Miliana (in

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 ...

: ⵎⵉⵍⵉⴰⵏⴰ, in

Darija Maghrebi Arabic, often known as ''ad-Dārija'' to differentiate it from Literary Arabic, is a vernacular Arabic dialect continuum spoken in the Maghreb. It includes the Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, Libyan, Hassaniya and Saharan Arabic di ...

: مليانة) is an Algerian commune in the

Aïn Defla province Aïn Defla (, is a wilaya (''province'') in northern Algeria. It is located to the southwest of Algiers, the capital. Localities in Ain Delfa include Aïn Defla, Miliana, El Attaf, Djelida and Djendel. History The province was created from ...

, serving as the capital of Miliana district approximately southwest of the Algerian capital,

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

.Miliana(Algeria)
. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved October 3, 2010. It is located south of

Dahra Dahra (also Dahra Djoloff or Dara) is a town of commune status located in the Louga Region of Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borde ...

, on the slopes of Mount Zaccar, overlooking the Chelif Valley. Founded in the

10th century The 10th century was the period from 901 (represented by the Roman numerals CMI) through 1000 (M) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the last century of the 1st millennium. In China, the Song dynasty was established, with most of C ...

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 ...

Zirid The Zirid dynasty (), Banu Ziri (), was a Sanhaja Berber dynasty from what is now Algeria which ruled the central Maghreb from 972 to 1014 and Ifriqiya (eastern Maghreb) from 972 to 1148. Descendants of Ziri ibn Manad, a military leader of th ...

prince Bologhine son of Ziri on the ruins of 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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

city Zucchabar, Miliana lost prominence during the

colonial period Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas *Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Coloni ...

. Its old town, with several monuments, is a preserved heritage site. Its population descends from Dahra

Berbers Berbers, or the Berber peoples, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen, are a diverse grouping of distinct ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa who predate the arrival of Arab migrations to the Maghreb, Arabs in the Maghreb. Their main connec ...

Andalusians The Andalusians () are the people of Andalusia, an autonomous community in southern Spain. Andalusia's statute of autonomy defines Andalusians as the Spanish citizens who reside in any of the municipalities of Andalusia, as well as those Spani ...

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and

Kouloughlis Kouloughlis, also spelled Koulouglis, Cologhlis and Qulaughlis (from Turkish ''Kuloğlu'' "Children of The Empire Servants" from ''Kul'' "soldier" or "servant" + '' Oğlu'' "son of", but the translation of the word "kul" as slave is misleading si ...

Berber languages The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight, are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related but mostly mutually unintelligible languages spoken by Berbers, Berber communities, ...

ceased to be spoken locally by the late

19th century The 19th century began on 1 January 1801 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 (MCM). It was the 9th century of the 2nd millennium. It was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was Abolitionism, ...

Geography

Location

The commune of Miliana is located in the north of the Aïn Defla wilaya. The town is located 114 km to the southwest of

, 50 km to the west of

Médéa Médéa () is the capital city of Médéa Province, Algeria. It is located roughly 68 km south of Algiers. The present-day city is situated on the site of an ancient Roman military post and has a history dating back to the 10th century. The ...

, and 92 km to the east of

Chlef Chlef () is the capital of Chlef Province, Algeria. Located in the north of Algeria, west of the capital, Algiers, it was founded in 1843, as Orléansville, on the ruins of Roman ''Castellum Tingitanum''. In 1962, it was renamed al-Asnam, but ...

Topography

Due to its position in mountainous terrain, the elevation of Miliana differs greatly, ranging from to . It is built on a rocky shelf with steep edges on the southern slopes of Mount Zaccar Rherbi r/sup>, which covers its entire northern border and reaches . There is also a smaller ridge to the south that reaches , separating Miliana from

Khemis Miliana Khemis Miliana () is a town in northern Algeria of around 210000 inhabitants. It is a university town located 120 kilometers west of Algiers. It was known as Malliana in Roman Empire, Roman times, then Affreville during the French colonial empir ...

. The area around the town is well forested. To the east and south is the Chélif River Valley, and to the west is a large plateau that stretches to the

Ouarsenis The Ouarsenis or Ouanchariss (Berber language: ⵡⴰⵔⵙⵏⵉⵙ, ''Warsnis'' (meaning "nothing higher") ''Adrar en Warsnis'', ) is a mountain range and inhabited region in northwestern Algeria. Geography The range is located at about 80 ...

range.

