Town, western Algeria. It lies in the northern reaches of the Sahara, 36 miles (58 km) south of the Moroccan border. The town is named for the nearby Mount Béchar, rising to 1,600 feet (488 m). Béchar's former European quarter contains a military station and has modern buildings, while the traditional quarter has covered, narrow streets. Surrounded by date-palm groves watered by the Wadi Béchar, the town is noted for its leatherwork and jewelry.
To the west the region is crisscrossed by numerous wadis and ravines, forming a landscape known as chebka. Locally important crops include dates, cereals, vegetables, figs, and almonds. Bituminous-coal reserves in the region are exploited minimally because of high transportation costs. Population: 107,311.