Béni Abbès
Encyclopedia
Béni Abbès also known as the Pearl of the Saoura also as the White Oasis, is a city located in southwest Algeria
in Béchar Province
, 250 km far from the capital of the Province and 1 200 km from Algiers.
It is capital of a district since 1957, its area is approximately 10,040 km2 with a population of 12,000 inhabitants.
بني عباس, Bani Abbas ("The children of Abbas"), C.Rames explains in his book Beni-Abbes (Oran Sahara): Historical, geographical and medical study (1941) that the origin of the name comes in the name of the tribe of the first occupant of the city : «Forty years after the death of Sidi Othman, in the distant Saguia el-Hamra (Western Sahara), El Mahdi Ben Youssef from the tribe of Beni Abbes».
Even the name of Beni-Abbes derives from the old one which was in Arabic
بني العباس, Bani Al Abbas ("The children of El-abbas") As quoted by El Ayachi in his manuscript Arrihla al ayachia (1662) : «Then we entered the villages of Bani Al Abbas ...».
and south and southwest by the valley of the Saura. The mountain's most interesting in Béni Abbès is the chains Ougarta (next to the oasis of Ougarta).
. There is no rain, little or sometimes occasional rains that cause flooding or flood Wadi Saoura. The sky is always blue winter and summer.
December, January and February are the coldest months, when it is between one and 18 °C. During the summer months, temperatures can reach 45 °C with a humidity of about 10%.
The vegetation of Béni Abbès is essentially desert-like. Rare rainfall affect the plant development in different types of terrains sectors: Hamada
, Erg
and Wadi
.
Acacia
trees and wild herbs are scattered on the mountain and Hamada, especially near Zeghamra. Some wild herbs in the region are medicinal and used by people traditionally to treat many diseases among other Ouezouaza (Santolina rosmarinifolea), Gartofa (Santolina chamaycyparissus) and Shih (Artemisia herba-alba
), Terfesse (Terfeziaceae) a mushroom used by the Abbassian gastronomy in stead of meat
.
At Erg, grows an excellent fixative of the dunes Rtéme (Retama raetam). The predominant plant of Wadi is the Fnine (Tamarix
) a resistant plant of saline soils.
Many species of Saharian regions animal
are reported in Béni Abbès:
Mammals most important is the Dorcas Gazelle
(Gazella dorcas) and Rhim
(Gazella leptoceros) highly threatened by uncontrolled hunting. The Sand Cat
(Felis margarita), Striped Hyena
(Hyaena hyaena) and the Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda) are rarely observed.
Can be counted among the Reptile
s that exist in the region; the Sandfish
(Scincus scincus), the dob
(Uromastyx) and other species. There are also among rodents Sand Rat
(Psammomys obesus), Greater Egyptian Gerbil
(Gerbillus pyramidum) and the Libyan Jird
(Meriones libycus).
Among birds that can signaled in Béni Abbès ther is Bou-Ali (Passer domesticus
), Bou-Tkelem (Passer hispaniolensis
) and raptors
such as El-Béz (Accipiter gentilis), Skàr (Falco biarmicus
) and El-bouma (Athene noctua
).
In the recent decades or hundreds of years, we reported the extinction
of many animal species due to drought and lack of prey, Al-naàme (Struthio camelus
) and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus
) for example.
which existed between 1902 and 1957. In that time, Tindouf
and once occupied, is pegged to the indigenous municipality of Béni Abbès until 1935.
In 1957, After replacing the territories of South by the French Departments of Sahara it became a district in the Saoura Department which the prefecture was at Colomb-Bechar
.
At Algerian independence, Beni Abbes was a district of Saoura Department with Béchar
, Adrar
, El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh
, Timimoun
and Tindouf
until 1974 when the administrative division divided the department into two Provinces Adrar containing Timimoun District
and Béchar
with El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh
, Béni Abbès and Tindouf
.
After the new administrative division of 1984 which gives to Tindouf
and El-Bayadh
the title of Province, Béni Abbès remains a District. Only in 2009 it was put on the list of new delegates Provinces.
The Petroglyph
of the region dates back to Neolithic
, Less famous than the Tassili rock paintings But these being studied since 1863.
The ideological panel of Marhouma is a complex remarkable scene : «An orant (praying person) on his head a crossed disk and connected to a mammal, surrounded by a wounded animal topped by a young man and a snake man (homme serpentiforme).»
participants constitute a closed chain; the prayer of the orant links between the sacred animal, the hunter, represented by the snake line and game
.
tribe; built two Ksour Ghar el-Diba and Haresse Lil (night watchman). they migrated to Saguia el-Hamra
and Mauritania
in the 12th century.
The history of the founding of the current Beni-Abbes begins with the legend of Sidi Othman called "El Gherib" and his companion Sid Enoun, By the blessing of Sidi Othmane Water gushes and the country is no longer a desert, the vegetation developing and the valley became full of reeds, trees and pastures.
Forty years after these first migrations, from Seguia el-Hamra Mehdi Ben Youssef (descendant of Beniabbes of the Beni Hassan
tribe) came to Béni Abbès. He live with Ali Ben Moumen from Arib tribe, with whom he brought the palm trees of Wadi Draa. They founded the Ksar Oulad Mehdi where live Mehdi Ben Youssef's son (Said and Youssef) and Ali Ben Moumen's son (Mohamed).
The region has lived in peace and prosperity of agriculture and trade, this brought him a large number of immigrants.
From At-Lamiz
in Figuig
, two brothers left the Ksar towards the east, Ali Ben Yahia accompany by Khalfi bin Abdel-wassàa who settled in Beni-Abbes and his brother founded a brotherhood in the Charouine region (Gourara). Ali Ben Yahia was a man with broad experience in agriculture. he founded the Ksar Ouled Rahu occupied by Moulay and Rahu Ali Ben Yahia's sons.
After a period, Moussa Ben Ali come from Tamentit Others say from Gourara to settle at Beni-Abbes in the fourteenth century. Most probably it came from Tamentit, but his tribe before settling to Tamentit came from Gourara.
In 1593, the Moroccan rebel Abu Mahali (in Arabic أحمد بن عبد الله بن قاضي) settled in Beni-Abbes. El Ayachi in his handwritten Arrihla al ayachia 1662 say :«... personage who was placed in a state of open rebellion, sedition which began in this town. Today his house is still known and we watch for travelers».
The continuous development and prosperity of the region brought him many enemies, including Ghenanma
. A long period of Ghazi, push the Abbabsa to complaint against the Ghenanma to the King of Fes
. Soldiers of Makhzen
(Mkhaznia) leaves Fes towards Beni-Abbes, they pass through the road by Zaouiet Men-Laikhaf in Tafilalt
, from where a marabout
called Mohamed Ben-Abdeslam join the troupe.
On arrival at Beni-Abbes the Mkhaznia beat Ghenanma. the Abbabsa they were in separate ksour, Ask of Mohamed Ben Abdeslam to settle with them for the Koran
education. he accepted on condition that they build a new Ksar, very well fortified in the palm grove, they accept and leaving the choice of location to the marabout.
Mohamed Ben Abdeslam founded the new Ksar in the palm grove in 1605 and named Beni-Abbes.
A little later Taleb Belkacem Ben Abdelah arrived in the area from Tmentite..
The descendants of these people, along with the Haratin
es, made up the population of Ababsa. Another group of settlers, Ghenanma
(Ouled Hamou) lived in an independent ksar.
Beni-Abbes was occupied by the French the March ,1 1901. General officer Risbourg has visited March 2 of that year.
The Act of March 30, 1902 which stipulated the establishment of five Saharan companies commanded by Affairs Indigenous officers. The Saoura's company in Beni-Abbes was strengthen by six officers and two hundred and two Non-commissioned officer
s and Méhariste
s. included a command platoon and three Méharistes platoons.
1904 the creation of two Saharan Companies, one at Beni-Abbes, the other at Colomb-Bechar. These arrangements were for the defensive organization of the Algerian-Moroccan border.
Residence of Charles de Foucauld
In October 1901, "Foucauld Father
" settled in Beni-Abbes. He built with the help of soldiers present a "Khaoua" (fraternity)p. 172, composed of a room, a chapel and three acres of gardenp. 174, purchased by the help of Marie de Bondy. The chapel was completed on December, 1 1901. His life revolves around a strict rule: five hours of sleep, six hours of manual work interspersed with long time of prayerp. 249. However, it is quickly overwhelmed by the long time it takes to listen to the poor and the soldiers who come to seep. 173p. 251. he describes to Gabriel Tourdes his soul state : «living work of my hands, and unknown to all the poor and enjoy the deep darkness, silence, poverty, in imitation of Jesus. Imitation is inseparable from love. Whoever wants to imitate love is the secret of my life. Priest since last June, I immediately felt called to go to the lost sheep, to the most abandoned souls, to perform towards them the duty of love. I am happy, very happy, although I do not in any way seek happiness».
On January 9, 1902, he bought the freedom of a first slave he called Joseph du Sacré-Cœur (Joseph of the Sacred Heart). A portion of the year 1902 is devoted to an exchange of correspondence with Bishop Guerin, Apostolic prefect
of Sahara, about his fight against slavery in the Hoggar. The following year, he thinks for voyages to Morocco and install a fraternity. He would be joined by companions whom he would ask three things : «be prepared to have his head cut off - be prepared to starve - to obey him despite his unworthiness».
