Blida ( ar, البليدة; Tamazight: Leblida) is a city in

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

. It is the capital of

Blida Province Blida ( ar, ولاية البليدة) is a province (''wilaya'') in Algeria. Its capital is Blida. The Chréa National Park is situated here. History The province was created from parts of Alger (department) and El Asnam department in 1974. I ...

, and it is located about 45 km south-west of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques d ...

, the national capital. The name ''Blida'', i.e. ''bulaydah'', is a

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A ( abbreviated ) is a word-form ...

of the Arabic word ''belda'', city.

Geography and natural features

Blida is known as the city of roses because of the large number of roses in its gardens. Blida lies surrounded with orchards and gardens, above the sea, at the base 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 ...

, on the southern edge of the fertile

Mitidja Plain Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbaske ...

, and the right bank of the Oued el kebir outflow from the

Chiffa Chiffa is a town and gorge in the Tell Atlas Mountains of northern Algeria. This gorge is one of the few habitat areas in Algeria that supports a sub-population of the Barbary macaque The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Ba ...

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

. The abundant water of this stream provides power for large corn mills and several factories, and also supplies the town with its numerous fountains and irrigated gardens. Within Blida is

Chréa National Park The Chréa National Park (Arabic:الحديقة الوطنية الشريعة) is one of the largest national parks of Algeria. It is located in Blida Province, named after Chréa, a town near this park. The park, located in a mountainous area ...

, one of the largest national parks in the country and part of the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through ...

. Blida is surrounded by a wall of considerable extent, pierced by six gates, and is further defended by Port Mimieh, crowning a steep hill on the left bank of the river. The nearby

gorge is a habitat of the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

Barbary macaque The Barbary macaque (''Macaca sylvanus''), also known as Barbary ape, is a macaque species native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar. It is the type species of the ...

, ''Macaca sylvanus''; the

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is one of only a few locations where populations of the primate are found.C. Michael Hogan, 2008

Climate

In Blida, there is a Mediterranean climate. In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Csa. The average annual temperature in Blida is . About of precipitation falls annually.

History

The present town, French in character, has well-built modern streets with many arcades, and numbers among its buildings several mosques and churches, extensive barracks and a large military hospital. The principal square, the place d'Armes, is surrounded by arcaded houses and shaded by trees. The center of a fertile district, and a post on one of the main routes in the country, Blida has a flourishing trade, chiefly in oranges and flour. The orange groves contain over 50,000 trees, and in April the air for miles round is laden with the scent of the orange blossoms. In the public gardens is a group of magnificent olive trees. The products of the neighboring cork trees and cedar groves are a source of revenue to the town. Sidi-Ahmed El-Kebir, Blida's founder, is buried in Sidi El-Kebir (an area named after him). He founded Blida in the 16th century. The city occupies the site of a military station in the time of the Romans, but the present town appears to date from the 16th century, in which it was founded, according to Baedeker, by

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinc ...

. A mosque was built by order of Khair-ed-din Barbarossa, and under the Turks the town was of some importance. In 1825 it was nearly destroyed by an earthquake, but was speedily re-erected on a site about a mile distant from the ruins. It was intricately rebuilt of interconnecting alleyways and streets, and was made accessible through the existing six major gates. The gates were as follows: *Bab Er-Rahba *Bab Ed-Zair *Bab El-Khouikha *Bab Es-Sebt *Bab Ez-Zaouia *Bab El-Kbour *Bab El-Kseb Today those gates no longer exist, but their names are still in use by people in Blida as reference points to locate streets, places, schools and businesses. In 1867, another earthquake damaged Blida. Blida Province is home to a number of Berber-speaking tribes &towns. The Berbers of Blida are known as Djebailia and have been in the plains of Blida/Matija for thousands of years according to historians such as Ibn khaldoun. The tribes are Beni Salah(Ith salah)Beni Misrah(Ith Misra), Ghalia and many more. They speak Taqbaylit the language of the Kabyle which is the Berber language of blida close to the Kabyle varieties spoken east of

Province, It's 95% identical and has traditionally been seen as an intermediate between Kabyle and the Chenoua language native to the north-eastern part of the country.

Notable Locations

* Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida is the current exclusive

home stadium In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...

for the Algeria national football team. This has been the case since it was opened in 2002, Algeria have however also played many of their home games away from Tchaker throughout their history, both in friendly matches and for competitive tournaments. * Al-Kawthar Mosque is located in the center of the city at the Bin Merah Square, known as the famous square of the Toot in Blida. The mosque is distinguished by its space as it attracts more than 12 thousand worshipers on religious occasions. * Place Toute is located in the center of Blida located near Bab Es-Sebt, Al-Kawthar Mosque, and the old market. Tourists and locals can enjoy the many cafes, pastry shops, ice cream shops, and ither restaurants while their children play in the plaza.

Notable people

* Mhamed Yazid (1923-2003), politician *

Mahfoud Nahnah Mahfoud Nahnah ( ar, محفوظ نحناح; 27 January 1942 – 19 June 2003) was an Algerian politician who served as the leader of the Islamist political party Movement of Society for Peace (commonly referred to as ''Hamas'') in Algeria. N ...

(1942-2003), politician * (1893-1976), theologian * (1941-1993), politician *

Elissa Rhaïs Elissa Rhaïs, Hebrew: אליסה ראיס, born Rosine Boumendil (12 December 1876 – 18 August 1940) was a Jewish-Algerian writer, who adopted the persona of a Muslim woman who had escaped from a harem to further her literary career. Her nove ...

, novelist * Edouard Nieuport (1875-1911), aviation pioneer and manufacturer * Mohammed Mazouni, singer

Notes

References

* Alice Cherki and Nadia Benabid (2006) ''Frantz Fanon: A Portrait'', Cornell University Press, 255 pages * C. Michael Hogan, (2008
''Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus'', Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
{{Authority control Communes of Blida Province Province seats of Algeria Populated places established in the 16th century