Constantine

Understand

Etymology The city was renamed to "Constantine" in 313 AD by the Romans, in honour of Constantine the Great. The modern Arabic name of the city is derived from the ancient Roman name. As the Arabic writing system does not have unique characters for vowels, common romanizations of the city include Qacentina and Kasantina.

History Long before the Romans conquered North Africa, a Berber city called Cirta existed on the summit of a plateau surrounded by deep ravines. Cirta was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Numidia (not to be confused with the ancient kingdom of Nubia, in modern-day Sudan). Until the Battle of Cirta in 203 BCE, the city was tied economically and politically with Carthage (modern-day Tunis), but after the Roman victory in 203 the city became independent. In 111 BCE, Roman generals occupied the city during the Jugurthine War, a part of their broader campaigns against Numidia. In 46 BCE, Julius Caesar gave a speech in the city, which was renamed to Colonia Sittlanorum. Completely destroyed by Maxentius during a civil war in 311CE, it was rebuilt two years later by Emperor Constantine who named it Colonia Constantiniana, a not-so-humble nod to the man who had the city rebuilt. In 432 CE, the Vandals, a Germanic peoples, invaded and captured the city and absorbed it into their Vandalic state. The city was "liberated" by the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) in 534, and they ruled it until 697. When Arabs invaded western North Africa in the 8th century, Constantine was finally wrested from Roman rule and was renamed Qacentina. Starting in the 12th century, Constantine regained much of its former prosperity, becoming a major trading post as part of the Almohad and Hafsid caliphates with connections across North Africa, the Sahara, and the Italian city states of Pisa, Genoa, and Venice. In 1529, Ottoman forces took the city from the Hafsids, and the city was nominally obedient to Istanbul under the leadership of the Dey of Algiers (this marked the first time that the city was subservient to a city west of it rather than east of it). Salah Bey ben Mostefa, who ruled the city from 1770 to 1792, embarked on an architectural renaissance of the city, and much of the historic Islamic architecture of the city today came from this time. In 1837, French forces captured the city as part of their larger invasion of North Africa. The French made the city the capital of the Constantine Département in 1848. Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran discovered that malaria was caused by a protozoan while stationed in the city in 1880, earning him a Nobel Prize

Getting there

By plane 1 Mohamed Boudiaf Airport (CZL IATA). The main airport of Constantine, which is situated 12km from the city centre.

Air Algérie (Basel, Istanbul, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris CDG, Paris ORLY) Air Algérie Seasonal (Toulouse and Nancy) Tassili Airlines (Strasburg) Transavia (Lyon, Montpellier, Paris ORLY) Tui Fly (Charleroi) Tunisair (Tunis) Turkish airlines (Istanbul) Volotea (Marseille)

By train The train station is near the city centre and it connected to several Algerian destinations.

2 Constantine railway station (Gare de Constantine). (updated Oct 2021)

By car The distance between Constantine and Algiers is 318 km. The road distance is almost 400 km.

By bus There are regular buses coming in from Algiers (5 hours) and Sétif (2 hours). Buses and shared taxis coming from Sétif arrive at the Gare Routière Ouest south of town. There's a tram stop nearby. Taking it to the terminus would cover about half the distance to old town. Transport from Batna arrives as the Gare Routière Est.

3 Gare Routière Est (East Bus Station) (About 1 km north east of the west bus station.). (updated Mar 2022) 4 Gare Routière Ouest (West Bus Station) (Next to tram stop 'Zone Industrielle Boussof'). Station for buses and shared taxis. (updated Mar 2022)

By boat Skikda port: 80 km from the city center; connected to Marseille (France). Annaba port: 150 km from the city center; connected to Marseille (France). Tunis port: 250 km from the city center; connected to Naples, Genova & Rome (Italy). Algiers port: 450 km from the city center; connected to Marseille & Sete (France), Naples (Italy), Barcelona & Alicante (Spain). Bejaia port: 250 km from the city center; connected to Marseille (France)

Getting around

By tram There's a long tramline starting south of the city center and passing by the Emir Abd Elkader mosque and gare routière ouest before crossing the river. Tickets should be bought at a kiosk near the stops.

