Oran - Culture

Oran is well known for being the home of the world famous music form of Raï, of which performers like Khaled and Cheb Mami are almost household names. The atmosphere of Oran will be a good indicator on how this inventive music form came to be moulded just here. Oran has since long times been known for being liberal and easygoing. But Raï is not the only modern cultural expression that hails from Oran; Nobel prize winner Albert Camus was born here, and he located many of his stories to Oran. The plague in his The Plague is probably inspired by the cholera epidemic of 1849.

Much of Oran's success in modern times, must be accredited the French; when they arrived here in 1831, there were no more than 4,000 people living here. Much of the structure of the city was formed by French and Spanish settlers, and there were as much as 200,000 Europeans who left the city when Algeria gained its independence in 1962. Oran is today very much back to its old splendour, and being the second-largest city of Algeria, it is an industrial, cultural and educational centre.

Unlike what some might tell you, there is quite a lot to see around in Oran, even if the city is far from any tourist tracks. The Great Mosque, is built in 1796, as a celebration of the liberation from the Spanish. Note that you can both enter the mosque and the minaret, which is octagonal (this might change in the near future). The Marabout Sidi Mohammed El Haouri from 1793 is well worth the visit, representing Andalusian architecture. The Demaegth Museum is a good museum, well endowed with exhibits covering thousands of years. Of European-built buildings, the Chateau Neuf by the Spanish, was before the civil strife started, begun to be rebuilt into a hotel. Cathedral de Sacré Coeur is now turned into a public library, and can be entered and explored for free.

With Oran's size, no one should be surprised that the beaches near the centre cannot be recommended. If you set out from town, however, first class beaches are easy to find.