On May 27, 1903 Charles de Foucauld visited by Bishop Guerinp. 186. Charles is looking for a companion for evangelism and asks to go south to prepare for itp. 191. the commander François-Henry Laperrine interested in the presence of Charles de Foucauld and tries to get him on his tour of supply to the southp. 196p. 193. Charles showed himself even more favorable than François-Henry Laperrine seems to use methods much less violent than its predecessorsp. 195. On June 18, 1903 Charles asked Bishop Guerin permission to accompany Laperrine, but the rebellion of the tribes against the colonial presence makes this approach impossible. Learning the opening of this conflict, however, Charles left to the South on September 2, 1903 in order to rescue the wounded from the Battle of Taghit and El-Moungar
p. 199. He comes back and writes a short introduction to the Catechism which he entitled The Gospel presented to the poor negroes of the Sahara. Sometime later, François-Henry Laperrine asked him to come with him during the upcoming tour of supply in the South. Abbe Henri Huvelin wrote him to «go where you shoot the Spirit
»p. 198.
Charles toured Supply January 13, 1904, on the air south toward the Hoggarp. 273. February 1, 1904 he and his companions arrived at Adrar
oasis where they join the commander Laperrinep. 218. The tour continues towards Akabli. Charles then noted all the possible places of installation. It collects information on Tuareg languages
from the people of the central south Saharap. 204 and there began the translation of the Gospels in order to transmit it to the Touaregsp. 278.
He discovers the attitude of some military Colonial who disappoints himp. 274p. 277. Arriving near the Algerian border in the course of stabilization, Tour of supply must turn around and join Tit
p. 203. Charles wants to settle in but the commander Laperrine refused. The tour ends at In Salah
in September. Charles joined Bishop Guerin on September 22, 1904 and he returned to Beni-Abbes 24 January 1905p. 205.
Intrigued by Charles de Foucauld, General Hubert Lyautey
, appointed in Algeria, decides to visit him at Beni-Abbes in January, 28 1905p. 208. From this meeting comes a reciprocal friendshipp. 222 and a certain admiration of Lyautey for Charlesp. 283. Charles wrote during this period the Meditations on the Holy Gospels. In April 1905, Commander Laperrine requests Charles de Foucauld to leave with him on a tour in the Hoggar. Having sought advice from the abbot Huvelin and Bishop Guerin, he participated in a new tours of supplyp. 224p. 210. He starts on June 8, 1905, continues his prayer life while learning Tamahaq
. Le 25 Juin, 1905, ils rencontrent amenokal
(chef de tribu) Moussa Ag Amastan
, who decides to make an alliance with the French authorityp. 287 et 212. Charles de Foucauld and Moussa Ag Amastan discover themselves and seem to appreciate each other. Their meeting comes a deep friendshipp. 226. The Touareg authorizes Charles de Foucauld to settle in the Hoggarp. 213, what is it going towards Tamanrassetp. 215.
National liberation movement
In the Saoura region, Beni-Abbes always been an important focus of the national movement. In 1921, Saadoune (born in Beni-Abbes) emigrated to France where he militates to Étoile Nord-Africaine
(ENA) then designated as a member committee central of the part in 02/07/1926.
Since the purpose of the thirties, Beni-Abbes was the exile place of several political and historical Algerian figures such as Ferhat Abbas
, Mohammed Memchaoui, cheikh Abdelkader El Yadjouri et cheikh Sliman Boudjnah.
In late 1947, Sheikh Touhami an MTLD
activist comes from Béchar
at Beni-Abbes to found an office for his political party. The Ababsa well sensitized and who have already attended the exiled persons to their homes, do not hesitate to join the movement. The Bureau consists of four people, Touhami Tayeb, Trabelsi Boufeldja, Abdellah Ben-cheikh and Benali Abderrahman remain in service until 1954, date where the majority of activists are transferred to the FLN
, Ababsa participated in the war of National Liberation between 1954 and 1962.
On November 11, 1955, the French discovered the names of those involved in the struggle, the members imprisoned at Beni-Abbes, the officials transferred to Béchar
or have been tried and transferred to Serkadji prison. After members release , they continued the fight with Trabelsi Boufeldja who escaped detention and Mohammed Yacoub's writer Taleb-Zian.
After applying the policy of concentration camps by France
at Beni-Abbes and terror politics applied to some ksour, a mujahid (Chikimi Mebrok) exploded a bomb in the middle of a group of French soldiers as retaliation for France's actions in the region. He was arrested and executed a few minutes after.
Consequently, the region Recruits with the French army fled to join the ALN
into two groups; The first, led by Alla Ben-Lhachemi managed to escape with possession of a quantity of arms and ammunition, the second led by Sellam Ali was arrested in Béchar
.
Re-organization of National Liberation Army's military base of Hassi Ali under the leadership of Alhadj chebir who fled in turn of the French army.
In October 1957, the inhabitants of Ksar of the palm are expelled by the French troops because of the activities of the Mujahideen
and must build a new Ksar.
After 1960, the city witnessed several visits of Mohamed Chérif Messaadia loaded with other officers under the command of Abdelaziz Bouteflika
called Si Abdelkader El Mali to opening the front Mali
, organized military operations against French interests and fight against the French strategy of secession of the Sahara from the rest of Algeria.
Members of the ALN in the region participated in various battles against the French troops, sacrifice their lives for freedom. It is among the Shahid
s, Mazozi Cheick, Touhami Tayeb, Belghit Hmida, Hamdi Ahmed and others.
Scientific movement
The Franco-Russian geologist
Nicolas Menchikoff (About 1900 - 1992) began his research in the region during the twenties, in 1942 the creation of the SRC (Saharan Research Center) in Beni-Abbes whose he became director for several years.
In 1946, together with the general government of Algeria
, the BRP (Bureau de recherche de pétrole) creates the Société Nationale de Recherche et d'Exploitation de Pétrole en Algérie (SN REPAL) Headquartered in Hydra
at the top of the city of Algiers
. With the creation of this company, geological research began in 1948, in association with CFP (French Petroleum Company
) in the region of Beni-Abbes, Timimoun
and In Salah
but without any results.
In 1972, the management of Saharan research center founded by the CNRS (Current National Center for Research on Arid Zones) is transmitted to the Algerian authorities and depends since to the University of Science and Technology, Houari Boumediene (Bab Ezzouar, Algiers).
After independence
July 5, 1962, the declaration of Algerian Independence, Algerian flag raising at béni abbès while preserving the French forces in the city according to the Évian Accords
and respect the Ceasefire
. A delegation of Mujahideen
was founded in Beni-Abbes with Alla Ben Lhachemi as political leader and military officials.
Between 1961 and 1965, the Organization Saharan scored his action in line with that of the OCRS and built 1,000 km of additional roads, including the following segments: Béni-Abbès – Adrar, Touggourt – El-Oued, In-Amenas – El-Adeb.
October 1962 installation of the 2nd REI at Colomb-Bechar available to the command of military sites in the Sahara (nuclear weapon and the space facilities of Hammaguir.
The political management of the city were well Algerian and the first mayor appointed is Ben Said Mokhtar that remains in place until 1967 date of the first elections of Communal People's Assemblies.
1963 the creation of the Beni-Abbes's CP and Tabelbala
's CP from Colomb-Bechar Regiment. 1967 France has evacuated four military French facilities remain active in the Sahara after independence except B2-Namous, Following this action the company of Béni Abbès is removed too.
Until 1971 the city were governed by Mr. Mohamed Maamar locally called Ba Maamar Because of his humility and closeness to the people.
From 1976 to 1981 under the governance of Guesmia Boudjemmâa known by El-Montassir (Died June 8, 2009). the city saw the construction of the bridge at the entrance of the city, the commissioning of antennas for receiving television programs.
The district
seat and Citroen home overlooking the cliff are the representative type of French architecture of colonial era. We can add to this architectural type the seat of the Saharan Research Center, the old infirmary and the colonists neighborhood called "Karté".
Historic neighborhoods retain the old architecture, even if the surface of dwellings has changed, construction method and building materials remains almost the same until the last time, or there was the introduction of new materials such as Cement
and cement brick. the oldest mosque in the new-city is in Safat which dates from 1957 (the Mosque of Ksar, 1605).
A nearby neighborhood of Souiguiat built and inhabited by Jews
, from the beginning of the twentieth century to the dawn of the independence of Algeria. These Jews brought back by the French authorities benefit of decree of October 24, 1870 which gives French citizenship to 37 000 algerian Jews
, for Judaism we was not able to determine one.
The oldest religious building is the old-Ksar's mosque, which dates back to the beginning of the seventeenth century (1605), then the chapel of Father Charles de Foucauld (1901). All other buildings are a mosques or Koranic schools Founded after the abundance of old Ksar in 1957.
in beni Abbes there are a tens tombs of saints but except two have a mausoleum. We have two patron saints for all Abbabsa:
The two mausoleums existing at Beni-Abbes are dedicated to:
The rest are tribal saints listed in the following list:
).
The old cemeteries dating from the time prior to the founding of the old Ksar; Sidi Mohamed Ben Abbou Cemetery, Sidi Ali Ben Yahia Cemetery, and Sidi El Hadj Mhamed Ben Ahmed Cemetery.
Beni-Abbes had cemeteries for the burial of people of different of abrahamic religions, a Christian cemetery on the plateau (near the current clinic) and in the other side of the Charles de Foucauld chapel in addition to a cemetery for the burial of Jews.
