BISKRA; QUEEN OF THE DESERT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 323, 7 April 1928, Page 22

BISKRA; QUEEN OF THE DESERT

In this Oasis is den of Allah"

(Written for THE St'-V 6 y ELLIE MAGUIRE)

a silent valley sheltered by the encircling sandhills of Northern Africa, stands Biskra, the desert town, Europeans call it The Gateway of

the Sahara, but to the more romantic I Arab Biskra is the ’ Queen o£ the j' Desert.” Above a belt of green and graceful j date palms rise the towers of the ; township. There is the yellow sand- I , stone dome of the city hall; there, the square outlines of the abandoned Turkish forts; further away it the high chimney of the electricity works, and jutting up like the top piece of a wedding cake is the tall white turret of the Royal Hotel. On this turret, at sundown, travellers of every nation watch the glories of the dying day. Warmth, a peaceful stillness and an atmosphere reminiscent of Biblical days; these are among the charms of j Biskra. Desert stretches on every j side as far as the eye can see. It is j a world apart. In the town itself however the j monotony of golden sand and sunbaked mud is broken by delicious patches of J

vegetation. Each tiny square has its garden. Here golden mimosa, purple bougainvillea and scarlet hibiscus produce a riot of colour that is accentuated by its background of date palms and yucca trees The most renowned garden is the Jardin Benefice, which is the scene of part of Robert Hichens’s novel “The Garden of Allah.” This wonderful plot of land was torn from the desert and cultivated by an eccentric French Count. Here he built his villa, an extraordinary home consisting of rooms built separately and dotted about in various parts of the garden. Loitering along the shady yellow paths, one suddeny comes upon these charming little buildings. The smok-ing-room hi the illustration is particularly quaint and attractive. Hibiscus and geranium grow here in great profusion; the air is full of the scent of roses and magnolia; and date palms, fig trees and flowering shrubs are only a small part of the glorious plants that this old man coaxed to live

and grow amid the stony barrenness of the Great Sahara. Algiers is a French colony, and to France Biskra owes the splendid system of irrigation that allows her gardens and plantations to flourish. of the French population is connected in some way with, the army as the town is the military stronghold of a tremendous tract of country. Huge barracks form one side of the township, and the stirring notes of the reveille startle the still air every morning at six o'clock. The infantry regiments stationed in this outpost are Negroes, recruited from the French West African colony of Senegal. They look very smart on parade in their khaki uniform and red fezes, and undoubtedly they* do their duty if only by striking fear into the hearts of the none-too-peaceable Arabs. The cavalry men or Spahis are drawn from the Arab fighting tribes. They wear scarlet burnouses {native cloaks- over their uniforms, and as they matter through the town, their horses’ accoutrements gleaming in the sunshine, they make as fine a display as anv horsemen in the world. Arabs form the majority of the weird mixture of races and tribes which make their home in Biskra. Tltey are distinguished by- their long white robes, often far from white, and their white or coloured burnouses. On their heads are white turbans, wound round with brown cord made from camels' hair. The women are sup I posed to be beautiful, but this cannot be vouched for as they are devout followers of the Prophet and are in consequence, so closely veiled that

only one dark, flashing eye i 6 visible. Some kilometres from the tow-nship are pitched the rdack and tattered tents of the Nomads, the desert wanderers. Their moveable homes are guarded by fierce dogs whose howls are eerie and terrifying. Many Bedouins come to Biskra to trade. They are rather like Indians or some gipsy tribes: their handsome and bejewelled women spend their days playing cards as they squat in the doorways of their mud-brick houses. Arabs are lazy, so the work of the town —road-mending and so on—falls to the lot of the prisoners. Nubians, gigantic blacks hailing from the other side of the Nile, are employed by the municipality. The streets of Biskra are full of life movement and colour. Small one-horse carriages jingle over the cobbles, and motor chars-a-banc and private cars honk dismally, and futilely, behind slow-moving herds of goats. Blind beggars led by laughing little Arab

s boys stop the pedestrians, and sellers block the pavements I i loads, carried on their backsinj I Tiny intriguing shops eat*. „ ' t visitor from the streets. j, nj i shadowy depths are displared a* 1 * 3 geous native jewellery and tie af* i smelling hand-woven praver 1 characteristic of the East. InJ^J - ingly the wily shopkeeper ? | lovely shawls, gaily-coloured gJJ - cloths and carpets. ~ .- Then there is the market: here nast canopies of native cloth old ? spread out their merchandise. t- - stock and food are side by ;,jd e 3 sweetmeats and jewellery. HareS? . and shouting with an occasional? course to blows seems to be tha » ? proved Arab method of shopping ** 3 ! Through the town wanders the via. l ing white road that leads from tv r outside world to Timbuktu. OTer tb r sand hills, narrow and smooth, it r echoing to the pad. pad of can? - caravans that move slowly alongS - shadeless way. each beast munehh* = the queer, grey shrub that the dess! produces for its sustenance. ? In the hills about four miles bta 5 Biskra is a mineral spring. i ts . gushing water has been used for batk I ing since the time of the Romans, tv 3 present bath-house is an nnpostm i building in white stone, domed like i 1 Moorish palace. The water has , i strong smell of sulphur and tastes j f-; salt, but the natives are t about its power to heal wounds t cure rheumatism, i Sunset time! That is the hour -irU t l love for the “Queen of the DeaSl

steals into one’s heart. Like aMi ball the sun slowly creeps to rest 1* hind the hills, leaving a crimson rip which gradually melts to magenta aat saffron, pink and pale green. Ik hills stand out against this colourti background like black zigzag shadow* soon they, too, turn to rose, gold aci purple, and before darkness falls, ts whole landscape is enveloped in ■ peculiar azure haze, bluer far than 111 noonday sky. The moon rises like a huge goHkt lantern. In the gardens, black 4 houettes of tree, fern and palm 111 across the white paths, and the M gation streams gleam like meroßJ In the narrow back streets men ghostly in their long robes, jostle era ! another on their way to the cafes f* | coffee and a glimpse of the famoß! Ouled Nail dancing girls. At midnight the cafes are closed ani the mysterious silence of the des* i lays its hand upon town and hills. IS ! only sounds are the far away whiffli of a railway engine and the howl* < 1 the Nomads’ dogs.