Bordj Menaïel (from the Arabic برج - bordj, "tower" and Berber imnayen "cavaliers") is a town in the Boumerdès Province in Algeria. It is located in the western Kabylie region at 36°44′30″N 3°43′23″E / 36.74167°N 3.72306°E and is 30 km away from the city of Boumerdès. As of 2008, the population of the municipality is 64,820.[2]
Bordj Menaïel برج منايل | |
|---|---|
City and Common | |
| Nickname: Burǧ Imnayen | |
| Motto(s): "From the people, for the people" | |
 Location of Bordj Menaïel in the Boumerdès Province | |
  Bordj Menaïel Location of Bordj Menaïel in the Algeria | |
| Coordinates: 36°44′30″N 3°43′23″E / 36.741667°N 3.723056°E | |
| Country |  Algeria |
| Province | Boumerdès Province |
| District | Bordj Menaïel District |
| APC | 2012-2017 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 64,820[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| ISO 3166 code | CP |
Presentation
Bordj Menaïel was founded by the Ottoman government of Algeria, most likely in the 16th century, to guard a route between Algiers and Constantine and to secure control of the Isser plain.[3] In the 18th century, its military role was superseded by the foundation of Bordj Sebaou further west, but it remained the residence of the Ottoman wakil administering the surrounding farmland.[4]
The French conquest reached the fort of Bordj Menaïel in 1844, when General Bugeaud took it. Afterwards, it initially became the residence of the aghas of the Iflissen Umellil.[5] In 1859, a French colony was created there by imperial decree, using 1718 hectares. It was enlarged through land expropriation in 1872 by Admiral de Gueydon, in the wake of the Mokrani Revolt.[6]
History
French conquest
Algerian Revolution
Salafist terrorism
- 2008 Zemmouri bombing (9 August 2008)
- 2010 Bordj Menaïel bombing (21 September 2010)
Transport
The road RN 12 runs through Bordj Menaïel, linking it with Isser to the west and Naciria to the east.[7]
Sports
Algeria goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi was born in Bordj Menaiel. The local football team is JS Bordj Ménaïel.
Notable people
- Farouk Belkaïd, footballer
- Bachir Boudjelid, footballer
- Faouzi Chaouchi, footballer
- Zinedine Ferhat, footballer
- Omar Fetmouche, artist
- Hocine Mezali, journalist and writer
- Mustapha Toumi, songwriter, lyricist, composer, poet and painter
- Fatma Zohra Zamoum, writer and film-maker
References
- Charles-Claude Bernard, 1877. Notice topographique et médicale sur le plaine d'Isser. Blida: A. Mauguin.
- Kouider Djouab, 2017. Bordj-Menaïel, une ville, une histoire : La Ville des coquelicots. Saint Denis: Edilivre.