ATM Tour – Algiers – Day 2 – 5 January 2026

I requested the Metro counter clerk at Ali Boumendjel station for a 24-hour ticket. She didn't have the foggiest idea what I was talking about. All passengers seemed to take a single journey ticket and so after trying a few times to make the clerk understand, I took the single passage ticket. The train was on the platform in a minute of my reaching there. Had enough seating, it didn't appear to be the busy commute time. I got down at the Jardin d'Essai station and exited on the Jardin side.

The weather was cold and windy, as it is likely to stay most of the day. I was not very sure how to go to the Martyrs Monument from the Jardin. I found a building directly in front of the garden and I climbed the many steps to the entrance of what looked like a museum. It turned out to be the National Museum of Fine Arts. He told me that it would open after 9.15 am.

I had some time to kill. That is when I saw the funicular being docked at the Jardin station. In the directions I had received to get to the monument I had mistaken the funicular station as ferry terminal. At the funicular station I bought a ticket for 20 DZD and took the short ride up to the monument location. The funicular is operated by the ETAC company. It is not a particularly well-maintained facility. When I reached the monument, I was told that I would open to public only at half past nine am. I had a quarter hour to kill in cold and windy conditions.

The Memorial of the Martyr is a monument to the dead erected in 1982 overlooking the city of Algiers to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the independence of Algeria on July 5, 1962. The memorial is 302 feet tall and comprises three soaring 'palm leaves', each punctuated at the base by a statue of a single Algerian soldier. In the center of the monument sits an eternal flame. The memorial was erected on the site on an old military fort on a hill in Algiers, whereby it can be seen from anywhere in the capital city and along the city’s long and winding coastline.

The memorial is free to visit, and I waited more than half an hour for the barricades at the foot of the memorial to be removed. When the promised opening at 9.30 am came and went I went to the memorial museum and enquired. That's when I was told that the memorial is not open for visit; one has to take in the majesty of the monument from the steps leading to it. The gentleman also told me that the President of India had visited the monument a few months back.

The massive plaza in front of the monument is a popular gathering spot. It has a few cafes and eateries. At one end of the plaza is the military museum. I was a bit upset that I had wasted time waiting for the 'opening' of the monument. I had a cup of Espresso in a café in the plaza before walking back to the funicular. After disembarking from the funicular cabin, I walked the short distance to the Botanical Garden of Algiers, the Jardin d'Essai in Humma.

It has its origins in 1831 when, as a French colony, remediation work was undertaken on the marshlands to cultivate agricultural soil. The aim of the garden was to serve as both a model farm and a test garden to install, acclimate and study various imported plant species.

The classical French style garden embodies the art of discipline and harmonious beauty through a precise geometric layout based on straight lines and symmetrical forms. It has orderly pathways and decorative elements such as fountains, water basins and vases. Near the exit of the garden are cafes and eateries. Another feature are temporary stalls selling organic produce such as dates and honey.

At the exit I asked one of the wardens the direction to go the Great Mosque. Rather than explain it to me he wrote out the instructions on the print out of the itinerary I had with me. Accordingly, I took the Metro from the Jardin and got down at the next station. From there I took a tram to Cinq Maisons. 

It was a fair distance, and the tram went through very busy localities. I had become quite hungry by then. I found a small restaurant when I got down from the tram. I ordered a chicken Tortilla wrap, which came with a fair portion of fries. My stomach was full by the time I got through the fries dipped in mayonnaise. I packed the Tortilla wrap for a snack later.

Even though I was told that it would be only about 700 metres to the Great Mosque from the tram station I had to eventually walk more than two kilometres to Gate 14, which is the permitted pedestrian entry to the mosque. Fortunately, the weather has turned, and it was bright and sunny.

The Djamaa el Djazair, as the world's third largest mosque is known, was opened in 2019. It houses the world's tallest minaret, which is 869 feet tall and 37 stories high, capable of withstanding earthquake of magnitude 9. The prayer hall is 22,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 120,000 worshipers at a time. It is a single domed structure with the dome diameter of 50 meters and 70 meters at its highest point. It sits on 27.5 Ha of land overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

It was so calming inside the prayer hall that I lost count of time. I remembered just in time that I had asked the taxi driver to pick me up at 3 pm to go to the Notre Dame Afrique Cathedral. I took a taxi to the nearest tram station and transhipped to the Metro service at Jardin d'Essai. I reached the hotel with half an hour to spare. I had a portion of the wrap. By this time the sky became overcast and, as the met department had predicted, it started raining. The downpour was quite heavy on the way and it was windy and cold too.

Youcef, the taxi driver, stopped at two locations to pick up an elderly lady and a mother and child who requested a lift to escape the rain. Unhesitatingly, he offered to drop them at the turn off to the Notre Dame Afrique Cathedral. The elderly lady could speak decent English, and she stuck up a small conversation with me about my experience in Algiers. She told me that she wished very much to travel to see the Taj Mahal. However, she found it too expensive to get to India. Moreover, she surprised me with this, she said that it is too dangerous to travel in India. I was stunned to react. This is the view of an ordinary, not very lettered, person in a North African country. In the end, possibly seeing my hurt look on the face, she said that Indian movies are all popular in Algeria. A balm for the wound.

It was pouring by the time we reached the cathedral perched on a promontory 124 meters in altitude. In normal times, the views from there would be worth dying for. The long coastline, the terracotta tiled houses, the marine jetties and their breakwater topped by the magnificent Sea would be sights to behold. The church was consecrated in 1872.

The basilica is nicknamed "Madame Africa" ​​or "Lalla Myriem" by local residents. The church represents a symbol of cultural exchange and religious coexistence for 160 years, as evidenced by the inscription in the choir: "Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and for Muslims". A modern crucifix in bronze in front of the altar is eye catching.

After a few pious moments in the church, I went to the church stall and picked up a couple of postcards because photography was prohibited inside the church. After the purchase I meekly asked the nun if I would be permitted to take a couple of photos. I was surprised when she pointed me to a place from where I could take a few pictures.

By this time the rain intensity had increased and all I could do was to get back to the hotel sufficiently drenched. I was forced to rest the rest of the day due to the inclement weather. I was warned by the hotel reception staff that the forecast for the next day was equally depressing.