Beautiful and Vibrant, Algeria at Last Begins to Open Its Doors to Tourists
Now is the time to plan a trip if you want to explore a rich culture and ancient history that’s been closed off to most of the world for decades. It’s not easy, but here’s how to do it.
The Grand Erg Occidental towering over the Oasis of Taghit.
Photographer: Will Bowen
Piercing trills ring out across Algiers’ Rue Didouche Mourad, and my eyes dart across the ivory Haussmann-style buildings to trace the source. The familiar ululation is a Proustian trigger: If you spend enough time in the Arab world, you know this sound—a zaghrouta—means a party is unfolding, and I want in.
Sure enough, a quartet of musicians spills out from a salon onto the sidewalk, followed by a chorus of women swathed in jewel-toned velvet jackets called karakous. The singing escalates with high-pitched abandon as a bride emerges and slips into a white SUV. As passersby surge into the street, I get sucked into the fray, clapping along as the locals pulse their hips to the beat of the darbuka drums. Then, just as spontaneously as the celebration erupted, it ends.