Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-04-17
BISkRA QUEEN OASIS
OF ARABIAN DESERT
There the Traveller Is Trans
planted Back to Life of
Biblical Times.
BY j. Scott Fraser. T, R. C. s., in T. P.'s

By j. Scott Fraser. +. r. G. s., in T. P.s
Weekly.
At Biskra we are translated back TO
the life of biblical times. TO the
beginning of things. One has only to
see the long strings OF camels arrlv-
and produce from the egion south of
the Sahara; the Arab shepherds as
they keep watch over their flocks OF
sheep and herds OF goats; the Bedouin
women as they sit at the door OF their
low black tents, weaving and spinning.
to realize it. Here before our eyes are
the forms of Esau and Jacob, Rebecca
and Leah. Biskra is prominently pa
triarchal in its life and customs. 1t is
situated amidst an unreasonable waste
OF sand, 40 miles south of the palm viii
lage of Ell kantrara-'the gateway to
the desert" The first view of it. some
20 miles distant, resembles & low lying
purple cloud on the rim of the horizon.
After 20 hours continuous rail jour-
ney from Algeries, it is a welcome
fnd refreshing sight to the ordinary
traveller. but hoy gladstone to the
wandering nomade, after the slow and
tedious camel march of many days,
across the hot and parched desert. that
ilrst glimpse of distant Biskra with it's
oelt OF palms. its cooling shade and it's
running streams. The Arabs call is
La Refine dcs Zibans.' 1t is one of
the most beautiful regions in the whole
ol ne great Sahara, set as a gem-an
flmerald-on the bosom of the brown
desert.
Blskra is a port so to speak, in the
Sahara sea. at which caravans of
saHleis-"ships of the desert as they
nave APPLY been described-are daily
arriving with rich loads of d
Tor conveyance to the various coast
towns OF Algiers and Tuuisia. 1t has
a Varied and moving population. East
ana west meet there, Bedouins, Arabs.
soundanese. Kabyles, Israelites, Moors.
ana european and American visitors.
III is on market days hat one appre-
ciates n cosmopolitan character of
It's floating population. In the market
place. which occupies a covered space
Win surrounding it, are
sathefed together crowds of native buy
yeIs n sellers actively bargaining and
Darterlng. Here are tall dark Arabs in
tneir sho"-white flowing %burnouses and
.uIoans or camel hair, the living pic
lures OF the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid.
neooulns in their jellabs. negroes of
the Soudan. Officers and soldiers OF
.ne french and native army in their
oflsht 1 and red uniforms; and
.or'hlng a striking background to it all,
ule WIG coiors of fruits and green
vegetables. laid out in piles on the
round native pottery. and leather
work and bright fabrics arranged on
the numerous stalls.
ADJOINING the market place is the
street of the dancing women of the
Culed Nall Tribe, whose performance
~ one Oh the most remarkable and at
lIactlVe features of the life of Biskra.
Each evening. after dinner, the Eng
llse ana American visitors attend the
Gaie Maure. where the dancing is held.
u IS d pam room with a sanded floor
ana SIMPLE wooden seats. These
uaaces form the one wild excitement of
e e naonotonous desert life. The Ouled
Mail women come from a distant mart
Oh the Sahara and at Biskra they
inc for their livelihood. ninth they
nave made sufficient money to return
10 thelr desert homes and marry some
camel owner of their tribe.
some OIL these women are young and
OF exceeding beauty. They wear cos
tunes of many colors and decorate
themselves with barbaric jewelry-sil-
yer earring and bangles inc anklets,
n an ornament peculiar to their
trlDe. made of numerous gold coins.
the gifts OF Their patrons. which they
wear on their bosoms. They are CAV,
ii~gn.-nearted v%ivacious women. and
curing the day are to be seen idly sit
ting on the balconies or the fat roofs
OF thei houses. or arrayed in all their
!inefy, p~romenading in groups about
the street. smoking cigarets and laugh
ing and testing with the Arabs and ma
tive soldiers.
The music for the dance is supplied
oy tnree musicians, one a big Souda-
nese negro, h beats a tom-tom. AN
Arap. VINO pipes away on a flute, and
a tnlrd VINO bangs noisily on q rude
.aHlDorlne. They make a hideous and
monotous sound. A weird barbaric air
repeated over and over again. The
music of savage Africa.
On the occasion we visited the cafa
Maure, the principal dancer was a girl
OF not more than Is years of age, tall
n 1.-the of figure. She had the choco-
late complexion of the South. dark.
lustrous eyes. sensitive lips, a low
lorhead, and a face of bewitchinp
eauty Her cheeks and chin were
silver suspended from her ears. broad.
massive. spiked bangles and silver ank-
lets, and over her raven hair SPRAYS of
silver and gold thread. She was a ia
vor1te, a premiere danseuse. but re-
Gently come to Kiskra. Her dance was
rapturously received, but it was not
dancing as we understand it. II was
rather a rhythmic swaying of the BODY,
a quivering of the shoulders. a serpent
l motion of h arms and hands. and
a neavlng movement of the breasts
and hips. Those who have seen the
representations of Eastern dances In
troduced into this country by Maud Al
Ian, SALARY and others. and notably
the dances in the Arabian plays Of
"ksismet" and "Sumurun.' car form
some idea of the character of these per-
at Biskra. only the dancing
OF h Ouled Nail women is more
and this is emphasized by the
weird native music and the fascination
and glamor Of barbaric SURROUNDINGS.
But the paramount attraction of Bis
kra ts the desert, the Garden of
Allah" as the Arabs have POLITICALLY
described It. European and American
VISITORS IN increasing numbers are am
nually crowding to this new pleasure