Tlemcen (Algeria)

The city of Tlemcen:

The city of Tlemcen is located in the northwest of Algeria 170 km southwest of Oran, 520 miles southwest of Algiers, Morocco and the border 76 km east of the city Moroccan of Oujda. Tlemcen, erected in the hinterland, is distant 40 km from the sea.

 The city is the capital of the province of Tlemcen. Its name comes from the Berber Tala imsan, the name is sometimes spelled Tlemsan or Tilimsen, the city is also nicknamed "The Pearl of the Maghreb" or "The City of Cherries".

 Area: 9061 km2 Number of municipalities: 53 Number of daïras: 09 Name daïras: Maghnia Remchi, Ghazaouet Nedroma, Mansura.

 Main towns: Fetah Ain, Ain Fezza, Aïn Ghoraba, Ain Kebira, Ain nehala, Aïn Tallout, Ain Youcef, Amieur, Azails, Bab El Assa, Beni Bahdel, Beni Boussaid Beni Mester, Beni Ouarsous, Beni Semiel, Beni Snous, Bensekrane, Bouhlou, Chetouane, Dar Yaghmouracene, Djebala, Aricha, El Bouihi, El Fehoul El Gor, Fellaoucene, Ghazaouet, Hammam Boughrara, Hennaya, Honaine, Maghnia, Mansoura, Marsa Ben M'Hidi, Msirda Fouaga, Nedroma, Oued Chouli, Ouled Mimoun Ouled Riyah, Remchi, Sabra, Sebaa Chioukh, Sebdou, Abdelli Sidi Sidi Djillali, Sidi Medjahed, Souahlia, Souani, Souk El Khemis, Souk Tlata, Tianet, tirni Beni Hediel, Tlemcen Zenata

. Relief: continental climate; Traras mountain chains, mountains of Tlemcen, Sebdou; Lsser wadis, Tafna; rainfall 500 mm / year.

The Place to visit Tlemcen

From a distance the Minaret of Mansura

The Remains of Mansura Tlemcen

The historical site of Mansura is a place to visit during your stay in Tlemcen. Currently there are only the northern and western parts of the city walls and the mosque.

The walls, a development of four meters, delineated an area of 100 ha. Mud, thick 1.50 m high and 12 m, flanked by 80 towers, they nearly disappeared in the east and south.

Mansura mosque was built around 1303 by Sultan Abu Yacoub. At his death the construction works are suspended and will resume when the year 1336.

The mosque occupies a rectangle 60 meters wide and 86 meters long. The entrance of the main mosque at the base of the minaret. The yard is 30 square meters wide. The walls of 1.50 m thick are made of stone rose siliceous.

The Citadel El Mechouar Tlemcen

The main entrance to the Citadel El Mechouar is located rue Commandant Ferradj.

The Citadel El Mechouar built in 1145 by Abd El Moumen Ben Ali of Almohad dynasty was a place of military camp during the siege Almoravide Agadir towards the middle of the eleventh century. Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan founder of the dynasty left Qasr el el Qadim, it transferred his residence in this place became the seat of kings Zianides (beni Abdeloued) at the end of the thirteenth century.

His successors built there mosque, palace (Dar al-Mulk, Essourour Dar Dar Abi Fihr, Dar el Abu Tachefine). The enclosure was built later by the 13th ruler, Abu el Abbas Ahmed. Citadel and garrison under the Turks, it served as a refuge for families couloughlis in 1670. The French troops entered the citadel in 1836.

After the Treaty of Tafna, Emir Abdelkader occupied it from 1836 to 1837. He was reoccupied by the French military in 1842. A few years after they began to raze the palace Mechouar who had survived and aménagèrent barracks.

The Citadel is imposing its unique structure; its eastern side, apparently high, rests on a hill overlooking the neighborhoods' Hawma "of Mellala and Rhiba and other slums, overlooking the North Eastern plain. As for the north and north west sides, they were drawn along the water table.

The main entrance was probably a drawbridge bridge called Bab El Bounoude. It is clear in the South, the walls are high relative to the outside at ground level, which with time and embankments, won a remarkable rise from its current level.

This monument, during the long reign Ziyanid has expanded greatly, transformations and enrichments in several stages by a variety of buildings, outbuildings, annexes and other buildings like the two Bastions Style Ziyanid round columns that continue to this days.

Despite the destruction of the large building by colonization and of all the East wall, which is the current Mustapha area, space is still imposing.

Mechouar, famous citadel, has gained fame and played a key role in all areas: political, social, military and others. Worthy of its etymology, "The Place of Mouchawara" or advisory boards, it was still the residence of the central government.

Again, it must research to inform its true role. Configuration, continues to deteriorate gradually by the disregard of its prestigious past. The remains of a royal palace come to see the day after digging the ground. Leave traces appear splendid mosaics and small ponds decorated with marble trim.

The walls of the top indicate the presence of the Andalusian art (Cordoba) through decoration fragments. All refined masterpiece was disfigured to serve after his dismemberment, vulgar Méchouar dependencies as a colonial barracks.

All of its interior works was destroyed, except for its minaret and its mosque, which, in turn, was converted into a chapel.

In 1942, this was a premeditated act of desecration decided by the French military engineering: in order to strip the walls of their natural plastering, which removed all the charm of its historic setting and has merely made perspective discrediting of their authors.

In this global destruction, only a small strip from the top of two famous round towers and part of the walls jealously guard their original coating. They are visible in front of the Maghreb hotel in the height of the old street of Sidi Bel Abbes.

