CASBAH DE DELLYS

Built in 1068 above the port, the Casbah of Dellys is said to be the oldest in Algeria. After the earthquake of May 21, 2003, it was classified as a protected national heritage site in 2005, and since 2007 has been the subject of rehabilitation work as part of a restoration plan. Strolling through the narrow streets lined with traditional houses, religious buildings and mausoleums, you can't help but be seduced by the typically Mediterranean atmosphere of the old town. Its architecture and construction methods are the fruit of the intermingling of civilizations. The 1,000 dwellings were surrounded by a rampart, parts of which date back to Roman and Hammadite times. The houses of the Kasbah, topped with tiled roofs, are preceded by a sqifa, an angled vestibule inherited from the Ottomans and designed to preserve the privacy of the inhabitants. This alcove is often topped by a kbou, a room that forms a typically Ottoman moucharabieh on the outside, protecting the entrance from rainwater runoff. Near the entrance is always the stable, added to the body of the house by the Berbers. The dwellings are then built around a patio, following a Mediterranean-style plan descended from the Romanatrium, very common in the Maghreb. The Andalusian influence is visible in the riyad vegetable gardens adjoining the houses. These are reminiscent of houses in Granada, and are unique to the Casbah of Dellys.