The Tuggurt expedition in 1552 aimed to obtain the submission of the Saharan cities of

Tuggurt Touggourt (; or 'the gate') is a city and 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 of 39,409 people, ...

and

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 ...

, seats of independent sultanates.

Salah Rais Salah Rais () ( 1488 – 1568) was the 7th King of Algiers, an Ottoman privateer and admiral. He is alternatively referred to as ''Sala Reis'', ''Salih Rais'', ''Salek Rais'' and ''Cale Arraez'' in several European sources, particularly in Sp ...

beylerbey ''Beylerbey'' (, meaning the 'commander of commanders' or 'lord of lords’, sometimes rendered governor-general) was a high rank in the western Islamic world in the late Middle Ages and early modern period, from the Anatolian Seljuks and the I ...

of the

Regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an Early modern period, early modern semi-independent Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman province and nominal Tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Afr ...

, was allied to the troops of the

Kingdom of Ait Abbas The Kingdom of Beni Abbas or Sultanate of Beni Abbas () was a state in North Africa, then a fief and a principality, controlling Lesser Kabylie in Kabylia and its surroundings from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth century. It is referre ...

, led by their sultan, Abdelaziz al-Abbas. The sultan of Tuggurt, head of two prosperous cities and Saharan principalities, refused to pay tribute to the

regency of Algiers The Regency of Algiers was an Early modern period, early modern semi-independent Administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman province and nominal Tributary states of the Ottoman Empire, vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Afr ...

, which therefore launched an expedition to subdue him and also take control at the same time of a

caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

route for the Trans-Saharan trade in gold.

, at the head of 1,000 spahis and 3,000 musketeers, as well as some pieces of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, was joined by 8,000 Kabyle auxiliaries from the

Beni Abbes Beni may also refer to: Characters *Beni Gabor, a character in the 1999 film ''The Mummy'' *Benimaru Nikaido, fan nickname of a character in ''The King of Fighters'' People Given name *Beni (Australian musician), Australian musician and dis ...

. In passing Salah Raïs subdued

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 ...

, previously attacked in 1542 by Hassan Pasha, because it had refused to pay

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

. Continuing south, he laid siege to

for four days before conquering Ouargla. The local sultan, only 14 years old, retreated behind the city walls and hoped that the surrounding tribes, hostile to the Turks, would come to his rescue. Salah Raïs bombarded the city's defenses with cannon for three days. On the fourth day he attacked, massacred the city's inhabitants, and captured the young sultan. Salah Rais plundered the town, reputed to possess gold in quantity. He then took the road south to

. Faced with the methods of Salah Rais, the city's inhabitants fled and its sultan retreated with 4,000 horsemen towards

El Golea El Menia () is an oasis town and Communes of Algeria, commune, and capital of El Ménia District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The former name is El Goléa (); together in Arabic, the two names mean ''Impregnable Castle''. According to the 20 ...

.Grammont p. 98-99, city name transcribed as Alcala Only African merchants and

marabout In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...

s remained when Salah Raïs arrived. The two sultanates surrendered and promised to pay tribute, so Salah Reis and Abdelaziz returned

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 ...

with a large booty that included gold and 5,000 slaves Grammont, 1998, p. 98-99

References

Bibliography

*Hugh Roberts,
Berber Government: The Kabyle Polity in Pre-colonial Algeria
', Boston, I.B.Tauris, 2014, 352 p. () * *,
Histoire Des Villes de la Province de Constantine : Sétif, Bordj-Bou-Arreridj, Msila, Boussaâda
', istory of the Cities of Constantine Province vol. 5, Constantine, Arnolet, 1872 (reprinted 2011), 456 p. () Battles involving the Regency of Algiers Conflicts in 1552 1552 in Africa Battles involving the Kingdom of Ait Abbas Touggourt Province Biskra Province Ouargla Province 16th century in the Regency of Algiers {{Algeria-hist-stub