Algeria slowly opens up to the world with new visa programme

Djémila in Algeria became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1982 for its unique adaptation of Roman architecture to a mountain environment. — ALIOUECHE MOKHTAR/Wikimedia Commons

One of the Arab world’s last holdouts to global vacationers is slowly opening up, as a new Algerian visa programme gives more outsiders the chance to take in the lunar landscapes and prehistoric art of its vast Sahara desert.

Unlike Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, Africa’s largest country hasn’t prioritised tourism despite its proximity to Europe. It may sport majestic Roman ruins, picturesque Mediterranean cities and soaring Atlas mountains, but this fiercely independent energy exporter has mostly kept its treasures to itself.