Mostaganem

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The coasts of Mostaganem in Piri Reis's book Kitab-ı Bahriye
The coasts of Mostaganem in Piri Reis's book Kitab-ı Bahriye
Mostaganem
مستغانم
City
UTC+1 (CET
)
Postal code
27000

Mostaganem (

Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Oran. It is considered as the second-largest city in the country's northwest, after Oran, and as Algeria's fourth-largest port city with its 457,986 inhabitants as of the 2018 census.[1]

The city was founded in the 11th century as Murustage but has origins going back to

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.

History

Mostaganem corresponds to the ancient

Cartennas) corresponds instead to modern Ténès, 50 km to the east.[3][4] In any case, 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.[5]
It also underlies the modern name of Mostaganem.

The town was ruled by the

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.[2]

Geography

Climate

Sidi Lakhdar beach.

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)[6]
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1976-1995, sun 1961-1990)[7]

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.

El Arsa

Notable people

Mostaganem has given birth to illustrious figures such as playwright

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,

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.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.ons.dz/IMG/armature2008-%20FINAL%281%29.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  2. ^ a b Murustaga-Mostaganem Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ISBN 978-0-52121592-3
    ), p. 118
  4. ISBN 978-0-22790308-7
    ), p. 84
  5. ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1
    ), p. 935
  6. ^ "Mostaganem Climate Normals for 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Klimadaten ausgewählter Wetterstationen: Algerien". Dwd.de (in German). Deutscher Wetterdinest. Retrieved 28 July 2023.

External links

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