The Wilaya of Biskra

Biskra Province ولاية بسكرة
—  Province  —
Map of Algeria highlighting Biskra
Coordinates: 34°52′N 05°45′ECoordinates: 34°52′N 05°45′E
Country	Algeria
Capital	Biskra
Government
• PPA president	Mr. Khellil Rachid (FLN)
• Wāli	Mr. Goudjil Saïd
Area
• Total	20,986 km2 (8,103 sq mi)
Population (2008)[1]
• Total	730,262
• Density	35/km2 (90/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+01)
Area Code	+213 (0) 33
ISO 3166 code	DZ-07
Districts	12
Municipalities	33

Biskra (Arabic: بسكرة ‎; Berber:  Tibeskert) is the capital city of Biskra province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987.

Roman times the town was calledVescera, though this may have been simply a Latin transliteration of the native name. Around 200 AD underSeptimius 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.

In culture

Biskra is the setting of key sections of André Gide's 1902 novel The Immoralist, 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.