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Souk Ahras سوق أهراس | |
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| City of Souk Ahras | |
 View of the city | |
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  Souk Ahras Location of Souk Ahras within Algeria | |
| Coordinates:36°17′11″N7°57′4″E / 36.28639°N 7.95111°E /36.28639; 7.95111 | |
| Country |  Algeria |
| Province | Souk Ahras (seat) |
| District | Souk Ahras (coextensive) |
| Government | |
| • PMA Seats | 33 |
| Area | |
• Total | 812 km2 (314 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 699 m (2,293 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 156,745 |
| • Density | 193/km2 (500/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Souk ahrasi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Postal code | 41000 |
| Area code | +213 (37) |
| ONS code | 4101 |
| Climate | Csa |
| Website | https://www.wilaya-soukahras.dz |
Souk Ahras (Arabic:سوق أهراس,romanized: Sūq Ahrās) is amunicipality inAlgeria. It is the capital ofSouk Ahras Province. TheNumidian city ofThagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was the birthplace ofAugustine of Hippo and a center ofBerber culture.[1][2]
The name derives from the Arabic wordsouk which means "market", and the Chaoui Berber wordahra (pluralahras) which means "lion", in reference to theBarbary lions which existed in the neighboring forests until their extinction in 1930; henceSouk Ahras means "market of lions" (see alsoOran (Wahran) andTahert for names with a related etymology).
The old name of the Numidian city of Thagaste derives from the Berber Thagoust, which meansthe bag, given that the site of the town is located at the foot of a mountain surrounded by three peaks in the form of a bag containing the city. Subsequently, when theArabic language appeared in the region it was calledSoukara. In other sources it is cited as the Palace of the African, according toAl-Masudi.
The town of Souk Ahras, as its region, was home to people of theAterian culture from the end of theMiddle Palaeolithic to the early upperPalaeolithic Ages. After the Aterian, Souk Ahras was inhabited by people of theCapsian culture. Many stone tools dating to this period have been discovered. Stemmed arrows were found on the site of present-day Souk Ahras, but also inTiffech andTaoura, not far from it.
It was the birthplace ofAugustine of Hippo (born 13 November 354 CE), son ofSaint Monica of Hippo, who later became the Bishop of Hippo and Saint Augustine.[3] Souk Ahras (Thagaste) has played an important role in the political and cultural history of the region because of its strategic position at the crossroads ofNumide, Ancient Roman, andBerber civilizations. It was the location of military fortifications (Madaure,Tiffech,Khemissa, etc.) and urban centers.
Thagaste was a town of Numidia inRoman North Africa, on the banks of theOued Hamise river.Augustine of Hippo was born here.TheRoman city is identified withruins of Tajilt near Souk Ahras, Algeria.
The Numidian city of Thagaste or Tagaste, on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was situated in the north-eastern highlands ofNumidia. It was about 100 km (60 miles) fromHippo Regius, (present dayAnnaba), 32 km (20 miles) southwest ofThubursicum (present day Khamissa), and about 240 km (150 miles) fromCarthage (on the coast of present-dayTunisia).
Thagaste became aRomanmunicipium.[4] The city was mentioned byPliny the Elder. As amunicipium, Thagaste was not settled by Roman Italian immigrants, but was inhabited by Romanized nativeBerbers.[5]
In 1830 Souk Ahras became a colonial settlement ofFrench Algeria (1830–1962). In the late 19th century connection via theAlgerian Railway, and in the 20th centuryiron ore andphosphate mining brought some modern significance and prosperity to the town.
During theAlgerian War of Independence (1954–1962), Souk Ahras housed the Ouled Bechiah Mounts as an autonomous military base of theArmy of National Liberation (ALN), called "Basis of the East".
The town of Souk Ahras is located in a basin surrounded by wooded mountains as the Djebel Beni Salah or Djebel Ouled Moumen.
Souk Ahras is crossed by a major North African river, theMedjerda.
