The Théniet El Had National Park is one of the 10

national parks of Algeria National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. It is located in

Tissemsilt Province Tissemsilt () is the 38th provinces of Algeria, province of Algeria with the capital being Tissemsilt. Théniet El Haâd National Park is located there. History The province was created from parts of Alger Province and Tiaret Province in 1984. ...

, named after Théniet El Haâd, a town near this park.
The park was designated as Algeria's first protected national park on July 23, 1983.

Description

3,424 hectares make up the Theniet El Had cedar forest, of which 1,000 hectares are found in the Ouarsenis Massif of the Atlas Tellien. The park that was first bounded on 1,500 hectares by order No. 3766 of August 3, 1929 by the Algerian government was superseded by the national park, which was established by decree No. 83-459 on July 23, 1983. Raising to 1,787 meters, Ras El Braret is the highest peak. Kef Siga, at 1,784 meters, is the next highest point, and is distinguished by a massive rock on top of which a giant "parasol" cedar stands out conspicuously. At "Rond Point" (1,461 m), the two summits are dominant. The park starts by a wide clearing beside Theniet El Had, encircled by centuries-old cedars, a genuine sea of greenery. Built in 1887 by M. Jourdan, the financial representative of Theniet El Had, the site is improved by a woodland house and a chalet named after him, Chalet Jourdan. Locals refer to the cedar forest as "El Meddad" It contains multiple ferruginous carbonate springs with a temperature of 12°, which are suggested for intestinal disorders and ulcers (Ain Harhar, Tirsout, Ouertane, Djèdj El-Ma, Sidi Abdoun - Sulphurous water). There are recreational and ecological benefits to the cedar forest of Theniet El Had. The "sylvan nobility" is who the cedar is. The site is presently being worked to protect by the Cedar National Park. Currently, it is housed in an impressive structure that is a work of modern design, rising 1,100 meters above the surrounding landscape and nestled in the center of a cedar forest. The establishment features a cedar wood cottage that adorns the internal courtyard. Guy de Maupassant wrote: "But what left me with the dearest memories of this excursion were the afternoon walks along the slightly wooded paths on these rolling hillsides from where one overlooks an immense undulating and tawny country from the blue sea to the Ouarsenis mountain range which bears on its peaks the cedar forest of Téniet-el-Had"- Allouma, by Guy de Maupassant. Text published in L'Écho de Paris, February 1889, then in the collection La main gauche.

Vegetation

The forested sector occupies roughly 3/4 of the park area, while the rest is made up of small ground-level plants. Three distinct layers can be distinguished from each other: * Trees: ** Atlas cedar (

Cedrus atlantica ''Cedrus atlantica'', the Atlas cedar, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae, native to the Rif and Atlas Mountains of Morocco ( Middle Atlas, High Atlas), and to the Tell Atlas in Algeria.Gaussen, H. (1964). Genre ''Cedrus''. Les F ...

): On the southern side of the park, a mixture of both modern and ancient cedars is present, with 10 to 20% being the Atlas cedar. ** Cork oak (

Quercus suber ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the core ...

). **

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

. * Trees that are between 2 meters and 7 meters tall in the layer are a mix of species: ** Holm oak (

Quercus ilex ''Quercus ilex'', the holly oak, also (ambiguously, as many oaks are evergreen) evergreen oak, is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the section (botany), section ''List of Quercus species#Section Ilex, Il ...

) can be found on the northern side. ** Cade (''

Juniperus oxycedrus ''Juniperus oxycedrus'', vernacularly called Cade, cade juniper, prickly juniper, prickly cedar, or sharp cedar, is a species of juniper, native across the Mediterranean region, growing on a variety of rocky sites from sea level. The specific ep ...

'') can be found on the southern side. ** Gall oak (''

Quercus lusitanica ''Quercus lusitanica'', commonly known as gall oak, Lusitanian oak, or dyer's oak, is a species of oak native to Portugal, Spain ( Galicia and western Andalucia) and Morocco. ''Quercus lusitanica'' is the source of commercial nutgalls. These gal ...

) can also be found on the southern side.'' * Grass & flowers: ** Alexanders ('' Smyrnium olusatrum''). ** Geranium atlanticum. **

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

. ** Common ivy (''

Hedera helix ''Hedera helix'', the common ivy, European ivy, King's Choice ivy, or just ivy, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araliaceae. It is native to most of Europe and parts of western Asia. Ivy is a clinging evergreen vine that grows on t ...

''). **

Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

Fauna

Seventeen species of mammals live in the park, nine of which are protected, also 27 bird species live here, of which 60% are actively breeding here.

Gallery

File:بحيرة جاج الما.jpg, alt= File:Theniet El Had National Park.JPG, alt= File:Foret des Cèdres Parc National de Theniet el Had (El-Meddad) 20.JPG, alt= File:Foret des Cèdres Parc National de Theniet el Had (El-Meddad) 10.JPG, alt= File:A strange beautiful lake in Meddad.jpg, alt= File:Theniet El Had - Snow.jpg, alt= File:Printemps foret des cedres de Theniet El Had 7.jpg, alt= File:A Wetland right in the middle of Theniet El Had N Parc.jpg, alt= File:140 FORET DES CEDRES DE THENIET EL HAD.jpg, alt= File:Parc National de THENIET EL HAD 0017.jpg, alt= File:Parc National de THENIET EL HAD 0012.jpg, alt= File:La foret des cedres de Theniet El Had Algerie 43.jpg, alt= File:The milkway.jpg, alt= File:Park thenia.jpg, alt= File:The Eyes.jpg, alt= File:Parc national de theniet el had.jpg, alt=

References

External links

Official Website

Official website

Park data on UNEP-WPMC
National parks of Algeria Tourist attractions in Tissemsilt Province Protected areas established in 1983 Geography of Tissemsilt Province 1983 establishments in Algeria {{Africa-protected-area-stub