Climate

Miliana has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

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

Toponymy

Miliana correspondsMiliana ville historique
to the town of

Punic The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people who migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' ...

origin known in

times as Zucchabar. Under

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, it was given the rank of '' colonia'' and was thus referred to as Colonia Iulia Augusta Zucchabar. The

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

form of the name used by the geographer

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

was Ζουχάββαρι (Zuchabbari).

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

calls it "the colony of Augusta, also called Succabar", and

Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus, occasionally anglicized as Ammian ( Greek: Αμμιανός Μαρκελλίνος; born , died 400), was a Greek and Roman soldier and historian who wrote the penultimate major historical account surviving from antiquit ...

gives it the name Sugabarri or (in adjectival form) Sugabarritanum. Zucchabar belonged to the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Mauretania Caesariensis Mauretania Caesariensis (Latin for "Caesarea, Numidia, Caesarean Mauretania") was a Roman province located in present-day Algeria. The full name refers to its capital Caesarea, Numidia, Caesarea Mauretaniae (modern Cherchell). The province had ...

. The film ''Gladiator'' mentioned a Roman province of Zucchabar, which did exist in fact . The names Zucchabar or Sugabar were mentioned on epigraphic monuments nearby, indicating the place's belonging to a larger city. This name may be of Phoenician or

Libyco-Berber The Libyco-Berber alphabet is an abjad writing system that was used during the first millennium BC by various Berber peoples of North Africa and the Canary Islands, to write ancient varieties of the Berber language like the Numidian language. Th ...

origin, meaning "wheat market." The name Manliana or Malliana is cited in antiquity as an urban area located at the current site of the town or in the surrounding area, and Saint Augustin refers to a bishop of this city. According to some, this name is derived from Latin and is attributed to the daughter of a patrician Roman family (Manlia) which owned large domains in the agricultural region of the Chélif River valley. However, others believe the name is Berber in origin. With the

Muslim 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 conq ...

, the name "Manliana" was arabized to become Mel-Ana, meaning "full of richesses," then Milyana.

History

Antiquity

For a long time Miliana was the sanctuary capital of the

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

n kings. In 105 BCE

Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen (c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia, the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Micipsa's two sons, Hiempsal and Adherbal ...

was captured not far from this region.Historical markers in the Emir Abdelkader municipal museum of Miliana A Roman garrison was established in Zucchabar by

Emperor Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

between 27 and 25 BCE. The city is mentioned by Ammianus Marcelinus during the insurrection of the

leader

Firmus According to the ''Historia Augusta'', Firmus (died 273) was a usurper of Syrian origin during the reign of Aurelian. The apparently contradictory accounts of his life and the man himself are considered by some historians to be a complete fabrica ...

in 375; the Roman general Theodosius the Elder left

Caesarea Caesarea, a city name derived from the Roman title " Caesar", was the name of numerous cities and locations in the Roman Empire: Places In the Levant * Caesarea Maritima, also known as "Caesarea Palaestinae", an ancient Roman city near the modern ...

(now

Cherchell Cherchell () is a town on Algeria's Mediterranean coast, west of Algiers. It is the seat of Cherchell District in Tipaza Province. Under the names Iol and Caesarea, it was formerly a Roman colony and the capital of the kingdoms of Numidia ...

) to occupy Sugabarritanum. Zucchabar was an important city in the province of

and became a Christian

episcopal see An episcopal see is the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, making it synonymous with ''diocese'' ...

. The names of two of its Catholic bishops and one Donatist are recorded: *Maximianus, who attended the

Conference of Carthage (411) The Councils of Carthage were church synods held during the 3rd, 4th, and 5th centuries in the city of Carthage in Africa. The most important of these are described below. Synod of 251 In May 251 a synod, assembled under the presidency of Cypr ...

; **Germanus, the

Donatist Donatism was a schism from the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Carthage from the fourth to the sixth centuries. Donatists argued that Christian clergy must be faultless for their ministry to be effective and their prayers and sacraments to ...

bishop who attended the same conference; *Stephanus, one of the Catholic bishops whom

Huneric Huneric, Hunneric or Honeric (died December 23, 484) was King of the (North African) Vandal Kingdom (477–484) and the oldest son of Gaiseric. He abandoned the imperial politics of his father and concentrated mainly on internal affairs. He was ma ...

summoned to a meeting in Carthage in February 484 and then exiled. The bishopric is included in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

's list of

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

s. In the

5th century The 5th century is the time period from AD 401 (represented by the Roman numerals CDI) through AD 500 (D) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The 5th century is noted for being a period of migration and political instability throughout Eurasia. ...

