Couscous – sometimes called kusksi or kseksu – is a traditional North African dish of small steamed granules of rolled semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet, sorghum, bulgur, and other cereals are sometimes cooked in a similar way in other regions, and the resulting dishes are also sometimes called couscous.
A folk costume expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicate social, marital or religious status. If the costume is used to represent the culture or identity of a specific ethnic group, it is usually known as ethnic costume. Such costumes often come in two forms: one for everyday occasions, the other for traditional festivals and formal wear. The word "costume" in this context is sometimes considered pejorative due to the multiple senses of the word, and in such cases "regalia" can be substituted without offense.
A kaftan or caftan is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, kaftan instead refers to a style of men's long suit with tight sleeves.
A burnous, also burnoose, bournous or barnous, is a long cloak of coarse woollen fabric with a pointed hood, often white in colour, traditionally worn by Berber men in North Africa. In antiquity this garment was referred to as byruss Numidicus meaning “Numidian hooded cloak” and was mentioned as such in the Expositio totius mundi et gentium. In the Maghreb, the colour of the burnous may be white, beige, or dark brown. There are rock engravings near Sigus that attest the existence of the burnous in the ancient times, it was also worn by the Numidians.
Education in Algeria is free and compulsory for Algerians from the ages of 6 to 15. However, only half of Algerian students are enrolled in secondary schools. As of 2015, Algeria has 92 post-secondary institutions, which includes 48 universities.
Fantasia is a traditional exhibition of horsemanship in the Maghreb performed during cultural festivals and for Maghrebi wedding celebrations. It is present in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia. It is attested in the ancient Numidian times during which it was practiced by the Numidian cavalry. Historian Carlos Henriques Pereira stated that the North African fantasia also called barud is a modern watered down version of a Numidian military technique.
Algeria is the largest country in Africa; one of the main tourist attractions is the Sahara, the largest desert in the world. Algeria has been a member of the World Tourism Organization since 1976. According to a report of the World Tourism Organization published in 2014, Algeria was the 4th largest tourist destination in Africa in 2013 with 2.7 million foreign tourists, and ranks 111th on the international tourism scene, according to the London-based World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC). The tourism sector in Algeria accounts for 3.9% of the volume of exports, 9.5% of the productive investment rate and 8.1% of the gross domestic product.
Tourism in Morocco is well developed, maintaining a strong tourist industry focused on the country's coast, culture, and history. The Moroccan government created a Ministry of Tourism in 1985. Tourism is considered one of the main foreign exchange sources in Morocco and since 2013 it had the highest number of arrivals out of the countries in Africa. In 2018, 12.3 million tourists were reported to have visited Morocco.
The culture of Algeria encompasses literature, music, religion, cuisine, and other facets of life in Algeria.
Ethnic groups in Algeria include Arabs and Berbers, who represent 99% of the population, of which 85% are Arab and 15% are Berber. Algeria also has a minority population of Europeans that represents less than 1% of the population. The minority European population is predominantly of French, Spanish, and Italian descent.
The Turks in Algeria, also commonly referred to as Algerian Turks, Algerian-TurkishAlgero-Turkish and Turkish-Algerians were the ethnic Turkish and renegades who emigrated to Algeria during the Ottoman period. A significant number of Turks intermarried with the native population, and the male offspring of these marriages were referred to as Kouloughlis due to their mixed Turkish and central Maghrebi heritage. However, in general, intermarriage was discouraged, in order to preserve the "Turkishness" of the community. Consequently, the terms "Turks" and "Kouloughlis" have traditionally been used to distinguish between those of full and partial Turkish ancestry.
The chedda of Tlemcen is a traditional Algerian dress, more precisely of the city of Tlemcen, but also worn in the west of the country, in particular in Oran and Mostaganem. A product of the local craftsmanship, it is worn by brides in Tlemcen for their wedding ceremony.
Sebiba is the term used in Algeria to designate a festival and the Tuareg people's dance performed on this occasion and accompanied by female drummers in the Sahara oasis of Djanet in the Tassili n'Ajjer region in southern Algeria. The dance originated among the descendants of black African slaves and is part of the celebrations for the Islamic Ashura Festival. The dance was recognized by UNESCO in 2014 for its significance to humanity's intangible cultural heritage.
The Ghlila is a traditional Algerian jacket originating from Algeria, it is a trapezoidal jacket in velvet or brocade with a deep oval neckline, decorative buttons and enriched with embroidery notably featuring golden threads.
The Bniqa is an embroidered shower cap that originated in Algiers.
The Djebba Fergani, or Gandoura is a long velvet dress adorned with elaborate embroidery and it originates from Algeria.
The Sarma or Serma is a cone-shaped metallic headdress that originated in Algiers.
The M'laya is a black veil that covers the whole body, it originated in Algeria.
Khit er rouh, also known as Zerouf, is a type of Algerian diadem or headband made up of nineteen carved chatons linked together by rings, forming rosettes or rosaces and zerraref pendeloques made of gold set with diamonds or other precious stones. It is worn across the forehead with traditional outfits like the Karakou, where it is worn with a pair of earrings encrusted with tiny gemstones and several strands of baroque pearls. This Algerian accessory was inscribed in 2012 in the UNESCO, as an Intangible Heritage Of Humanity, along with The Algerian Kaftan and Chedda Of Tlemcen.
Algerian Karakou