Algeria - Where Hospitality Was Invented

There's a wonderful quality to Algerians that is appreciated by all who come in contact with them - their superb hospitality is truly one of their most appealing and happily enduring cultural characteristics.

I don't know what exactly contributed to this charming aspect of their culture, but the hospitality gene is evident in every single Algerian I've encountered.

Food, drink, the shirt off their backs - nothing is too good for a guest. The comfort and well being of the guest, whether that person is a stranger, a distant cousin or a treasured family member is of paramount importance to them.

While their customs of hospitality have obviously been transmitted through centuries of tradition, modern Algerians have also inherited a great deal of personal pride, which I see reflected as a healthy self esteem and is evident in the care they afford their guests.

In the context of wider cultural observations, Algerians consider class distinctions quite formally; their cultural concepts about class are generally so well understood amongst themselves and they don't necessarily feel they need to explain them to outsiders. (The entire concept of foreigners in the country deserves its own post, which I'll write later.) In this rapidly developing country, many of the subtle demarcations they take for granted aren't well understood by or explained to foreigners.

But no matter who you are, there is food, drink, a bed for the night if you wish, and water with which to wash. And sometimes for a weary traveler it doesn't get any better than that.