ALGIERS

courtesy NationsOnline.org

Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria located midway on the coast, and, along with its metropolitan area, has a population of over 3.5 million. Founded as the Phoenician commercial port city of Ikosim, it later became the Roman city of Icosium. Even though Algiers is today considered an “Arab” city, in fact, it is under Arab occupation as with all other cities in North Africa. As such, the indigenous people of Algiers are Berbers of varying tribes. And in fact, approximately 44% of the population are Berber-speakers. But it is important to note that on present-day maps, Algiers is not shown to belong to any specific indigenous tribal territory. However, it did belong to various medieval Berber kingdoms in past centuries. During the Ottoman period, Algiers was divided into an upper and a lower city consisting of 50 neighborhoods. The Berbers, mainly Kabyle, were one of the main population groups residing in the upper city. For centuries, Europeans would often refer to the North African populations, be they Berber or Arab, as "Moors" and the "Moorish" style of architecture was often imitated throughout the European continent.

The present city was founded in 944 by Bologhine ibn Ziri, the founder of the Sanhaja Berber 

Zirid dynasty. Although the Zirid dynasty was overthrown by Roger II of Sicily in 1148, the Zirids had already lost control of Algiers to their Sanhaja cousins the Hammadids in 1014. The city was wrested from the Hammadids by the Almohads in 1159, and in the 13th century came under the dominion of the Ziyanid sultans of Tlemcen. Nominally part of the sultanate of Tlemcen, Algiers had a large measure of independence under amirs of its own due to Oran being the chief seaport of the Ziyanids.