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36-612: It has been the capital of the Béni Abbès District since 1957. The commune's area is approximately 10,040 km (3,880 sq mi), with a population of 10,885 inhabitants as of the 2008 census, up from 8,850 in 1998, and a population growth rate of 2.1%. Béni Abbès lies in the Saoura valley, on the left bank of the intermittent wadi called Oued Saoura . There are seven ksars (castles) in Béni Abbès, including

72-493: A particularly large one found in a palm grove in the river valley. The people of Béni Abbès are often referred to as Abbabsa . Béni Abbès is written in Arabic بني عباس, Bani Abbas ("The children of Abbas"). C.Rames explains in his book Beni-Abbes (Oran Sahara): Historical, geographical and medical study (1941) that the origin of the name comes from the name of the tribe of the city's first occupant : "Forty years after

108-657: A reciprocal friendship and a certain admiration of Lyautey for Charles. During this period Charles wrote the Meditations on the Holy Gospels . In April 1905, Commander Laperrine requested Charles de Foucauld to leave with him on a tour in the Hoggar. Having sought advice from the abbot Huvelin and Bishop Guerin, he participated in a new tour of supply. He started on June 8, 1905, continuing his prayer life while learning Tamahaq . On 25 Juin, 1905, they met amenokal (chef of

144-538: A spring near Béni Abbès; as a result, the country became no longer a desert, the vegetation developed and the valley became full of reeds, trees and pastures. Forty years after these first migrations, Seguia el-Hamra Mehdi Ben Youssef (descendant of Beniabbes of the Beni Hassan tribe) came to Béni Abbès. He lived with Ali Ben Moumen from the Arib tribe, with whom he brought the palm trees of Draa River . They founded

180-478: A wounded animal topped by a young man and a snake man (homme serpentiforme)." In this scene the participants form a closed chain; the prayer of the orant forms links between the hunter and the sacred animal, represented by the snake man and game respectively. Except for some speculation by historians, there is little information about this period of history of Béni Abbès. Some clues may come from evidence dating from this period, including: The first Arab settlers in

216-546: Is a valley in southwestern Algeria . It is formed by the wadi known as Oued Saoura , formed from the confluence of the Oued Guir and Oued Zouzfana at Igli . From Igli it runs through Béchar Province past the towns of Béni Abbès , Tamtert , El Ouata , Béni Ikhlef , Kerzaz , Timoudi , Ouled Khoudir , and Ksabi then passes under the N6 highway before reaching the endorheic lake Sebkhel el Melah . From 1962 to 1974 it

252-491: Is inseparable from love. Whoever wants to imitate love is the secret of my life. Priest since last June, I immediately felt called to go to the lost sheep, to the most abandoned souls, to perform towards them the duty of love. I am happy, very happy, although I do not in any way seek happiness. On January 9, 1902, he bought the freedom of a slave, whom he called Joseph du Sacré-Cœur (Joseph of the Sacred Heart). A portion of

288-505: Is usually very little rain, but occasional heavy rains can occur, causing flooding in the Oued Saoura. The sky is almost always blue both in winter and summer. December, January and February are the coldest months, when it is between 4 °C (39 °F) and 18 °C (64 °F). During the summer months, temperatures can reach 45 °C (113 °F) with a humidity of about 10% during the day. The Saharan ecosystem dominates all

324-588: The Charouine region ( Gourara ). Ali Ben Yahia was a man with broad experience in agriculture. he founded the ksar Ouled Rahu occupied by Moulay and Ali Ben Yahia's sons. After a period, Moussa Ben Ali came, probably from Tamentit (although others say from Gourara) to settle at Béni Abbès in the fourteenth century. In 1593, the Moroccan rebel Abu Mahali settled in Béni Abbès. El Ayachi in his handwritten Arrihla al ayachia 1662 say :"... personage who

360-510: The French on March 1, 1901. General Officer Risbourg visited on March 2 of that year. The Act of March 30, 1902 stipulated the establishment of five Saharan companies commanded by Affairs Indigenous officers. The Saoura's company in Béni Abbès was strengthened by six officers and 202 Non-commissioned officers and Méharistes , including a command platoon and three Méharistes platoons. In 1904 two Saharan Companies were created; one at Béni Abbès,

396-593: The Wadi is the Fnine ( Tamarix ), a plant resistant to saline soils. Many species of the Saharan regions' animals are found around Béni Abbès. The most important mammals are the dorcas gazelle ( Gazella dorcas ) and rhim gazelle ( Gazella leptoceros ), both highly threatened by uncontrolled hunting. The sand cat ( Felis margarita ), striped hyena ( Hyaena hyaena ) and the fennec fox ( Vulpes zerda ) are observed in

