ORAN, Gulf of Oran, Jebel Murjajo,...

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Vintage-Views Antique Prints and Maps :: Antique Maps :: Africa :: Northwest Africa :: Elisee Reclus Geographical Maps of North West Africa :: ORAN, Gulf of Oran, Jebel Murjajo, Ravine of Wad Rekhi

ORAN, Gulf of Oran, Jebel Murjajo, Ravine of Wad Rekhi

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ORAN (Arabic Wahran, i.e. ravine), a city of Algeria, capital of the departmentand military division of the same name. It stands at the head,of the Gulf of Oran, on the Mediterranean in 350 ~4 N., o 41 W. The city is 261 m. by rail W.S.W. of Algiers, 220 m. E. of Gibraltar and 130 m. S. of Cartagena, Spain. It is built on the steep slopes of t~he Jebel Murjajo, which rises to a height of 1900 ft. The city was originally cut in two by the ravine of Wad Rekhi, now for the most part covered by boulevards and buildings. West of the ravine lies the old port, and above this rises what was the Spanish town with the ancient citadel looking down on it; but few traces of Spanish occupation remain. The modern quarter rises, like an amphitheatre, to the east of the ravine. The place dArmes, built on the plateau above the ravine, is the centre of the modern quarter. It contains a fine column commemorative of the battle of Sidi Brahim (1845), between the French and Abd-elKader. The Chateau Neuf, built in 1563 by the Spaniards, overlooks the old port. Formerly the seat of the beys of Oran, it is occupied by the general in command of the military division and also serves as barracks. The kasbah (citadel) or Chateau Vieux, used for military purposes, lies S.W. of the Chteau Neuf. It was partly destroyed by the earthquake of the 8th and oth of October 1790. On the hills behind the kasbah are Fort St Grgoire, a votive chapel commemorative of the cholera of 1849, and Fort Santa Cruz, crowning at a height of 1312 ft. the summit of the Aidur. Fort de la Moune (so called from the monkeys said to have haunted the neighborhood) is at the western end of the harbour, and commands the road from Oran to Mers-elKebir . Fort St Philippe , south of the kasbah, replaces the old Castle of the Saints of the Spaniards. There is subterranean communication between all the ancient forts. The cathedral, dedicated to St Louis, and built in 1839, occupies the site of a chapel belonging in the days of Spanish dominion to a convent of monks of St Bernard. The Grand Mosque (in rue Philippe) was erected at the end of the 18th century to commemorate the expulsion of the Spaniards, and with money paid as ransom for Christian slaves. Other mosques have been turned into churches or utilized for military purposes. The military hospital, a large building adjoining the cathedral, contains 1400 beds. A house in the place de lhpital, now used by the military, was once the home of the Inquisition; it was built at the expense of Spain in 1772. The museum formed by the Oran Society of Geography and Archaeology (founded in 1878) has a fine collection of antiquities, Oran is the seat of a large trade. There is regular communication with Marseilles, Cette, Barcelona, Valencia, Cartagena, Malaga, Gibraltar, and the various ports on the Barbary coast. The railway to Algiers is joined at Perrgaux (4~ m. E. of Oran) by the line from Arzeu to Saida and Am Sefra which serves the high plateau whence esparto is obtained. There is also a railway to Sidi-Bel-Abbes and Tlemcen. The export trade is chiefly in esparto grass, cereals, wines, olive oil, marbles, cattle and hides. The imports include manufactured goods, coal and other commodities. The inner harbour, or old port, contains two basins, one of 10 acres and another of 60 acres, formed by the construction of a pier eastward from Fort de Ia Moune, with two cross piers. In consequence of the growing importance of the port and the decision of the French government to make Oran the chief naval station in Algeria, it was decided to build an eastern harbour. This outer harbour, on which work was begun in 1905, lies east of the old port and is about double its size. The least depth of water in the old harbour is 15ft., the average depth in the new harbour is 30 ft., the depth at the entrance being 40 ft.

Published for Elisee Reclus Universal Geography

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SKU	0823k5-fig119b
Quantity in stock	1 item(s) available
Price:	US$15.00

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