Case file · Folklore / legend
The petrified wedding of Hammam Debagh
A legend explains the hot springs and limestone cones of Hammam Debagh (Hammam Meskoutine, 'the bath of the damned') in eastern Algeria: a man who wanted to marry his sister was turned to stone with the wedding party.
1840 CE · 36.46, 7.27 · status: legend
The account
French visitors recorded the story soon after the conquest of Constantine in 1837. The terraces of white mineral deposit and steaming water are among the hottest springs in the world.
The sceptical view
The cones are natural travertine built up by mineral-rich hot water.