Béjaïa

"Bougie" redirects here. For other uses, see Bougie (disambiguation).

Béjaïa بجاية (Arabic)
City and commune
Location of Béjaïa, Algeria within Béjaïa Province
Béjaïa Location in Algeria
Coordinates: 36°45′04″N 05°03′51″E
Country	Algeria
Province	Béjaïa Province
District	Béjaïa District
Area
• Total	120.22 km2 (46.42 sq mi)
Population  (2008 census)
• Total	177,988
• Density	1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
Postal code	06000
Climate	Csa

Béjaïa (/bɪˈdʒaɪə/; Arabic: بجاية, romanized: Bijāya, [bid͡ʒaːja]) formerly Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean port city and commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province.

Geography

Monkey Peak (Pic des singes).

Location

Béjaïa owes its existence to its port, which also makes it prosperous. It is located in a sickle-shaped bay protected from the swell of offshore winds (northwest facing) by the advance of Cape Carbon (to the west of the city). The city is backed by Mount Gouraya located in a northwest position. This port site, in one of the most beautiful bays of the Maghreb and Mediterranean coast, is dominated in the background by the Babors mountain range. Another advantage is that the city is the outlet of the Soummam valley, a geographical corridor facing southwest. However, since the time when the city was a capital, there has been a divorce between the city and the region (Kabylia) linked to the difficulty of securing a hinterland. On a macro-regional scale, the city has its back to the region: its position at the end of the Soummam places it at the interface between Grande and Petite Kabylie. But these two groups are closed in on themselves and seek inland capitals (Tizi Ouzou, Akbou, Kherrata, etc.) by turning away from the coast. The city has, in a way, weak local roots; the rural proximity of the city is limited to four or five communes. On a micro-regional scale, Béjaïa is the outlet of a central Algeria, going from Algiers to Skikda, the spillway of the Highlands and a supply port for two million people. But the connection is complex: to the south-east, trade with Sétif is only possible through the steep gorges of Kherrata; another route takes the Soummam, then to the east the Iron Gates and the climb towards Bordj Bou Arreridj, it is this route that is taken by the national road and the railway. These topographical constraints mean that, despite its strong dynamism, the city sees part of the trade escape it in its eastern and western areas of influence.

he town is overlooked by the mountain Yemma Gouraya. Other nearby scenic spots include the Aiguades beach and the Pic des Singes (Peak of the Monkeys); the latter site is a habitat for the endangered Barbary macaque, which prehistorically had a much broader distribution than at present. All three of these geographic features are located in the Gouraya National Park.

The urban area covers an area of 12,022 hectares. Béjaïa is located 220 km east of the capital Algiers, 93 km east of Tizi Ouzou, 81.5 km northeast of Bordj Bou Arreridj, 70 km northwest of Sétif and 61 km west of Jijel. The geographic coordinates of the commune at the central point of its capital are 36° 45′ 00″ North and 5° 04′ 00″ East, respectively.

Toponymy

Béjaïa is transliteration from an Arabic toponym derived from the Berber toponym (Kabyle variant) Bgayet, notably by transliteration (see Transcription and transliteration) of the sound ǧ in dj (ج). This Berber name — which would have originally been Tabgayet, but whose initial t marking the feminine gender would have fallen into disuse — would come from the words tabegga, tabeɣayt, meaning "wild brambles and blackberries".

The name Béjaïa would thus originally have the same Berber root as other names of cities in the Maghreb, such as Dougga (Thouga) and Béja (Vaga) in Tunisia or Ksar Baghaï (Bagaï) in the Aurès.

In medieval Romance languages, Bugayacode: lat promoted to code: la (from Arabic Bugāyacode: lat promoted to code: la ; in Spanish Bujía and in Italian Bugía is the name given to the city that supplied a large quantity of beeswax for the manufacture of candles. Bougie will be the French form of this transcription of the Arabic name. Gradually it will be applied to the designation of the wax that was imported in the Middle Ages for the manufacture of candles in Europe; they are from then on commonly designated in French by the word "bougie".

