Sour El-Ghozlane
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سور الغزلان ⵚⵓⵔ ⵍⵖⴻⵣⵍⴰⵏ Sour El-Ghozlane |
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| Coordinates | 36 ° 9 ′ N , 3 ° 41 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Algeria | ||
| Bouira | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | DZ-10 | ||
| height | 880 m | ||
| Residents | 43,985 (2008) | ||
 Sour El-Ghozlane - city view
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Sour El-Ghozlane ( Arabic سور الغزلان; Central Atlas Tamazight ⵚⵓⵔ ⵍⵖⴻⵣⵍⴰⵏ Ṣur Lɣezlan ) is a northern Algerian city with approx. 50,000 inhabitants and the capital of a municipality ( commune ) consisting of several villages with a total of approx. 60,000 inhabitants in the province of Bouira . Sour El-Ghozlane is an important city in Kabylia .
Toponym
The original name of the place was possibly already Sour El-Ghozlane (= "Gazelle fortress"); the Romans named him Auzia and the French Aumale in honor of the Algerian fighter Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale .
Location and climate
The town of Sour El-Ghozlane is located at an altitude of approx. 880 m in the Tell Atlas Mountains near the source of the Oued Lakhal. Algiers is about 115 km (driving distance) to the northwest; the provincial capital Bouira is about 40 km northeast. The climate is mostly temperate to warm; Rain (approx. 530 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.
population
| year | 1966 | 1987 | 1998 | 2008 |
| Residents | k. A. | k. A. | 35,475 | 43,985 |
Since the 1960s, Sour El-Ghozlane has experienced a strong immigration of families from the rural regions of Algeria.
economy
Agriculture in the area is mainly characterized by grain and oil production; the livestock that is still in operation mostly takes place in stables. Traders, craftsmen and service providers of all kinds have settled in the city. In 1983 a cement works was built in the vicinity of the city .
history
Small prehistoric finds attest to the presence of hunters and gatherers . There was a Berber settlement even before the arrival of the Romans . The Romans called the Augustan foundation Auzia and equipped it with a theater . Around the year 20 AD the Numidian soldier Tacfarinas rebelled against the Roman rule at the head of a tribal coalition; however, with his death near Auzia in 24 , the uprising collapsed. Later Vandals , Byzantines and Arabs crossed the area, which came under Ottoman rule in the 16th century . From 1830 to 1962 Sour El-Ghozlane was part of the French colony of Algeria .
Attractions
- The ruins of the ancient city wall and three gates ( Bab-El-Gourt , Bab-El-Sbitar and Bab-El-Cheuyir ) are still preserved.
- Apart from a few colonial buildings, the largely modern city has no historically or culturally significant sights.
Personalities
- Kaddour M'Hamsadji (* 1933), Algerian writer
- Djamel Amrani (1935–2005), Algerian writer and freedom fighter
- Jean-Claude Brialy (1933–2007), French actor and director
