Muaskar
Encyclopedia
Mascara Province
Mascara is a province in Algeria. There was an earthquake in Mascara City on 18 August 1994 - 5.6 on the Richter scale - which killed 171 people. It was named after its capital, whose name means "military garrison" in Arabic, and which is unrelated to "Mascara", the cosmetic...
, Algeria
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...
, in northwestern Algeria
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...
. It has 150,000 inhabitants (2008 estimate). The name Mascara comes from the Arabic "Mother of Soldiers".
Mascara was the capital city of Emir Abd al-Qadir, a leader of the Algerian resistance to early French colonial rule.
Mascara is an administrative, commercial and a market centre. Its trade is mostly centered on leather goods, grains, and olive oil, but it is especially famous for its good wine.
Mascara has good road and rail connections with other urban centres of Algeria. Relizane
Relizane
Relizane is a capital town of Relizane Province, Algeria....
is 65 km northeast, Sidi Bel Abbes
Sidi Bel Abbes
Sidi Bel-Abbes is capital of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya , Algeria. It is named after a Muslim holy man who is buried there. It is the commercial center of an important area of vineyards, market gardens, orchards, and grain fields. It is surrounded by a wall with four gates and there is a...
90 km southwest, 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...
105 kkm northwest and Saïda
Saida, Algeria
-Location:Saïda is located in northwestern Algeria, on the southern slopes of the Tell Atlas mountain range situated on the northern fringe of the High Plateaus...
80 km south.
Mascara has two parts, a newer French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
area, and an older Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
one. Large parts of the town lie inside the ruins of its ancient rampart
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
s.
The city is also home of Lakhdar Belloumi
Lakhdar Belloumi
Lakhdar Belloumi is a former Algerian football player and manager. He is widely considered as the best Algerian player of all time and one of the best players in Africa and the world. He is said to have invented the Blind Pass...
, the former Algerian football (soccer) star.
The word mascara
Mascara
Mascara is a cosmetic commonly used to enhance the eyes. It may darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, cake, or cream—the modern mascara product has various formulas; however, all contain the same basic components of pigments, oils, waxes, and...
(cosmetic) is unrelated etymologically, being derived from Italian maschera ‘masked.’ Some sources, however, do attribute it to another Arabic word, masḵara ‘buffoon.’
History
- 1701: OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
s built a military garrison in the town. Many Muslims with AndalucianAndalusiaAndalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
origins were settled there by the Ottomans. - Around 1790: Andalucian Muslims leave Mascara, causing the Ottoman Empire to relocate Jews to Mascara.
- 1832: Abd al-Qadir makes Mascara his headquarters.
- 1835: Mascara is destroyed by the French.
- 1841: The French establish full control over Mascara.
- August 18, 1994: An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale kills 171 people in Mascara.
Sister cities
Elkader, IowaElkader, Iowa
Elkader is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,465 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clayton County.-History:The city is named after Algerian leader Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Tifariti
Tifariti
Tifariti is an oasis town located in POLISARIO-controlled Western Sahara, east of the Moroccan Berm, and 15 km. north the Mauritanian border. It is part of what POLISARIO call the Liberated Territories and Morocco call the Buffer Zone. It has a hospital, a school, a mosque and a museum...
, Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic Bursa, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...