See

The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges and a viaduct crossing the ravine.

The city center bridges: this city is very famous for 8 bridges (one of which is, the Devil's Bridge, is nothing more than a thin piece of wood), especially the Gantaret El Hibal (also called Sidi M'Cid) bridge which is the 2nd highest suspended bridge in the world. It's a perfect place to do a bungee jump. Also the pedestrian 1 passerelle Slimane Mellah or 2 Bab El Kantra Bridge have great views. 3 Gustave Mercier Museum. Displays of ancient and modern art. (updated Mar 2024) 4 Ben-Badis Mosque. (updated Mar 2024) the 5 Casbah 6 Emir Abdel Kader University & Mosque. (updated Mar 2024) 7 Soumma Mausoleum (Khroub). (updated Mar 2024) 8 Palace of Ahmed Bey. (updated Mar 2024) 9 Ruins of the Antonian Roman aqueduct. (updated Mar 2024) Nearby are the Roman city of Tiddis and the megalithic monuments and burial grounds at Djebel Mazala Salluste.

10 Emir Abd Elkader Mosque. Large mosque and park to the south of the city center. (updated Aug 2020) 11 Théâtre Régional de Constantine Mohamed Tahar Fergani. (updated Aug 2020) 12 Bois de la Légion d'Honneur. Large park. (updated Aug 2020) 13 Salah Bey Viaduct. Futuristic looking viaduct crossing the Rhummel gorge, it is often considered the "eighth wonder" in a city with 7 bridges. (updated Aug 2020) 14 Sidi M'Cid Bridge (Pont Sidi M'Cid). 24/7. Suspension bridge, held the record of the highest bridge in the world at 175 m until 1929. Also called Gantaret El Hibal bridge. Free. (updated Mar 2022) 15 Passerelle Slimane Mellah (Entry from the old city is through a building with a staircase.). Foot bridge connecting the old town with the train / bus station on the other side. Stunning views of the gorge. Wobbles when people set foot on it. (updated Mar 2022) 16 Ahmed Bey Palace. (updated Aug 2020)

Eat

Budget These food are cheap and can be brought for no more than 150 dinars.

Local pizza. As in all northeast and central Algeria, pizzas in these regions is different. Pizzas in Constantine usually served with tuna, chicken, cheese, or vegetables. Pizzerias in Constantine usually don’t serve ketchup or mustard but instead harisa (a spicy sauce) or mayonnaise. BBQ. BBQ, usually known as shewa by locals, is a variety of barbecue and grills. Can be meat or vegetables. And if you want. It can be served as a sandwich.

Mid-range These food are usually sold for not an expensive price nor cheap price. And the quality is good.

Bouzelouf. A very popular meal in the city. Served with meat, chickpeas, and tomato soup. Can be found in the city center. Baklava. Locals pronounce it as Baklawa. is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. usually served In cafeterias.

Splurge Here are the best food you can find in Constantine. Usually expensive than other types of food or dishes.

Couscous. An Algerian meal made from small steamed granules of rolled durum wheat semolina that is usually served with vegetables and a portion of meat. Shakshuka. Shakshuka is a simple dish made of gently poached eggs in a delicious chunky tomato and bell pepper sauce. Said to have originated in Tunisia, this breakfast recipe is popular in many parts of North Africa and the Middle East. It is so satisfying, you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Drink & nightlife

Tea with mint. Usually called (Atay) by locals. Leben. A kind of heavy milk, it looks like liquified yoghurt.

Sleep

Budget

Mid-range 1 Hotel Marriott Constantine, ☏ +213 31-731073. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Five-star hotel. (updated Mar 2024)

Splurge 2 Grand Hotel Cirta, ☏ +213 31 92 93 64. Four-star hotel in city center. +213 31 219696 (closed for renovation as of February 2019) (updated Jul 2022) 3 Novotel hotel and 4 Ibis Hotel are the closest accommodations to the "Casbah" or old city.

Go next

1 Tiddis, a Roman city and one of the most important archaeological sites in the region.