ATM Tour – Algiers – Day 3 – 6 January 2026

The weather stayed true to form. It rained the whole night, and the morning was grey and gloomy. I had just a couple of more visits to make, the Bardo National Museum and Palais des Rais, aka Bastion 23. I had appropriate clothing to take on the weather, so that the itinerary is completed. 

Togged out in a Katmandu jacket and the lower half of a raincoat over normal clothing I ventured out into the light rain and took the Metro to the station closest to the Bardo National Museum. On the way to the Museum, I picked up a baguette with a quiche-like filling. The 'hot' meal set me up better for the longish walk to the Museum. The incessant rain slowed me down, avoiding puddles and negotiating slippery pavement.

The Bardo National Museum is housed in a former Moorish villa. The villa apparently was built in the late eighteenth century by a wealthy exiled Tunisian, Hadj Ben Omar, to serve as a summer residence for the reception notables of the time. In 1879, an extension was built by his last owner, a Frenchman named Joret. In 1926 the villa was ceded to the government. It was opened as a museum in 1927.

The entrance fee to the Museum is 200 DZD, roughly Rs. 140. The building is a spectacular attraction in its own right, with its superb architecture and decorative design. As soon as I entered the first exhibition hall, I realised that I would be disappointed in the visit.

As the museum is predominantly focused on ethnography and pre-history I was looking forward to gaining some valuable information from the exhibits and displays. The descriptions were all in Arabic and French and that made it almost impossible for me to appreciate fully the importance of the displays and the visuals. Undoubtedly, it houses some of the best and rare exhibits such as ancient fossils, pottery, spectacular collection of rock paintings and rock carvings, copper tea pots, stone collections, leatherwork, jewellery, wooden furniture, costumes and weaponry.

The villa gives an awesome atmosphere of an era gone by. The elaborate and colourful tile work, the exquisite furniture, fountains, kitchen and utensils, seating areas, bedrooms, vases, lighting fixtures and even doorknobs loudly proclaim the aesthetic sensibility of the architect and the person who commissioned the villa. It is indeed a tribute to the government that this masterpiece has been restored and maintained to give an idea of the life and times of a bygone era.

After visiting the Museum I took the Metro to the Martyrs Square. From there I dropped into the Djamaa el Kbir and Djema Djedid. I had not been able to visit the inside of the mosque as it was prayer time. The former is the oldest church in all of Algeria, built in the 11th century, and the latter was built during the Ottoman rule in 1660. Both the mosques were altered during the French colonial rule.

I had been to Bastion 23 aka Palais des Rais, but it was unfortunately closed being a Sunday. It was once the departure and return point for the Algerian navy during their missions at sea. It is now the only vestige of the Casbah's expansion to the sea. The site comprises three palaces and six houses, a covered passageway, a battery, fishermen's houses, Djamaa Qaa Essour and a rampart walk.

During the French occupation, it became the seat of numerous dignitaries, including the Consul of the United States of America and the Duke of Aumal. Converted into a boarding school for girls in 1846, the Palace underwent several alterations.

After independence, the building was forcibly occupied by several Algerian families until 1981, when they were evicted so that it could be restored by the Ministry of Culture. From 1987 to 1993, the complex was restored by an Italian company, duly considering the building's authentic architectural features. The building was inaugurated on November 1, 1994, as the Palace of the Rais Arts and Culture Center.

The magnificent complex is very well described in English and French, and a visitor can fully appreciate the historical significance of the various parts of the complex. Wardens are also at hand to give proper directions. Most interesting was the fact that local arts and crafts are on display in the various buildings, manned by women. They supply the visitor with information about the products, and they can be purchased, too, if one chooses.

By the time I finished the Bastion visit I had had enough of the cold and the rain. I returned to the hotel room after grabbing a slice of pizza for lunch. The rest of the day was occupied by packing, making notes and arranging the airport transfer.