Biskra

The city has been known by many names, including Biskra, Sokkra, Vescra, Vecera, Vescera, Adbesran. Historians do not agree on the origins of the current name. Some say its name comes from "Vescera", which means "station" or "place" of commercial exchange, due to its location connecting north and south. The Roman leader Betolimih Benyouba named it "the river of destiny" because of the Sidi Zarzour (its current name) that crosses the city. Some researchers say that its name was derived from the ancient Roman name "Adebesran" because of the geothermal source that is located near the city, known as Salhine Hammam. Other sources say that the name comes from the word "Sokkra" because of the quality of the sweet dates in the city's oases. Still others claim that the current name was given to the city by the Carthaginians. …

The Gaetuli first appeared in North Africa during the 3rd millennium BC. They settled in a large territory south of the Roman provinces of Africa and Mauritania. According to the Greek historian Strabo, they were the most numerous people of North Africa yet the least known. Among the oldest references to the Gaetuli are those of the Carthaginians, who indicated that the Prince of the Gaetuli proposed to marry Élyssa (or Dido for the Romans), the founding queen of Carthage (present-day Tunisia) around 815 BC. However, references in ancient Egypt of certain tribes go back to 1350 BC, during the reign of Akhenaten of the eighteenth dynasty, speak of cattle trade with this people. The Gaetuli are probably the origin of the Berber calendar, which begins around 943–949 BC, which would be after the victory of a coalition of Gétules over the Egyptians. …

Biskra is located in the north-east of Algeria, in the district of Biskra. The city lies about 248 miles (399 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (114 km) southwest of Batna and 137 miles (220 km) north of Touggourt. She is nicknamed "The Queen of the Zibans", "The door of the desert" or "The Saharan Nice" because of its location which is the beginning of the desert. It is located at an altitude of 87 m (285 ft) in the northern part of the Sahara Desert. Apart from the mountains that surround it, the topography of Biskra is generally very flat. Part of the city is surrounded by the Sfa Pass and the Ziban Mountains. In the outskirts of Biskra, the landscape is very arid with all the same vegetation that vary depending on the location. Small water points can be found in the outskirts of Biskra, especially in the oases and canyons of the mountains around El Kantara. …