Bougara
Encyclopedia
Bougara is a town in the Mitidja plain in Algeria
, about 20 kilometers due south of Algiers
. Located on the N29, the main road between Blida
and Larbaâ
, it is the capital of Bougara District
, in Blida Province
. In 1998 it had a population of 34,100.
Previously, under French rule, it was called Rovigo; it can be found with this name on this excerpt from the 1962 Michelin map of Algeria. The French name was chosen to honour the Duc de Rovigo
who was commander-in-chief of the French army in Algeria from December 1831 to April 1833, when he was recalled due to the overtly violent nature of his repressive regime. Post cards of the town under French rule can be seen here.
There are the saline thermal springs at Hammam-Mélouane, eight kilometers south-west of the town . An old postcard showing the baths complex can be seen here.
British Army troops were billeted on French-owned farms outside Bougara in the Autumn of 1943 .
In 1946, the Haganah
, the pre-state Zionist military, had a training camp near Bougara .
On June 4, 1957 Edouard Samson, president of the délégation spéciale or mayor of Bougara, was arrested in the town by the DST
for collusion with the FLN
.
Famous people who were born in Bougara include two liberal pied noir writers, Jules Roy
(born there in 1907) and
Jean Pélégri
(born there in 1920). The grave of Roy's mother is at the village of Sidi Moussa
, about eight kilometres north of Bougara, which is where Roy was reared, on his maternal grand-parents' farm.
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...
, about 20 kilometers due 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...
. Located on the N29, the main road between Blida
Blida
Blida is a city in Algeria. It is the capital of Blida Province, and it is located about 45 km south-west of Algiers, the national capital. The name Blida, i.e...
and Larbaâ
Larbaâ (Blida Province)
Larbaâ is a town and commune in Blida Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 60,482....
, it is the capital of Bougara District
Bougara District
Bougara is a district in Blida Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, Bougara.-Municipalities:The district is further divided into 3 municipalities:*Bougara*Hammam Melouane*Chréa...
, in Blida Province
Blida Province
Blida is a province in Algeria. Its capital is Blida. The Chréa National Park is situated here.-Administrative divisions:It is made up of 10 districts and 25 municipalities.The districts are:# Blida# Boufarik# Bougara# Bouïnian...
. In 1998 it had a population of 34,100.
Previously, under French rule, it was called Rovigo; it can be found with this name on this excerpt from the 1962 Michelin map of Algeria. The French name was chosen to honour the Duc de Rovigo
Anne Jean Marie René Savary
Anne Jean Marie René Savary, 1st Duc de Rovigo , French general and diplomat, was born at Marcq in the Ardennes.-Biography:...
who was commander-in-chief of the French army in Algeria from December 1831 to April 1833, when he was recalled due to the overtly violent nature of his repressive regime. Post cards of the town under French rule can be seen here.
There are the saline thermal springs at Hammam-Mélouane, eight kilometers south-west of the town . An old postcard showing the baths complex can be seen here.
British Army troops were billeted on French-owned farms outside Bougara in the Autumn of 1943 .
In 1946, the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
, the pre-state Zionist military, had a training camp near Bougara .
On June 4, 1957 Edouard Samson, president of the délégation spéciale or mayor of Bougara, was arrested in the town by the DST
Direction de la surveillance du territoire
The Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire was a directorate of the French National Police operating as a domestic intelligence agency. It was responsible for counterespionage, counterterrorism and more generally the security of France against foreign threats and interference...
for collusion with the FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
.
Famous people who were born in Bougara include two liberal pied noir writers, Jules Roy
Jules Roy
Jules Roy was a French writer. "Prolific and polemical" Roy, born an Algerian pied noir and sent to a Roman Catholic seminary, used his experiences as the French colony and during his service in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to inspire a number of his words...
(born there in 1907) and
Jean Pélégri
Jean Pélégri
Jean Pélégri was a writer and professor of literature. Of French descent, he was born in Algeria, but left as part of the diaspora of French colonists referred to as pied-noirs following the Algerian War....
(born there in 1920). The grave of Roy's mother is at the village of Sidi Moussa
Sidi Moussa
Sidi Moussa is a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria....
, about eight kilometres north of Bougara, which is where Roy was reared, on his maternal grand-parents' farm.