| Souk Ahras بلدية سوق أهراس |
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| — Municipality — | |||
| Commune of Souk Ahras | |||
| Former city hall of Souk Ahras, now used as a municipal theatre | |||
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Souk Ahras
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Algeria | ||
| Province | Souk Ahras (seat) | ||
| District | Souk Ahras (coextensive) | ||
| Government | |||
| • PMA Seats | 23 | ||
| Elevation | 699 m (2,293 ft) | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 156,745 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01) | ||
| Postal code | 41000 | ||
| Area code(s) | +213 (37) | ||
| ONS code | 4101 | ||
| Website | www.soukahrastourisme.com | ||
Souk Ahras (Arabic: سوق أهراس; Chaoui: ) is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Souk Ahras Province. The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was the birthplace of Augustine of Hippo and a center of Berber culture.[1][2] It was a city of great culture, described as the very hub of civilization[3].
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The name derives from the Arabic word "souk" which means market, and the Chaoui word ahra (plural ahras) which means lion, in reference to the Barbary lions which existed in the neighboring forests until their extinction in 1930; hence Souk Ahras means market of lions.
| Year | 1877 | 1878 | 1879 | 1880 | 1881 | 1887 | 1891 | 1892 |
| Lions | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | ? | 1 | ? |
| Leopards | 2 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
The second legend says that originally it was called Souk El-Ras which means market of heads, the city has hosted in the past a market where they sold mummified heads of wild animals, including lions, bears elephants and cheetahs. Several rock paintings, including Kef Lemsaoura and other mosaics, which were found at sites near Souk Ahras, shows scenes of hunting wild animals.
The old name of the Numidian city of Thagaste, derives from the Berber Thagoust, which means the bag, given that the site of the town is located at the foot of a mountain surrounded by three peaks in the form of a bag containing the city. Subsequently, when the Arabic language entered in the region it was called Soukara. In other sources it is cited as the Palace of the African, according to Al-Masudi.
The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was situated in the north-eastern highlands of Numidia, shortly afterwards, it became a Roman municipium[4]. It was about sixty miles from Hippo Regius, now called Annaba, and about 150 miles from Carthage (on the coast of present day Tunisia). It was the birthplace of Augustine of Hippo.[5] The city was mentioned by Pliny the Elder. As a municipium, Thagaste was not settled by Italian immigrants and was inhabited by Romanized Berbers.[6]
In the nineteenth century it was a French colonial settlement. In the twentieth century mining and the railway brought some signicance and prosperity to the town. Today, Tagaste is in the province of Souk Ahras in Eastern Algeria. Thagaste is known as the birth place of highly influential early Christian philosopher, Saint Augustine.
The town of Souk Ahras is located in a basin surrounded by wooded mountains as the Djebel Beni Salah or Djebel Ouled Moumen.
Souk Ahras is crossed by a major North African river, the Medjerda.
Three dams exist in the region of Souk Ahras, that of Ain-Edalia supplies the town of Souk Ahras and its region with 76 million cubic meters. Dams of Oued Charef and Djedra, provide a capacity of 153 and 35 million cubic meters, respectively. Dam Djedra is intended to supply the town of Souk Ahras with a quantity of 12 million cubic meters of potable water, while 2 million cubic meters will be pumped for irrigation.
Algiers has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters. Its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea aids in moderating the city's temperatures. As a result Souk Ahras usually does not see the extreme temperatures that are experienced in the adjacent interior deserts. The climate of Algiers, like that of other Atlas cities, features wet "winters" and dry summers. Souk Ahras on average receives roughly 840.74 mm (33.1 in.) of precipitation per year, the bulk of which is seen between October and April.
| Climate data for Souk Ahras | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) |
15 (59) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
25 (77) |
30 (86) |
35 (95) |
35 (95) |
30.6 (87.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
20 (68) |
15 (59) |
22.8 (73.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
10 (50) |
11.7 (53.1) |
13.9 (57.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
21.7 (71.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
26.7 (80.1) |
22.8. (73.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
10 (50) |
16.7 (62.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) |
3.9 (39.0) |
5.6 (42.1) |
6.7 (44.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
13.9 (57.0) |
16.7 (62.1) |
17.8 (64.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
11.7 (53.1) |
7.8 (46.0) |
5 (41) |
10 (50) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 111.76 (4.4) |
81.28 (3.2) |
101.6 (4) |
71.12 (2.8) |
45.72 (1.8) |
22.86 (0.9) |
2.54 (0.1) |
10.16 (0.4) |
45.72 (1.8) |
104.14 (4.1) |
109.22 (4.3) |
137.16 (5.4) |
840.74 (33.1) |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)[7] | |||||||||||||
The inhabitants of the town of Souk Ahras are of Berber origin. They are mainly from the different regions of the wilaya of Souk Ahras and neighboring wilayas. The first tribes having established in Souk Ahras were known as the Papiria[8], or Babiria from the name of Berber. They were composed of Causses and Syliactae[9].
The tribes of Mousoulami and Kirina lived there. Including the other tribes: the Hnanchas that grew the most and the Hrakta all of them have Berber origins. These tribes lived in tents and practiced nomadism. They have established later and founded cities for each of them, including the town of Souk Ahras, the old Thagaste.
| Year | 1901 | 1926 | 1948 | 1954 | 1960 | 1966 | 1974 | 1977 | 1987 | 1998 | 2010 |
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| Population | 7500 | 10600 | 17025 | 20700 | 22800 | 34400 | 52100 | 57173 | 80015 | 115882 | 157329 |
| Guelma | Annaba | El Kala | ||
| M'Daourouch | Ghardimaou (Tunisia) | |||
| Souk Ahras | ||||
| Oum El Bouaghi | Tebessa | El Kef (Tunisia) |
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