Three dams exist in the region of Souk Ahras,that of Ain-Edalia supplies the town of Souk Ahras and its region with 76 million cubic metres (2.7 billion cubic feet). The dams ofOued Charef andDjedra, provide a capacity of 153 and 35 million cubic metres (5.4 and 1.2 billion cubic feet), respectively. Dam Djedra is intended to supply the town of Souk Ahras with a quantity of 12 and 35 million cubic metres (420 and 1,240 million cubic feet) of potable water, while 2 million cubic metres (71 million cubic feet) will be pumped for irrigation.
Souk Ahras has ahot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classificationCsa) with warm summers and mild winters. Its proximity to theMediterranean Sea aids in moderating the city's temperatures. As a result, Souk Ahras usually does not see the extreme temperatures that are experienced in the adjacent interior deserts. The climate of Souk Ahras, like that of otherAtlas cities, features wet winters and dry summers. Souk Ahras on average receives roughly 840.74 mm (33.10 inches) of precipitation per year, the bulk of which is seen between October and April.
| Climate data for Souk Ahras (1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) | 27.3 (81.1) | 30.6 (87.1) | 32.2 (90.0) | 37.9 (100.2) | 43.0 (109.4) | 43.7 (110.7) | 43.1 (109.6) | 43.0 (109.4) | 37.2 (99.0) | 29.0 (84.2) | 25.8 (78.4) | 43.7 (110.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 11.6 (52.9) | — | 15.4 (59.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 23.6 (74.5) | 29.3 (84.7) | 33.4 (92.1) | 33.4 (92.1) | 28.2 (82.8) | 23.5 (74.3) | 16.9 (62.4) | 12.7 (54.9) | — |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.5 (50.9) | 13.2 (55.8) | 17.4 (63.3) | 22.4 (72.3) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.3 (79.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 18.0 (64.4) | 12.4 (54.3) | 8.8 (47.8) | 16.1 (61.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.5 (38.3) | — | 5.6 (42.1) | 7.7 (45.9) | 11.2 (52.2) | 15.5 (59.9) | 18.7 (65.7) | 19.1 (66.4) | 16.1 (61.0) | 12.6 (54.7) | 8.0 (46.4) | 4.9 (40.8) | — |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5.7 (21.7) | −6.1 (21.0) | −1.5 (29.3) | −1.2 (29.8) | 2.1 (35.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 9.5 (49.1) | 10.5 (50.9) | 7.6 (45.7) | 3.0 (37.4) | −0.5 (31.1) | −4.2 (24.4) | −6.1 (21.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 118.2 (4.65) | 99.0 (3.90) | 85.3 (3.36) | 75.8 (2.98) | 60.2 (2.37) | 20.4 (0.80) | 7.0 (0.28) | 20.8 (0.82) | 42.8 (1.69) | 53.1 (2.09) | 82.0 (3.23) | 108.4 (4.27) | 773.0 (30.43) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 10.5 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 8.4 | 10.4 | 82.4 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 153.2 | — | 208.4 | — | 277.9 | 311.0 | 348.7 | 318.4 | 239.5 | 221.6 | 169.5 | 142.6 | — |
| Source:NOAA[6] | |||||||||||||
The inhabitants of the town of Souk Ahras are ofBerber origin. They are mainly from the different regions of the wilaya of Souk Ahras and neighboringwilayas. The first tribes having established in Souk Ahras were known as the Papiria,[7] or Babiria from the name of Berber. They were composed of Causses and Syliactae.[8]
The tribes of Mousoulami, Kirina, Hnanchas, Hrakta have also lived here, all of them having Berber origins. These tribes lived in tents and practicednomadism. They have established later and founded respective cities for themselves, including the town of Souk Ahras.
| Year | 1901 | 1926 | 1948 | 1954 | 1960 | 1966 | 1974 | 1977 | 1987 | 1998 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 7,500 | 10,600 | 17,025 | 20,700 | 22,800 | 34,400 | 52,100 | 57,173 | 80,015 | 115,882 | 157,329 |
Tourism in Souk Ahras focuses largely on a variety of historical and natural sites. In recent years it has become a destination for culture and health tourism. Landmarks include the Al-Aman mosque, theThagaste bridge in the center of the city, the olive tree of St. Augustine, the corner of Sidi Massoud, and the cultural center. It is located 90 km (56 miles) fromAnnaba and its airport.
Places adjacent to Souk Ahras | |
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Capital:Souk Ahras | ||
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