Ténès

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Ruins in Ténès

Ténès (Arabic: تنس) is an Algerian seaside resort located about 200 kilometers west of the capital Algiers; it has a population of 35,000 people, as of 2000.

[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. As a reward to the Romans, the residents decided to rename the town with the name of the Roman leader (of the Roman army) "Ténès".

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 ruler of 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 Spanish persecution in the 1400s 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 present time Ténès is a small tourist town with a port and a lighthouse. 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.