Climate and hydrography

The city is part of the Soummam's drainage basin. Béjaïa and the lower Soummam Valley enjoy a Mediterranean climate. It is generally humid with a slight seasonal temperature change. Average temperatures are generally mild and vary from 11.1 °C in winter to 24.5 °C in summer.

In addition to the Soummam River, which sufficiently meets agricultural needs in the surroundings of the city, Béjaïa is located in the maritime Kabylie and benefits from a fairly favorable rainfall compared to the rest of the country. The rainfall in the region can range from 800 mm to 1,200 mm, but some local sources tend to be depleted due to increased demand. The city also draws its water resources from the mountainous hinterland and from various springs, such as that of Toudja, which was connected in ancient times by an aqueduct to the ancient city (Saldae).

Climate data for Béjaïa
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	27.7 (81.9)	32.0 (89.6)	37.2 (99.0)	35.4 (95.7)	42.7 (108.9)	42.8 (109.0)	44.8 (112.6)	47.6 (117.7)	42.5 (108.5)	40.0 (104.0)	37.4 (99.3)	33.0 (91.4)	47.6 (117.7)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	16.4 (61.5)	16.8 (62.2)	17.7 (63.9)	19.3 (66.7)	22.0 (71.6)	25.3 (77.5)	28.7 (83.7)	29.3 (84.7)	27.8 (82.0)	24.3 (75.7)	20.3 (68.5)	16.9 (62.4)	22.1 (71.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	12.1 (53.8)	12.3 (54.1)	13.1 (55.6)	14.7 (58.5)	17.6 (63.7)	21.0 (69.8)	24.0 (75.2)	24.8 (76.6)	23.2 (73.8)	19.7 (67.5)	15.8 (60.4)	12.7 (54.9)	17.6 (63.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	7.7 (45.9)	7.6 (45.7)	8.5 (47.3)	10.1 (50.2)	13.1 (55.6)	16.6 (61.9)	19.3 (66.7)	20.2 (68.4)	18.5 (65.3)	15.0 (59.0)	11.2 (52.2)	8.4 (47.1)	13.0 (55.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−1.4 (29.5)	−4.0 (24.8)	−0.1 (31.8)	2.0 (35.6)	5.8 (42.4)	7.8 (46.0)	13.0 (55.4)	11.0 (51.8)	11.0 (51.8)	8.0 (46.4)	1.6 (34.9)	−2.4 (27.7)	−4.0 (24.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	115.9 (4.56)	94.0 (3.70)	80.6 (3.17)	64.4 (2.54)	41.3 (1.63)	13.6 (0.54)	6.1 (0.24)	12.1 (0.48)	55.9 (2.20)	70.0 (2.76)	99.3 (3.91)	117.8 (4.64)	771 (30.37)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	9.8	9.3	7.9	7	5.2	2.2	0.8	2.1	5.4	6.6	8.5	9.2	74
Average relative humidity (%)	78.5	77.6	77.9	77.9	79.9	76.9	75.0	74.6	76.4	76.3	75.3	76.0	76.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours	164.7	168.4	206.4	227.5	269.7	308.3	331.5	304.6	233.6	213.7	167.5	—	—
Source 1: NOAA (precipitation-sun 1991-2020)(mean temperatures 1968-1990)
Source 2: climatebase.ru (extremes, humidity)

Roadside and rail communications

The relief of Béjaïa and its road and rail communication routes.

The city of Béjaïa is linked to Algiers, Tizi Ouzou, Bouira, Sétif, Jijel and several Kabyle localities by an important road network. It has a bus station. Bus lines connect it to the cities of the Algerian south, including Hassi Messaoud, Ouargla, Ghardaïa, Laghouat, Djelfa and Bou Saâda.

The commune of Béjaïa is served by several national roads. Some of them run through valleys and gorges that constitute natural passage areas: national road 9 (Sétif road), which passes along the coast then the Kherrata gorges to Sétif, and national road 24 (Béjaïa road), which crosses the Soummam valley, Bouira, then Algiers to the west, or Bordj Bou Arreridj to the east. Others run through steeper terrain: national road 12 (Tizi Ouzou road), passing through the Yakouren forest and its mountains then Azazga, Tizi-Ouzou to Boumerdès, and national road 75 (Batna road), passing through Barbacha and the mountains of Petite Kabylie to reach Sétif and join the Highlands to Batna. A highway construction project is underway to ease congestion on the Béjaïa road, the main axis between the capital and the east of the country, and to connect the city and its port, one of the most important in Algeria, to the Algerian East-West highway.

