Arzew or Arzeu (, ) is a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

city in

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, 25 miles (40 km) from

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

. It is the capital of Arzew District,

Oran Province Oran Province (, ) is a provinces of Algeria, province (''Wilayas of Algeria, wilayah'') in Algeria whose seat is the Oran, city of the same name. Geography It is located in the northwestern part of the country. Its population is 1,584,607 and i ...

History

Antiquity

Like the rest of the Maghreb, the site of modern-day Arzew was originally inhabited by the

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

s. Arzew's original Berber population came mainly from the nearby town of

Bethioua Bethioua (), formerly Arsenaria, Portus Magnus, Arzew (, ), Vieil Arzew ("Old Arzew"), and Saint Leu, is a port town and district near Arzew in Oran Province in northwestern Algeria. It has a gas port, petrochemical facilities and desalination pla ...

, families from nearby Mostaganem, Kabyles, that were deported there. Nearby Bethioua was on the ruins of the Phoenician Empire of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

before becaming the Portus Magnus ("Great Port") under the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, although the name was used on Arzew's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

under French colonial rule. Portus Magnus was a

Roman colony A Roman (: ) was originally a settlement of Roman citizens, establishing a Roman outpost in federated or conquered territory, for the purpose of securing it. Eventually, however, the term came to denote the highest status of a Roman city. It ...

or otherwise received citizen status Pliny, '' Nat. Hist.'', Book V, Ch. 1. and exported grain and salt. Arsenaria was a nearby settlement 3

Roman mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

s (km) inland from the sea. Portus Magnus was destroyed during the

Vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

conquest of northwest Africa in AD 429 or 430 but saw some use by the Byzantines after their 6th-century recovery of the area, leaving some

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

remains. After the 7th-century

Islamic conquest The Muslim conquests, Muslim invasions, Islamic conquests, including Arab conquests, Arab Islamic conquests, also Iranian Muslim conquests, Turkic Muslim conquests etc. *Early Muslim conquests ** Ridda Wars **Muslim conquest of Persia *** Muslim co ...

, the site seems to have been entirely abandoned, El Bekri describing "Arzao" as having only empty Roman ruins . The

Almohads The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

refounded the port as

in 1162. Under the Ziyanids, this port near

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

was renamed Marsa Ben Zian ("Port of the Sons of Zian"). The Roman relics remaining at Bethioua into the early modern period were mostly removed to the provincial museum at

during the 19th and 20th centuries.

French Algeria

During the French conquest of Algeria, a French force from Oran marched east to capture Marsa on 10 July 1833. The

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

then used the area as a logistics hub, including during the Battle of Macta. Upon the Treaty of Desmichels, Arzew was organized as part of

French Algeria French Algeria ( until 1839, then afterwards; unofficially ; ), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of History of Algeria, Algerian history when the country was a colony and later an integral part of France. French rule lasted until ...

, initially under the spelling Arzowe.

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...

ordered the establishment of the port of Arzew () on 12 August 1845. French colonists settled the area, which was declared a commune on 31 December 1856. Many Spanish immigrants also came, and Arzew became a hub for the production and export of

esparto Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. '' Stipa tenacissima'' and '' Lygeum spar ...

, a kind of grass used for cording. The town was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1912. The area was important during

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

, the Allied invasion of North Africa during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During the

Algerian War of Independence The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

, the city hosted one of the two SDECE French intelligence CIPCGs ( fr ">:fr:CIPCG">fr /small>), bases used for counter-guerilla and pacification work.Frédéric Guelton: The French Army 'Centre for Training and Preparation in Counter-Guerrilla Warfare' (CIPCG) at Arzew, Journal of Strategic Studies, vol. 22:2 (2002), pp.35-55.

Modern Algeria

After the independence of Algeria in 1962, Arzew became an important port and industrial area, home to a

refinery A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ...

exporting LNG (liquified natural gas), as well as a fleet of small

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

s to work the local waters.

Demography

Culture

During the French colonial era, the settlers introduced a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

celebration on August 15 -

Assumption of Mary The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Catholic Mariology#Dogmatic teachings, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it on 1 November 1950 in his apostolic constitution as follows: It leaves open the question of w ...

day- known as the "

Procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

of the

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

" (''la Procession de la Vierge'').

Notes

References

; Citations ; General * * *

External links

111th Observation Squadron World War II Narrative History, Part VI: The Battle Of Arzew
- John C.L. Scribner

Map of 1932
{{Authority control Communes of Oran Province Berber words and phrases