Biskra is the capital city of Biskra province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. During Roman times the town was called Vescera,[1] though this may have been simply a Latin transliteration of the native name. Around 200 AD under Septimius Severus' reign, it was seized by the Romans and became part of the province of Numidia. As a major settlement in the border region, it was significant even then. Its name was apparently bowdlerized by the Romans to Ad Piscīnam ("at the piscīna"), implying the presence of important waterworks.[1] In 1844, Biskra became a French garrison.[2] As of 1935, Biskra was an inland town, the principal settlement of a Saharan oasis watered by the intermittent Oued Biskra. In 1911, it was described as the Nice, France of Algiers.[1] It is in the southern part of the Algerian rail system, and a favorite winter resort. Large quantities of fruit, especially dates and olives, were grown in the vicinity.[1] The town was a military post, and was the scene of severe fighting in the rebellions of 1849 and 1871. City Hall of Biskra, with the modern coat of arms visible at center-right With January temperatures averaging 11 °C, Biskra is a common vacation spot in winter. Located in northeastern Algeria on the northern edge of the Sahara Desert, the area surrounding it is very arid and most of the population lives in oasis. Biskra is the setting of key sections of André Gide's 1902 novel The Immoralist and lesser known 1897 prose-poem Les nourritures terrestres (The Fruits of the Earth), and he visited the town in 1895 (for a fortnight from 31 January) with Lord Alfred Douglas, following a meeting with Oscar Wilde in Blida and Algiers. The Hungarian composer Béla Bartók collected traditional music in Biskra in 1913. Diana Mayo, protagonist of Edith Maude Hull's popular 1919 novel The Sheik, starts her journey into the desert from Biskra. Biskra has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with very hot summers and mild winters. Summers are dry, and the town's light rainfall of 129 millimetres (5.1 in) is spread fairly evenly over the rest of the year. This article incorporates text from The Modern World Encyclopædia: Illustrated (1935); out of UK copyright as of 2005. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Street in the Old Town, I, Biskra, Algeria". World Digital Library. 1899. Retrieved 2013-09-25. Jump up ^ "Market, Biskra, Algeria". World Digital Library. 1899. Retrieved 2013-09-25. Jump up ^ populstat.info Jump up ^ "Weather Information for Biskra". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 11 February 2013. Jump up ^ "Climate Normals for Biskra". Retrieved 11 February 2013. Jump up ^ "Biskra,Algeria". Climatebase.ru. Retrieved 11 February 2013.