Hammam Maskhoutine (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: حمام المسخوطين, English: "bath of the damned") is a thermal complex located in Hammam Debagh, of

Guelma Province Guelma Province () is a province (''wilaya'') in eastern Algeria. Its namesake is its seat and most populous municipality: Guelma. History Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945 Sétif massacre by the French Army. The province i ...

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. The dramatic, multicolored

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

walls of the spring have attracted attention from locals and tourists alike since the era of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

. Hammam Maskhoutine is the historical name for this general area, also used to refer to the hot springs and the legend that named the town. Hammam Dbegh is the official name of the town itself, and Hammam Chellala is the name of the thermal complex and cascade.

History

During the Roman occupation, the town was called ''Aquae Thiblitanae'', due to its proximity to

Thibilis Thibilis (a.k.a. Tibilis) was a Roman and Byzantine era town in what was Numidia but is today northeast Algeria. The site has extensive Roman and Byzantine ruins. History The numerous Latin inscriptions discovered on the site of Thibilis provided i ...

. The bath facilities installed by the Romans at the spring can still be used today. The Arabic name of the town comes from a local legend in which a man married his sister. As the wedding procession, including the

incestuous Incest ( ) is sex between close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineage. It is condemned and con ...

couple, moved up the valley, a curse caused the skies to darken, and the entire wedding party was struck with lightning and turned to stone. The billowing shapes of the Hammam Maskhoutine spring are said to come from the still-frozen wedding party and their celebratory robes.

Hot springs

Hammam Maskhoutine is actually a group of 10 different hot springs in a single valley. The temperature of the water in the springs can be as hot as ; it is possible to boil eggs in the outflow channels. The overall flow rate of the thermal complex is 1,650 liters per second: nearly 100,000 liters per minute. The water is saturated with minerals such as

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

and

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

. These minerals, as well as the heat, have been regarded as therapeutic for sufferers of ailments such as

rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including a ...

and

arthritis Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, Joint effusion, swelling, and decreased range of motion of ...

. On the site there are also numerous formations of conoid shapes.

Gallery

File:GM Guelma Hammam Challala01.jpg, Side view of the hot springs File:Hammam Debagh حمام دباغ 03.jpg, Another view of the springs File:Source et chute d'eau du Hammam Meskhoutine.JPG, Source and flowing channels of the hot spring File:Des touriste locale du Hammam Meskhoutine.JPG, People beneath the cascade File:Hammam Debagh حمام دباغ 08.jpg, Hot spring channels with some view of the town File:Hammam Meskhoutine vu d'en bas.JPG, Closer view of the flowing

formations

References

External links

Images of Hammam Maskhoutine (Hammam Meskoutine)
in Manar al-Athar digital heritage photo archive {{Guelma Province Springs of Algeria

History

Hot springs

Gallery

See also

References

External links