Tourism/ Mediterranean games-Oran 2022: Sidi El-Houari district, open-air museum in heart of Oran

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ORAN – The “Sidi El-Houari” district of Oran, among the oldest districts in the Mediterranean basin, is an open-air museum that traces several historical eras that have produced a mixture of old and modern constructions with a particular character. The site is to be (re)discovered by the delegations and visitors invited to take part in the 19th edition of the Mediterranean Games scheduled for June 25.

The name of this historic urban space dates back to the venerable scholar Sidi El-Houari, whose mausoleum is located in the eponymous district, a religious figure very dear to the hearts of the people of Oran. The dome of this monument is distinguished by a magnificent architectural style, classified as a national heritage.

This mausoleum is the daily destination of women and families coming from different wilayas of the country and even from abroad. A “waâda” is organized every year, becoming over time an unmissable event, thus, reinforcing the popularity of this district.

The district is unique with various historical and archaeological monuments, particularly with its sixty-three sites testifying to the different eras that the city of Oran has known, namely; from prehistory to the Phoenician period, then the Islamic civilization through the Spanish occupation and the Ottoman era, followed by French colonization, according to the local Department of Culture and the Arts.

Among its most remarkable monuments, the Casbah of Oran, founded in the year 903 of our era, extends over six hectares and constitutes the core of the city of Oran, one of the oldest at the national level. It is distinguished by an Arab architecture, including historical and archaeological monuments, colonized by the Spaniards in 1509, according to historical sources.

What characterizes the young people of Sidi El-Houari is their hope to see their district classified as a world heritage site and their concern is to spread the culture of the preservation of historical monuments through social networks, by valuing them and organizing visits or cleaning campaigns for these sites.

Neighborhood rehabilitation

Given their importance, these historic buildings should be preserved and protected. In this regard, the State has classified the Sidi El-Houari district as a “preserved sector”, in application of the executive decree dated February 2015, according to the head of the heritage department at the Department of Culture and the Arts, Barka Djamel , who considered that this classification is an achievement for the city of Oran and an enhancement of its tangible and intangible heritage.

The Sidi El-Houari sector includes archaeological and historical monuments classified as national heritage, including the Casbah, forts, citadels, palaces, ancient mosques, historic gates and natural landscapes. The site is also known for its Turkish baths, some of which have been restored and others are being restored or awaiting restoration, in addition to the first hospital in the sector (Baudens) and the seat of the first prefecture.

Subsequently, a study was registered for the development of a permanent plan for the conservation and enhancement of the preserved sector of Sidi El-Houari, supervised by the municipality of Oran. A study office accredited to the Ministry of Culture and the Arts was retained for its realization, indicated Mr. Barka, stressing that “the first phase of this study, for which a financial envelope of 12 million dinars was allocated, was presented two months ago for approval”.

This plan is considered as an urban means to protect the cultural properties, located in this sector, registered in the additional inventory or awaiting classification, he specified.

In 2019, the National Commission for Cultural Properties of the Ministry of Culture and Arts classified five forts on the list of national heritage, namely; the fortress of “Santa Cruz”, the fortress of the “Alhambra” (Rosalcasar), the fortress of “Saint Gregory”, and the fortresses of “San Pedro” and “San Santiago”, underlined the head of the National Office for the Exploitation and Management of Protected Cultural Property of Oran, Niar Sanaâ.

In this context, in March 2021, the ministry concerned organized training by videoconference on the project to register the site of the old fortification system of the city of Oran as a world heritage site, knowing that the wilaya of Oran includes 12 fortresses dating from various historical periods.

Operations have also been listed to restore the Bey’s palace and some old mosques, including the “Hassan Bacha” mosque, the “Spanish door”, the “Santon door” and another project related to the reinstallation of the ” door of the Caravanserai”, located at the level of the Ibn Badis garden (ex-Promenade de Létang). This garden, a nationally classified landscape, recently benefited from a rehabilitation operation.

For its part, the Local Department of Town Planning, Construction and Architecture has developed the Place de la République in Sidi El-Houari, which is one of the old public squares for which the district is famous, in addition to the generalization of the public lighting from Khedim Mustapha street to the “Santa Cruz” fortress on the heights of Mount Murdjadjou over a length of 9 km.

The district also benefited, in 2009, from a pilot project for the rehabilitation of old buildings while preserving the architectural and historical aspect, in addition to a rehousing program for the occupants of precarious dwellings and those whose dwelling presents a risk of collapse.

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