Mostaganem

Etymology

Mostaganem is said to correspond to the ancient Punic port of Murustaga. It is claimed that after becoming part of the Roman Empire, it was renamed to Cartennae under the emperor Gallienus (253–268). However, according to academics, Cartennae (or Cartenna or Cartennas) is modern Ténès, a town 50 km to the east of Mostaganem. Murustaga is the name by which the town was known when it became a Christian bishopric, and by which it is referred to in the Catholic Church's list of episcopal sees.

History

The town was ruled by the Zirid dynasty between 973 and 1146. Then, it was conquered by the Almoravid dynasty, and reached its high point of power under Yusuf ibn Tashfin (c. 1061–1106). Mostaganem was later ruled by the Zayyanid dynasty of Tlemcen and it was conquered again by the Marinid dynasty of Fes. After that the Zayyanid dynasty took control of the city again. In the 16th century, the town resisted a Spanish invasion and came under the power of the Ottoman Hayreddin Barbarossa.

Geography

Climate

Mostaganem has a mild Mediterranean climates (Köppen climate classification Csa). In winter there is more rainfall than in summer. The average annual temperature in Mostaganem is 17.9 °C. About 347 mm of precipitation falls annually.

|Jan record high C = 25.8 |Feb record high C = 32.6 |Mar record high C = 34.5 |Apr record high C = 35.8 |May record high C = 42.5 |Jun record high C = 43.6 |Jul record high C = 45.9 |Aug record high C = 45.0 |Sep record high C = 39.6 |Oct record high C = 38.7 |Nov record high C = 32.0 |Dec record high C = 28.7 |year record high C =

|Jan record low C = -2.2 |Feb record low C = -1.7 |Mar record low C = -1.4 |Apr record low C = 0.2 |May record low C = 4.1 |Jun record low C = 6.6 |Jul record low C = 11.0 |Aug record low C = 10.7 |Sep record low C = 8.0 |Oct record low C = 4.2 |Nov record low C = -0.6 |Dec record low C = -2.0 |year record low C =

|access-date = 9 October 2023 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20231009172356/https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Algeria/CSV/Mostaganem_60457.csv |archive-date = 9 October 2023

Present situation

The city is divided in two by a ravine of the river Aïn Sefra, with the modern town to southwest, and the old Muslim city, Tidgit, to the northeast.

In 2010 a tunnel under the city and towards the city centre is expected to change traffic flow significantly. Also, new buildings, some modern and some in colonial style, are being added to this growing city. The new autoroute from the capital Algiers towards Oran will make it easier also to access Mostaganem by road from the capital, as Mostaganem has no public airport. The road connecting Oran (around 80 km from Mostaganem to the west) will remain the same, a crowded 2 lane in each direction highway.

The port of Mostaganem is being used for unloading of all sorts of cargo, ranging from provisions to cars and pipelines. As in most ports of Algeria, it is not allowed to sailors to exit the port and visit the city. The port is being shared by large transport vessels and fishing boats alike. A new, smaller port for fishing boats has been constructed, but is currently not used.[[File:El Arsa.jpg|thumb|El Arsa]]

Notable people

Mostaganem has given birth to illustrious figures such as playwright Ould Abderrahmane Abdelkader AKA Kaki, cinema director Mohamed Chouikh, historians such as Moulay Belhamissi, and lyricists such as Kadda Medjeded. A major centre of popular and amateur theater, it is home to important specialists of Andalusian classical music (Moulay Benkrizi), Chaabi (Maazouz Bouadjadj, Habib Bettahar), masters of traditional Bedouin music (Sheikh Hamada, Sheikh Djilali Ain Tedeles) and poets such as Sheikh Abdelkader Bentobdji and Sidi Lakhdar Benkhelouf who are authors of well-known qasida of Malhun poetry bequeathed as much to the Chaabi legacy as to Bedouins such as Emir `Abd al-Qādir al-Jazā'irī. The poet Ahlam Mostaghanemi Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi was originally from near Mostaganem.

Furthermore, one of the most notable religious figures of the 20th century was also born and later buried in Mostaganem, the Great Sufi Master, Ahmad al-Alawi, who played a major role in spreading the Shadhili Darqawi tariqa (spiritual order) across the globe, such that this order is now considered one of the world's largest and most influential Sufi paths. Many modern Muslims consider al-Alawi to be one of the "revivers" of Islam in the 20th century due to his role in spreading the religion, and even influencing the West, including opening the first mosque in Paris. Al-Alawi's tomb is now a popular visitation sight in Mostaganem.

• Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, French general, was born in Mostaganem in 1856.
• Alain-Julien Rudefoucauld, French writer and playwright was born in Mostaganem in 1950.
• Ishak Belfodil, (born 12 January 1992) is an Algerian professional football player
• Abdelkader Ouali (born 1952), politician

References

References

1. (2008). "Armature urbaine". Office National des Statistiques.
2. [http://murustaga-mostaganem27.webs.com/ Murustaga-Mostaganem] {{webarchive. link. (1 February 2014)
3. link. (22 October 2023 {{ISBN). 978-0-52121592-3), p. 118
4. link. (22 October 2023 {{ISBN). 978-0-22790308-7), p. 84
5. ''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, {{ISBN. 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 935
6. "Klimadaten ausgewählter Wetterstationen: Algerien". Deutscher Wetterdinest.