Mostaganem

Mostaganem (Arab: مستغانم), is a city and wilaya of Algérie. It is the 27e Wilaya in the Algerian territorial administration. (104 m of alt. ; 140 000 hab.; CH-L. of a wilaya of 704.000 hab.); located on the edge of a coastal plate, the city contemplates in the west broad bay of Arzew which Djebel Orousse finishes; she sat on banks of Ain Sefra whose, on several occasions and in particular in 1927, she had to fear the risings; she is composed of a city new, very wide, and of an old city, more compact, hung on both sides deep ravine dug by Ain Sefra, which sprinkles gardens. The locality is well located at the outlet of the plains of the Chélif and of the Macta, Although it for a long time yielded the step to the metropolis of Western Algeria, Oran, Mostaganem is a city pleasantly grouillante. It kept an old character, but also opened with a modern economy with the creation of a sugar refinery producing from 70 to 80.000 tons of Sucre refined per annum, as well as a pulp mill treating 180.000 tons of Alfa per annum. University of Mostaganem 1978 (ex- agricultural Institute of Technology 1970).

History

Since the phenicians: Punic port of the name of Murustaga, the city was rebuilt by the Romains which gave him, at time Gallien (260-268), the name of Cartenna. Although the site seems to have been occupied during the Early middle ages, it is under the reign of the Almoravide Youssef Ibn Tachfin (1061-1106) that one allots, in 1082, the foundation of bordj El Mehal, the old citadel of Mostaganem. After him, Mostaganem belonged to the Zyanides of Tlemcen, then with the Mérinides of Fès, of which one of them, Abou El Hassene Ali Ibn Abi Said, made build large the Mosquée in 1341.
modern times: In 1511, the Spaniards imposed to the inhabitants of Mostaganem a treaty that those refused to admit. But since 1516, Mostaganem fell to the hands from the Turks. Consequently, Spanish Rival of Oran, it sees her importance growing. After several years of resistance, they called upon Kheïr ED Dines Barberousse with the assistance of which they inflicted to the Spaniards a serious defeat in front of Mazaghran (August 1558). Mostaganem passed then under the domination of Turkish; it was increased and strengthened by Kheïr ED Dines. The pay of France, the Turkish garrison of Algiers and Kouloughlis resisted to the Algerians twice (1832 and 1833). It is a great maritime fortified town which the French troops must take by storm in July 1833.

the general Lamoricière: in fact an important garrison where in 1847 the first regiment of Algerian riflemen is formed, famous the turcos, under the orders of the commander Bosquet. Then the city grows as colonization populates the immediate back-country and that the development of the communications puts it in relation to the areas of the interior. Tijditt, the Arab old city remains in north, in arc of circle around the concave curve of Ain Sefra; it contains the tombs of santons, venerated with the round. To north and the east, on each side of the wadi hidden under constructions, extends the European, Mediterranean city of aspect, with its houses with arcades and its shaded streets of plane trees, of the slopes with strong slopes which cross the edge of the plate attaching it to the port ranging between the points of the Salamander and Karouba.
It is balcony of the town hall of Mostaganem into 1958 which the De Gaulle general declared the famous sentence which remained in the Algeria and French history

" I YOU AI COMPRIS"

Some personalities mostaganémoises

The Marshal of France Franchet d' Esperey (1856-1942), the leader Georges Martin Witkowski (1867-1943), the Mayor of the city and writer Lucien Laugier (1909-1991), the man of theater Ould Abderahmane Abdelkader, known as Khaki (1934-1995), the painters Mohammed Khadda (1930-1991) and Abdallah Benanteur (born in 1931), Benriati Laredj (1917-2002) are originating in Mostaganem, as well as the trainer of football of the AJ Auxerre, Jean Fernandez; without forgetting Jaïd Seddak - Quadruple world champion of Full-contact; double champion of the world of Kick-Boxing; and triple world champion of Muy-Thaî, to quote only the top of the prize list - Prize list: 73 combat, 10 defeats. Jaïd SEDDAK Born it: 9/21/62 with Mostaganem