There is also a brand new cemetery dedicated to martyrs of the war of National Liberation, at the entrance to the city on the left side of the road.
and Fauna
. It contains seven sections focus on Beni-Abbes and its region: Prehistory
, old Beni-Abbes, natural history, Archaeology
, Entomology
, flora and fauna.
the Festival nights Saoura's is a cooperation between both Algerian association Hillal Saoura and French Nuits Métis to organizing an international annual festival of music in Beni-Abbes, 1st edition takes place in December 2003/January 2004.
(Birth of Prophet of Islam Muhammad
) this is an opportunity for the presentation of new-born past-year, and a grand parade with music and old rifles, commemorating peace between the tribes and the founding of the Ksar of the palm grove.
The Ababsa uses like all Muslim the Lunar calendar
to determine the religious events, local and local-religious (Eid el-Fitr, Eid el-Kabir, Ashura, Arafa ...) but giving each month a special appellation as shown below.
NCRAZ (Beni-Abbes 's station) is the only research station in Beni-Abbes houses a museum (collections of local ethnography, geology, prehistory, and zoology), a zoo (very few animals present but still among them a great tortoise), a botanical garden and a biological research laboratory.
The ksours
: Beni-Abbes includes seven ksour, some of which are still inhabited. The most beautiful is the Ksar placed at the heart of the palm grove (a unique type of location in the Sahara), Uninhabited since 1957 and is being restored, classified as national architectural heritage.
The palm grove
: is beautiful in scorpion form, whose tail is dominated by a large red sand dune (the highest of the Grand Erg Occidental).
The swimming pool
fed by a spring of pure water coming out at 24 degrees (warm in winter, cool in summer).
China Wall of Carboniferous: 30 km from Beni Abbes, on the left side of the road to El Ouata
is the deposit of Orthoceras
(Fossils of molluscs and fish).
Currently, apart the Power station
which has a capacity of 4 × 5 MW TG (2008) Beni-Abbes has no industry.
the Power station of Beni-Abbes aliment all villages between Igli and Bent-Cherk until 2010 where the villages between Kerzzaz and Bent-Cherk depend on the Charouine station. The electrification rate is assessed at 95% but it should be noted that the region has not yet supplied with Town gas.
A project of 17 billion DA for a pipeline
over 300 kilometers to supply in Town gas the Districts of Béni-Abbés, Béchar
, Kénadsa
, Abadla
, Taghit
and Béni Ounif, the work launched in 2010.
Beni-Abbes can be an important investment location for the basic structure it has. Carbonated water factory
inactive for the moment she were in office during the eighties with the socialist system and between 1998 and 2001 with the private sector. The bottling company of Ain Sidi Othmane water blocked for a long time.
In addition the city has real potential to produce Glass
, Tile
and Porcelain
.
for a population of 13,000 inhabitants, knowing that most fields were abandoned because of inheritance, lack of water and labor in other sectors that have higher profitability.
The useful agricultural area is 415 hectar spread over several locations of the Municipality with the largest estimated area of jouiffa (120 hectar), just 05% of the plots are electrified, Ain Seguia, Ouarourout, Zghamra, etc. There are 250 fellah, many of whom have abandoned their fields because of the scarcity of water.
the Beni-Abbes palm grove is affected for first time by the Fusarium
in 1908, disease appeared in 1870 in south Moroccans. a strain of Fusarium oxysporum was isolated in 1998 from the land of the Beni Abbes palm grove.
, useful for the production of brick and limestone clicks and hollow glass. the Other minerals are concentrated mainly in mountainous areas of Ougarta, a satellite photo of Ougarta's chain shows important mining areas containing mineral deposits of gold
, silver
, copper
, iron
, manganese
, barium
, arsenic
, tungsten
, strontium
and an association of lead
, which is mixed with zinc
.
, Igli
, El Ouata
, Kerzaz
and Ouled Khodeïr
, and an Extra-Province line to Adrar
.
The opening of the new road between Beni-Abbes and El Ouata was going going out the ksours between these two cities of anonymity, this project has cost the sum of 30,033,900 DA.
In addition to transport by bus, Beni-Abbes has an aerodrome dating back to colonial era. The realization of a railway between Beni-Abbes and Bechar is under study.
Beni-Abbes had a football club since the late fifties, one of the oldest clubs in the region but it has not performed well for the lack of means.
The best-known athletes who trace their origins to Beni-Abbes:
mayors List of Beni-Abbes
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 Béchar Province
Béchar Province
Béchar is a province in Algeria, named after its capital Béchar.The greater part of the province is uninhabitable sand dune fields , in particular the Great Western Erg and the Erg Er Raoui, or dry plains suitable for grazing but with insufficient surface water to support agriculture...
, 250 km far from the capital of the Province and 1 200 km from Algiers.
It is capital of a district since 1957, its area is approximately 10,040 km2 with a population of 12,000 inhabitants.
Etymology
Béni Abbès, in ArabicArabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
بني عباس, Bani Abbas ("The children of Abbas"), C.Rames explains in his book Beni-Abbes (Oran Sahara): Historical, geographical and medical study (1941) that the origin of the name comes in the name of the tribe of the first occupant of the city : «Forty years after the death of Sidi Othman, in the distant Saguia el-Hamra (Western Sahara), El Mahdi Ben Youssef from the tribe of Beni Abbes».
Even the name of Beni-Abbes derives from the old one which was in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
بني العباس, Bani Al Abbas ("The children of El-abbas") As quoted by El Ayachi in his manuscript Arrihla al ayachia (1662) : «Then we entered the villages of Bani Al Abbas ...».
Natural geography
localization
Béni Abbès is built on a rocky hill on the left bank of Wadi Saoura. The city is bordered to the north, east and west by the Grand Erg OccidentalGrand Erg Occidental
The Grand Erg Occidental is the second largest erg in northern Algeria, behind the Grand Erg Oriental. This true desert region receives less than 25 cm of rainfall per year. It contains no human villages and there are no roads through it....
and south and southwest by the valley of the Saura. The mountain's most interesting in Béni Abbès is the chains Ougarta (next to the oasis of Ougarta).
Climate
Béni Abbès enjoys a hot and arid desert climateArid
A region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available water, to the extent of hindering or even preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life...
. There is no rain, little or sometimes occasional rains that cause flooding or flood Wadi Saoura. The sky is always blue winter and summer.
December, January and February are the coldest months, when it is between one and 18 °C. During the summer months, temperatures can reach 45 °C with a humidity of about 10%.
Remarkable flora and fauna
The Saharan ecosystem dominates all the territory of Béni Abbès, flora and fauna are not as extensive as in other parts of Algeria, however, there is a staggering variety of plants and creatures have been found here. Most surprising is the range of flora and fauna that has survived in this desert and arid climate.The vegetation of Béni Abbès is essentially desert-like. Rare rainfall affect the plant development in different types of terrains sectors: Hamada
Hamada
A hamada is a type of desert landscape consisting of largely barren, hard, rocky plateaus, with very little sand. A hamada may sometimes also be called a reg , though this more properly refers to a stony plain rather than a highland.Hamadas exist in contrast to ergs, which are large areas of...
, Erg
Erg (landform)
An erg is a broad, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand with little or no vegetative cover. The term takes its name from the Arabic word ʿarq , meaning "dune field"...
and Wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
.
Acacia
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
trees and wild herbs are scattered on the mountain and Hamada, especially near Zeghamra. Some wild herbs in the region are medicinal and used by people traditionally to treat many diseases among other Ouezouaza (Santolina rosmarinifolea), Gartofa (Santolina chamaycyparissus) and Shih (Artemisia herba-alba
Artemisia herba-alba
Artemisia herba-alba, also known as white wormwood, is a perennial shrub in the Artemisia genus that grows commonly on the steppes of the Mediterranean regions in Northern Africa, Western Asia and Southwestern Europe, and in the Arabian Peninsula and Saharan Maghreb xeric steppes...
), Terfesse (Terfeziaceae) a mushroom used by the Abbassian gastronomy in stead of meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
.
At Erg, grows an excellent fixative of the dunes Rtéme (Retama raetam). The predominant plant of Wadi is the Fnine (Tamarix
Tamarix
The genus Tamarix is composed of about 50-60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa...
) a resistant plant of saline soils.
Many species of Saharian regions animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
are reported in Béni Abbès:
Mammals most important is the Dorcas Gazelle
Dorcas Gazelle
The Dorcas Gazelle , also known as the Ariel Gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The Dorcas Gazelle stands approximately 55-65 cm . Dorcas gazelle have a head and body length of 90-110 cm and a weight of 15-20 kg...
(Gazella dorcas) and Rhim
Rhim Gazelle
The rhim gazelle , also known as the slender-horned gazelle or sand gazelle, is a slender-horned gazelle, most adapted to desert life. There are fewer than 2500 in the wild.-Description:...
(Gazella leptoceros) highly threatened by uncontrolled hunting. The Sand Cat
Sand Cat
The sand cat , also referred to as the "sand dune cat", is a small wild cat distributed over African and Asian deserts. The Sand cat lives in arid areas that are too hot and dry even for the African Wildcat: the Sahara, the Arabian Desert, and the deserts of Iran and...
(Felis margarita), Striped Hyena
Striped Hyena
The Striped Hyena is a species of true hyena native to North and East Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent...
(Hyaena hyaena) and the Fennec Fox (Vulpes zerda) are rarely observed.
Can be counted among the Reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s that exist in the region; the Sandfish
Sandfish
Sandfish is a common name of:* Scincus scincus, a skink* Holothuria scabra, a sea cucumber* Beaked sandfish, a genus of fish, see Gonorynchus* Southern sandfish, a familia of fish* Belted sandfish, a species of fish...
