles Algeria’s struggle against colonialism, beginning when the French arrived in 1830. Again no picture taking allowed, but there is plenty to see inside.

Guns, grenades, paintings, old maps and Napoleon-era war plans, right on up to the realia from the 1950s and 60s. The French ruled the colony for more than a century and exploited labor and resources. At one time they had an annual wine production of several hundred thousand barrels which were sent to “l’Hexagone”.

There are plenty of firearms, explosive shells, and photos that are testaments to this violent era. One gruesome area exhibits how torture was carried out and shows how napalm was used extensively. Interestingly, the role of women in the struggle also gets some attention too. One surprise there, was seeing a pair of pistols that Pres. Abe Lincoln gave to Algeria for Emir AbdelKader’s thwarting of Damascus. ??? Gotta go back and reread that history lesson.

After getting some more pictures, I headed homewards. I passed by the Fac. Centrale and saw Ali from the copy shop of all people working the gate. I guess he has 2 jobs there. He invited me to have a drink at a café and then we went back to the gate where he was working and just talked about Algeria and Algiers.

I went home hoping to figure out my TV for some Champions League action, but I cant figure it out still. Too bad, so sad. I still have my guitar. Alhumdillilah! (Gracias a Dios!)