Zemmouri

Zemmouri is a town and commune in the Bordj Menaïel District of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. As of 2008, the population of the municipality is 26,408.^[1]

Villages

The villages of the commune of Zemmouri are:

History

The coastal site of Zemmouri El-Bahri was a Phoenician and later Roman settlement named Rusubbicari.^[2] In the medieval period, it became a small port named Marsā al-Dajāj (literally "chicken port"). Archeological research there has uncovered medieval structures and pottery, as well as Roman coins.^[3]

By the 19th century the main village, slightly further inland, was known as Zemmouri (usually spelled Zamouri or Zemouri at the time). In 1872 the French government established a colonial settlement there using land confiscated from the Isser el-Ouidan tribe and from private individuals in the wake of the Mokrani Revolt;^[4] in 1886 it was renamed Courbet, after Admiral Amédée Courbet.^[5] Following Algeria's independence in 1962, the name Zemmouri was restored.

French conquest

• Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha (1837)
• First Battle of the Issers (1837)

Algerian Revolution

Salafist terrorism

• 2008 Zemmouri bombing (9 August 2008)

Geology

The disastrous 2003 Boumerdès earthquake led to the discovery of a thrust fault; it was subsequently named after the town. The fault has since been incorporated into seismic hazard maps, which will serve as an important guideline for public safety.^[6]

Nature

To the northwest of the town, the Sahel Forest and the coastal dunes on which it grows are dominated by Aleppo pine and other Mediterranean maquis flora, and constitute a tourist attraction.^[7]

Notable people

• Abdelhafid Benchabla, boxer
• Ali Rial, footballer

References

36°47′N 3°36′E / 36.783°N 3.600°E / 36.783; 3.600

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