Women dressed in traditional haik march through Tlemcen's streets

Nearly thirty women and young girls in Tlemcen (580-km west of Algiers), wearing the local traditional haik (a veil covering the whole body), marched Saturday through the streets of the city to mark the end of the Heritage Month (April 18 - May 18). El Assala Association, interested in heritage and craft industry in the province of Tlemcen, sought, through the demonstration, to pay a tribute to Algerian haik that is less and less used, giving way to other kinds of veils and costumes imported from abroad, one of the association's leaders said. About thirty women and young girls staged a march from the historical site of El Mechouar, in Tlemcen's centre, to the religious complex of Sidi Boumediene, in the village of El Eubbad, on the heights of the city. The symbolic demonstration was held to emphasize Algeria's rich heritage, "given up to other imported veils that do not meet our customs," a participant in the march said.