Le Jardin d’Essai du Hamma

About this activity

The Botanical Garden of Algiers, Algeria History of the Garden In 1831, the French colony began undertaking remediation work on the marshlands in order to cultivate agricultural soil. By 1832, Governor General Antoine Avisard signed a decree that established a test garden in a place called El Hamma, east of Algiers. El Hamma provided a perfect plot for the agricultural plans due to its richness in water and cool climate near the sea. The aim of the garden was to serve as both a model farm and a test garden to install, acclimate and study various imported plant species. The garden’s main function in the beginning was diffusing useful plants for medicinal, economic and commercial purposes before scientific and horticultural activities were adopted. The zoological garden was created in 1900, under the initiative of Dr Joseph Ange who was the correspondent of the Paris Museum. By 1837, the garden’s capacity grew from 5 to 18 hectares with an increase