Biskra is the Algerian oasis town famous for date palms in a narrow valley beneath the Atlas Mountains.
Biskra lies in northeastern Algeria, on the northern margin of the Sahara. Its position between the Saharan plain and the Aurès Mountains gives it an important transition setting. Underground water and irrigation support extensive palm groves, especially the production of high-quality Deglet Nour dates.
The town became a significant centre during Roman, Islamic and later French periods. Its climate, palms and nearby desert landscapes also attracted European artists and writers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Biskra should not be confused with Tamanrasset, which lies much farther south in the Hoggar region, or Timimoun, a separate oasis in western Algeria. Although Biskra is often called a desert city, its gardens depend on managed water rather than natural rainfall alone.