Guided visit of the city

the port - Located at the west of the city, with the outlet of the ravine of Ain Sefra, the port opens between the point of the Salamander and the point of kharouba, too little accentuated to provide a sufficient shelter: the roads remain it open to all the dangerous winds of O. with the NR two piers, one of 1230 m, the other with the S-O of 335 m, protect the port from a surface of 14 ha. The quay levels served by 3 km of railways cover 10 ha. It is equipped with modern tools and has 10.000 m ² of public hangars. The port recorded a traffic of 1 million and 14 tons in 2002. As from 1980 it became one of the main ports of the Algerian west indicated in particular to receive prefabricated materials intended for the rebuilding of El Asnam. A silo of 20.000 tons was arranged there.
From where that one comes, of Ténès, Relizane or Oran, one arrives in the new city, on a great place arranged with the site of an old door. There rises the Town hall (A.P.C, arch. Mr. Monthalant 1927), with turn having the form of a Minaret; behind, vast public garden (garden of the emir Abd El Kader).
the avenue Benaïed Bendehiba (anc. avenue of 1st of line), leaving in front of the town hall, is the most animated artery city and ends in the place of November 1st, 1954 (anc. place Republic), bordered of arcades, and rose the church Saint Jean-Baptiste, transformed since 1970 into mosque (Badr Mosque).
In the North of the place on the basis of the seat of Daïra, the old district of Derb el Houd (Jewish district) and of Tobbana (of Signal Haneh, pointing out the battery which supervised the port) is crossed by the street Mahieddine Benamour; this one passes in front of the old house of the caïd (Dar el Kaïd transformed into 2004 in Museum of arts poulaires), where was the residence of the representative of the bey de Mascara and Hamid el Abd (chief of the confederation of Mehals 16th century), and reached the heart of this district or El Kria (the center), near old the bordj El Mehal (built 1082). This one was transformed into civil prison.
Au-delà the street Aïssa Drey led to the ramparts Turkish, ruined, and against which leans the palate of the bey d' Oran Mohamed-El Kebir, built in 1750 one sees in the vicinity the mosque raised into 742 of the Hégire (1341) by the mérinide Abou El Hassene, very damaged during the colonial period (it was used as barracks until May 1865: visit Napoleon III) and that neighbor Mahkama (religious court).
At the end of the old city Tijidit, towards the sea, zaouïa of the sheik Khaled Bentounès of Zaouia Alawiya, successor of the Sheik El Allaoui
On the right of the avenue Bendehiba Benaïed and the place of November 1st. Leave the streets towards Ain Sefra. One will find there the market hall, giving on the street of November 26th, 1927 and, a little further on same bank, the place of the three brothers Bencheikh (anc Thiers place; market in the open air the morning). By an esplanade one reaches the Matemore district, located in a loop of the wadi, and whose name recalls the silos Turkish where weapons and provision were piled up. A new bridge (bridge of October 17th) near to a.P.C reaches it directly since the Benaïed avenue.
the part of the city ranging between the avenue Benaïed Bendehiba and the Matemore district was modified considerably since 1927, a sudden rising of Ain Sefra had in the night of November 27th, carried the old Gambetta place with its public garden, its trees, and the surrounding houses (many victims). Work was then undertaken to avoid new floods, the bed of the Wadi dug and Gambetta places it replaced by three bridges.
In 1968 was decided the installation of a new esplanade which replaces the bridges.
In the north of the district of Matemore near the park of August 20th (built in 1964) is the door of Medjaher.

