Hassi Messaoud, Algeria is not only a very popular town but it is also a water hole. It has a major oilfield in the middle of east Algeria.

Hassi Messaoud, Algeria is not only a very popular town but it is also a water hole. It has a major oilfield in the middle of east Algeria. Hassi Messaoud, Algeria has gained a lot of importance in the recent years and the main reason for this is due to the large oil reservoirs in the area. The place is all the more popular because it is one of the oldest towns that you will find in Algeria.

In the Arab language the word "Hassi Messaoud" means the "blessed well". Once you come here you will realize that no name could have been more apt than this. It is actually a simple watering spot but because it lies amidst dry sandy desserts where water is indeed a scarcity. It was around this water hole that the settlement had started to develop.

It is at the Hassi Messaoud in Algeria that travelers and traders met while they moved across the hot and barren Sahara desert. They obviously needed a place to water their animals and satisfy their thirsts. It was a place where they could replenish their resources, enjoy the company of all the other tradesmen and also rest for the night.

It is due to this that Hassi Messaoud became a meeting place and this was primarily because there were numerous traders who passed this region and also took shelter during the night on a regular basis. It was therefore merely a watering hole and then over some time it became a settlement and then with the passage of time became a small town.

In the year 1956 Hassi Messaoud in Algeria got a facelift. It was after this that the life here changes dramatically. The reason for such an upheaval was because of the discovery of oil here. By 1979, there was an oil refining industry that had expanded on a huge scale. There was also a refinery that was built in the town. After a span of a few years the oil requirement of the country was met by this one reservoir itself. There was a large pipeline network to Skikda, Algiers, Bejaia and Arzew.

Whenever you come here take care to meet the local people and also learn about the local culture and traditions which you will surely enjoy.