Hammam Meskoutine Travel Guide

 JLBG Says:  On the first photo, in the background, the witnesses.The second and the third photo show the whole bridal procession with the children in the background.The sacrilege incestuous bride, the dishonest qhadi, the unfaithful witnesses, the impious friends and relatives, they all... 

 JLBG Says:  Arriving in Hammam Meskoutine from the main road (N20) Annaba-Constantine is unimpressive. First of all, the road sign says Hammam Debbagh and not Hammam Meskoutine. Are we mistaking ? Our friend from Annaba must not be wrong as he has asked his way from locals, but is it... 

 JLBG Says:  Hammam means "bath", then no wonder if the Romans had built here hot bath. It was then named Aquae Tibilitanae because it was close to the city of Tibilis (8 km south) built on the plateau of Ras-El-Akba. However, there does not remain much of it : these few stones should be... 

 JLBG Says:  If you enlarge the photo, you will see that names have been carved on the cliff and on the soil. That is what these girls are doing. As everywhere else, they are the names of people who came here and want the world to know, they also can be the names of two lovers.... 

 JLBG Says:  The man with the Polaroid camera proposed us to have a photo with the animals. As we told him that we had our own camera, he did not insist. He did not mind that we took pictures of the eagle and of the gazelle. I am sure that when there will be tourist coming to Hammam... 

 JLBG Says:  The dama gazelle (Gazella dama) lives in the northern par of the Sahara. It weighs 40 - 85 kg (90 - 190 lb). It stands 88 - 108 cm (34- 42") at the shoulder.. It lives 12 years. It can run as fast as 80 km/h for a few minutes. It is protected as it is an endangered species.... 

 JLBG Says:  The eagle is really impressive. It is the Golden eagle, Aquila chrysaetos. It is now very rare in Western Europe, much less both in Eastern Europe and in the Maghreb. It can be 80 to 97 cm tall and its wingspan can be from 190 to 130 cm. With its powerful bill (enlarge the... 

 JLBG Says:  Enlarge the first photo. You will see that there is a man in a blue overall and with a Polaroid camera that owns an eagle, a "gazelle" from the desert and a "guerba" (a goatskin use to keep water for drinking.The second photo shows better the eagle with the guerba... 

 JLBG Says:  Though there are no foreign tourists, there are some visitors. As I said, we visited Hammam Meskoutine on a Friday, which means that people were resting. Most visitors are obviously living in the village or in very neighboring places. Together with our Algerian friend, we... 

 JLBG Says:  The two photos presented here are close-ups that wee shot in order to better show the variety of colors of the draperies.On the first photo, from left to right, you can see snow-white minerals, a part where it is various shades of chamois, with greenish colors in the bottom,... 

 JLBG Says:  The photo shows the various colors of the concretions. Most are white but some are colored in yellow or brown by inorganic salts and in the lower parts, when water has enough cooled down, algae can grow and give a green color. 

 JLBG Says:  This series of photo were taken from the lower level and show fully the draperies of Hammam Meskoutine mineralized waterfall. The first photo gives a general view of the falls, with people walking on top, near the edge.On the second photo, you will see a few locals (not a... 

 JLBG Says:  This photo was taken from the top level but a little further. It shows altogether the top level with its steamy gullies, the mineralized waterfall and the lower level, with people wandering. Again, the size of the people will give an idea of the height of the fall (you must... 

 JLBG Says:  When water flows from one level to another, it builds a rim that keeps the water (first photo).The western side of the mineralized plateau ends abruptly. If you enlarge the second photo, you will see a man walking underneath. Its size will tell you how high it is (about 20... 

 JLBG Says:  When the highly mineralized waters cool down, the minerals deposit on anything. The photo shows a small branch that had fallen down into the water, not long ago (a few days ?). The leaves are still green but are already coated by a light layer of minerals. After a few weeks,... 

 JLBG Says:  On the plateau, several shallow basins have been arranged (first photo). We did not know exactly for what purpose and our group was wondering about it (second photo), but that allows the water to cool, as our friend checks (third photo) : the temperature is now low enough to... 

 JLBG Says:  In the middle of the plateau with the gullies, Fran?oise and myself stand at what looks (and smells !) like the entrance of hell. Fran?oise takes a photo of our friend that photographies us (second photo).