This silent 16mm home movie from the year 1933 shows a trip across the Northern Sahara Desert to El Oued, as well as a visit to the Constantine Gorge and Constantine, a distance of about 500km. The trip is accomplished by motorized vehicles. The Constantine bridge El-Kantara is seen at the 11:20 mark. One of 4 famous bridges that cross the Rhumel River gorge in Constantine, Algeria, the Kantara bridge is the oldest and has taken several different forms over the years from a Roman style multi-arch bridge to an 1863 French iron arch to its current form as a concrete arch bridge. Like the higher Sidi M’Cid bridge, there is a unique, natural “bridge” almost directly under the span that blocks much of the river from view. Partial remains of the earlier stone bridges can still be seen on top of this natural bridge.
El Oued or Oued Souf is a city, and the capital of El Oued Province, in Algeria. The oasis town is watered by an underground river, hence its name is El Oued which enables date palm cultivation and the rare use of brick construction for housing.
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed “Constantina” in honour of emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the Rhumel river.
Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of 448,374, making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city.
It is often referred to as the “City of Bridges” due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.
Constantine was named the Arab Capital of Culture in 2015.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