From there, the street Salah Merzouk (road of ténès) led towards north to the district of Tijditt which dates only from the end of the XIXe century and the beginning from XXe. This district was remained the Berber city in opposition to the Turkish city intramurally. It preserved some old Mosques and of many venerated tombs: Sidi Maazouz El Bahri, which lived in XIIe century and from which the body was transferred in the district, during the construction of the port. Near to the cemetery Mosque of Sidi Khaled. Further, one would arrive at the beaches of Mill Bigore, Baie with the Pirates and Karouba (5km).
With the famous beach Sablettes after the Salamander (pleasure and fishing port, always in construction since March 2002), in the west, to prefer the beaches of the east like Ain Brahim, Small Port, Ouilis, Cape Ivi where the pine forest goes down to the sea.
Of the door of the Medjaher one can also visit the new park of August 20th which opens a monumental door, with curious architectures pseudo-Japanese women. (of the terrace, pretty sight on the city, the port and bay of Arzew). At side, dominating the wadi former strong Turkish was built in XIIIe S then restored by the Othomans at the XVIIIe century and the French with the XIXe S (Transformed into Museum of archeology in 2004). Of one can return downtown By the door of El Arsa (of the orchards) which are neighborly the koubbas of the bey Bouchlaghem (18th century) and of his wife Lalla Aïchouche; while following the rampart one would also see the tomb of the Bey Mustapha El Ahmar (XVIIIe century), extremely damaged by the French, transformed today into house of the craft industry 2003 (old explosives magazine 1936).
With the O and below the place of November 1st, was important barracks replaced in 1970 by the Agricultural Institute of Technology, and since the creation of the university of Mostaganem in 1978 it represents site III of the university and the central Library of the university which contains 500.000 works and is distributed on 5 levels (inaugurated in 2004).
Of heroic resistances: Mazaghran was the framework in August 1558 of a terrible defeat of the Spanish troops directed by the tale of Alcaudète, governor of Oran which could not seize Mostaganem, which could also resist courageously this attempt at occupation. In the same way in 1840, the city was the theater of a famous seat, constant from February 3rd to 6th 1840.

Indeed, 123 French soldiers placed under the orders of captain LELIEVRE, resisted the repeated attacks of the troops of strong ABD EL-KADER of 10.000 men.

an unceasingly increasing frequentation of the beaches, a rich person inheritance archaeological, cultural and artistic, Mostaganem destination impossible to circumvent and future pole of balneal tourism, offers enormous opportunities.

Cultural heritage of Mostaganem

Mostaganem, proud on its cultural heritage, is prided to have given rise to famous characters like the playwright Ould Abderahmane Abdelkader, known as Kaki, the director Mohammed Chouikh, and of the Historians such Moulay Belhamissi. Stronghold of the theater amateur and popular, it shelters the large specialists in the Andalusian Musique (Hadj Moulay Benkrizi), of the town popular music (Chaâbi: Maâzouz Bouadjadj, Habib Bettahar), Masters of the musical tradition Bedouin (sheik Hamada, sheik Djilali Ain Tedles) and of the poets such as Sheik Abdelkader Bentobdji, Sidi Lakhdar Benkhlouf, which are authors of famous quacidates of the poetry melhoun bequeathed as much to the chaabi as with the bédoui such as Abdelkader ya Boualem.

Physical geography

Surface (km ²): 2.269
Many communes: 32
Nombre of will daïras: 10
Nom of will daïras: Mostaganem, Kherredine, Ain Tédelès, Sidi Ali, Sidi Lakhadar, Achaacha, Bouguirat, Mesra, Hassi Mamèche, Ain Nouissy.

Principal localities: Abdelmalek Ramdane, Achaacha, Ain Boudinar, Ain Nouissy, Ain Sidi Sherif, Ain Tédelès, Touahria Village, Bouguirat, El Hassiane, Fornaka, Hadjadj, Hassi Mameche, Khadra, Kheireddine, Mansourah, Mesra, Mazagran, Mostaganem, Nekmaria, Ouled Boughalem, Wadi El Kheir, Ouled Maallah, Safsaf, Sayada, Sidi Ali, Sidi Bellattar, Sidi Lakhdar, Sirat, Souaflia, Sour, Stidia, Tazgait.

Relief: soft and moderate climate; solid mass of Dahra in the East; Cheliff wadi; pluviometry 426 mm/an on average.
Source: The Site Mostaganem dz

See too

Stidia

The book " Mostaganem Died " , of Marcel Coquerel.

External bonds

Presentation of the wilaya of Mostaganem
History of Mostaganem
Site of the university of Mostaganem
Current events and photo Album of Mostaganem
Porting company of Mostaganem

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