, with the arrival of the

Vandals 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 Vand ...

, the Roman city was abandoned along with most of its ancient monuments.

Medieval Muslim Algeria

Between 972 and 980, Prince

Buluggin ibn Ziri Buluggin ibn Ziri, often transliterated Bologhine, in full ʾAbū al Futūḥ Sayf ad Dawlah Bulukīn ibn Zīrī ibn Manād aṣ Ṣanhājī (; died 25 May 984) was the first leader () of the Sanhaja Berber dynasty of Zirids to serve as viceroy of ...

, founder of

and

, constructed a

medina Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...

atop the ruins of the Roman city. During this period, the city experienced a renaissance and great prosperity. It is mentioned by several Muslim

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

s. In the

Ibn Hawqal Muḥammad Abū’l-Qāsim Ibn Ḥawqal (), also known as Abū al-Qāsim b. ʻAlī Ibn Ḥawqal al-Naṣībī, born in Nisibis, Al-Jazira (caliphal province), Upper Mesopotamia; was a 10th-century Arab Muslim writer, geographer, and chronic ...

was the first to reference the city in his writings. He describes it as "Ancient city, equipped with water-mills turned by its waterway and possessing a large number of irrigation canals." In the

11th century The 11th century is the period from 1001 (represented by the Roman numerals MI) through 1100 (MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early ...

Al-Bakri Abū ʿUbayd ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn Ayyūb ibn ʿAmr al-Bakrī (), or simply al-Bakrī (c. 1040–1094) was an Arab Andalusian historian and a geographer of the Muslim West. Life Al-Bakri was born in Huelva, the ...

wrote that Miliana was one of the cities constructed by Buluggin, along with Algiers and Médéa. In the 14th century,

Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun (27 May 1332 – 17 March 1406, 732–808 Hijri year, AH) was an Arabs, Arab Islamic scholar, historian, philosopher and sociologist. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest social scientists of the Middle Ages, and cons ...

described the city as "part of the Maghrawa Beni Warsifen domain in the Chélif River plain," and that Buluggin had drawn the map for ''El Djezaïr'', ''Melyana'' and ''Lemdiya''. Throughout this period, Miliana was a haven of culture. It held a large number of scholars in different fields and scientists, including Ahmed Ben Otmane El Meliani, 13th century writer and poet, and Ali Ben Meki El Miliani, 14th century theologian and jurist. The city was in the territory of the Maghrawa tribe. Like other cities in the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ), also known as the Arab Maghreb () and Northwest Africa, is the western part of the Arab world. The region comprises western and central North Africa, including Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. The Maghreb al ...

, Miliana underwent several conquests as well as political turmoil. In 1081,

Yusuf Ibn Tashfin Yusuf ibn Tashfin, also Tashafin, Teshufin, (; reigned c. 1061 – 1106) was a Sanhaja leader of the Almoravid Empire. He cofounded the city of Marrakesh and led the Muslim forces in the Battle of Sagrajas. Yusuf ibn Tashfin came to al-And ...

, leader of the

Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...

, occupied Algiers, Médéa, and Miliana. Afterward, the city was integrated into the

Almohad Caliphate The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berbers, 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). Th ...

in 1149. In 1184, the

Banu Ghaniya The Banu Ghaniya were a Massufa Sanhaja Berber dynasty and a branch of the Almoravids.Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

. In 1238, the

Hafsids The Hafsid dynasty ( ) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. that ruled Ifriqiya (modern day Tunisia, w ...

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

supported their allies, the Banu Tudjin, in their possession of the city. In 1261, Abou Hafs, brother of the Hafsid emir of Tunis, laid siege to the city and conquered it with forces that included mercenary Christian knights led by the exile Henry of Castile. In 1268, the

Zayyanid The Zayyanid dynasty or Ziyanids (, ''Ziyāniyyūn'') or Abd al-Wadids (, ''Bānu ʿAbd āl-Wād'') was a Berber Zenata dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Tlemcen, mainly in modern Algeria centered on the town of Tlemcen in northwest Algeria. Th ...

sovereign Yaghmurassen Ibn Zyan attempted to occupy the region of Miliana; the city would only become occupied by the Tlemcen kings in 1308 when the Abd al-Wadids imposed their authority over Miliana and nearly all the cities in the central Maghreb. During the fall of the Zayyanid Kingdom, one of this dynasty's prince seized Miliana, Médéa, and

Ténès Ténès (; from Berber TNS 'camping') is a town in Algeria located around 200 kilometers west of the capital Algiers. , it has a population of 65,000 people. History Ténès was founded as a Phoenician port in or before the 8th centuryBC. As ...

in 1438, but he was killed by his son who became the king of Ténès. In 1517, Oreç Reis seized the city and the Chélif River valley; Miliana became an Ottoman caidat. However, the region saw many uprisings against the

Ottoman rule The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Euro ...

during this period, notably that of Bouterik, sheik of the Soumata tribes in 1544.

