Algeria History and Culture

Rock art in the Tassili n'Ajjer, deep in the Sahara, records cattle herders, giraffes and dancers painted thousands of years ago, when the desert was green. The Amazigh kingdom of Numidia flourished under kings such as Masinissa, and Phoenician trading posts dotted the coast.

Under Rome, the region became one of the empire's breadbaskets. Timgad, laid out on a perfect grid, and Djemila, set on a mountain ridge, rank among the best-preserved Roman towns anywhere, and Saint Augustine was born at Thagaste in the east. From the 7th century, Islam and Arabic arrived and dynasties such as the Rustamids, Zirids and Hammadids built cities and mosques; the Beni Hammad Fort is a World Heritage Site.

From the 16th century Algiers was an Ottoman-era regency, and its Casbah of palaces and terraces took shape. Algeria became independent in 1962 and today is investing in transport, energy and culture. See where it sits in the regional timeline.

Algeria gave the world rai, the expressive popular music born in Oran, and chaabi, the soulful sound of the Algiers Casbah. Andalusian classical music, carried from Spain centuries ago, is preserved in conservatories in Tlemcen, Algiers and Constantine. Kabyle silver jewelry, set with coral and enamel, and woven carpets from the high plateaus are fine souvenirs.

The M'zab Valley, with its five fortified hilltop towns around Ghardaia, inspired modern architects with its pure, functional forms. Tlemcen holds exquisite medieval mosques decorated in the Andalusian manner, a high point of Islamic art and architecture.

Algeria is the largest country in Africa. The writer Albert Camus and the designer Yves Saint Laurent were both born there. Timgad is sometimes called the Pompeii of Africa, and Tassili n'Ajjer holds one of the world's greatest collections of prehistoric rock art. Plan a visit with our Algeria travel guide and our page on Algiers and the Casbah, and compare it with other UNESCO sites in the region.