If you should come to Algeria, do try to set aside some time for a day or overnight in second most important city, Oran, 4½ hours by road and an hour by air eastward along the Mediterranean coast from Algiers. Founded in the 10th century by traders from al-Andalus (Moorish Spain), today it's dynamic, buzzing, and dubbed "The Cheerful" by Algerians. The city centre feels like a movie set with its fading but still impressive French colonial buildings, revolving around its main hub, the Place du Premier Novembre.

Read more in my post Oran and its Raï Music.

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