Miliana (Arabic: مليانا) is a town in Ain Defla Province, northwestern Algeria. It is approximately 160 km southwest of the Algerian capital, Algiers.[1] The population was estimated at 40,000 in 2005.[2] The town is located south of the Dahra Massif, on the wooded southern flank of Mount Zaccar Rherbi, five kilometers north of the Chelif River, and overlooking the Zaccar plateau to the west.[1][2]
The center of Miliana has an Muslim quarter and a French quarter, both of which are surrounded by city walls built on Turkish and Berber foundations. The main site in the Muslim quarter is the Mosque of Sidi Ahmed ben Yousef. Built in the Moorish style, the mosque is the location of a biannual pilgrimage. The Muslim quarter also contains a covered marketplace. The modern section of the town center, known as the Place Cornot (or Place de l’Horloge), is shaded by trees and contains a clock tower, formerly a minaret.[1][2]
Miliana is primarily an agricultural town. Its vineyards, orchards and gardens, which lie below the town center, are fed by water from nearby mountains that usually have snow in winters. Hydroelectricity is used to power tile factories, flour mills and other light industries.[1][2]
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Miliana was founded in the 10th century by Buluggin ibn Ziri on the site of an ancient Roman city, Zucchabar (Succhabar). In the 1830s, the town came under the control of Abd al-Qadir in opposition to the increasing French occupation of Algeria. In 1840, al-Qadir ordered Miliana to be burned down instead of surrendering it to the French. The town eventually fell under French control in 1842,[2] and was rebuilt in the French Colonial architectural style.[1]
Zucchabar (located at , near present day Miliana) was an ancient town in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis. It was constituted as a Roman colony (Colonia Iulia Augusta Zucchabar) under Augustus. In late antiquity it was an episcopal see and has been a titular see of the Catholic Church since 1967.
Zucchabar is featured in the film Gladiator, where it is falsely introduced as the name of a Roman province.
The game of El Koura is a traditional game that was played in Miliana, Laghouat and other places prior to French colonization. Similar to association football,[3] the game was played during the spring and times of extreme drought because it was believed to bring rain.[4] After French colonization, European sports, especially association football, became more popular.[3]
The town is home to Algerian club football team S.C. Miliana.[5]
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