French Colonization

After the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

encountered resistance from the population who pledged allegiance to

Emir Abdelkader Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhyi al-Din (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abd al-Qadir al-Hassani al-Jaza'iri, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of ...

, who established a

caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

in Miliana in 1835. The Peace

Treaty of Desmichels The Treaty of Desmichels, also known as the Desmichels Treaty, was signed on 26 February 1834 by Abd el-Kader and French military officials, led by General Louis Alexis Desmichels. As a result of the agreement, France acknowledged Abd-el-Kader a ...

guaranteed Emir Abdelkader the right to take possession of Miliana starting in 1835 where he was warmly welcomed by the city's general population and prominent citizens. Due to its

geostrategic Geostrategy, a subfield of geopolitics, is a type of foreign policy guided principally by geographical factors as they inform, constrain, or affect political and military planning. As with all strategies, geostrategy is concerned with matching me ...

position, Miliana became a caliphate governed by the caliph Mohieddine Seghir r/sup> (1835-1837) and then Ben Allel r/sup> (1837-1840) who led 10,440 combattants. The emir built several establishments there, including the caliphate seat and an arms manufactory. The city was occupied in 1840 by Marshal Valée's troops, but the garrison was sieged several times by Ben Allel and local tribes. Reinforcements were therefore dispatched from Algiers by Marshal Bugeaud to support those under siege. Abdelkader ordered Miliana burned rather than surrendering to the French. The town eventually fell under French control in 1842.Miliana
. LookLex Encyclopaedia. Retrieved on October 3, 2010. Ben Allel died in 1843 and the French troops burned the city in 1844 to drive out the emir's followers. It was rebuilt in the

French Colonial French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. French colonial architecture has a long history, beginning in North America in 1604 and being most active in the Western Hemisphere (Car ...

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

style. Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

visited Miliana in 1865. In 1901, the Righa tribes of

Aïn Torki Aïn Torki is a town in northern 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 ...

revolted, under the direction of Sheikh Yakoub. During this period, the city was marginalized in favor of the colonially created Khemis Miliana. In 1957 during the

Algerian War 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 ...

a battle took place at the Oued Guergour to the south of Miliana between the

mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in ''jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commun ...

s and the French army. From 1874 to 1975 up to 2000 people worked in an underground iron ore mine on Mont Zaccar, which transported the ore and passengers by the Miliana-Margueritte Tramway to the nearest PLM railway station in Miliana-Margueritte.

Demographics

Miliana is an old city, populated by the descendants of

Morisco ''Moriscos'' (, ; ; "Moorish") were former Muslims and their descendants whom the Catholic Church and Habsburg Spain commanded to forcibly convert to Christianity or face compulsory exile after Spain outlawed Islam. Spain had a sizeable Mus ...

, and

of the Mount Zaccar region. Miliana is the fourth most populous commune in the

wilaya of Aïn Defla A wilayah ( or ''wilāya'', plural ; Urdu, Pashto and ; ) is an administrative division, usually translated as "state", "province" or occasionally as "governorate". The word comes from the Arabic root "''w-l-y''", "to govern": a ''wāli''—"g ...

, after

Aïn Defla Aïn Defla (, lit. '' oleander spring'') is the capital city of Aïn Defla Province, Algeria. It is also a commune. History In Roman times the city was called Oppidum Novum. The vestiges of the Oppidum Novum are still visible. The current city ...

, and

El Attaf El Attaf is a town in northern Algeria, located in the wilaya (province) of Aïn Defla Aïn Defla (, lit. '' oleander spring'') is the capital city of Aïn Defla Province, Algeria. It is also a commune. History In Roman times the city was cal ...

, and according to the 2008 Algerian Census, the population of the commune is registered at 44,201 residents as opposed to 22,528 in 1977:

Town structure

The center of Miliana has a Muslim quarter and a French quarter, both of which are surrounded by city walls built on

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

and

foundations. The main site in the Muslim quarter is the

Mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

of Sidi Ahmed ben Yousef. Built in the

Moorish style Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...

