Constantine ( ar, قسنطينة '), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of

Constantine Province Constantine ( ar, ولاية قسنطينة) is one of the 58 provinces ('' wilayas'') of Algeria, whose capital is the city of the same name. History In 1984 Mila Province was carved out of its territory. Administrative divisions The provin ...

in northeastern

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

. During

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

it was called

Cirta Cirta, also known by various other names in antiquity, was the ancient Berber and Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was the capital city of the Berber kingdom of Numidia; its strategically important port city ...

and was renamed "Constantina" in honor of emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to convert to Christianity. Born in Naissus, Dacia Mediterran ...

. It was the capital of the French department of

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

until 1962. Located somewhat inland, Constantine is about from the

Mediterranean coast The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the eas ...

, on the banks of the Rhumel River. Constantine is regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the commercial center of its region, and it has a population of about 450,000 (938,475Office National des Statistiques, Recensement General de la Population et de l’Habitat 2008
2008 population census. Accessed on 2016-01-27. with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are several museums and historical sites located around the city. Constantine is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the various hills, valleys, and ravines that the city is built on and around. Constantine was named the Arab Capital of Culture in 2015.

History

Ancient history

General view, Constantine, Algeria-LCCN2001697860

The city was originally founded by the

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

ns, who called it Sewa (royal city). Later it was renamed

by the Numidian king Syphax, who turned it into his capital. The city was taken over by Numidia, the country of the

Berber people , image = File:Berber_flag.svg , caption = The Berber flag, Berber ethnic flag , population = 36 million , region1 = Morocco , pop1 = 14 million to 18 million , region2 = Algeria , p ...

, after the

Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

were defeated by Rome in the

Third Punic War The Third Punic War (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 201 ...

. In 112 B.C., the city was occupied by the Numidian king

Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen ( Libyco-Berber ''Yugurten'' or '' Yugarten'', c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Jugurtha and his two adoptive brothers, Hiempsal and A ...

, who defeated his half-brother Adherbal. The city later served as the base for Roman generals

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus (c. 155 BC – 91 BC) was an ancient Roman statesman and general, he was a leader of the Optimates, the conservative faction of the Roman Senate. He was a bitter political opponent of Gaius Marius. He was consul ...

and

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...

in their war against Jugurtha. Later, with the removal of King

Juba I Juba I of Numidia ( lat, IVBA, xpu, ywbʿy; –46BC) was a king of Numidia (reigned 60–46 BC). He was the son and successor to Hiempsal II. Biography In 81 BC Hiempsal had been driven from his throne; soon afterwards, Pompey was sent to Af ...

and the remaining supporters of

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

in Africa (c. 46),

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

gave special rights to the citizens of

, now known as Colonia Sittlanorum. In 311 AD, during the civil war between emperor Maxentius and usurper Domitius Alexander (a former governor of Africa), the city was destroyed. Rebuilt in 313 AD, it was subsequently named in Latin as "Colonia Constantiniana" or "Constantina", after emperor

, who had defeated Maxentius. Captured by the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...

in 432, Constantine returned to the Byzantine

Exarchate of Africa The Exarchate of Africa was a division of the Byzantine Empire around Carthage that encompassed its possessions on the Western Mediterranean. Ruled by an exarch (viceroy), it was established by the Emperor Maurice in the late 580s and survive ...

from 534 to 697. It was conquered by the Arabs in the 8th century, receiving the name of ''Qacentina'', It was part of the region known to the Islamic world as Ifriqiya.