(Scincus scincus), the dob
Uromastyx
The Uromastyx is a genus of lizard whose members are better-known as Spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyxes, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Uromastyx are primarily herbivorous, but occasionally eat insects, especially when young. They spend most of their waking hours basking in the sun, hiding in...
(Uromastyx) and other species. There are also among rodents Sand Rat
Sand Rat
The sand rat , also known as the fat sand rat, is a terrestrial mammal from the gerbil subfamily that is mostly found in North Africa and the Middle East, ranging from Mauritania to the Arabian Peninsula....
(Psammomys obesus), Greater Egyptian Gerbil
Greater Egyptian Gerbil
The large Egyptian gerbil, Gerbillus pyramidum, is distributed mainly throughout northern Africa and Israel.-References: Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern...
(Gerbillus pyramidum) and the Libyan Jird
Libyan Jird
The Libyan Jird is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found in Afghanistan, Algeria, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan....
(Meriones libycus).
Among birds that can signaled in Béni Abbès ther is Bou-Ali (Passer domesticus
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
), Bou-Tkelem (Passer hispaniolensis
Spanish Sparrow
The Spanish Sparrow or Willow Sparrow is a passerine bird of the sparrow family Passeridae. It is found in the Mediterranean region and southwest and central Asia...
) and raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
such as El-Béz (Accipiter gentilis), Skàr (Falco biarmicus
Lanner Falcon
The Lanner Falcon is a large bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia. It is mainly resident, but some birds disperse more widely after the breeding season.-Description:...
) and El-bouma (Athene noctua
Little Owl
The Little Owl is a bird which is resident in much of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, Asia east to Korea, and north Africa. It is not native to Great Britain, but was first introduced in 1842, and is now naturalised there...
).
In the recent decades or hundreds of years, we reported the extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
of many animal species due to drought and lack of prey, Al-naàme (Struthio camelus
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
) and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
) for example.
Administrative geography
Just after the French occupation of the region and within the territories of South, Béni Abbès became an indigenous municipality in the Territory of Aïn SéfraAïn Séfra
Aïn Séfra |spring]]) is a municipality in Naâma Province, Algeria. It is the district seat of Aïn Séfra District and it has a population of 34.962, which gives it 11 seats in the PMA. Its postal code is 45200 and its municipal code is 4503. It is the second most populated municipality in the...
which existed between 1902 and 1957. In that time, Tindouf
Tindouf
Tindouf is the main town in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian and Moroccan borders. The region is considered of strategic significance, and it houses Algerian military bases. Since 1975, it also contains several Sahrawi refugee camps operated by the Polisario Front a guerrilla...
and once occupied, is pegged to the indigenous municipality of Béni Abbès until 1935.
In 1957, After replacing the territories of South by the French Departments of Sahara it became a district in the Saoura Department which the prefecture was at Colomb-Bechar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
.
At Algerian independence, Beni Abbes was a district of Saoura Department with Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
, Adrar
Adrar, Algeria
Adrar is a town and commune in Algeria, based around an oasis of the Sahara Desert and the administrative capital of the second largest province in Algeria: Adrar Province....
, El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh District
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh is a district in El Bayadh Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh, where most of the population lives. This district has one of the longest placenames in the country.-Municipalities:...
, Timimoun
Timimoun
Timimoun is a little oasis town in Adrar Province, Algeria; in the Gourara region.It is located to the northwest of the eponymous Sebkha, at the edge of the plateau of Tadmaït....
and Tindouf
Tindouf
Tindouf is the main town in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian and Moroccan borders. The region is considered of strategic significance, and it houses Algerian military bases. Since 1975, it also contains several Sahrawi refugee camps operated by the Polisario Front a guerrilla...
until 1974 when the administrative division divided the department into two Provinces Adrar containing Timimoun District
Timimoun
Timimoun is a little oasis town in Adrar Province, Algeria; in the Gourara region.It is located to the northwest of the eponymous Sebkha, at the edge of the plateau of Tadmaït....
and Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
with El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh District
El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh is a district in El Bayadh Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh, where most of the population lives. This district has one of the longest placenames in the country.-Municipalities:...
, Béni Abbès and Tindouf
Tindouf
Tindouf is the main town in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian and Moroccan borders. The region is considered of strategic significance, and it houses Algerian military bases. Since 1975, it also contains several Sahrawi refugee camps operated by the Polisario Front a guerrilla...
.
After the new administrative division of 1984 which gives to Tindouf
Tindouf
Tindouf is the main town in Tindouf Province, Algeria, close to the Mauritanian and Moroccan borders. The region is considered of strategic significance, and it houses Algerian military bases. Since 1975, it also contains several Sahrawi refugee camps operated by the Polisario Front a guerrilla...
and El-Bayadh
El Bayadh Province
El Bayadh is a province in Algeria, named after its capital El Bayadh.-Administrative divisions:The province is divided into 8 districts, which are further divided into 22 communes or municipalities.-Districts:# Boualem# Bougtob...
the title of Province, Béni Abbès remains a District. Only in 2009 it was put on the list of new delegates Provinces.
Prehistory
The territory of Beni-Abbes was inhabited during prehistoric, and the rock carvings of Marhouma region evidenced.The Petroglyph
Petroglyph
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...
of the region dates back to Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, Less famous than the Tassili rock paintings But these being studied since 1863.
The ideological panel of Marhouma is a complex remarkable scene : «An orant (praying person) on his head a crossed disk and connected to a mammal, surrounded by a wounded animal topped by a young man and a snake man (homme serpentiforme).»
participants constitute a closed chain; the prayer of the orant links between the sacred animal, the hunter, represented by the snake line and game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
.
Period before Islam
Except some conclusions of historians There is no information about this period of history of Béni Abbès, based on evidence dating from this period which include:- Paleography at the entrance of Ghar Diba in arabic (غار الذيبة) «wolf cave ».
- Berber names of places, palms, mountains and surrounding ksour because we know that the medieval period in Beni-Abbes begins with the arrival of the ArabArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s. - the remains of some ksour inhabited by Christianized Berbers.
Middle Age
The first settlers in the area were from the Beni HassanBeni Hassan
Beni Ḥassān were a nomadic group of Arabian origin, one of the four sub-tribes of the Maqil Arabian tribes who emigrated in the 11th century to the Maghreb with the Bani Hilal and Banu Sulaym Arabs.. They originally lived with their Maqil relatives in the area between Tadla, Moulouiya River...
tribe; built two Ksour Ghar el-Diba and Haresse Lil (night watchman). they migrated to Saguia el-Hamra
Saguia el-Hamra
Saguia el-Hamra, in Arabic الساقية الحمراء, al-Saqiyah al-Hamra'a , is, with Río de Oro, one of the two territories that formed the Spanish province of Spanish Sahara after 1969. Its name comes from a waterway that goes through the capital....
and Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
in the 12th century.
The history of the founding of the current Beni-Abbes begins with the legend of Sidi Othman called "El Gherib" and his companion Sid Enoun, By the blessing of Sidi Othmane Water gushes and the country is no longer a desert, the vegetation developing and the valley became full of reeds, trees and pastures.
Forty years after these first migrations, from Seguia el-Hamra Mehdi Ben Youssef (descendant of Beniabbes of the Beni Hassan
Beni Hassan
Beni Ḥassān were a nomadic group of Arabian origin, one of the four sub-tribes of the Maqil Arabian tribes who emigrated in the 11th century to the Maghreb with the Bani Hilal and Banu Sulaym Arabs.. They originally lived with their Maqil relatives in the area between Tadla, Moulouiya River...
tribe) came to Béni Abbès. He live with Ali Ben Moumen from Arib tribe, with whom he brought the palm trees of Wadi Draa. They founded the Ksar Oulad Mehdi where live Mehdi Ben Youssef's son (Said and Youssef) and Ali Ben Moumen's son (Mohamed).
The region has lived in peace and prosperity of agriculture and trade, this brought him a large number of immigrants.
From At-Lamiz
Figuig
Figuig - Ifiyey is a town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria.The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called Tazdayt in the Berber languages, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness...
in Figuig
Figuig
Figuig - Ifiyey is a town in eastern Morocco near the Atlas Mountains, on the border with Algeria.The town is built around an oasis of date palms, called Tazdayt in the Berber languages, surrounded by rugged, mountainous wilderness...
, two brothers left the Ksar towards the east, Ali Ben Yahia accompany by Khalfi bin Abdel-wassàa who settled in Beni-Abbes and his brother founded a brotherhood in the Charouine region (Gourara). Ali Ben Yahia was a man with broad experience in agriculture. he founded the Ksar Ouled Rahu occupied by Moulay and Rahu Ali Ben Yahia's sons.
After a period, Moussa Ben Ali come from Tamentit Others say from Gourara to settle at Beni-Abbes in the fourteenth century. Most probably it came from Tamentit, but his tribe before settling to Tamentit came from Gourara.
In 1593, the Moroccan rebel Abu Mahali (in Arabic أحمد بن عبد الله بن قاضي) settled in Beni-Abbes. El Ayachi in his handwritten Arrihla al ayachia 1662 say :«... personage who was placed in a state of open rebellion, sedition which began in this town. Today his house is still known and we watch for travelers».
