El Kantara القنطرة | |
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Coordinates: 35°13′00″N 5°42′37″E / 35.2166°N 5.7104°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | Biskra Province |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
El Kantara (El Kantara "الكنترة" word comes from Latin "Centuriation" (Derja: meaning a bridge) [1][2]) is a town and commune in Biskra Province, Algeria. The 1911 Baedeker travel guide described it as "one of the most important caravan-stations in E. Algeria." The town is well known for the eponymous gorge nearby, described by locals as the "Mouth of the Desert".[3]
The gorge is narrow, at only 40 metres (130 ft) wide, but the walls can be as high as 120 m (390 ft).[2]