Merouana

Merouana مروانة ⵜⴰⵎⴻⵔⵡⴰⵏⵜ
Merouana
Location of Merouana in theBatna Province
Merouana Location in Algeria
Coordinates:35°38′N5°55′E
Country	Algeria
Wilaya	Batna
Government
• Governor	Oazani Amor
Area
• Total	509.97 km2(196.90 sq mi)
Population (2008)
• Total	76,000
• Density	129.10/km2(334.4/sq mi)

Merouana(Tamazight:Tamerwant) is a city inBatna Province,Algeria.It is situated around 40 km fromBatna City,and is inhabited by theChaouiBerbers.Merouana is one of the oldest localdaïras(districts). It is the capital of theBelzma PlainandBelzma National Park.

Origin and history

The city's founding dates back to the Roman Era, likely during either the end of thefirst century ADor the beginning of thesecond,and it was originally namedLamasba.It was a fortress which was damaged byVandals.It was rebuilt byByzantinesand become a military area for Byzantine's military retirees.

However, this fortress was destroyed in theIslamic conquestin the era ofOttoman Empire,then it was re-established as a military base. It was entrusted with the task of collecting taxes in theFrench colonialera. It attained city status in 1909, and thedaïrawas founded in 1912 as the Corneille.

The region has seen many revolutions, the latest isAli Musa revolutionin 1916 inM'stawamountains. It also saw first operations in the light of November approximately 30 attack in various parts of the region. The heroes and martyrs of the region includeAli N'meur,Ziza MassikaandSalah Indochine.

Location and terrain

Merouana is located at 35.6286 degree north latitude and 5.9117 degree east longitude. Geographically, merouana is located in the northern part of Batna Province, bounded to the north byAwlad SallamandL'msil,to the north-east byAin Jasser,to the West byRAs LayounandN'Gaous,to the east bySeriana,to the south-east byBatna City,and to the south byAin Touta.The daïra of Merouana consists of four municipalities:Hidoussa,Ksar Bellezma,Oued El Maand Merouana. Merouana city is dominated by the mountains which surround it and which are snow-capped in winter. The most famous mountains areSh'lalaa,M'stawaandErefaa;others include Bughioul, Fakhra, Tikelt, Mothen and Tisras. However, this did not prevent the existence of broad Belzma plain, which is one of the largest plains in Algeria. Merouana region is a seismically active zone which has necessitated the establishment of an earthquake monitoring center which is the only one in Batna state.

City Features

• Martyr Monument, to the memory of martyrs' souls in the midst of a large pine forest, rising to a height of more than 15 meters.
• The old mosque, is the oldest mosque built in Merouana.
• Museum of Revolution 1954, was founded recently to include the secrets of revolution in the region.
• The stadium with green grass land, which had been renovated in 2006.
• Telephone mast, which was established in order to install telephone and television antennas, rises more than 60 metres in the sky.
• Plant for manufacturing aluminum utensils and another factory to make biscuits.
• And there are large-scale projects under way, like the transport station and passengers as well as the mental hospital, in addition to the gym the proposed new road link between Merouana and Batna, which will include a 3 kilometer tunnel.