The Botanical Garden of Hamma, also known as The Test Garden Hamma was created in 1832 during the first years of the colonization of Algeria by France and it is located in one of the hillsides of the ?Arcades Hill?. The arboretum occupies 20Ha and is dominated by the Monument of the Martyrs. In a lower level, a road and the important Fines Arts Museum are found between the arboretum and the Garden itself which is spread over 32Ha until the seafront promenade and the southern side of the Bay of Algiers.

The garden can boast of being located in a privileged place since it is protected from the wind coming from the Arcades Hill. Moreover, the temperature does not fall below 2?and does not rise over 35? They are enough water deposits aimed to irrigate it, regardless of the season of the year. Hamma means ?fever? in Arabic, owing the unhealthy conditions existing during the past in the lowest part of the garden. This area used to be a swamp transformed in an embankment during the construction and conditioning initial phases.

After the similitude with other acclimatization gardens which were constructed in the ancient colonies, the garden had different goals as the introduction, multiplication and diffusion of new plants and the research related to animals in the insectarium and the zoo.

The main purpose of those studies wasn?t the conservation but the genetic resources dissemination showing a potential economic interest. Furthermore, the garden was conceived as a public place to visit and an education space. Indeed, the Algerians were surprised and astonished since they could enjoy for the first time how exotic plants were introduced in the country.

There are currently an estimated 2500 different species of plant in the garden. The best known : Washingtonia, Coco, Dracaena, Ficus macrophylla , Bamboo?

And to the French and British parks, the garden include: zoo, environmental education school and school of gardening , Beekeeping School and a center dedicated to the tests.