Modern history

The city recovered in the 12th century and under

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; ar, خِلَافَةُ ٱلْمُوَحِّدِينَ or or from ar, ٱلْمُوَحِّدُونَ, translit=al-Muwaḥḥidūn, lit=those who profess the unity of God) was a North African Berber Muslim empire fou ...

and

Hafsid The Hafsids ( ar, الحفصيون ) were a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. who ruled Ifriqiya (western ...

rule it was again a prosperous market, with links to Pisa,

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

. After taking it from the

Hafsids The Hafsids ( ar, الحفصيون ) were a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. who ruled Ifriqiya (weste ...

in 1529 it was intermittently part of

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, ruled by a Turkish

bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

(governor) subordinate to the

dey Dey (Arabic: داي), from the Turkish honorific title ''dayı'', literally meaning uncle, was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 o ...

of Algiers. Salah Bey, who ruled the city in 1770–1792, greatly embellished it and built much of the

Muslim architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic area ...

still visible today. Les colonnes d’assaut se mettent en mouvement

In 1826 the last bey,

Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Sherif, also known as Ahmed Bey or Hadj Ahmed Bey ( ar, الحاج أحمد باي) (c. 1784 - c. 1850) was the last Bey of Constantine, in the Regency of Algiers, ruling from 1826 to 1848. He was the successor of Mohamed M ...

, became the new head of state. He led a fierce resistance against French forces, which had invaded Algeria four years later. By 13 October 1837, the territory was captured by France, and from 1848 on until 1962 it was the centre of the Constantine Département. In 1880, while working in the military hospital in Constantine, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran discovered that the cause of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

is a protozoan. He observed the parasites in a

blood smear A blood smear, peripheral blood smear or blood film is a thin layer of blood smeared on a glass microscope slide and then stained in such a way as to allow the various blood cells to be examined microscopically. Blood smears are examined in the ...

taken from a soldier who had just died of malaria. For this, he received the 1907

Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, according ...

. This was the first time that protozoa were shown to be a cause of disease. His work helped inspire researchers and veterinarians today to try to find a cure for malaria in animals. In 1934, Muslim anti-Jewish riots, the

1934 Constantine Pogrom The 1934 Constantine riots was an anti-Jewish riot that erupted in the Algerian city of Constantine. The background of the tension between Jews and Muslims in the city was rooted in the different manner in which Jews and Muslims had been treated i ...

, caused the death of 34 local Jews. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, during the campaign in North Africa (1942–43), Allied forces used Constantine and the nearby cities of Sétif and Bone as operational bases.

Geography

Constantine is situated on a plateau at an elevation above sea level. The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges over Rhumel River and a viaduct crossing the ravine. The ravine is crossed by seven bridges, including Sidi M'Cid bridge. Constantine is the railhead of a prosperous and diverse agricultural area. It is also a centre of the grain trade and has flour mills, a tractor factory, and industries producing textiles, wool, linen and leather goods. Algeria and

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

serve as its markets.

Climate

Constantine has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Csa''), with hot, dry summers and mild, moist winters.

Main sights

The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. In 1911,

Baedeker Verlag Karl Baedeker, founded by Karl Baedeker on July 1, 1827, is a German publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred to simply as " Baedekers" (a term sometimes used to refer to similar works fro ...

described it as "resembling the Kasba of Algiers, the picturesque charm of which has so far been marred by the construction of but a few new streets." * El Bey Mosque built in 1703 also known by its post colonial name Souq El Ghezal Mosque. * The Great Mosque of Constantine historical mosque built in 1136. * Cirta Museum, previously Gustave Mercier Museum (displays ancient and modern Algerian art) * Abd al Hamid Ben Badis Mosque * The Casbah (

Kasbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...

) known locally by the name of Swika ** Emir Abdelkader University and Mosque * Soumma Mausoleum *

Massinissa Masinissa ( nxm, , ''MSNSN''; ''c.'' 238 BC – 148 BC), also spelled Massinissa, Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ult ...

's Mausoleum * Ahmed Bey Palace * Ruins of the Antonian Roman aqueduct * Ben Abdelmalek Stadium Nearby are * the

Roman 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 ...

city of

Tiddis Tiddis (also known as ''Castellum Tidditanorum'' or ''Tiddi'') was a Roman city that depended on Cirta and a bishopric as "Tiddi", which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. It was located on the territory of the current commune of Bni Hamden in ...

* the

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea. The ...

ic monuments and burial grounds at Djebel Mazala Salluste.