Béjaïa has a railway station, the terminus of the Beni Mansour-Bejaia line, created in 1889 and on which a railcar runs linking the stations in the region: Beni Mansour, Tazmalt, Allaghan, Akbou, Lazib Ben Cherif, Ighzer Amokrane, Takriets, Sidi Aich, Ilmaten and El Kseur, The interconnection, at Beni Mansour, with the Algiers-Skikda line, allows access to the entire Algerian railway network by direct links to the Algerian capital, to the west, and to Sétif, to the south-east. A regional train specifically linking Béjaïa to its outskirts is also in service; it was designed to open up the east of the region. The line would benefit from about fifteen daily round trips and should serve the stations of the Beni Mansour-Bejaia line. Bejaia has an international airport located 5 km south of the city. It was first called "Bejaia - Soummam Airport" between 1982 and 1999, named after the Soummam River which flows into the Mediterranean near Bejaia. It was inaugurated in 1982 for domestic flights and in 1993 for international flights. It was renamed "Bejaia - Soummam - Abane Ramdane Airport" in 1999, in homage to the Algerian politician who played a key role in the history of the Algerian War of Independence.

History

Timeline of Béjaïa
Historical affiliations

Numidia (202 BC-25 BC )
Mauretania (27 BC–44 AD)
Roman Empire (44–395)
Western Roman Empire (395–430s)
Vandal Kingdom (430s–534)
Byzantine Empire (534–674)
Umayyad Caliphate (674–685)
Byzantine Empire (685–698)
Umayyad Caliphate (698–700)
Jarawa (700–702)
Umayyad Caliphate (702–741)
Berbers (741–771)
Abbasid Caliphate (771–790s)
Aghlabids (790s–909)
Fatimid Caliphate (909–977)
Zirid dynasty (977–1014)
Hammadid dynasty (1014–1152)
Almohad Caliphate (1152–1232)
Hafsid dynasty (1232–1285)
Emirate of Béjaïa (1285–1510)
Hispanic Monarchy (1510–1555)
Ottoman Empire, regency of Algiers (1555–1833)
France, french Algeria (1833-1962)
Algeria (1962–present)

Antiquity and Byzantine era

See also: Saldae

The Western Roman empire in the second century AD during the reign of Hadrian. Saldae can be seen on the south coast of the Mediterranean.

According to Al-Bakri, the bay was first inhabited by Andalusians.

Béjaïa stands on the site of the ancient city of Saldae, a minor port in Carthaginian and Roman times, in an area at first inhabited by Numidian Berbers and founded as a colony for old soldiers by Emperor Augustus. It was an important town and a bishopric in the province of Mauretania Caesariensis, and later Sitifensis.

Coin of the Hafsids, with ornamental Kufic script, from Béjaïa, 1249–1276

In the fifth century, Saldae became the capital of the short-lived Vandal Kingdom of the Germanic Vandals, which lasted for almost a century until 533 with the Byzantine conquest, which established an African prefecture and later the Exarchate of Carthage. The surviving Vandals then assimilated into the native Berber population.

Muslim and feudal rulers

See also: Hafsids of Béjaïa

After the 7th-century Muslim conquest, it was refounded as "Béjaïa"; the Hammadid dynasty made it their capital, and it became an important port and centre of culture.

Historic map of Algiers and Béjaïa by Piri Reis

The Casbah of Béjaïa or in French Casbah de Béjaïa [fr] was built by the Almohad Caliphate under the reign of governor Abd al-Mu'min in the middle of the 12th century (around 1154), then rebuilt by the Spaniards when the city was taken in 1510. It was then modified by the Ottomans and the French. The Casbah of Béjaïa played a role in the transmission of knowledge in the Middle Ages, the more or less long stays of scientific and literary personalities, versed in all fields of knowledge. No

According to Muhammad al-Idrisi, the port was, in the 11th century, a market place between Mediterranean merchant ships and caravans coming from the Sahara desert. Christian merchants settled funduqs (or khans) in Bejaïa. The Italian city of Pisa was closely tied to Béjaïa, where it built one of its two permanent consulates in the African continent.

