Discover 10 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Oran (Algeria). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Ahmed Zabana National Museum, Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran, and Hassan Pasha Mosque. Also, be sure to include Abdallah Ibn Salam Mosque in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Oran (Oran).
Table of Contents
Ahmed Zabana National Museum
Also known as: المتحف الوطني أحمد زبانة
Museum in Oran, Algeria. The Ahmed Zabana National Museum is a museum located in Oran, Algeria, and named after the Algerian national hero Ahmed Zabana who was executed by the French on May 19, 1956, in Algiers.[1]
Address: Boulevard Zabana, Oran
Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran
Also known as: كاتدرائية وهران
Principal church. Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran is a former Roman Catholic church located at Place de la Kahina, on Boulevard Hammou-boutlelis, in Oran, Algeria.[2]
Hassan Pasha Mosque
Also known as: مسجد حسن الباشا
Mosque in Oran, Algeria. The Hassan Pasha Mosque, also referred to as the Pasha Mosque or the Grand Mosque, is a mosque located in Oran, Algeria. It was built in 1796 by order of Baba Hassan, Pasha of Algiers, in memory of the expulsion of the Spanish. During the French Invasion of Algiers in 1830, French soldiers would occupy the mosque during their invasion of Algeria as their living-quarters. 5 years after the French Invasion, in 1835, the building was established as a mosque and renovated three decades later. In 1952, the mosque was listed as a historic monument. Since 2010, this historic monument has been closed to the public.[3]
Abdallah Ibn Salam Mosque
Also known as: مسجد عبد الله بن سلام
Mosque in Oran, Algeria. The Abdellah Ben Salem Mosque is a mosque in Oran, Algeria. Formerly the Great Synagogue of Oran, it was the largest synagogue in Africa. Also known as Temple Israélite, it was located on Boulevard Joffre, currently Boulevard Maata Mohamed El Habib.[4]
Abdelhamid Ben Badis Mosque
Also known as: مسجد عبد الحميد بن باديس
Mosque in Akbou, Algeria. The Abdelhamid Ben Badis Mosque was inaugurated in Oran, Algeria in 2015.[5]
Aïn El Turk
Also known as: عين الترك
Municipality in Algeria. Ain el-Turck is the capital of Ain el-Turck District located about fifteen kilometers from Oran in the north-west of Algeria. The district contains nine municipalities. It now host an important seaside resort.
It also gives its name to one of the beaches in the region of Oran.[6]
Fort de Santa Cruz
Fortress in Mers El Kébir, Algeria. Santa Cruz Fort is one of the three forts in Oran, the second largest port city of Algeria; the other two forts are Fort de la Moune at the western end of the port and Fort Saint-Philippe, a replacement of the old castle of the Saints known in Spanish as Castillo de los Santos, at the centre of Oran. The three forts are connected by tunnels. Fort Santa Cruz was built between 1577 and 1604 by the Spaniards on the Pic d’Aidour above Gulf of Oran in the Mediterranean Sea, at an elevation of above 400 metres. In 1831, the French occupied Oran and the fort.
A small chapel, known as the Chapel of Santa Cruz, stands close to the fort. This chapel has been refurbished with a tower, which has a huge statue of the Virgin Mary, said to be a replica of that at Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseilles, styled as Notre-Dame du Salut de Santa Cruz.[7]
Bey Palace
Also known as: قصر الباي
Bey's Palace is a historic palace in Oran, Algeria dating back to the Ottoman era. It was a residence of the ruler who belonged to the Western Baylik. The palace is situated in Sidi al-Houari, near the mount Marjaju, and it is categorized as a national heritage. The palace was built in 18th century, commissioned by Muhammad Bey the Great. The palace has an area size of around 5.6 hectare. It consists of diwan, suite, harem, two guard towers which date back to 1345 during the Marinid era, barracks, courtyard, and several other adjacent facilities. Today it is a favorite spot for tourists both domestic and foreign.[8]
Port of Wahran
Also known as: ميناء وهران
Seaport in Oran, Algeria. The Port of Wahran or Port of Oran is an Algerian port in the west of the country and exactly in the city of Oran, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and is considered one of the important ports in each of the fields of trade and marine transportation.[9]
Mers El Kébir
Also known as: المرسى الكبير
Mers El Kébir is a port on the Mediterranean Sea, near Oran in Oran Province, northwest Algeria. It is famous for the attack on the French fleet in 1940, in the Second World War.[10]