The Habibas Islands provide a clear point of reference for the natural environment in Oran Province. They were designated a marine nature reserve by Executive Decree No. 03-147 of March 29, 2003; the decree was published in Official Gazette No. 23. The islands have terrestrial and marine habitats considered crucial for biodiversity. This brings together two distinct aspects: the formal status of the nature reserve and the ecological importance of its habitats.
The plants of the Habibas Islands include 97 terrestrial species, nine of which are endemic to North Africa. This figure refers to plants on land; the habitat description, by contrast, covers both terrestrial and marine habitats. Updated surveys may change the species count. The two details complement each other but describe different things: a defined range of plants and the broader ecological context.
Museum history in Oran
The Musée National Zabana offers a different historical perspective on Oran. The Société de Géographie et d'Archéologie de la Province d'Oran founded the museum in 1879. The founding organization's name itself brings together geography and archaeology; the founding year places the institution in a specific historical period. Thus, a perspective on nature through habitats and plants is set alongside the history of the creation of a cultural institution. Both themes offer different points of reference for the region without merging into a single focus.
Algeria in a broader perspective
In the broader travel destination of Algeria, Tassili n'Ajjer expands the geographical scale: the 72,000 km² plateau lies in southeastern Algeria, on the borders with Libya, Niger, and Mali. It is a national landscape reference point that differs clearly from the regional perspective on Oran.
Another place in the broader travel destination of Algeria is Tipasa. It lies on the Mediterranean, 70 kilometers west of Algiers. The serial World Heritage Site of Tipasa comprises three sites: two archaeological parks near the present-day urban area and the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania on the western Algiers Sahel plateau, 11 kilometers southeast of Tipasa. This arrangement brings several places and sites together as one World Heritage property.
The Sebeïba rituals are another distinct cultural point of reference in Algeria. During the nine-day Timoulawine competition, male dancers and female singers compete to represent their communities. Selected winners take part in the Sebeïba rituals the following day. For the performance, male dancers in warrior attire and female singers go to a place called Loghya. The competition is anchored to the Islamic lunar calendar and therefore has no fixed date in the Gregorian calendar. In this way, the competition, the ritual day that follows, and a date that shifts each year form a clear sequence.
Discover more destinations: Oran, Bou Sfer, Arzew, Ain El Turk, El Ansser, Algiers, Sétif Province, Tlemcen.
View the broader travel overview: Algeria.
