Hassi Messaoud
Encyclopedia
Hassi Messaoud is a town in Ouargla
province, southeast Algeria
, north Africa
. Oil
was discovered there in 1956 and the town's prominence has grown rapidly since then. It is an oil refinery town named after the first oil well. A water well, dug in 1917, can be found on the airport side of town. It is considered as the First Energy town in Algeria where all the big oil and gas companies have offices and bases.
Messaoud Rouabeh son of ElHadj Rabah son of Amira, was from the tribes of Chaanba (Arabic tribes living near the region of Ghardaia and Ouargla) and exactly from the tribe named "Oulad Belkacem" (sons of Belkacem), he was born in 1875 near Ouargla, he dug other water wells in the region, the last one before that in Hassi Messaoud was the well of Doubba, and since that well was crowded by Bedouin using it, he decided to travel elsewhere to find another water point, when traveling south east from Ouargla, he found some green areas in the place named now "El Haicha", he decided to dig a well there and he found a liquid with a bizarre color and odor, The information didn't last to reach the French colons at that time, from that time i.e. 1917, they named the region as "Hassi Messaoud".
Before the discovery of oil in the region, Hassi Messaoud was not very populated.
After discovering oil in the region in the 1950s the French built two petroleum bases. After the nationalization of oil and gas in the early 70's, the bases became property of Sonatrach
(the national oil and gas company).
In 1984, and after a new administrative zoning, Hassi Messaoud became a municipality (a local district) with a local assembly.
After that date people started populating the town independently. Sonatrach has imported ready-built houses, approximately 2000 units.
Now Hassi Messaoud is a town with more than 60,000 inhabitants (non official source), without counting those living in the oil and gas company bases.
The town contains several bases for the oil and gas companies, where Algerian and foreign people are working and living.
It has approximately : 5 post offices, 3 police stations, 8 Pharmacies, 4 clinics (basic), 1 hospital (basic), 5 mosques, several supermarkets, 1 daily market, 5 primary schools, 3 secondary schools, 1 sports-hall.
It is cold and dry in the winter (October to April) with temperature ranges of 17 to 30 degrees (max) and 5 to 15 (min).
The average maximum temperature is 30 degrees, the average minimum is 15.
All temperatures are in degrees Celsius.
Precipitation is negligible.
Sand storms are common before summer time (from March to June), they last from 6 hours to 4 days, these storms vary in their intensity but in general they prevent any external activity and driving becomes very hazardous.
Transportation inside the town is made by taxis, 50 to 70 DZD will take you anywhere in the town.
The town is served by the Oued Irara Airport which has service to London-Gatwick, Madrid
, and Paris, Charles De Gaulle, among others. The London-Gatwick flights are currently operated by JetAir chartering aircraft from Monarch Airlines and runs one flight per day on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Iberworld
Airlines (again charted by JetAir) run a once a day flight from Madrid, Spain on a Tuesday and Thursday with GoFast Airlines handling the Paris route.
ICAR Aviation from France / AviationPlus the Netherlands operate 2 flights a week with a AN12 Freighter aircraft for the oil industry, this is the only neutral operated cargo service available to Hassi Messaoud. more info on www.aviationplus.aero
GoFast operates cargo Services from Paris to Hassi Messaoud twice a week. For more information, visit www.hassimessaoud.info and click on cargo services tab.
reported that mob attacks
against single women were taking place in Hassi Messaoud. According to Amnesty International there are reports that "some women have been sexually abused" and were targetted "not just because they are women, but because they are living alone and are economically independent."
Ouargla
Ouargla is the capital city of Ouargla province, in the Sahara Desert, in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing oil industry, and hosts one of Algeria's universities. The city had a population of 129,402 in 1998 ....
province, southeast 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...
, north Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
was discovered there in 1956 and the town's prominence has grown rapidly since then. It is an oil refinery town named after the first oil well. A water well, dug in 1917, can be found on the airport side of town. It is considered as the First Energy town in Algeria where all the big oil and gas companies have offices and bases.