, the mosque is the location of a biannual

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

. The Muslim quarter also contains a covered

marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

. The modern section of the town center, known as the Place Cornot (or Place de l'Horloge), is shaded by trees and contains a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

, formerly a

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

Economy

Miliana is primarily an agricultural town. Its

vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

orchards An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of lar ...

and

gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

, which lie below the town center, are fed by water from nearby mountains that usually have snow in winters.

Hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

is used to power

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

factories,

flour mills A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

and other

light industries Light industry are industries that usually are less capital-intensive than heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consumer goods. Most light industry products are produced fo ...

Recreation

The game of ''El Koura'' is a traditional game that was played in Miliana,

Laghouat Laghouat () is the capital city, capital of the Laghouat Province, Algeria, south of the Algerian capital Algiers. Located in the Amour Range of the Saharan Atlas, the town is an oasis on the north edge of the Sahara Desert. It is an import ...

and other places prior to

French colonization 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 ...

. Similar to

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

,Sato, Daisuke.
Sport and Identity in Tunisia
." ''International Journal of Sport and Health Science'' Vol 3 (2005): 27-34. Retrieved October 3, 2010. the game was played during the spring and times of extreme

drought A drought is a period of drier-than-normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, ...

because it was believed to bring rain. After French colonization, European sports, especially association football, became more popular. The town is home to Algerian club

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

S.C. Miliana.

Culture

Miliana is home to several musical groups who specialize in different Algerian musical genres: Andalusian,

Chaabi Chaabi ( in Arabic), also known as Chaâbi, Sha-bii, or Sha'bii meaning "folk", refers to different music genres in North Africa such as Algerian chaabi, Moroccan chaabi and Egyptian Shaabi. Chaabi music is frequently found in weddings and th ...

, and

Zurna The zurna is a double reed wind instrument played in Central Asia, West Asia, the Caucasus, Southeast Europe and parts of North Africa. It is also used in Sri Lanka. It is usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Armenian, Anatolian and Ass ...

. It hosts an Andalusian music festival, which brings together musicians from the three Algerian schools of music: Sanâa r/sup> of

, Gharnati of

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 ...

, and

Ma'luf ''Ma'luf'' ( ''Ma'lūf'') is a genre of art music in the Andalusian classical music tradition of Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia. It is of Al-Andalus, Iberian origin and was introduced to the Maghreb by Expulsion of the Moriscos, Andalusian refugees.' ...

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 g ...

. The celebration of Mawlid al-Nabi (celebrating the birth of

Muhammed Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

) in Miliana stands out because of the crafting of ''m'narette'', wooden and reed models of mosques, towers, and boats. On the eve of Mawlid, a parade of ''m'narette'', lit up with candles and decorated with sweets and fruits, makes its way to the Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef mosque. Miliana's ''Rekb'' is a regional tradition of the Berber tribe of Beni Farah, an annual

to the interior of the

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

of Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef. Hundred of pilgrims come from several regions throughout the country to make their journey from the city of Messelmoun ( Tipaza wilaya) to the saint's mausoleum. Miliana's Cherry Festival is an annual socio-cultural event established during

colonization 475px, Map of the year each country achieved List of sovereign states by date of formation, independence. Colonization (British English: colonisation) is a process of establishing occupation of or control over foreign territories or peoples f ...

and has been maintained since independence. It takes place during the last week of June. The festival allows the citizens of Miliana to celebrate the qualities of Miliana's

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

, and enables visitors to discover the city's customs and to try the different confections mades from cherries. The festival experienced a decade-long hiatus, then was once more celebrated as part of a plan to revive specific local celebrations in the Aïn Defla wilaya. Cherry production greatly declined along with other horticulture; construction and the destructuring of the city's gardens are the principal cause.

Local Sites

Some monuments from the 18th and 19th centuries remain today. The former home of

is a

building located in the city center, restored and transformed into the museum of Miliana. It contains several exposition halls on the history of the region, including archeological artifacts from the

and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

periods, the popular revolts against French conquest, and also

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

objects from Southern Algeria. The Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef Mosque is dedicated to the saint Abu El-Abbas Ahmed Benyoucef Errachidi, a mystic figure born in

Kalaa Kalaa is a town and commune in Relizane Province, 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 Tu ...

near

Mascara Mascara (, ) is a Cosmetics, cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara p ...

in the mid-15th century, who died in 1526 and was interred in Miliana in 1774 by Mohamed El-Kebir, the

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

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 ...