The City of Bridges

File:John_Beasly_Greene_(American,_born_France_-_(Elcantara_Bridge,_Constantine,_Algeria)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, Bridge El-Kantara, earliest photo, 1856 by John Beasley Greene File:pont des chutes.jpg, Bridge of the Falls File:Sidi M'Cid.JPG, Sidi M'Cid Bridge File:Magnia.jpg, Sidi Rached Bridge File:Constantine bridge.jpg, El-Kantara Bridge File:Old Constantine.JPG, Constantine:Old city The topography of the city is unique and it determines the need for bridges. At the end of the 19th century,

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

wrote: "Eight bridges used to cross this ravine. Six of these bridges are in ruins today." Today the most important bridges are: * Sidi M'Cid Bridge (1912), a suspension bridge with a length of 168m, *

Bab El Kantra Bridge Bab El Kantra Bridge is one of eight famous high-level bridges that cross the Rhumel River gorge in Constantine, Algeria. The Kantara bridge is the oldest and has taken several different forms over the years: from a 1792 Ottoman-style multi-arch ...

(1792) bridge which leads toward north, * Sidi Rached bridge (1912), a long viaduct of 447ms and 27 arches, designed by Paul Séjourné, * Devil's bridge, a tiny beam bridge, * Falls bridge (1925), formed by a series of arches on top of a waterfall, *

Mellah Slimane Bridge Mellah Slimane Bridge is a 125 m long suspension Footbridge across the Rhumel River in Constantine, Algeria. It was opened in April 1925 and until it was the 3rd highest bridge in the world at 110 m. The bridge was designed by Ferdinand Arnodin an ...

(1925), a suspension bridge, * Salah Bey Bridge (Trans-Rhummel viaduct, 2014), the first cable-stayed bridge in Constantine, designed by

Dissing+Weitling Dissing may refer to: * Diss (music), song primarily intended to disrespect people * Dissing+Weitling, architecture and design practice in Copenhagen, Denmark *Heino Dissing (1912–1990), Danish cyclist *Henry Dissing (1931–2009), Danish mycolo ...

architecture, * Meddjez Dechiche Bridge

Education

Constantine has in general four universities: two of them are downtown Constantine Mentouri Public University, designed by the Brazilian architect

Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was ...

, and Algerian architect Rashid Hassaine, including Zerzara technical engineering pole, Zouaghi Slimane Geography and Earth Sciences Pole, and in the City of El-Khroub is the Institute of Veterinary Sciences. Emir Abdelkader University is one of the biggest Islamic universities with many faculties covering religious studies, foreign languages, literature. Constantine's new town "nouvelle ville ali mendjeli" has two big universities: Université Constantine 2 known as "lella nsoumer" offering maths, computer and economy majors, and the new university is actually a university pole with more than 20,000 students, 17 faculties and more than 40,000 residents. It is now the largest African university under the name of "Université Salah Boubnider" known as "Université Constantine 3".

Transport

Constantine is served by

Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport is an airport in Algeria, located approximately south of Constantine; about east-southeast of Algiers. History The airport was built in 1943 as Constantine Airfield by the United States Army during the Wo ...

. Constantine also owns its 14.7 km-long tram network serving the city centre at the airport but also in the main neighbourhoods of the metropolis

Constantine tramway The Constantine Tramway is a tramway system which has been operating in Constantine, Algeria, since 2013. There had been several delays and cost over-runs in the construction of the tramway. Originally scheduled to enter revenue service in No ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Constantine is twinned with: *

Grenoble lat, Gratianopolis , commune status = Prefecture and commune , image = Panorama grenoble.png , image size = , caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...

, France * Sousse, Tunisia

Notable people

Constantine has been the hometown of many noteworthy people in Algeria and France. * Abdelhamid Brahimi, former Prime Minister of Algeria (1984-1988) *

Abdelhamid Ben Badis ʻAbd al-Ḥamīd (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الحميد) is a Muslim male given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words ''Abd (Arabic), ʻabd'' and ''al-Ḥamīd'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, whic ...

