Batna

Geography

It is anchored in the area of the Aurès, with the junction of the Tellian Atlas and the Saharian Atlas. The town of Batna counts approximately 285.000 inhabitants (estimate for the year 2004) what makes of it the 6th larger Agglomération of the country.

The city, and more largely the area of Aurès, are mainly populated of Berbères Chaouis speaking Algerian Chaoui and .

History

Many ancient vestiges are offered to the eyes of the visitor: to start with the sites of Timgad (of the 1st century after J. - C.), the vestiges of Zana Amellalet (or Zana El-Baïda ) of Merkouna, the Dolmen S of Chemora, and the Daïra of Sériana as well as the Mausoleum Numide (to 35 km in the North-East of Batna close to Ain Yagout), this place is also known under the name of Imedghassen or Madracen (3rd century and after J. - C).

Halfway between Constantine and Biskra, the French installed in 1844 a military camp intended to protect the driving access roads to the the Sahara around whose the town of Batna was built.

In the night from September 8th to 9th 2007, an attack asserted by Al-Qaida aiming at the president strikes Batna and make many victims: 19 died and 100 seriously injureds with Batna.

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