Laghouat
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الأغواط ⵍⴻⵖⵡⴰⵟ Laghouat |
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| Coordinates | 33 ° 49 ′ N , 2 ° 53 ′ E | ||
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| Country | Algeria | ||
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| ISO 3166-2 | DZ-03 | ||
| Residents | 125,000 (2005) | ||
 Laghouat
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Laghouat ( Arabic الأغواط al-Aghwat , DMG al-Aġwāṭ , tamazight ⵍⴻⵖⵡⴰⵟ Leɣwaṭ ) is a city in northern Algeria with about 125,000 (2005) inhabitants. It is located in the Laghouat province of the same name, of which it is the capital. It is located south of the Atlas Mountains . Laghouat has been the seat of the eponymous diocese ( Dioecesis Laghuatensis )since 1955.
In the last mountainous stretches of the southern Sahara Atlas , the city is already on the northern border of the Sahara . The river Wadi Djedi flows close to it.
history
The city was founded in the 11th century and came under Moroccan and Ottoman rule. In 1852 the French took over the city. During the French colonial period, the 2eme CSPL (Compagnie Saharienne Portée de la Legion Etrangere) of the Foreign Legion was stationed there and was responsible for controlling and securing the roads through the Sahara from Laghouat . The city has been Algerian since 1962.
Personalities
The Algerian diplomat Mourad Bencheikh was born in the village .