, Islamic reformer and philosopher * Abdelmalek Sellal, former Prime Minister of Algeria two terms (2012-2014),(2014-2017) * Ahmed Bey, the last

Bey Bey ( ota, بك, beğ, script=Arab, tr, bey, az, bəy, tk, beg, uz, бек, kz, би/бек, tt-Cyrl, бәк, translit=bäk, cjs, пий/пек, sq, beu/bej, sh, beg, fa, بیگ, beyg/, tg, бек, ar, بك, bak, gr, μπέης) is ...

of Constantine (1826-1848) * Ahlam Mosteghanemi, writer * Alfred Nakache, Olympic champion swimmer and Holocaust survivor. * Ali Saïdi-Sief, Olympic medallist * Amar Bentoumi, lawyer, Algerian independence activist, Algerian politician *

Malek Bennabi Malek Bennabi (1 January 1905 – 31 October 1973) ( ar, مالك بن نبي) was an Algerian writer and philosopher, who wrote about human society, particularly Muslim society with a focus on the reasons behind the fall of Muslim civilizatio ...

, philosopher * Rabah Bitat, the third

President of Algeria The president of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces. History of the office The Tripoli Program, whi ...

(1978) * Mouloud Hamrouche, former Prime Minister of Algeria (1989-1991) * Djamel Eddine Laouisset, Algerian Scholar *

Masinissa Masinissa ( nxm, , ''MSNSN''; ''c.'' 238 BC – 148 BC), also spelled Massinissa, Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ult ...

, the first King of Numidia * Hassiba Boulmerka, athlete, first Algerian woman to win an Olympic title (1992) *

Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois (Charlotte Louise Juliette Grimaldi; 30 September 1898 – 16 November 1977), was the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince Rainier III. From 1922 until 1944, she was the H ...

, the daughter of Louis II, Prince of Monaco, and the mother of Prince

Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling ...

* Roger Chauviré (1880–1957), French writer *

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (; born 1 April 1933) is a French physicist. He shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with Steven Chu and William Daniel Phillips for research in methods of laser cooling and trapping atoms. Currently he is still an activ ...

, Nobel Prize winner in physics * Sidi Fredj Halimi, Chief Rabbi and rabbinical court president * Enrico Macias, French singer *

Cheb i Sabbah Cheb i Sabbah"Jewish DJ Captivates Arab Ears"
''

Jean-Michel Atlan Jean-Michel Atlan (January 23, 1913 – February 12, 1960) was a French artist. Biography Of Algerian Jewish descent, Atlan was born in Constantine, French Algeria, and moved to Paris in 1930. He studied philosophy at the Sorbonne. He started a ...

, artist * Alphonse Halimi, world champion boxer *

Kateb Yacine Kateb Yacine (; 2 August 1929 or 6 August 1929 – 28 October 1989) was an Algerian writer notable for his novels and plays, both in French and Algerian Arabic, and his advocacy of the Berber cause. Biography Kateb Yacine was officially bo ...

, writer *

Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel (July 31, 1919 – August 11, 2007) was a French painter. Artistic life Boitel belonged to the art movement called "La Jeune Peinture" ("Young Picture") of the School of Paris,The School of Paris (1945–1965) by Lydia Harambourg. ...

, artist *

Sandra Laoura Sandra Laoura (born 21 July 1980 in Constantine, Algeria) is a French freestyle skier of Algerian origin who competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. Laoura won bronze in the women's moguls event. On 5 January 2007, during a t ...

, Olympic medallist * Malek Haddad, poet * Moussa Maaskri, actor * Fadéla M'rabet writer and feminist * Cherif Guellal, Algerian diplomat, first ambassador to the USA (1963-1967)

References

External links

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Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

''
The Cascades, Constantine, Algeria

Images of Constantine
in Manar al-Athar digital heritage photo archive {{Authority control 200s BC establishments 203 BC Communes of Constantine Province Phoenician colonies in Algeria Province seats of Algeria Constantine Province