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432-436: The administrative division divided the department into two Provinces: Adrar containing Timimoun District , and Béchar containing El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh , Béni Abbès and Tindouf . After the new administrative division of 1984 which gave the title of Province to Tindouf and El-Bayadh , Béni Abbès remained a district of Béchar Province . In 2009 it was put on the list of new delegated provinces. The territory of Béni Abbès

468-603: The area only rarely. Rodents found in the area include sand rat ( Psammomys obesus ), greater Egyptian gerbil ( Gerbillus pyramidum ) and the Libyan jird ( Meriones libycus ). Reptiles in the region include the Sandfish ( Scincus scincus ) and the dob ( Uromastyx ). Birds seen around Béni Abbès include bou-ali ( house sparrow ), bou-tkelem ( Spanish sparrow ) and raptors such as el-béz ( northern goshawk ), skàr ( lanner falcon ) and el-bouma ( little owl ). In

504-430: The area were from the Beni Hassan tribe, who built two ksars: Ghar el-Diba and Haresse Lil (translated "night watchman"). They migrated to Saguia el-Hamra and Mauritania in the 12th century. The history of the founding of the current Béni Abbès begins with the legend of Sidi Othman called "El Gherib" and his companion Sid Enoun. According to the legend, by the blessing of Sidi Othmane, water gushed and flowed from

540-458: The choice of location to Ben-Abdeslam. Mohamed Ben-Abdeslam built the new ksar in the palm grove in 1605 and named it Béni Abbés. A little later Taleb Belkacem Ben Abdelah arrived in the area from Tmentite . The descendants of these people, along with the Haratines , make up the population of Béni Abbès. The Ghenanma (Ouled Hamou) lived in an independent ksar. Béni Abbès was occupied by

576-403: The death of Sidi Othman, in the distant Saguia el-Hamra (Western Sahara), El Mahdi Ben Youssef from the tribe of Beni Abbes". The name actually derives from the similar Arabic بني العباس, Bani Al Abbas ("The children of El-abbas"). El Ayachi wrote in his manuscript Arrihla al ayachia (1662)  : "Then we entered the villages of Bani Al Abbas ...". Béni Abbès is built on a rocky hill on

612-474: The exiled persons to their homes, did not hesitate to join the movement. The Bureau consisted of four people, Touhami Tayeb , Trabelsi Boufeldja , Abdellah Ben-cheikh and Benali Abderrahman , and remained in service until 1954, when the majority of activists transferred to the FLN . The Abbabsa participated in the war of National Liberation between 1954 and 1962. Saoura The Saoura ( Arabic : ساورة )

648-526: The ksar Oulad Mehdi in which Mehdi Ben Youssef's sons (Said and Youssef) and Ali Ben Moumen's son (Mohamed) lived. The region was peaceful and prosperous through agriculture and trade, bringing a large number of immigrants. From At-Lamiz in Figuig , two brothers left the ksar towards the east; Ali Ben Yahia and Khalfi bin Abdel-wassàa who settled in Béni Abbès and his brother founded a brotherhood in

684-568: The left bank of Oued Saoura . The city is bordered to the north, east and west by the Grand Erg Occidental and south and southwest by the valley of the Saoura . The most interesting mountains near Béni Abbès are in the Ougarta Range (around the oasis of Ougarta ) found around 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the south and southwest. Béni Abbès has a hot and arid desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWh ). There

720-539: The mountain and Hamada, especially near Zeghamra . Some wild herbs in the region are medicinal and used by people traditionally to treat many diseases. Among others, these include Ouezouaza ( Santolina rosmarinifolea ), Gartofa ( Santolina chamaycyparissus ), Shih ( Artemisia herba-alba ), and Terfesse ( Terfeziaceae ), a mushroom used by the Abbassian cuisine to replace meat . An excellent dune-fixing plant Rtéme (Retama raetam) grows on ergs. The predominant plant of

756-486: The other at Colomb-Bechar. These arrangements were for the defense of the Algeria-Morocco border. In October 1901, Charles de Foucauld ("Foucauld Father") settled in Béni Abbès. With the help of the soldiers present in the town he built a "Khaoua" (fraternity), composed of a room, a chapel and three acres of garden, purchased by the help of Marie de Bondy . The chapel was completed on December 1, 1901. His life

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792-940: The people of the central south Sahara and there began the translation of the Gospels in order to transmit it to the Tuaregs . He was disappointed by the attitude of some military Colonials. Arriving near the Algerian border, the tour of supply had to turn around and travel to Tit . Charles wanted to settle in there but the commander Laperrine refused. The tour ended at In Salah in September. Charles joined Bishop Guerin on September 22, 1904, and returned to Béni Abbès on 24 January 1905. Intrigued by Charles de Foucauld, General Hubert Lyautey , appointed in Algeria, decided to visit him at Béni Abbès on January 28, 1905. From this meeting came

