Algeria is a country in North Africa with a coast overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and a hinterland occupied by the Sahara desert. Many empires have left their traces in this country, like the ancient Roman ruins in the coastal city of Tipasa. In the capital, Algiers, Ottoman buildings such as the Ketchaoua Mosque from around 1612 stand in the Casbah area, located on the side of a hill and full of narrow alleys and stairways. The Neo-Byzantine basilica of Our Lady of Africa dates back to the period of French colonial rule.
