Roman Baths in Algeria?
| Facts: | |
|---|---|
| Showers: | 46 shower rooms, 5 five swimming pools, 2 of them are outside, from the Roman era, 3 for women and 52 rest rooms. |
| Capacity: | 700,000 people per year. |
| Water: | The chemical composition of the water in Hammam Al-Salihin: bicarbonate – chlorine – sulfate – iron – nitrate – magnesium – potassium – sodium. |
| Location: | El Hamma, 4 km from the state capital of Khencela |
Hammam Essalihine
With hundreds of hot springs or fountains that back to thousands of years, Algeria’s most famous is Hammam Essalihine (the bath of the righteous or thermal baths of Flavius) which is a tourist and therapeutic site situated in the middle of an enchanting mountainous and forested region (Aures Mountains); precisely in “El Hamma” district, 7 km from Khenchela, an Algerian province and 4 km from the state capital. According to the inscriptions, it is an ancient Roman bath that has existed for 2000 years, the reason why this spa is classified a protected national historical heritage.
The source of Hammam Essalihine is nestling at the bottom of a valley dominated by beautiful wooded mountains (1.500 m above sea level), which combines a unique natural landscape with the old Roman vestige giving the most picturesque spot of the country. Hamman Essalihine records up to 700,000 visitors a year who come to enjoy the landscapes of the Aures region or for therapeutic reasons.
Hammam Essalhine spa is known for the therapeutic virtues of its pure water very rich with minerals with temperature around 70°C. The water’s chemical composition gives it therapeutic properties that treat rheumatic, respiratory and dermatological diseases. In addition, it offers treatments like relaxation, massage and functional rehabilitation equipment, plus hydrotherapy sessions offered by physiotherapists.
There are two pools; the rectangular pool and the circular pool, one for men and the other for women, with eight meter in diameter and a depth of 1.45 m, as well as 44 thermal cabins.
Hammam Guergour
The highly radioactive thermal waters of Hammam Guergour place them in first place in Algeria and in fourth place in the world after the baths of Brembach (Germany) and the Jachimov baths in ex-Czechoslovakia and the baths of Ischia Island in Italy (Table 2). This radioactivity results from the content of uranium, radium and potassium dissolved by the waters as they flow through the rocks. Hammam Guergour waters are well known for their ability to heal old wounds and other therapeutic purposes (PAT).