Les ambiances au sein des equipements touristiques de la ville coloniale de Biskra (Est Algerien)

Abstract

Conquered by the French army in 1844, Biskra was widely known as a notorious winter tourist destination during the colonial era. Characterized by a hot and dry climate, the ‘queen of the oases’ in the Ziban region was renowned for its numerous tourist facilities constructed using techniques imported from elsewhere, local materials, and apparent local stylistic influences. This distinguished architecture was notably mentioned in travel accounts and highlighted in tourist guides. Situated in the realm of heritage and architecture, this research aims to go beyond the knowledge of the built (material) heritage of hotels and thermal resorts in a southern Algerian city. Therefore, this article identifies and defines the atmospheres (intangible heritage) and architectural components, along with their origins, within the tourist facilities built in Biskra during the colonial period. Content analysis is the research technique applied to a corpus of textual sources dating from the colonial period itself. Thus, this work is conducted in accordance with a methodological protocol allocating the study of atmospheres, form, and construction. The acquired results shed light on a historical mode of construction adapted to a challenging natural environment, and they provide a valuable historical reference for contemporary tourism projects suitable for demanding contexts.