The continuous development and prosperity of the region brought him many enemies, including Ghenanma
Ghenanma
The Ghenanma are an Arab tribe of the Saoura region in southwestern Algeria. Their principal settlements stretch between Béni Abbès and Talmine, including El Ouata. A local chronicle mentions them as raiding a caravan in this region in 1599, and by about 1660 their power had grown to the point...
. A long period of Ghazi, push the Abbabsa to complaint against the Ghenanma to the King of Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
. Soldiers of Makhzen
Makhzen
Makhzen is the governing elite in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered around the king and consisting of royal notables, businessmen, wealthy landowners, tribal leaders, top-ranking military personnel, security service bosses, and other well-connected members of the...
(Mkhaznia) leaves Fes towards Beni-Abbes, they pass through the road by Zaouiet Men-Laikhaf in Tafilalt
Tafilalt
Tafilalt or Tafilet is a region and the most important oasis of the Moroccan Sahara; it is also considered one of the largest oases in the world, the oasis is entirely located along the Ziz River. The oasis is ten days' journey south of Fez, across the Atlas Mountains...
, from where a marabout
Marabout
A marabout is a Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, and in the Maghreb. The marabout is often a scholar of the Qur'an, or religious teacher. Others may be wandering holy men who survive on alms, Sufi Murshids , or leaders of religious communities...
called Mohamed Ben-Abdeslam join the troupe.
On arrival at Beni-Abbes the Mkhaznia beat Ghenanma. the Abbabsa they were in separate ksour, Ask of Mohamed Ben Abdeslam to settle with them for the Koran
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
education. he accepted on condition that they build a new Ksar, very well fortified in the palm grove, they accept and leaving the choice of location to the marabout.
Mohamed Ben Abdeslam founded the new Ksar in the palm grove in 1605 and named Beni-Abbes.
A little later Taleb Belkacem Ben Abdelah arrived in the area from Tmentite..
The descendants of these people, along with the Haratin
Haratin
Haratin are oasis-dwellers in the Sahara, especially in southern Morocco and Mauritania, who make up a socially and ethnically distinct group of largely sedentary dark colored workers speaking either Berber or Arabic...
es, made up the population of Ababsa. Another group of settlers, Ghenanma
Ghenanma
The Ghenanma are an Arab tribe of the Saoura region in southwestern Algeria. Their principal settlements stretch between Béni Abbès and Talmine, including El Ouata. A local chronicle mentions them as raiding a caravan in this region in 1599, and by about 1660 their power had grown to the point...
(Ouled Hamou) lived in an independent ksar.
Modern history
French occupationBeni-Abbes was occupied by the French the March ,1 1901. General officer Risbourg has visited March 2 of that year.
The Act of March 30, 1902 which stipulated the establishment of five Saharan companies commanded by Affairs Indigenous officers. The Saoura's company in Beni-Abbes was strengthen by six officers and two hundred and two Non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s and Méhariste
Mehariste
Méhariste is a French word that roughly translates to camel cavalry. The word is most commonly used as a designation of military units.-Origins of French Camel Corps:...
s. included a command platoon and three Méharistes platoons.
1904 the creation of two Saharan Companies, one at Beni-Abbes, the other at Colomb-Bechar. These arrangements were for the defensive organization of the Algerian-Moroccan border.
Residence of Charles de Foucauld
In October 1901, "Foucauld Father
Charles de Foucauld
Charles Eugène de Foucauld was a French Catholic religious and priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for protection of the Tuareg and is considered by the Catholic Church to be a martyr...
" settled in Beni-Abbes. He built with the help of soldiers present a "Khaoua" (fraternity)p. 172, composed of a room, a chapel and three acres of gardenp. 174, purchased by the help of Marie de Bondy. The chapel was completed on December, 1 1901. His life revolves around a strict rule: five hours of sleep, six hours of manual work interspersed with long time of prayerp. 249. However, it is quickly overwhelmed by the long time it takes to listen to the poor and the soldiers who come to seep. 173p. 251. he describes to Gabriel Tourdes his soul state : «living work of my hands, and unknown to all the poor and enjoy the deep darkness, silence, poverty, in imitation of Jesus. Imitation is inseparable from love. Whoever wants to imitate love is the secret of my life. Priest since last June, I immediately felt called to go to the lost sheep, to the most abandoned souls, to perform towards them the duty of love. I am happy, very happy, although I do not in any way seek happiness».
On January 9, 1902, he bought the freedom of a first slave he called Joseph du Sacré-Cœur (Joseph of the Sacred Heart). A portion of the year 1902 is devoted to an exchange of correspondence with Bishop Guerin, Apostolic prefect
Apostolic prefect
An apostolic prefect is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a missionary area where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese....
of Sahara, about his fight against slavery in the Hoggar. The following year, he thinks for voyages to Morocco and install a fraternity. He would be joined by companions whom he would ask three things : «be prepared to have his head cut off - be prepared to starve - to obey him despite his unworthiness».
On May 27, 1903 Charles de Foucauld visited by Bishop Guerinp. 186. Charles is looking for a companion for evangelism and asks to go south to prepare for itp. 191. the commander François-Henry Laperrine interested in the presence of Charles de Foucauld and tries to get him on his tour of supply to the southp. 196p. 193. Charles showed himself even more favorable than François-Henry Laperrine seems to use methods much less violent than its predecessorsp. 195. On June 18, 1903 Charles asked Bishop Guerin permission to accompany Laperrine, but the rebellion of the tribes against the colonial presence makes this approach impossible. Learning the opening of this conflict, however, Charles left to the South on September 2, 1903 in order to rescue the wounded from the Battle of Taghit and El-Moungar
Battle of El-Moungar
The Battle of El-Moungar was a battle fought, during the South-Oranese Campaign, between a contingent of the French Army of Africa, especially the French Foreign Legion, and Morrocan Tribesmen.-Background:...
p. 199. He comes back and writes a short introduction to the Catechism which he entitled The Gospel presented to the poor negroes of the Sahara. Sometime later, François-Henry Laperrine asked him to come with him during the upcoming tour of supply in the South. Abbe Henri Huvelin wrote him to «go where you shoot the Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
»p. 198.
Charles toured Supply January 13, 1904, on the air south toward the Hoggarp. 273. February 1, 1904 he and his companions arrived at Adrar
Adrar, Algeria
Adrar is a town and commune in Algeria, based around an oasis of the Sahara Desert and the administrative capital of the second largest province in Algeria: Adrar Province....
oasis where they join the commander Laperrinep. 218. The tour continues towards Akabli. Charles then noted all the possible places of installation. It collects information on Tuareg languages
Tuareg languages
Tuareg is a Berber language or family of very closely related languages and dialects spoken by the Tuareg Berbers, in large parts of Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya and Burkina Faso, with a few speakers, the Kinnin, in Chad.- Description :Other Berber languages and Tamashaq are quite mutually...
from the people of the central south Saharap. 204 and there began the translation of the Gospels in order to transmit it to the Touaregsp. 278.
He discovers the attitude of some military Colonial who disappoints himp. 274p. 277. Arriving near the Algerian border in the course of stabilization, Tour of supply must turn around and join Tit
Tit, Algeria
Tit is a village north-west of Tamanrasset, in the commune of Tamanrasset in central Algeria. It is known for the Battle of Tit which took place in may 1902 between the French colonial empire and the Kel Ahaggar....
p. 203. Charles wants to settle in but the commander Laperrine refused. The tour ends at In Salah
In Salah
Historical weather records for In Salah: -External links:* *...
in September. Charles joined Bishop Guerin on September 22, 1904 and he returned to Beni-Abbes 24 January 1905p. 205.
Intrigued by Charles de Foucauld, General Hubert Lyautey
Hubert Lyautey
Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey was a French Army general, the first Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925 and from 1921 Marshal of France.-Early life:...
, appointed in Algeria, decides to visit him at Beni-Abbes in January, 28 1905p. 208. From this meeting comes a reciprocal friendshipp. 222 and a certain admiration of Lyautey for Charlesp. 283. Charles wrote during this period the Meditations on the Holy Gospels. In April 1905, Commander Laperrine requests Charles de Foucauld to leave with him on a tour in the Hoggar. Having sought advice from the abbot Huvelin and Bishop Guerin, he participated in a new tours of supplyp. 224p. 210. He starts on June 8, 1905, continues his prayer life while learning Tamahaq
Tuareg languages
Tuareg is a Berber language or family of very closely related languages and dialects spoken by the Tuareg Berbers, in large parts of Mali, Niger, Algeria, Libya and Burkina Faso, with a few speakers, the Kinnin, in Chad.- Description :Other Berber languages and Tamashaq are quite mutually...
. Le 25 Juin, 1905, ils rencontrent amenokal
Amenokal
Amenokal is an autochthonous title for the highest Tuareg traditional chiefs.-History:Before the colonization by the French of the North African and Sahel countries they dwell in, the nomadic Tuareg federations elected a chief among the wise men of the tribes to rule the loose union of closely...
(chef de tribu) Moussa Ag Amastan
Moussa Ag Amastan
Musa Ag Amastan was the Amenokal or chief of the Kel Ahaggar Tuareg in 1900. He negotiated a peace treaty with the French....
, who decides to make an alliance with the French authorityp. 287 et 212. Charles de Foucauld and Moussa Ag Amastan discover themselves and seem to appreciate each other. Their meeting comes a deep friendshipp. 226. The Touareg authorizes Charles de Foucauld to settle in the Hoggarp. 213, what is it going towards Tamanrassetp. 215.