The son of a Pisan merchant (and probably consul), posthumously known as Fibonacci (c. 1170 – c. 1250), there learned about mathematics (which he called "Modus Indorum") and Hindu-Arabic numerals. He introduced modern mathematics into medieval Europe. A mathematical-historical analysis of Fibonacci's context and proximity to Béjaïa, an important exporter of wax in his time, has suggested that it was actually the bee-keepers of Béjaïa and the knowledge of the bee ancestries that truly inspired the Fibonacci sequence rather than the rabbit reproduction model as presented in his famous book Liber Abaci.

In 1315, Ramon Llull was stoned at Béjaïa, where, a few years before, Peter Armengaudius (Peter Armengol) is reputed to have been hanged.

The city was taken by Spain in the Capture of Béjaïa (1510), who held it for over 40 years against local attempts at recapture, until they finally lost it to the Ottoman Empire in the Capture of Béjaïa in 1555. For nearly three centuries, Béjaïa was a stronghold of the Barbary pirates. The city consisted of Arabic-speaking Moors, Moriscos and Jews increased by Jewish refugees from Spain. Berber peoples lived not in the city but the surrounding villages and travelled to the city occasionally for markets.

City landmarks include a 16th-century mosque and a fortress built by the Spanish in 1545.

A picture of the Orientalist painter Maurice Boitel, who painted in the city for a while, can be found in the museum of Béjaïa.

Bordj Moussa

French colonial rule

It was captured by the French in 1833 and became a part of colonial Algeria. Most of the time it was the seat ('sous-préfecture') of an arrondissement (mid 20th century, 513,000 inhabitants, of whom 20,000 'Bougiates' in the city itself) in the Département of Constantine, until Bougie was promoted to département itself in 1957.

Battle of Béjaïa

During World War II, Operation Torch landed forces in North Africa, including a battalion of the British Royal West Kent Regiment at Béjaïa on 11 November 1942.

That same day, at 4:40 PM, a German Luftwaffe air raid struck Béjaïa with thirty Ju 88 bombers and torpedo planes. The transports Awatea and Cathay were sunk and the monitor HMS Roberts was damaged. The following day, the anti-aircraft ship SS Tynwald was torpedoed and sank, while the transport Karanja was bombed and destroyed.

Algerian republic

After Algerian independence, it became the eponymous capital of Béjaïa Province, covering part of the eastern Berber region Kabylia.

Ecclesiastical history

With the spread of Christianity, Saldae became a bishopric. Its bishop Paschasius was one of the Catholic bishops whom the Arian Vandal king Huneric summoned to Carthage in 484 and then exiled.

Christianity survived the Islamic conquest, the disappearance of the old city of Saldae, and the founding of the new city of Béjaïa. A letter from Pope Gregory VII (1073–1085) exists, addressed to clero et populo Buzee (the clergy and people of Béjaïa), in which he writes of the consecration of a bishop named Servandus for Christian North Africa.

No longer a residential bishopric, Saldae (v.) is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. and still has incumbents by that title (mostly of the lowest (episcopal) rank, some of the intermediary archiepiscopal rank).

Titular see of Bugia

This titular see was for a long time, alternatively and concurrently with the city's authentic Roman Latin name Saldae (v.), called Bugia, the Italian language form (used in the Roman Curia) of Béjaïa.

The 'modern' form and title, Bugia, seems out of use, after having had the following incumbents, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank:

