Tamacine () (sometimes written Témacine) is a town and commune, and capital of

Témacine District Témacine is a district in Touggourt Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, Témacine. It is one of the smallest districts in the province. As of the 2008 census, the district had a population of 34,607. Municipalities The district i ...

, in

Touggourt Province Touggourt () is an Algerian Provinces of Algeria, province ''(Wilayah, wilaya)'' created in 2019, previously, a delegated wilaya created in 2015. It is in the Algerian Sahara. Geography Touggourt Province is located in the Algerian Desert, A ...

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 ...

. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 20,067, up from 15,933 in 1998, and an annual growth rate of 2.4%. It is around south of

Touggourt Touggourt (; or 'the gate') is a city and Communes of Algeria, commune, former sultanate and capital of Touggourt District, in Touggourt Province, Algeria, built next to an oasis in the Sahara. As of the 2008 census, the commune had a population ...

. The

Tugurt language Tugurt, also known as Oued Righ Berber and Temacine Tamazight, is a Zenati languages, Zenati Berber languages, Berber variety spoken in some of the oases of the northeastern Oued Righ region around Touggourt in Algeria. , its main speech area was ...

is spoken by some residents of Tamacine.

History

The mosque in the town of Témacine, the Mosque of Si al-Hajj, dates to 1431.

Geography

Tamacine lies at an elevation of within the system of

oases In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

groves and other agriculture. Beyond this is the arid and barren landscape of the Sahara, featuring areas of

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

(

ergs The erg is a unit of energy equal to 10−7joules (100 nJ). It is not an SI unit, instead originating from the centimetre–gram–second system of units (CGS). Its name is derived from (), a Greek word meaning 'work' or 'task'. An erg is the ...

) and flat rocky plains ( regs). Lake Tamacine, a small lake covering and long, lies along the eastern side of the town, and is notable for its variety of birds and fish.

Climate

Tamacine, like other towns in the

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

n region, has a hot

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

with very hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation.

Economy

The most significant sector in Tamacine's economy is agriculture, in particular the farming of

date palms ''Phoenix dactylifera'', commonly known as the date palm, is a flowering-plant species in the palm family Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle East, ...

; over 200,000 palms are planted across the commune. Other fruit trees are also cultivated, including

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

figs The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of tree or shrub in the flowering plant family Moraceae, native to the Mediterranean region, together with western and southern Asia. It has been cultivated since ancient times and i ...

apricot An apricot (, ) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species '' P. armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also ...

pomegranate The pomegranate (''Punica granatum'') is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub in the family Lythraceae, subfamily Punica, Punicoideae, that grows between tall. Rich in symbolic and mythological associations in many cultures, it is thought to have o ...

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

s and

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in Prunus subg. Prunus, ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are ...

s. Livestock reared in the commune are mainly

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

s and

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

. Tamacine also has various traditional industries, such as

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

jewellery Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

industries including

embroidery Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...

and

knitting Knitting is a method for production of textile Knitted fabric, fabrics by interlacing yarn loops with loops of the same or other yarns. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done Hand knitting, by hand or Knitting machi ...

, and blacksmithing. Tourism is another important industry for Tamacine. The most notable attractions include Lake Tamacine, as well as the various mosques and palaces in the town.

Infrastructure

Drinking water is available to 99% of the population, and access to the sewerage network is available to 95%.

Health

Tamacine has two municipal health clinics, a private health clinic, and several pharmacies.

Education

Tamacine's educational facilities include 8 municipal elementary schools, a vocational training center, apprenticeships, and an educational center for mentally handicapped children. 8.3% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 20.9% has completed secondary education. The overall literacy rate is 83.4%, and is 88.5% among males and 78.5% among females.

Transportation

Tamacine is connected by local roads to

to the north and the N3 national highway to the west. From Touggourt, major highways lead north to

Biskra Biskra () is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about from Algiers, southwest of Batna, Algeria, Batna and north of Touggourt. It is nickna ...

, east to

El Oued El Oued (), Souf or Oued Souf is a city, and the capital of El Oued Province, in Algeria. The oasis town is watered by an underground river, hence its name is El Oued which enables date palm cultivation and the rare use (for the desert) of brick c ...

, and south to

Ouargla Ouargla (Berber: Wargrən, ) is the capital city of Ouargla Province in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. It has a flourishing petroleum industry and hosts one of Algeria's universities, the University of Ouargla. The commune of Ouargla had ...

and

Illizi Illizi (Amazigh language: Ilizi) is an Algerian town and Communes of Algeria, commune, coextensive with Illizi District, situated in the south-eastern part of Algeria, and capital of Illizi Province. According to the 2008 census it is the largest ...

. The town is served by the Sidi Madhi Airport near Touggourt. The road network of Tamacine covers .

Localities

The commune is composed of five localities: *Temacine *El Behour *Sidi Ameur *El Ksour * Tamellaht

Gallery

File:Kser de Temacine, Ouargla.jpg File:Fonds Emile Laoust (1876-1952) - Algérie 1934 - Temacine - Zaouïa de Tamelhat - Sur une place minérale une jeune fille de dos avance (MédiHAL 4651242) (cropped).jpg File:Kser de Temacine 2, Ouargla.jpg File:Temacine environ de Touggourt.jpg File:Tamelhat environ de Touggourt.jpg

References

External links

Neighbouring towns and cities

{{Ouargla Province Communes of Ouargla Province Cities in Algeria