National liberation movement
In the Saoura region, Beni-Abbes always been an important focus of the national movement. In 1921, Saadoune (born in Beni-Abbes) emigrated to France where he militates to Étoile Nord-Africaine
Étoile Nord-Africaine
The Étoile Nord-Africaine or ENA was an early Algerian nationalist organization founded in 1926. It was dissolved first in 1929, then reorganised in 1933 but was later finally dissolved in 1937...
(ENA) then designated as a member committee central of the part in 02/07/1926.
Since the purpose of the thirties, Beni-Abbes was the exile place of several political and historical Algerian figures such as Ferhat Abbas
Ferhat Abbas
Ferhat Abbas Kabyle: Ferḥat Σabbas, was an Algerian political leader and briefly acted in a provisional capacity as the yet-to-become independent country's President from 1958 to 1961.- Background :...
, Mohammed Memchaoui, cheikh Abdelkader El Yadjouri et cheikh Sliman Boudjnah.
In late 1947, Sheikh Touhami an MTLD
Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties
The Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties , name proposed by Maiza, was created October 1946 to replace the outlawed Parti du Peuple Algerien . Messali Hadj remained as its president....
activist comes from Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
at Beni-Abbes to found an office for his political party. The Ababsa well sensitized and who have already attended the exiled persons to their homes, do not hesitate to join the movement. The Bureau consists of four people, Touhami Tayeb, Trabelsi Boufeldja, Abdellah Ben-cheikh and Benali Abderrahman remain in service until 1954, date where the majority of activists are transferred to 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 :...
, Ababsa participated in the war of National Liberation between 1954 and 1962.
On November 11, 1955, the French discovered the names of those involved in the struggle, the members imprisoned at Beni-Abbes, the officials transferred to Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
or have been tried and transferred to Serkadji prison. After members release , they continued the fight with Trabelsi Boufeldja who escaped detention and Mohammed Yacoub's writer Taleb-Zian.
After applying the policy of concentration camps by France
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...
at Beni-Abbes and terror politics applied to some ksour, a mujahid (Chikimi Mebrok) exploded a bomb in the middle of a group of French soldiers as retaliation for France's actions in the region. He was arrested and executed a few minutes after.
Consequently, the region Recruits with the French army fled to join the ALN
Armée de Libération Nationale
The Armée de Libération Nationale or ALN was the armed wing of the nationalist Front de Libération National during the Algerian War of Independence...
into two groups; The first, led by Alla Ben-Lhachemi managed to escape with possession of a quantity of arms and ammunition, the second led by Sellam Ali was arrested in Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
.
Re-organization of National Liberation Army's military base of Hassi Ali under the leadership of Alhadj chebir who fled in turn of the French army.
In October 1957, the inhabitants of Ksar of the palm are expelled by the French troops because of the activities of the Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
and must build a new Ksar.
After 1960, the city witnessed several visits of Mohamed Chérif Messaadia loaded with other officers under the command of Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the ninth President of Algeria. He has been in office since 1999. He continued emergency rule until 24 February 2011, and presided over the end of the bloody Algerian Civil War in 2002...
called Si Abdelkader El Mali to opening the front Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, organized military operations against French interests and fight against the French strategy of secession of the Sahara from the rest of Algeria.
Members of the ALN in the region participated in various battles against the French troops, sacrifice their lives for freedom. It is among the Shahid
Shahid
Shahid is an Arabic word meaning "witness". It is a religious term in Islam, meaning both "witness" and "martyr." While a martyr may die as a consequence of fighting, a shahid is a "witness" because he gives his life out of passion for truth. The shahid exchanges himself for the divine and thereby...
s, Mazozi Cheick, Touhami Tayeb, Belghit Hmida, Hamdi Ahmed and others.
Scientific movement
The Franco-Russian geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
Nicolas Menchikoff (About 1900 - 1992) began his research in the region during the twenties, in 1942 the creation of the SRC (Saharan Research Center) in Beni-Abbes whose he became director for several years.
In 1946, together with the general government of 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...
, the BRP (Bureau de recherche de pétrole) creates the Société Nationale de Recherche et d'Exploitation de Pétrole en Algérie (SN REPAL) Headquartered in Hydra
Hydra, Algeria
Hydra is a municipality in Algiers province, Algeria. It is located in Bir Mourad Raïs district, in the plateau of western Algiers, the wealthier part of the national capital. It was heavily affected during the 11 December 2007 Algiers bombings....
at the top of the city 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...
. With the creation of this company, geological research began in 1948, in association with CFP (French Petroleum Company
Total S.A.
Total S.A. is a French multinational oil company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world.Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas exploration and production to power generation, transportation, refining, petroleum product marketing, and...
) in the region of Beni-Abbes, Timimoun
Timimoun
Timimoun is a little oasis town in Adrar Province, Algeria; in the Gourara region.It is located to the northwest of the eponymous Sebkha, at the edge of the plateau of Tadmaït....
and In Salah
In Salah
Historical weather records for In Salah: -External links:* *...
but without any results.
In 1972, the management of Saharan research center founded by the CNRS (Current National Center for Research on Arid Zones) is transmitted to the Algerian authorities and depends since to the University of Science and Technology, Houari Boumediene (Bab Ezzouar, Algiers).
After independence
July 5, 1962, the declaration of Algerian Independence, Algerian flag raising at béni abbès while preserving the French forces in the city according to the Évian Accords
Évian Accords
The Évian Accords comprise a treaty which was signed in 1962 in Évian-les-Bains, France by France and the F.L.N. . The Accords put an end to the Algerian War with a formal cease-fire proclaimed for March 19, and formalized the idea of cooperative exchange between the two countries...
and respect the Ceasefire
Ceasefire
A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty, but they have also been called as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces...
. A delegation of Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
was founded in Beni-Abbes with Alla Ben Lhachemi as political leader and military officials.
Between 1961 and 1965, the Organization Saharan scored his action in line with that of the OCRS and built 1,000 km of additional roads, including the following segments: Béni-Abbès – Adrar, Touggourt – El-Oued, In-Amenas – El-Adeb.
October 1962 installation of the 2nd REI at Colomb-Bechar available to the command of military sites in the Sahara (nuclear weapon and the space facilities of Hammaguir.
The political management of the city were well Algerian and the first mayor appointed is Ben Said Mokhtar that remains in place until 1967 date of the first elections of Communal People's Assemblies.
1963 the creation of the Beni-Abbes's CP and Tabelbala
Tabelbala
Tabelbala is an oasis between Béchar and Tindouf in southwestern Algeria, notable for being the only town in Algeria to speak a language neither Arabic nor Berber, Korandje.Tabelbala is divided into four settlements...
's CP from Colomb-Bechar Regiment. 1967 France has evacuated four military French facilities remain active in the Sahara after independence except B2-Namous, Following this action the company of Béni Abbès is removed too.
Until 1971 the city were governed by Mr. Mohamed Maamar locally called Ba Maamar Because of his humility and closeness to the people.
From 1976 to 1981 under the governance of Guesmia Boudjemmâa known by El-Montassir (Died June 8, 2009). the city saw the construction of the bridge at the entrance of the city, the commissioning of antennas for receiving television programs.
Cityscape
If historic neighborhoods (Safat, Tlayat, Souiguiat) combine the islamic and local architecture, the hill with its buildings and its front Oued is representative of French and modern architecture.The district
Béni Abbès District
Béni Abbès is a district in Béchar Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, Béni Abbès.-Municipalities:The district is further divided into 2 municipalities:*Béni Abbès*Tamtert...
seat and Citroen home overlooking the cliff are the representative type of French architecture of colonial era. We can add to this architectural type the seat of the Saharan Research Center, the old infirmary and the colonists neighborhood called "Karté".
Historic neighborhoods retain the old architecture, even if the surface of dwellings has changed, construction method and building materials remains almost the same until the last time, or there was the introduction of new materials such as Cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
and cement brick. the oldest mosque in the new-city is in Safat which dates from 1957 (the Mosque of Ksar, 1605).
A nearby neighborhood of Souiguiat built and inhabited by Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, from the beginning of the twentieth century to the dawn of the independence of Algeria. These Jews brought back by the French authorities benefit of decree of October 24, 1870 which gives French citizenship to 37 000 algerian Jews
Religious buildings
Here where the harmony of religions has long been the norm, we find various places of worship. There are religious buildings of the two abrahamic religionsAbrahamic religions
Abrahamic religions are the monotheistic faiths emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him...
, for Judaism we was not able to determine one.
The oldest religious building is the old-Ksar's mosque, which dates back to the beginning of the seventeenth century (1605), then the chapel of Father Charles de Foucauld (1901). All other buildings are a mosques or Koranic schools Founded after the abundance of old Ksar in 1957.
The patron saints and mausoleums
Beni-Abbes has several patron saints ( Aoulia Allah Salihin) for which are dedicated mausoleums ( Goubba).in beni Abbes there are a tens tombs of saints but except two have a mausoleum. We have two patron saints for all Abbabsa:
- Sidi Othman called El Ghrib: came from EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, founder of Beni-Abbes and creator of its source according to oral tradition. His grave is in the cemetery that bears his name. - Sidi Mohammed Ben-Abdeslam : which unify the tribes and founded the Ksar of the palm grove, his tomb is in the mosque of Old Ksar.
The two mausoleums existing at Beni-Abbes are dedicated to:
- Sidi El Hadj Mhamed Ben Ahmed : patron saints of Ouled Ali Ben Moussa, the mausoleum is at the entrance to the city on the right bank of Oued Saoura, in an old cemetery.
