Oran (local dialect: Oran); Known as Bahia, it is the second-largest city in Algeria after the capital and one of the most important cities in the Maghreb, it is located in northwest Algeria, 432 km from Algiers. Overlooking the Gulf of Oran in the western Mediterranean, the city has been for many decades and is still an important economic center and seaport.
It is bounded to the north by the Bay of Fattah, and to the west by Mount Marjago (420 meters) and the plateau of Moulay Abdelkader Jilani. The city complex is located on both banks of the stream of Wadi Al-Rahi (Raha collection), which is now called Wadi Ras Al-Ain. The population of the municipality reached 852,000 in 2009, while the population of the metropolis was 1,648,642. It was also found that its budget amounted to 4.8 billion Algerian dinars in 2008.
Since ancient times, the city has attracted the interest and ambitions of different civilizations, and its reign has oscillated between the local ruling dynasties of Arabs and Ottoman Turks, and between the Spanish and French occupants, each of which has put its mark to decorate the city with its heritage and cultural mosaic. After Algeria's independence, the city has experienced significant developments that have made it the second-largest city in the country and an important economic and scientific pole. The diversification of the economic activity in it, from large to small industries, benefited from its proximity to the oil city of Arzew. the city also became a commercial pole thanks to its active seaport, which was the main outlet of foreign trade for all the western part of Algeria.
Oran culture made the city famous regionally, Arably, and even internationally. The region was famous for the poets of the so-called Malhoun, who formed the diamond from which the Oranese song was spread through the elders of Orani and the Rai song later, to reach the ears of the world through the youth of the city. The theater has also had a part as evidenced by the plays of Abdelkader Alloula and others. This diversity has made the city an attractive place for tourists. This has paved the way for investment in the infrastructure of the tourism sector so that many luxury hotels and resorts have taken advantage of the beauty of the region's beaches.
According to the most common interpretation among the people, the word "Oran" is the double of the Arabic word "Wahr" meaning the lion. However, the word Wahr does not mean a lion according to the language of the Arabs, the Sahih in the language, the surrounding dictionary, and others, in addition to the fact that most historians have not provided this interpretation. Therefore, it is likely that the name is of Berber origin, related to the Haran Valley or to the Atlas lions that lived in the area, whose names have been mentioned in history with different spellings.
The legend carries an interpretation of the first story and says that the last lions of this Mediterranean coast were hunted in the mountain near Oran called "Jabal Al Aswad". He gave this name to the town, the former lion hunter, Sidi Maqod al-Mahaji, in honor of the two lions he tamed. Two large bronze statues of two lions have been installed in front of the city hall in reference to the city's name. The mausoleum (dome) of Sidi Maqod al-Mahaji is located in the cemetery of Sidi Filali in the Sanubar district.
It is worth noting that Oran was once known as "Ifri", which in Berber means "the cave", a name no doubt associated with the many caves in the hills surrounding Oran.
Location
Oran is located at the western end of the southern shore of the Mediterranean basin on the Gulf of Oran. It is bordered on the west by Mount Marjago, which separates it from the municipality of El Marsa El Kebir. To the south, it is bordered by the municipality of El-Sania in the plateau of Moulay Abdelkader El-Kilani (Al-Maida Mall), while to the southwest it is bordered by a large marsh. Bir El-Gair is one of its suburbs.
To the west of Oran, Mount Marjago rises on rugged and furrowed slopes, made of schist and quartzite rocks (Lyassic and Jurassic periods) and rises to more than 500 m in a semi-vertical shape. On the slopes of this mountain and near the old basins, old districts such as Blantor and Ras al-Ain are spread out.
The climate
Oran enjoys a traditional Mediterranean climate characterized by dry summers softened by sea breezes, mild winters, and clear, bright skies. There is little or no rainfall during the summer months with bright sunshine and clear skies. The Oran area experiences subtropical high atmospheric pressure for about four months of the year. It also experiences significant precipitation during the winter. The lowest precipitation level was about 294 mm, with a frequency of 72.9 days per year. The fluctuation of precipitation is a characteristic of this Mediterranean climate.
History of the city
Oran is a very old city, but its foundation dates back to Andalusian and Moroccan traders in the 10th century AD.
It was occupied by the Spanish in 1509 and then expelled by the Ottomans in 1792, and the French occupied it in 1838 and continued under occupation until Algeria's independence in 1962.
The monuments of the city
Among the monuments of the city are the Al-Darb district, the modern city district, the 1st November square, the Pasha mosque, built-in 1796, and the tourist site of Ain al-Turk where hotels are available, and the Andalusia tourist complex overlooking the Mediterranean Gulf and the Santa Cruz Tower, founded by the Spaniards
Several famous personalities are from the city of Oran, including the Algerian resistance fighter Ahmed Zabana, who was the first resistance fighter to execute the death penalty in 1957, and sportsmen, the Algerian player Tahar Sharif El Wazzani.
One of its famous rai singers is Cheb Khaled, whose genius earned him the title of capital of rai. The French writer and novelist Albert Camus also resided there for a long time and was the scene of several of his books.
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