Previously available battlements and battlements, exuded an artistic symmetry strongly inspired by the Andalusian aesthetics. His identity is recognizable on the walls of the old Córdoba. The act in question was dictated by denaturalization intentions.

Plateau Lalla Setti Tlemcen

Must-see destination when visiting Tlemcen Plateau Lalla Setti dominates the city of Tlemcen to 1000 meters above sea level offering breathtaking panoramic views of the entire city of Tlemcen.

Plateau Lalla Setti Tlemcen is connected to the city center by a recently completed car. This means that air transportation through the city of Tlemcen from the large pool to the plateau terminus. For a ridiculous price of 20 AD, this modern equipment can transported up to 2 000 passengers / hour to the new waterfront perched at 1000 meters altitude.

At Lalla Setti is particularly the new Mujahid museum, amusement park, the 5-star Renaissance, an artificial lake fed naturally composed of two basins separated by a ford is equipped with paddle boats that delight children .

Not far from the tray is the forest of the Petit partridge to the delight of hikers.

Bab El Qarmadine Tlemcen

Bab El Qarmadine, also called Gate Tuliers is one of the remains of the walls of Tlemcen located at the Independence Avenue. This monument is famous Tlemcen because it is here that Yaghmoracen has escaped being murdered by the head of his Christian garde ...

Mosque Sidi Boumediene

Mosque Sidi Boumediene is located in the district of El Eubbad, the mosque was built in 1339 (739 AH) by the Marinid Sultan Abu Hassan Ali says "black sultan."

 The tomb of Saint Sidi Boumediene is close, forming a complex consisting in particular of a madrasa built in 1347, a small palace (Dar Es Sultan), a zaouia, steam room and latrines dating from the same period .

El Ourit

The History of Tlemcen: 

Located 800m above sea level, Tlemcen (Berber sources) on the proximity to the sea has a temperate Mediterranean climate and highly diversified natural resources. Receiving heavy rains its very fertile soil ensured population settlement from the earliest times. Human occupation of Tlemcen and its region had held since the beginning of time.

Its position at the crossroads of major roads connecting western Algeria in Morocco and the Sahara tell, was predisposed to provide a forum for exchange between urban and rural communities complementary, pastoral and agricultural.

After a prehistoric period, a period Numidian especially with the reign of Syfax Berber king, with its capital Siga, came the Roman period. The Romans gave it the name of Pomaria (orchards), the city was 32-430 AD a fortified post held by a Roman cavalry scouts at the western end of the Limes Africa.

In the 7th century, the Islamic period begins: it is 671 that is the beginning of the permanent occupation of North Africa by the Arabs. The Muslim conquest reached Tlemcen in 675 and 790, Tlemcen is occupied by Idrissistes of Fez.

In 1079 began the Almoravid period with Youcef Ibn Tachfine its founder and his son Ali Benyoucef, it will be followed in 1143 by the Almohad period Abdelmoumène founded by Ben Ali, during which asserts its economic expansion.

Tlemcen good times is the 13th to 16th century under the prestigious dynasty Zianides. This dynasty will group in the Central Maghreb, territories ranging from Moulouya beyond Oujda to Bejaia meridian. Tlemcen was then the capital of central Maghreb with King founder Yaghomracen (1236-1283), Abu Said Othman Abu Ziane 1 Abu Tachfine.

All government and official buildings was built at the Mechouar, large square of downtown Tlemcen surrounded by imposing walls. Scientific activity is developed through both the reputation of many scientists and scholars and also to the patronage of some princes.

Due to its geographical position, Tlemcen developing its economic relations with Africa and Europe; the capital is a large shopping center with a free area of El Kessaria. Similarly, the city hosts the Muslims of Andalusia and the Jews expelled from Spain, headed by the famous Rabbi Ephraim Enkaoua. She then reached a population of 100,000 inhabitants considerable sum for the time.

Although she often had trouble with its western neighbors, the city was besieged twice by Méridines (1299-1307 and 1335-1337) who erected mosques Haloui Sidi Sidi Boumedienne, the Mosque and the Palace of the victory at Mansoura: Pure jewels of Arab-Muslim architecture Tlemcen.

But the whole thing to an end the dynasty zianide disappears XVI th century Tlemcen is attached to the Regency of Algiers. To begin her bad days, as evidenced by the popular poet Ibn Msaib which exalts the XVIII th century, in dark elegies. It reappears for a fleeting light when the Treaty of 1837 recognizes Tafna Tlemcen among the territories under the sovereignty of the Emir Abd El Kader.

The colonial period began in 1842 with the definitive occupation of Tlemcen by the French in 1962 and ends with the independence of Algeria.

In the glory days of his past, Tlemcen be today the reliquary of Muslim art in Algeria. Apart from that it has retained a full population of urbanity, morals and exquisite and colorful traditions, according specialists would be its Mosques, among the most beautiful in the Muslim world. Since independence, the city became a major project, works for his future worthy of its past.

Established in 1974 with only two channels and a small number of students in higher education has grown considerably. Tlemcen became a university town in 1989, with an enrollment of 5,000 students, staff always expanding, and 7 institutes currently reaching 15,000 students, divided into six faculties, geographically located mainly around three areas; Imama, Chetouane and Bel-Horizon.

Today, Tlemcen is an economic and cultural scale very important, thanks to the various development plans made.

At the dawn of the 21st century, the city of Tlemcen, with its human, natural resources and geo-strategic position, contributes greatly to the momentum and the emancipation of our people.

The Beaches of Tlemcen

The Beach of Rachgoun

The Madrid Beach

Beach Marsat Ben Mhidi

video on the city of Tlemcen