- Sidi Mohamed Ben Abbou : patron saints of Oulad Mehdi, his mausoleum in the cemetery and on the Shelf that bear his name.
The rest are tribal saints listed in the following list:
- Sidi Othman dite El Ghrib (all Abbabsa)
- Sidi Mohamed Ben Abbou or Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah (Oulad Mehdi)
- Sidi Ali Ben Yahia (Oulad Rahou)
- Sidi Mohammed ben abdeslam (Mrabtine)
- Sidi El Hadj Mhamed Ben Ahmed (Oulad Ali Ben Moussa)
- Sidi Radouan (Beni hassan)
- Sidi Djebor (Ghenanma)
- Sidi Said
- Sidi Abdelkader al-Jilani (all Abbabsa)
Cemeteries
the Sidi Othman Cemetery is a common name between two cemeteries at a time, the burial place of the current city and the burial place of the saint Sidi Othman el-Gharib which is considered the oldest in the city (no information on the burial places of the Beni HassanBeni Hassan
Beni Ḥassān were a nomadic group of Arabian origin, one of the four sub-tribes of the Maqil Arabian tribes who emigrated in the 11th century to the Maghreb with the Bani Hilal and Banu Sulaym Arabs.. They originally lived with their Maqil relatives in the area between Tadla, Moulouiya River...
).
The old cemeteries dating from the time prior to the founding of the old Ksar; Sidi Mohamed Ben Abbou Cemetery, Sidi Ali Ben Yahia Cemetery, and Sidi El Hadj Mhamed Ben Ahmed Cemetery.
Beni-Abbes had cemeteries for the burial of people of different of abrahamic religions, a Christian cemetery on the plateau (near the current clinic) and in the other side of the Charles de Foucauld chapel in addition to a cemetery for the burial of Jews.
There is also a brand new cemetery dedicated to martyrs of the war of National Liberation, at the entrance to the city on the left side of the road.
Museums
Béni Abbès Museum located in the Saharan Research Center. It was created because of the richness of this region contains important treasures in a radius of 50 kilometers with different geological structures, FloraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and Fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. It contains seven sections focus on Beni-Abbes and its region: Prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, old Beni-Abbes, natural history, Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, Entomology
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, flora and fauna.
Music
Traditional songs of Beni-Abbes such as El Maya and El Hadra accompanied by percussion of Tara and Kallal, singing Local Arabic poetry in different rhythms (folklore).- El Maya: Ce folklore représente un symbole de Ababsa, joué par un groupe de chanteurs et percussionnistes uses musical instruments (Kallal and Tara) with the genre of folk songs interested by GhazalGhazalThe ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
and Madih nabawiMadih nabawiMadih nabawi one of the principal religious genres of Arabic music, is a song form devoted to eulogizing or rather praising the Prophet Muhammad and his family. The genre dates from 632 CE, immediately after the death of Muhammad, but the performers address Muhammad as if he were still alive...
. - El Hadra: strict traditional song for Madih nabawi of MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
and Ahl al-BaytAhl al-BaytAhl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
.
Festivals and Events
since a long time, Beni-Abbes was the venue for several cultural events:- Dans les années 1920, CitroënCitroënCitroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
organise son rallye automobile d'abord, puis accueilli par Beni-Abbès. - During the thirties, art exhibitions like the galleries of the artist André HébuterneAndré HébuterneAndré Hébuterne, born September 3, 1894 - died Paris, June 30, 1992, was a French painter.Born in Meaux, in the Seine-et-Marne département of France, moved with his family to Paris where as a young man began to pursue a career in art...
in 1933 and 1934, respectively. - Filming a part of the film Tea in the SaharaThe Sheltering Sky (film)The Sheltering Sky is a 1990 British-Italian drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich. The film is based on the 1949 novel by Paul Bowles about a couple who journey to northern Africa in the hopes of rekindling their marriage but soon fall prey to the...
of Italian filmmaker Bernardo BertolucciBernardo BertolucciBernardo Bertolucci is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers...
in 1990. - Host of the circus band Cambodian International Lighthouse Ponleu Selpak in 2005.
- Hosts the 8th edition of the MarathonMarathonThe marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
dunes in 2007. - Jubilee of geologistGeologistA geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
Professor Jean Fabre between 19 to 21 April 2009. - Filming a part of the television series Djouha of the artist Hakim Dekkar in 2010.
the Festival nights Saoura's is a cooperation between both Algerian association Hillal Saoura and French Nuits Métis to organizing an international annual festival of music in Beni-Abbes, 1st edition takes place in December 2003/January 2004.
Annual feast
Each year at Beni-Abbes held the Mouloud feastMawlid
Mawlid or sometimes ميلاد , mīlād is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal,...
(Birth of Prophet of Islam Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
) this is an opportunity for the presentation of new-born past-year, and a grand parade with music and old rifles, commemorating peace between the tribes and the founding of the Ksar of the palm grove.
The Ababsa uses like all Muslim the Lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
to determine the religious events, local and local-religious (Eid el-Fitr, Eid el-Kabir, Ashura, Arafa ...) but giving each month a special appellation as shown below.
| months in Arabic | local name (m) |
|---|---|
| Muharram Muharram Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited... (en Arabe: محرم) |
Achour Day of Ashura The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10... (عاشور) |
| Safar Safar Safar is the second month in the Islamic calendar.The root of the name, صفر ṣafr, has three basic areas of meaning: 1) whistle, hiss, chirp; 2) be yellow, pale ; 3) to be empty, devoid, vacant... (en Arabe: صفر) |
Tabea ʻĀshwr (تابع عاشور) |
| Rabi' al-awwal Rabi' al-awwal Rabi' al-awwal is the third month in the Islamic calendar. During this month, Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid - the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims believe the exact date of birth of Muhammad to have been on the twelfth of this month, whereas Shi'a Muslims believe... (en Arabe: ربيع الأول) |
El-Mouloud Mawlid Mawlid or sometimes ميلاد , mīlād is a term used to refer to the observance of the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad which occurs in Rabi' al-awwal,... (المولود) |
| Rabi' al-thani Rabi' al-thani Rabī’ al-Thānī is the fourth month in the Islamic Calendar. It is also known as Rabī` al-Ākhir .-Timing:The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Since the Islamic lunar calendar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year,... (en Arabe: ربيع الثاني) |
Tab'eo lawel (تابعو لول) |
| Jumada al-awwal Jumada al-awwal Jumada al-awwal is the fifth month in the Islamic calendar.We can also find the alternative spelling Jumada al-Ula.The origin of the word is as follows: the word Jumda, from which the name of the month is derived, is used to denote dry parched land: land devoid of rain, and hence denote the dry... (en Arabe: جمادى الأول) |
Tab'eo jawége (تابعو الجاوج) |
| Jumada al-Thani Jumada al-thani Jumada al-Thani is the sixth month in the Islamic Calendar.It is also known as Jumaada al-Akhir and Jumada al-Akhira.This is the sixth month of the Islamic calendar... (en Arabe: جمادى الثاني) |
... |
| Rajab Rajab Rajab is the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. The lexical definition of Rajaba is "to respect", of which Rajab is a derivative.This month is regarded as one of the four sacred months in Islam in which battles are prohibited... (en Arabe: رجب) |
ch-har al-Lah (شهر الله) |
| Sha'aban Sha'aban Sha'aban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.This is the month of ‘separation’, so called because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water... (en Arabe: شعبان) |
Chaabane (شعبان) |
| Ramadan Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and... (en Arabe: رمضان) |
Remdan (رمضان) |
| Shawwal Shawwal Shawwāl is the tenth month of the lunar Islamic calendar. Shawwāl means to ‘lift or carry’; so named because she-camels normally would be carrying a fetus at this time of year.-Fasting during Shawwāl:... (en Arabe: شوال) |
El-Aïd Sghir Eid ul-Fitr Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"... (العيد الصغير) |
| Dhu al-Qi'dah Dhu al-Qi'dah Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu'l-Qadah, or Dhu al-Qi'dah is the eleventh month in the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months in Islam during which warfare is prohibited, hence the name ‘Master of Truce’.- Timing :... (en Arabe: ذو القعدة) |
Bin-Laïad (بين لعياد) |
| Dhu al-Hijjah Dhu al-Hijjah Dhu al-Ḥijjah is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar.This is a very sacred month in the Islamic calendar, marking the end of the year. It is in this month in which the Hajj takes place.... (en Arabe: ذو الحجة) |
El-Aïd al-Kbīr (العيد لكبير) |
education and research centers
The fabric educational in Beni-Abbes has two Middle school, one secondary school (Ibn al-Baitar), a vocational training center and paramedic training classes. but it does not contain any higher education institution.NCRAZ (Beni-Abbes 's station) is the only research station in Beni-Abbes houses a museum (collections of local ethnography, geology, prehistory, and zoology), a zoo (very few animals present but still among them a great tortoise), a botanical garden and a biological research laboratory.
Abbassian Gastronomy
Abbassian Gastronomy is rich of different cultures that mix in Beni-Abbes, it is strongly influenced by Moroccan culinary traditions, and rich in local specificities, marked by traditional dishes very varied which include:- Khobz Lebsal in arabic (خبز البصل) «Onion bread»; is an unleavened breadBreadBread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
based with OnionOnionThe onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
, after preparation of the paw of a mixture of water and flour, filled the dough with the sauce prepared with onionOnionThe onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
, tomatoTomatoThe word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
, Chili pepperChili pepperChili pepper is the fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, Solanaceae. The term in British English and in Australia, New Zealand, India, Malaysia and other Asian countries is just chilli without pepper.Chili peppers originated in the Americas...
