Musée Nasreddine Dinet

Étienne Dinet was a French Orientalist painter who made Bou Saâda his permanent home from the 1880s, converting to Islam and taking an Algerian name. The small museum dedicated to his work sits in the old town and holds a collection of his paintings — vivid depictions of Saharan life, festivals, and the people of Bou Saâda. They are controversial by modern standards (the Orientalist tradition is rightly critiqued), but as historical documents of a specific place and time they are compelling.

The museum also covers Dinet's life and his relationship with the town. His grave is in the local Muslim cemetery — a site of some pilgrimage for people interested in his unusual trajectory. The museum opens irregular hours; ask at the tourist office or your accommodation for current times.

things to do museum
A story
Étienne Dinet arrived in Bou Saâda in 1884 as a young French painter seeking exotic subjects. He stayed for the rest of his life. He converted to Islam in 1913, took the name Nasreddine Dinet, and learned Arabic. When he died in Paris in 1929 his body was brought back to Bou Saâda to be buried, at his request, in the local cemetery according to Islamic rites. His story is unusual enough that even his critics found it hard to dismiss.