Saïda ( ar, سعيدة, Latn, ar, saʿīda, ) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

and the capital city of

Saïda Province Saïda ( ar, ولاية سعيدة) is a province ('' wilaya'') of Algeria, named after its capital. History The province was created from parts of Oran department, Saïda province and Saoura province in 1974. In 1984 El Bayadh Province an ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

Location

Saïda is located in north-western Algeria, on the southern slopes of the

Tell Atlas The Tell Atlas ( ar, الاطلس التلي, Latn, ar, al-ʾaṭlas al-tlī) is a mountain chain over in length, belonging to the Atlas mountain ranges in North Africa, stretching mainly across northern Algeria, with ends in both north-easter ...

mountain range at the northern fringe of the High Plateaus. The city lies on the right bank of the Wadi Saïda, protected by wooded mountains on the opposite shore that rise steeply from the valley floor to an elevation of some 4,000 feet (1,200 metres). file:حي داودي موسى.JPG, Saïda, Algeria File:حي قصديري بمحاذاة واد ملوث.jpg, Saïda, Algeria file:زاوية مولاي الطيب بسعيدة.JPG, Saïda, Algeria

History

The city's site has been of military importance ever since the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

built a fort there. Saïda was a stronghold of

Abd al-Qadir Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir ( ar, عبد القادر) is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means "servant of the powerful", ''Al-Qādir'' being one of the names of God in the ...

, the Algerian national leader, who burned the town as

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

forces approached it in 1844. Modern Saïda was founded as a French military outpost in 1854 and once housed a regiment of the

French Foreign Legion The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army ...

. Its growth was stimulated by the arrival of the

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

Béchar Béchar ( ar, بشار) is the capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. It is also a commune, coextensive with Béchar District, of Béchar Province. In 2008 the city had a population of 165,627, up from 134,954 in 1998, with an annual growth ...

(narrow-gauge) railway in 1862. In 2005 the population was 158,856 inhabitants. It is nicknamed ''the city of waters'', because of its abundant underground springs. The area is forested and the main products of the town are cereals, wool, leather and bottled

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

Transport

Saïda is served by a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway from Mohammadia; however, a

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...

line is proposed.

Demographics

Saïda had a population of 110,865 in 1998, while the population grew to 124,989 in 2008, representing a 12.74% increase.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saida, Algeria Communes of Saïda Province Cities in Algeria Province seats of Algeria 1854 establishments in the French colonial empire Populated places established in 1854

Location

History

Transport

Demographics

See also

References