828-570: The rebellion of the tribes against the colonial presence made this approach impossible. Learning of this conflict, however, Charles left to the south on September 2, 1903, in order to rescue the wounded from the Battle of Taghit and El-Moungar . He came back and wrote a short introduction to the catechism which he entitled The Gospel presented to the poor negroes of the Sahara . Sometime later, François-Henry Laperrine asked Charles to come with him during

864-495: The recent decades or hundreds of years, the local extinction of many animal species has been reported due to drought and lack of prey, for example, al-naàme ( ostrich ) and the cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus ). Just after the French occupation of the region and within the territories of South , Béni Abbès became an indigenous municipality in the Territory of Aïn Séfra which existed between 1902 and 1957. In that time, Tindouf

900-578: The road by Zaouiet Men-Laikhaf in Tafilalt , from where a marabout called Mohamed Ben-Abdeslam joined the troupe. On arrival at Béni Abbés the Mkhaznia defeated the Ghenanma. The Abbabsa were in a separate ksar and asked Mohamed Ben-Abdeslam to settle with them for Koranic education. He accepted, on the condition that they build a new well fortified ksar in the palm grove. They accepted, and left

936-529: The territory of Béni Abbès. Flora and fauna are not as extensive as in other parts of Algeria, however, a variety of plants and creatures have been found here. There is perhaps a surprising range of flora and fauna that can survive in this hot and arid climate. The vegetation of Béni Abbès consists mainly of xeric species. Infrequent rainfall affects the development of plants in the three different types of terrain types found near Béni Abbès: hamada , erg and wadi . Acacia trees and wild herbs are scattered on

972-586: The tribe) Moussa Ag Amastan , who decided to make an alliance with the French authority. Charles de Foucauld and Moussa Ag Amastan met and seemed to appreciate each other. Their meeting developed into a deep friendship. The Touareg authorized Charles de Foucauld to settle in the Hoggar, near Tamanrasset . In the Saoura region, Béni Abbès has always been an important focus of the nationalist movement. In 1921, Saadoune (born in Béni Abbès) emigrated to France where he militates to Étoile Nord-Africaine (ENA) and

1008-569: The upcoming tour of supply in the South. Abbe Henri Huvelin wrote him to " go where you shoot the Spirit ". Charles toured with supply January 13, 1904, on the air south toward the Hoggar. On February 1, 1904, he and his companions arrived at Adrar oasis where they joined the commander Laperrine. From there, the tour continued towards Akabli . Charles then noted all the possible places of installation. He collected information on Tuareg languages from

1044-563: The year 1902 was devoted to an exchange of correspondence with Bishop Guerin, the Apostolic prefect of Sahara, about his fight against slavery in the Hoggar . The following year, he planned for trips to Morocco to establish a fraternity. He would be joined by companions of whom he would ask three things : " be prepared to have his head cut off—be prepared to starve—to obey him despite his unworthiness ". On May 27, 1903, Charles de Foucauld

1080-467: Was inhabited during prehistoric times, as evidenced by the rock carvings of Marhouma . The petroglyphs of the region date back to Neolithic times. While less famous than the Tassili rock paintings , they have been studied since 1863. The ideological panel of Marhouma is a remarkably complex scene : "An orant (praying person) on his head a crossed disk and connected to a mammal, surrounded by

1116-419: Was intended to revolve around a strict rule: five hours of sleep, six hours of manual work interspersed with a long time of prayer. However, it was quickly overwhelmed by the long time taken to listen to the poor and the soldiers who come to see him. He described to Gabriel Tourdes: living work of my hands, and unknown to all the poor and enjoy the deep darkness, silence, poverty, in imitation of Jesus. Imitation

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1152-597: Was occupied and attached to the indigenous municipality of Béni Abbès until 1935. In 1957, after replacing the territories of South by the French Departments of Sahara it became a district in the Saoura Department , of which the prefecture was at Colomb-Bechar . At Algerian independence, Béni Abbès was a district of Saoura Department with Béchar , Adrar , El Abiodh Sidi Cheikh , Timimoun and Tindouf . This arrangement remained until 1974, when

1188-594: Was placed in a state of open rebellion, sedition which began in this town. Today his house is still known and we watch for travelers". The continuous development and prosperity of the region brought him many enemies, including Ghenanma . A long period of raids caused the Abbabsa to complain against the Ghenanma to the King of Fes . Soldiers of the Makhzen ( Mkhaznia ), Fes's ruling elite, left Fes towards Béni Abbès, along

1224-593: Was the name of a wilaya (province) covering present-day Béchar Province , Tindouf Province and Adrar Province . 29°27′N 1°26′W  /  29.450°N 1.433°W  / 29.450; -1.433 This article about a location in Béchar Province is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Reptile Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

1260-461: Was then designated as a member committee central of the part in 02/07/1926. Since the 1930s, