'Alger la Blanche' tumbling down to the bay
Algiers climbs steeply from its bay, earning the name Alger la Blanche for its white buildings. The Casbah, a UNESCO-listed maze of Ottoman-era houses, palaces and mosques, tumbles down the hillside above the port, and the Dar Mustapha Pacha palace shows its tiled interiors. Below it, the French-built centre has arcaded boulevards and grand buildings such as the Grande Poste. The Martyrs' Memorial dominates the skyline, the Bardo Museum has fine prehistoric finds, and the Roman ruins of Tipaza lie along the coast to the west.