Mostaganem
City in Mostaganem Province, Algeria
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Mostaganem (Arabic: مستغانم, romanized: Mustaghānim, Berber languages: ⵎⵓⵙⵜⴰⵖⴰⵏⵎ, romanized: Mustaɣanm) is a Mediterranean sea port and capital city of Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria in the Gulf of Arzew. The city was founded in the 11th century and is 72 kilometres (45 mi) ENE of Oran. The city was founded in the 11th century as Murustage but has origins going back to Punic and Roman times. In 1516, it was captured by the Ottoman admiral Barbarossa and became a centre for Mediterranean sea corsairs, as well as a commercial port. By 1700, it had come under Ottoman rule. In 1833, the city was taken by France and a garrison established. Algeria became independent in 1962. It is the second-largest city in the country's northwest, after Oran, and Algeria's fourth-largest port city with 406,190 inhabitants as of the 2019 census.[1]
Mostaganem
مستغانم | |
|---|---|
El Arsa Park Tobana Mosque Dar El Kaïd Dar Hamid El Abdi Bordj Ettork and Mostaganem Tramway Zawiya Al-Alawiyya of Mostaganem | |
 Seal | |
| Nickname: Pearl of the Mediterranean | |
 | |
  Mostaganem | |
| Coordinates: 35°56′N 0°5′E | |
| Country |  Algeria |
| Province | Mostaganem Province |
| District | Mostaganem District |
| Area | |
• Total | 50 km2 (19 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 104 m (341 ft) |
| Population (2014 census) | |
• Total | 245,330 |
| • Density | 4,900/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Postal code | 27000 |
Mostaganem is home to the medical provider and college, the University of Mostaganem which was established in 1979. The University is referred to locally as the University of Abdelhamid Ibn Badis (UMAB). The name is taken from Abdelhamid Ibn Badis who is a popular figure of Muslim reform movements in Algeria. The university offers curriculums from Bachelor's to Doctorate's in computer science as well as a medical Doctorate's. [2]
The city's major sports teams are ESA Mostaganem, and WA Mostaganem. Both are Algerian football teams and both play in the Mohamed Bensaïd Stadium.
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).[3][better source needed] However, according to academics, Cartennae (or Cartenna or Cartennas) is modern Ténès, a town 50 km to the east of Mostaganem.[4][5] 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.[6]
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.[3]
WWII
Navy battalions set sail aboard L.S.Ts (Landing Ship Tanks) towards an unknown destination, code named "Island X". Island X would turn out to be the Gulf of Arzew in Northern Algeria. In April 1943, US Navy forces "D" company arrived in Mostaganem to build an amphibious port. The port in Mostaganem was the largest base of its kind. It had electricity, running water, roads, a hospital, and pontoon shops. The arrival of Allied forces in Mostaganem were welcome and the locals were friendly towards the soldiers.[7]
Geography
Tourism
The city of Mostaganem features a port on the Mediterranean Sea that has a ferry[10], Amusement Park [11], commercial district, religious heritage sites, and beaches. [12]
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 (64.2 °F). About 347 mm (13.66 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Mostaganem (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 25.8 (78.4) |
32.6 (90.7) |
34.5 (94.1) |
35.8 (96.4) |
42.5 (108.5) |
43.6 (110.5) |
45.9 (114.6) |
45.0 (113.0) |
39.6 (103.3) |
38.7 (101.7) |
32.0 (89.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
45.9 (114.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 16.2 (61.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.3 (70.3) |
24.5 (76.1) |
28.3 (82.9) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.3 (90.1) |
28.7 (83.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
23.5 (74.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.6 (56.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.6 (72.7) |
25.7 (78.3) |
26.4 (79.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
19.7 (67.5) |
15.0 (59.0) |
12.3 (54.1) |
18.0 (64.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
6.3 (43.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
19.7 (67.5) |
20.4 (68.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
10.0 (50.0) |
7.4 (45.3) |
12.5 (54.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.2 (28.0) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
0.2 (32.4) |
4.1 (39.4) |
6.6 (43.9) |
11.0 (51.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 56.7 (2.23) |
46.9 (1.85) |
36.4 (1.43) |
38.1 (1.50) |
23.6 (0.93) |
3.9 (0.15) |
1.3 (0.05) |
3.0 (0.12) |
22.4 (0.88) |
33.4 (1.31) |
69.5 (2.74) |
55.4 (2.18) |
390.6 (15.38) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0mm) | 6.3 | 6.2 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 47.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 77 | 76 | 77 | 69 | 72 | 69 | 68 | 64 | 70 | 74 | 75 | 71 | 72 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 6.6 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 8.9 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 11.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 8.2 | 7.4 | 6.7 | 8.8 |
| Source 1: NOAA (temperatures, precipitation 1991–2020)[13] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1976-1995, sun 1961-1990)[14] | |||||||||||||
Present situation
In 2010 a tunnel under the city and towards the city center 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.
Notable people
- Louis Franchet d'Espèrey, French general, was born in Mostaganem in 1856.[15]
- Sheikh Hamada, musician.[16]
- Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi, poet.[17]
- Mohamed Chouikh, cinema director. [18]
- Ahmad al-Alawi, notable religious figures of the 20th century was also born and later buried in Mostaganem. [19]
- Alain-Julien Rudefoucauld, French writer and playwright was born in Mostaganem in 1950.[20]
- Abdelkader Ouali (born 1952), politician.[21]