• Miguel Morro (1510 – ?), as Auxiliary Bishop of Mallorca (Balearic Spain) (1510 – ?)
• Fernando de Vera y Zuñiga, Augustinians (O.E.S.A.) (1614.02.17 – 1628.11.13), as Auxiliary Bishop of Badajoz (Spain) (1614.02.17 – 1628.11.13); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Santo Domingo, finally Archbishop-Bishop of Cusco (Peru) (1629.07.16 – death 1638.11.09)
• François Perez (1687.02.05 – death 1728.09.20), as Apostolic Vicar of Cochin (Vietnam) (1687.02.05 – 1728.09.20)
• Antonio Mauricio Ribeiro (1824.09.27 – death ?), as Auxiliary Bishop of Évora (Portugal) (1824.09.27 – ?)
• George Hilary Brown (5 June 1840 until 22 April 1842), as first and only Apostolic Vicar of Lancashire District (England) (1840.06.05 – 1850.09.29), later Titular Bishop of Tlous (1842.04.22 – 1850.09.29), promoted first bishop of successor see Liverpool (1850.09.29 – 1856.01.25)

Demography

Carbon Cape Lighthouse

Cap Carbon Lighthouse in 2013
Location	Carbon Cape, Béjaïa, Algeria, France
Coordinates	36°46′31″N 5°06′11″E
Tower
Constructed	1906
Construction	stone (tower)
Height	14.6 m (48 ft)
Shape	cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern rising from the keeper's house
Markings	white (tower), black (roof)
Operator	National Maritime Signaling Office
Light
Focal height	224.1 m (735 ft)
Range	28 nmi (52 km; 32 mi)
Characteristic	Fl(3) W 20s

The population of the city in 2008 in the latest census was 177,988.

Historical populations

Year	Population
1901	14,600
1906	17,500
1911	10,000
1921	19,400
1926	15,900
1931	25,300
1936	30,700
1948	28,500
1954	43,900
1960	63,000
1966	49,900
1974	104,000
1977	74,000
1987	114,500
1998	144,400
2008	177,988

Economy

Maritime front of Béjaïa: a view of its industrial facilities and the airport.

The northern terminus of the Hassi Messaoud oil pipeline from the Sahara, Béjaïa is the principal oil port of the Western Mediterranean. Exports, aside from crude petroleum, include iron, phosphates, wines, dried figs, and plums. The city also has textile and cork industries.

The Béni Mansour-Bejaïa line railroad terminates in Béjaïa. The airport of the city is Abane Ramdane Airport.

Cevital has its head office in the city.

Sports

The city is home to JSM Béjaïa and MO Béjaïa, two rival football clubs who won one Algerian Cup each and have represented the city in African club competitions. Both of them play at the Maghrebi Unity Stadium.

Twin towns – sister cities

Béjaïa has an official friendly relationship with:

• Glasgow, Scotland, since 1995
• Brest
• Bad Homburg

Villages

• Ilougane

Notable people

• Zaki Hannache (born 1987), human rights activist
• Nihad Hihat (born 1994), volleyball player
• Rebiha Khebtani (1926–2006), politician
• Nassim Oussalah (born 1981), footballer
• Fares Arfa (born 1994), fencer

See also

• European enclaves in North Africa before 1830
• List of lighthouses in Algeria
• Saldae, for Roman history and concurrent Catholic titular see
• Great Mosque of Béjaïa

Related people

• Abu al-Salt
• Fibonacci

Sources

• Annales algériennes de géographie (in French). Institut de géographie de l'Université d'Alger. 1966.
• Atkinson, Rick (2013). An Army At Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943. Little, Brown Book Group. ISBN 978-1-4055-2727-9.
• Cote, M. (1 April 1991). Encyclopédie berbère (in French). Aix-en-Provence: Éditions Peeters. ISBN 2-85744-509-1. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
• Haddadou, Mohand Akli (2012). Dictionnaire toponymique et historique de l'Algérie: comportant les principales localités, ainsi qu'un glossaire des mots arabes et berbères entrant dans la composition des noms de lieux (in French). Tizi Ouzou: Achab. ISBN 9789947972250.
• Kheladi, Mokhtar (1 January 1993). Urbanisme et systèmes sociaux: la planification urbaine en Algérie (in French). Office des publications universitaires.
• Zouggaghe; Mouni; Taffer (March 2014). "Qualité biologique du réseau hydrographique du bassin versant de la Soummam. (Nord de l'Algérie)" (PDF). Larhyss Journal (17): 21–33. ISSN 1112-3680.

External links

• (in French) Bgayet.Net
  • (in French) History of Béjaïa
• GigaCatholic, with titular incumbent biography links
• Google map of Béjaïa