Hello Sir,

I am wiritng to you from Algiers as I have been informed that you are currently preparing to embark an a mission to this new territory. I have decided that it may be useful to you to have a brief introduction and understanding of the local custom and standing within the French Empire, in order to best prepare you for your new assignment.  I will herein briefly outline the living conditions and French policy here for your convenience.

Life in this region is very heavily influenced by religious concerns; traveling through local cities and towns, you will notice that the local architecture and city-planning is very heavily geared towards facilitating the daily prayers which occur five times per day here and houses of worship called mosques–these can be easily spotted as a result of the towering minarets and domed roofs. French government policy will be focused on attempting to secularize the local culture, so I expect that you will need to learn more about the local religious customs upon your arrival as a result of the cultural shifts that we are attempting to bring about.

We will be working not only in social terms but also in a economic, infrastructural, and civil-engineering avenues towards modernizing this city and giving it the level of technological advancement that it obviously lacks by comparison with French cities. You will spend most of your time in the Marine quarter, where you will be surrounded by other military and diplomatic functionaries of various backgrounds. Other areas of the city will be of particular focus in our efforts towards modernization.

It is important to recognize that we may be optimistic in our assessment of the odds of our continued success in the region, given that we are not the first to have taken control of the region. For centuries, Algiers was controlled by the Ottoman empire. A great deal of its existing culture and infrastructure came about as a direct result of Ottoman rule. Suffice to say that an understanding of this history will help you in understanding how we may replicate this act of modernization and civilizing.

The most important of your tasks will be to ensure the security and safety of French-controlled Algiers, especially at times of tumult and enforced change to the way of life to which they have grown accustomed. If we are diligent in maintaining security in Algiers we will be successful in turning the region into a valuable economic asset and you will also be of great assistance in ensuring that we are able to help bring modernization, secularization, and civilization to the local populace.

Best wishes,

Khaled