Bou Saada
Encyclopedia
Bou Saada is a town and municipality in M'Sila Province
, Algeria
, situated 245 km south of Algiers
. The municipality population was estimated at 134,000 in 2008.
Bou-Saada is traditionally an important market place producing and selling jewelry, metalwork, carpet and bousaadi knives. There is also a textile mill in town. Even in modern times, Bou-Saada is an important trading post for nomads. There is also some national tourism during winter.
Bou-Saada is well-connected with other urban centres by road. M'Sila is 70 km northeast, Biskra is 175 km east, Bordj Bou Arreridj 130 km northeast and Djelfa 120 km southwest.
Bou-Saada has two quarters, the old medina
(ksar
) within the city walls with arched alleyways, and the French town to the south. Surrounding the town are extensive date groves.
sites of archaeological interest.
M'Sila Province
M'Sila is a province of northern Algeria. It has a population of 1 million people and an area of 18,718 km², while its capital, also called M'sila, home to M'Sila University, has a population of about 100,000. Some localities in this wilaya are Bou Saada and Maadid. Chott El Hodna, a salt...
, 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...
, situated 245 km south of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. The municipality population was estimated at 134,000 in 2008.
Bou-Saada is traditionally an important market place producing and selling jewelry, metalwork, carpet and bousaadi knives. There is also a textile mill in town. Even in modern times, Bou-Saada is an important trading post for nomads. There is also some national tourism during winter.
Bou-Saada is well-connected with other urban centres by road. M'Sila is 70 km northeast, Biskra is 175 km east, Bordj Bou Arreridj 130 km northeast and Djelfa 120 km southwest.
Bou-Saada has two quarters, the old medina
Medina quarter
A medina quarter is a distinct city section found in many North African cities. The medina is typically walled, contains many narrow and maze-like streets...
(ksar
Ksar
Ksar is the Arabic term for "castle", loaned from Latin castrum.The Berber equivalent is aghrem or ighrman ....
) within the city walls with arched alleyways, and the French town to the south. Surrounding the town are extensive date groves.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1954 | 66,800 |
| 1966 | 26,300 |
| 1977 | 46,800 (town) 50,100 (municipality) |
| 1987 | 68,700 |
| 1998 | 99,800 |
| 2000 | 104,800 |
| 2008 | 134,000 |
Rock art
In the municipality, located not far from the village of Ben Srour, are several petroglyphPetroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
sites of archaeological interest.