(optional) and oil (preferably Olive oilOlive oilOlive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
). - ṭaʿām in arabic (طعام) «CouscousCouscousCouscous is a Berber dish of semolina traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew spooned over it. Couscous is a staple food throughout Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.-Etymology:...
»; is a popular dish in many countries, but it has a typical way of preparation of Beni-Abbes, is what makes him the first dish of hospitality. - Erkkik in Arabic (الرقيق); dough sheets prepared in using a special tray (tadjine in arabic طاجين), let dry for a while. Put the leaves in pieces in a plateful wells wetting it with specially prepared sauce.
Associative movement
The creation of associations in Beni-Abbes starts since the Act of December 4, 1990. They have successfully engaged in the fields of exchange, youth camps and Volunteer projects such as ADESF and Ouarourout Association, environmental protection, maintenance and renewal of cultural heritage, including music (El-Maya Association, Hillal Saoura), promotion of handicrafts, sand skiing, camel racing organization (El-Khayma Association).Tourism
Tourism is the perspective economic sector to be developed, we can distinguish several types of tourism:- Saharian: Camel rides, visit the Grand Erg OccidentalGrand Erg OccidentalThe Grand Erg Occidental is the second largest erg in northern Algeria, behind the Grand Erg Oriental. This true desert region receives less than 25 cm of rainfall per year. It contains no human villages and there are no roads through it....
and many opportunities for excursions and walks. - Religious: Mouloud Day.
- cultural: music festival and other cultural events.
- scientific: researchers who visite the NCRAZ.
- solidar:
- Voluntary: Volunteer projects and rehabilitation of sites.
The ksours
Ksar
Ksar is the Arabic term for "castle", loaned from Latin castrum.The Berber equivalent is aghrem or ighrman ....
: Beni-Abbes includes seven ksour, some of which are still inhabited. The most beautiful is the Ksar placed at the heart of the palm grove (a unique type of location in the Sahara), Uninhabited since 1957 and is being restored, classified as national architectural heritage.
The palm grove
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
: is beautiful in scorpion form, whose tail is dominated by a large red sand dune (the highest of the Grand Erg Occidental).
The swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
fed by a spring of pure water coming out at 24 degrees (warm in winter, cool in summer).
China Wall of Carboniferous: 30 km from Beni Abbes, on the left side of the road to El Ouata
El Ouata
El Ouata is a town in western Algeria....
is the deposit of Orthoceras
Orthoceras
Orthoceras is a genus of extinct nautiloid cephalopod. This genus is sometimes called Orthoceratites. Note it is sometimes misspelled as Orthocera, Orthocerus or Orthoceros ....
(Fossils of molluscs and fish).
Industry
The city has no industrial base, which explains the high rate of unemployment reached 60% of population in working age.Currently, apart the Power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
which has a capacity of 4 × 5 MW TG (2008) Beni-Abbes has no industry.
the Power station of Beni-Abbes aliment all villages between Igli and Bent-Cherk until 2010 where the villages between Kerzzaz and Bent-Cherk depend on the Charouine station. The electrification rate is assessed at 95% but it should be noted that the region has not yet supplied with Town gas.
A project of 17 billion DA for a pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
over 300 kilometers to supply in Town gas the Districts of Béni-Abbés, Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
, Kénadsa
Kenadsa
Kenadsa is a town in the Sahara Desert of western Algeria 10 kilometres south-west of Béchar in Béchar Province. It is the capital of Kénadsa District. Near Kenadsa, there is a large longwave broadcasting station....
, Abadla
Abadla
Abadla is a larger town in the Sahara Desert of western Algeria near the border with Morocco. It is located in Béchar Province, where it is the capital of Abadla District. It is a major centre of the Arab Doui-Menia tribe...
, Taghit
Taghit
Taghit is a town in western Algeria....
and Béni Ounif, the work launched in 2010.
Beni-Abbes can be an important investment location for the basic structure it has. Carbonated water factory
Carbonated water
Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
inactive for the moment she were in office during the eighties with the socialist system and between 1998 and 2001 with the private sector. The bottling company of Ain Sidi Othmane water blocked for a long time.
In addition the city has real potential to produce Glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, Tile
Tile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
and Porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
.
Agriculture
the Beni-Abbes palm grove is 40 hectar does not ensure food self-sufficiencyFood security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
for a population of 13,000 inhabitants, knowing that most fields were abandoned because of inheritance, lack of water and labor in other sectors that have higher profitability.
The useful agricultural area is 415 hectar spread over several locations of the Municipality with the largest estimated area of jouiffa (120 hectar), just 05% of the plots are electrified, Ain Seguia, Ouarourout, Zghamra, etc. There are 250 fellah, many of whom have abandoned their fields because of the scarcity of water.
the Beni-Abbes palm grove is affected for first time by the Fusarium
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis
Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis is a fungal plant pathogen that causes a disease known as Bayoudh disease or fusarium wilt primarily on dates.-External links:* *...
in 1908, disease appeared in 1870 in south Moroccans. a strain of Fusarium oxysporum was isolated in 1998 from the land of the Beni Abbes palm grove.
Mineral Resources
Beni-Abbes territory contains many minerals such as sandSand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, useful for the production of brick and limestone clicks and hollow glass. the Other minerals are concentrated mainly in mountainous areas of Ougarta, a satellite photo of Ougarta's chain shows important mining areas containing mineral deposits of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, barium
Barium
Barium is a chemical element with the symbol Ba and atomic number 56. It is the fifth element in Group 2, a soft silvery metallic alkaline earth metal. Barium is never found in nature in its pure form due to its reactivity with air. Its oxide is historically known as baryta but it reacts with...
, arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, strontium
Strontium
Strontium is a chemical element with the symbol Sr and the atomic number 38. An alkaline earth metal, strontium is a soft silver-white or yellowish metallic element that is highly reactive chemically. The metal turns yellow when exposed to air. It occurs naturally in the minerals celestine and...
and an association of lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, which is mixed with zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
.
Transport
Beni-Abbes has a limited transportation means, the Bus Station covers all the movement needs of citizens with local lines to BécharBéchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
, Igli
Igli
Igli is a town in western Algeria 152 km south of Bechar. Its population was 6680 as of May 2008. Its inhabitants, along with those of the small neighbouring town of Mazzer, speak a Zenati Berber language termed tabəldit, closely related to that of other southwestern Algerian ksars and of Figuig....
, El Ouata
El Ouata
El Ouata is a town in western Algeria....
, Kerzaz
Kerzaz
Kerzaz is a town in western Algeria....
and Ouled Khodeïr
Ouled Khodeïr
Ouled Khoudir is a town in western Algeria....
, and an Extra-Province line to Adrar
Adrar, Algeria
Adrar is a town and commune in Algeria, based around an oasis of the Sahara Desert and the administrative capital of the second largest province in Algeria: Adrar Province....
.
The opening of the new road between Beni-Abbes and El Ouata was going going out the ksours between these two cities of anonymity, this project has cost the sum of 30,033,900 DA.
In addition to transport by bus, Beni-Abbes has an aerodrome dating back to colonial era. The realization of a railway between Beni-Abbes and Bechar is under study.
Sports
Among the most important practices of sports in Béni-Abbes, football, handball, athletics and other less common such as skiing on sand, volleyball and swimming.Beni-Abbes had a football club since the late fifties, one of the oldest clubs in the region but it has not performed well for the lack of means.
The best-known athletes who trace their origins to Beni-Abbes:
- Nahida TouhamiNahida TouhamiNahida Touhami is an Algerian middle distance runner who specializes in the 800 and 1500 metres.-Achievements:-Personal bests:*200 metres - 24.85 s *400 metres - 53.08 s *800 metres - 1:59.65 min...
: specialist Athlete of 800 and 1500 m. - Bergoug El Hadj: handball goalkeeper of JSK.
List of mayors of Beni-Abbes
The first of them is Ben Said Mokhtar named directly after independence in July 1962. The second was Trabelsi Muhammad, the first PAPC (president of the Communal People's assembled).mayors List of Beni-Abbes
- Ben said Mokhtar
- Trabelsi Mouhammed
- Abdelatif Abdelatif
- Alla Mouhammed
- Kebir Bachir
- Belabbes Mouhammed
- Moumen (Boukhobza) Ahmed
- Bouhadda Abdellah
- Benmoussa Abdelkader
- Abdeldjebar Mhamed
- Kebir Nadjib
- Bouhadda Abdellah
List of heads of Béni Abbès District
heads of Béni Abbès District are presented in the following table:| Nom et Prénom | Période de travail |
|---|---|
| Mohamed Maamar | 1967–1971 |
| Guesmia Boudjemmâa "El-Montassir" | 1976–1981 |
| Saci Ahmed Abdelhafid | 1992–1997 |
| Raouani Mahmoud | 1997–2002 |
| Mehdi Khouazem | 2002–2007 |
| Mohamed Habri | Octobre 2009- ... |
Twinning
Beni-Abbes is twinned with the following cities:- Sidi GhilesSidi GhilesSidi Ghiles is a town and commune in Tipaza Province in northern Algeria.-References:...
(Tipaza) AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , 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...
. - Septèmes-les-VallonsSeptèmes-les-VallonsSeptèmes-les-Vallons is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
FranceFranceThe 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...
.