Boudouaou, during
French colonialism
The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates, and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French colonial empire", that ex ...
known as L'Alma (or Alma) is a town in the western part of
Boumerdès
Boumerdès (; ; formerly ''Rocher Noir'') is the capital city of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea. It had a population of 15,000 in 1987 and 28,500 in 1998.
Boumerdès is a seaside city located in the north o ...
,
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 ...
. It is a coastal town on the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
. Its population in 2008 was 56,398. It is located 18 miles east of the capital Algiers.
The original name is thought to be ''bou-dhou-aou'',
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
for
illuminator in reference to a small insect the size of a beetle which at night shows beautiful brilliant green light in its tail.
Archaeology
Several prehistoric vestiges were discovered during the period of occupation. With the arrival of the colonizers and the project of colonization on the lands of Boudouaou, many prehistoric vestiges under the occupation were discovered: rhinoceros bones house in the Musée de l'Homme in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, a bronze axe, flint Retouched and prehistoric arrows are examples of discoveries already made.
Personalities
*
Rachid Mimouni (An Algerian writer)
Politics
The town re-elected mayor Yahya Mahsas at the end of 2007 for 5 years, replaced by Mekki Hamoud in 2012.
Main cities
There are several villages in Boudouaou. The well known among them are:
*Lacace (لاصاص)
*Benadjal (بن عجال)
*Ghoualem (الغوالم)
*El-Nchite (النشيط)
*Ben Merzouga (بن مرزوقة)
*Ben Yamina (بن يامينة)
History
French conquest
*
Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha (1837)
*
First Battle of Boudouaou (1837)
*
First Battle of the Issers
The First Battle of the Issers in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under General Alexandre Charles Perrégaux, Perrégaux and Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg, Schauenburg against the troops of K ...
(1837)
*
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septe ...
(1871)
Algerian Revolution
Salafist terrorism
*
2006 Boudouaou bombing (8 August 2006)
Notable people
*
Ahmed Mahsas, Algerian politician and writer
*
Rachid Mimouni, Algerian writer
*
Walid Derrardja, Algerian footballer
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Boumerdès Province