Ténès

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Ténès (or تنس in Arabic) is an Algerian seaside town located about 200 kilometers west of the capital Algiers.

[edit] History

Ténès is an ancient town which existed in the 8th century BC. It was called Cartenae or Carthenes at that time. Ténès or Carthenes was first a Phoenician town then it was dominated by the Romans who freed it from the despotism and the terror of the Vandals. Therefore, the tribes of this town decided to reward the Romans by giving the name of the Roman leader (of the Roman army) "Ténès" to their freed town. Later the town was conquered by the Arabs who preached Islam in north Africa. Under the Arab rule, Ténès was an idependent monarchy. The Sultan Hassen Abid was the last one who ruled the monarchy of Ténès. The Ottomans attacked Ténès and defeated its army and annexed it to their vast empire in 1512.From that time Ténès lost its fame and importance and became an isolated town. Ténès Al-Atika(Vieux-Ténès)was built by the Moors who escaped from the Spanish persicution in 1400's after the collapse of the Arab States in Spain. In 1843, Ténès was occupied by the French who declared it a township and rebuilt the ancient Carthenes some 2 km to the north of Ténès-al-Atika.

[edit] Present

At the pesent time Ténès is a small tourist town with a port and a lighthouse. Its population exceeds 50,000 inhabitants. It has some antique sites such as the Great Mosque of Sidi Ahmed Boumaza (built some 11 centuries ago) Bab El Bahr, The Spanish Castle, Notre Dame de Ténès, The French cannons and others.