Mostaganem
Encyclopedia
Mostaganem is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria
. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea
and is 72 km ENE of Oran
. It has 130,288 inhabitants as of the 1998 census.
The city was founded in the 11th century as Murustage but has origins going back to Punic and Roman
times, when it had the name Cartenna. In 1516 it was captured by the Ottoman admiral Barbarossa and became a centre for Mediterranean sea corsairs, as well as a commercial port. By 1700 it had come under Ottoman rule and in 1833 the city was taken by France and a garrison established. Algeria became independent in 1962.
The city is divided in two by a ravine of the river Aïn Sefra, with the modern town to southwest, and the old Muslim city, Tidgit, to the northeast.
In 2010 a tunnel moving under the city towards the city centre is expected to change circulation by a lot. Also, new buildings, some modern and some in colonial style are being added to this growing city. The new autoroute from the capital Algiers towards Oran will make it easier also to access Mostaganem by road from the capital, as Mostaganem has no public airport. The road connecting Oran
(Algeria's 2nd largest city, around 80km from Mostaganem to the west) will remain the same, a crowded 2 lane in each direction highway.
The port of Mostaganem is being used for unloading of all sorts of cargo, ranging from provisions to cars and pipelines. As in most ports of Algeria, it is not allowed to sailors to exit the port and visit the city. The port is being shared by large transport vessels and fishing boats alike. A new, smaller port for fishing boats has been constructed, but is currently not used.
Foreign credit cards cannot be used anywhere in the town, either to pay or to extract money, and the Air France
bureau is currently installing a system to allow for payment of airplane tickets by credit card.
, historians such as Moulay Belhamissi, and lyricists such as Kadda Medjeded. A major centre of popular and amateur theater, it is home to important specialists of Andalusian classical music
(Moulay Benkrizi), Chaabi (Maazouz Bouadjadj, Habib Bettahar), masters of traditional Bedouin music
(Sheikh Hamada
, Sheikh Djilali Ain Tedeles) and poets such as Sheikh Abdelkader Bentobdji and Sidi Lakhdar Benkhelouf who are authors of well-known qacidates of Malhun
poetry bequeathed as much to the Chaabi legacy as to Bedouins such as Abdelkader ya Boualem. King
Idris of Libya's family originated near Mostaganem.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and is 72 km ENE of Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
. It has 130,288 inhabitants as of the 1998 census.
The city was founded in the 11th century as Murustage but has origins going back to Punic and Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
times, when it had the name Cartenna. In 1516 it was captured by the Ottoman admiral Barbarossa and became a centre for Mediterranean sea corsairs, as well as a commercial port. By 1700 it had come under Ottoman rule and in 1833 the city was taken by France and a garrison established. Algeria became independent in 1962.
The city is divided in two by a ravine of the river Aïn Sefra, with the modern town to southwest, and the old Muslim city, Tidgit, to the northeast.
In 2010 a tunnel moving under the city towards the city centre is expected to change circulation by a lot. Also, new buildings, some modern and some in colonial style are being added to this growing city. The new autoroute from the capital Algiers towards Oran will make it easier also to access Mostaganem by road from the capital, as Mostaganem has no public airport. The road connecting Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
(Algeria's 2nd largest city, around 80km from Mostaganem to the west) will remain the same, a crowded 2 lane in each direction highway.
The port of Mostaganem is being used for unloading of all sorts of cargo, ranging from provisions to cars and pipelines. As in most ports of Algeria, it is not allowed to sailors to exit the port and visit the city. The port is being shared by large transport vessels and fishing boats alike. A new, smaller port for fishing boats has been constructed, but is currently not used.
Foreign credit cards cannot be used anywhere in the town, either to pay or to extract money, and the Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
bureau is currently installing a system to allow for payment of airplane tickets by credit card.
Notable people
Mostaganem has given birth to illustrious figures such as playwright Ould Abderrahmane Abdelkader AKA Kaki, cinema director Mohamed ChouikhMohamed Chouikh
Mohamed Chouikh is an Algerian film-maker.Mohamed Chouikh was born at Mostaganem Algeria on the 3rd of September 1943, where he was to become a stage actor with a troupe which later developed into the Algerian National Theatre. In 1965, he acted in one of Algeria's greatest film productions,...
, historians such as Moulay Belhamissi, and lyricists such as Kadda Medjeded. A major centre of popular and amateur theater, it is home to important specialists of Andalusian classical music
Andalusian classical music
Andalusian classical music is a style of Moorish music found across North Africa in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. It originates out of the music of Al-Andalus between the 9th and 15th centuries....
(Moulay Benkrizi), Chaabi (Maazouz Bouadjadj, Habib Bettahar), masters of traditional Bedouin music
Bedouin music
Bedouin music is the music of nomadic Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula,the Sudan and the Levant. It is closely linked to its text. Songs are based on poetry and are sung either unaccompanied, or to the stringed instrument, the rebab....
(Sheikh Hamada
Sheikh Hamada
Sheikh Hamada is an Algerian singer, a native of Blad Touahria near Mostaganem, he was born in 1889 and died April 9, 1968.He is one of the founders of the gasba music.In fact, Sheikh Hamada’s voice will remain the eternal Bedouin voice...
, Sheikh Djilali Ain Tedeles) and poets such as Sheikh Abdelkader Bentobdji and Sidi Lakhdar Benkhelouf who are authors of well-known qacidates of Malhun
Malhun
Malhun or milhun , meaning "the melodic poem", is a Moroccan music that borrows its modes from the Andalusian music...
poetry bequeathed as much to the Chaabi legacy as to Bedouins such as Abdelkader ya Boualem. King
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
Idris of Libya's family originated near Mostaganem.