First published: 05/03/22.

Zoë Sheng 2.0

Al Qal'a Of Beni Hammad

Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad (Inscribed)

Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad by Zoë Sheng

Quite a ride to get there, being the most remote site in terms of access from any nearby town with an airport. From Algiers it takes 3 hours and even from Setif still 2h for just 100km. Reason being bad traffic, speed bumps, fog even, twisted roads as you get closer and the good old truck that likes to go 20km on single lanes.

So you get there and can make out the minaret of what used to be a very large mosque. The mosque only has a few groundstones left, and the lake palace beyond also just shows some walls. Overall that is too little in my opinion, it's pretty much gone. A French-speaking gentleman pointed out some other sites as we were on top of the minaret. This is not an easy climb. The last bit requires crouching while climbing outside, and as you can see from the picture there are no guardrails and it's quite small so not for the faint of heart.

There is small entrance fee but you could potentially just see everything from the fence. During my visit I was also asked to provide proof of covid vaccination which seems rather silly for the small site where nobody followed social distancing and you'd think the small village enjoys any little income from ticket sales. As I didn't understand the Arabic sign the guard wanted to let me through anyway but at the last second Google translation did its job and I understood and cleared it all up.

While I can't recommend the site I think any Algeria itinerary should include it to see every aspect of the country. I have seen mini buses on the way but I think it's a giant hassle in this area and highly recommend going by car.

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