WARRAN, AURAN, or GUHARAN, a famous maritime city of Algiers, and the most westerly in the regency. It is built on the declivity and along the foot of a high mountain, which overlooks it from the north and northwest; and on this ridge are planted two castles, commanding the city on the one side and the port on the other. To the south and south-east there are two other castles, erected on the same level with the lower part of the city, but separated from it by a deep winding valley, which serves as a natural trench on the south side. A rivulet flows through it, and passing afterwards under the walls of the city, affords a copious supply of water. At every opening of this valley a pleasing and varied prospect presents itself, of rocky precipices, orange plantations, and rills of water winding down the heights. Near the head of the rivulet just mentioned there is a fifth castle, which not only guards the matamores dug under its walls, but serves as an important defence to the city. Yet strongly fortified as Oran is, both by nature and art, it has been repeatedly taken by the Spaniards, between whom and the Moors it was for centuries a subject of contention. It was taken by the former in the year 1509, but was recovered by the Moors in 1708. In the year 1732 the Spaniards retook it by surprise; the Bey, otherwise a valiant soldier, having been panic-struck on the first landing of the enemy, and, without shutting the gates, abandoned the city to their mercy. Oran was afterwards restored, and, along with other parts of Algiers, has recently fallen under the dominion of France. During the time that the Spaniards retained possession of Oran, they erected several beautiful churches, and other edifices, in the style of the Roman architecture, though of less strength and solidity. They have further imitated the Romans in carving upon the friezes and other parts several inscriptions in large characters, and in their own language. Shaw describes Oran as a fortified city, about a mile in circumference. The port called Mer-el-Quiver, corrupted from Mers-el-Kibeer, and answering to the ancient Portus Magnus, is formed by a neck of land, which runs out almost a furlong into the bay, and thereby secures it against the north and northwest winds. It is defended by a castle more remarkable for spaciousness and extent than for strength or beauty, though a part of it has been skilfully hewn out of the native rock. Oran has much declined of late years, as the occupation of the place by the French has induced the Arab population to leave it, although the former repaired some of the edifices, and converted an old mosque into an hospital. The inhabitants are estimated at about 4000. In the year 1790 this city was destroyed by an earthquake, and six thousand of its inhabitants were buried under the

---

1 Matth. iii. 17. 2 Numbers, xxiv. 14; xxxi. 16. 3 1 Kings, xxii. 19, &c.