History
The Name Hassi Messaoud means "the well of Messaoud" in Arabic.Messaoud Rouabeh son of ElHadj Rabah son of Amira, was from the tribes of Chaanba (Arabic tribes living near the region of Ghardaia and Ouargla) and exactly from the tribe named "Oulad Belkacem" (sons of Belkacem), he was born in 1875 near Ouargla, he dug other water wells in the region, the last one before that in Hassi Messaoud was the well of Doubba, and since that well was crowded by Bedouin using it, he decided to travel elsewhere to find another water point, when traveling south east from Ouargla, he found some green areas in the place named now "El Haicha", he decided to dig a well there and he found a liquid with a bizarre color and odor, The information didn't last to reach the French colons at that time, from that time i.e. 1917, they named the region as "Hassi Messaoud".
Before the discovery of oil in the region, Hassi Messaoud was not very populated.
After discovering oil in the region in the 1950s the French built two petroleum bases. After the nationalization of oil and gas in the early 70's, the bases became property of Sonatrach
Sonatrach
Sonatrach is an Algerian government-owned company formed to exploit the hydrocarbon resources of the country. Its diversified activities cover all aspects of production: exploration, extraction, transport, and refining...
(the national oil and gas company).
In 1984, and after a new administrative zoning, Hassi Messaoud became a municipality (a local district) with a local assembly.
After that date people started populating the town independently. Sonatrach has imported ready-built houses, approximately 2000 units.
Now Hassi Messaoud is a town with more than 60,000 inhabitants (non official source), without counting those living in the oil and gas company bases.
The town contains several bases for the oil and gas companies, where Algerian and foreign people are working and living.
Infrastructure
The town has several areas, among them : Les 1850 villas, Le Boulevard, Aissat Idir city, Bouamama, Les 136, Batima Hamra, AADL city, Les 200.It has approximately : 5 post offices, 3 police stations, 8 Pharmacies, 4 clinics (basic), 1 hospital (basic), 5 mosques, several supermarkets, 1 daily market, 5 primary schools, 3 secondary schools, 1 sports-hall.
Climate
The weather is hot and dry in summer (May to September) with temperature ranges of 30 to 50 degrees plus (max) and 15 to 27 (min).It is cold and dry in the winter (October to April) with temperature ranges of 17 to 30 degrees (max) and 5 to 15 (min).
The average maximum temperature is 30 degrees, the average minimum is 15.
All temperatures are in degrees Celsius.
Precipitation is negligible.
Sand storms are common before summer time (from March to June), they last from 6 hours to 4 days, these storms vary in their intensity but in general they prevent any external activity and driving becomes very hazardous.
Transportation
The town has a coach and taxi station which serves all major cities in the country, departures from the town are generally in the afternoon.Transportation inside the town is made by taxis, 50 to 70 DZD will take you anywhere in the town.
The town is served by the Oued Irara Airport which has service to London-Gatwick, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, and Paris, Charles De Gaulle, among others. The London-Gatwick flights are currently operated by JetAir chartering aircraft from Monarch Airlines and runs one flight per day on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Iberworld
Iberworld
Orbest Orizonia Airlines, S.A. is a charter airline based in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It operates charter flights to destinations in Europe and the Caribbean, scheduled domestic services, and scheduled international services to Havana...
Airlines (again charted by JetAir) run a once a day flight from Madrid, Spain on a Tuesday and Thursday with GoFast Airlines handling the Paris route.
ICAR Aviation from France / AviationPlus the Netherlands operate 2 flights a week with a AN12 Freighter aircraft for the oil industry, this is the only neutral operated cargo service available to Hassi Messaoud. more info on www.aviationplus.aero
GoFast operates cargo Services from Paris to Hassi Messaoud twice a week. For more information, visit www.hassimessaoud.info and click on cargo services tab.
Attacks against women
In 2010 Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
reported that mob attacks
Hassi Messaoud mob attacks against women
Hassi Messaoud controversy refers to many especially violent attacks against women living in the city of Hassi Messaoud in Algeria in July 2001 and the continuing court cases associated with it...
against single women were taking place in Hassi Messaoud. According to Amnesty International there are reports that "some women have been sexually abused" and were targetted "not just because they are women, but because they are living alone and are economically independent."