. The

El-Batha was part of a previous mosque called ''djemâa El-Turk'' or ''djemâa El-Batha''; this mosque was destroyed around 1844 for the construction of a public square and its minaret was transformed into a clocktower. Emir Abdelkader's arms manufactory, located in a suburb of the city, was erected by the emir around 1839. The ramparts, according to some sources, are ancient in origin, but they have undergone many transformations, particularly for the extension of the colonial city. The city contains a large public garden created in 1890. File:Miliana 2012.JPG, alt=City center; clocktower and museum, City center; clocktower and museum File:Musée EAK.JPG, alt=Emir Abdelkader Museum, Emir Abdelkader Museum File:Miliana-2.jpg, alt=Ramparts and suburbs, Ramparts and suburbs File:Rom Miliana.JPG, alt=The Place Ammar Ali overlook, The Place Ammar Ali overlook File:Le minaret El-Batha.png, alt=El-Batha minaret, El-Batha minaret File:Mus Miliana.jpg, alt=Museum of Miliana, Museum of Miliana File:AEK2 Miliana.jpg, alt=Emir Abdelkader's home, Emir Abdelkader's home File:Jardin Miliana.png, alt=Miliana's public garden, Miliana's public garden File:Mausole Miliana.JPG, alt=Mausoleum of the Saint, Mausoleum of the Saint

Notable people associated with Miliana

*Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef Errachidi (1435–1524), whose mausoleum was classified a historic monument in 1978. *

Mohamed Charef Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

(1908-2011), theologian and mufti. *

Mohamed Belhocine Mohamed Belhocine (; born 9 April 1951 in Tizi Ouzou) is an Algerian medical scientist and professor of internal medicine and epidemiology. Training After primary studies in Sidi Lakhdar (formerly known as Lavarande, Aïn Defla Province) and seco ...

(born 1951), Algerian medical scientist, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology. *Mustapha Ferroukhi^{r/sup>, resistance fighter.
*Mohamed Bouras^{r/sup>, founder of the Algerian Muslim Scouts.
* Ali Ammar known as Ali La Pointe (1930-1957), resistance fighter and martyr of the Algerian Revolution

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 (FLN) ...
. Hero of the Battle of Algiers.
*Augustin Ferrando r/sup> (1880–1957), Orientalist painter, director of the School of Fine Arts in 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 ...
.
*Marcello Fabri^{r/sup> (1889–1945), poet and Orientalist painter, essayist, philosopher, art critic, playwright, founder of two journals.
* Mohammed Benchicou (1952-), eminent journalist
*Alphonse Daudet

Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.
Early life
Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ' ...
(1840-1897), writer, visited here. In his ''Letters from My Windmill

''Letters from My Windmill'' () is a collection of short stories by Alphonse Daudet first published in its entirety in 1869. Some of the stories had been published earlier in newspapers or journals such as ''Le Figaro'' and '' L'Evénement'' as e ...
'', there is a short story entitled "À Milianah."
*Lantri Elfoul (1936-2012), professor of translation, author of ''Miliana la mémoire'', 2009 (Casbah éditions) and ''Traité de traductologie'', 2006 (Casbah éditions), born and raised in Zougala, Miliana.
*Walter Amsallem^{r/sup> (1931-), former mayor of Beauvais

Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise Departments of France, département, in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, north of Paris.

The Communes of France, commune o ...
(1977-2001), born in Miliana
*Pierre Bolotte^{r/sup> (1921-2008), sub-prefect of Miliana
*Jean Kay^{r/sup> (1943-2012), adventurer and writer
* Mahfoud Ferroukhi^{r/sup> (1953-), Algerian archeologist.
* Mustapha Tounsi^{r/sup> (1939-2018), officer in the ALN
Aln, ALN, or AlN may refer to:

Organizations
Paramilitary
* Ação Libertadora Nacional, a Brazilian Marxist–Leninist guerrilla movement
* Armée de Libération Nationale, the armed wing of the nationalist National Liberation Front of Alge ...
(National Liberation Army) and writer
* Noureddine Ferroukhi^{r/sup> (1959-2019), plastic artist and teacher.

References

{{Authority control

Archaeological sites in Algeria
Communes of Aïn Defla Province
Algeria geography articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
Cities in Algeria}}}}}}}}}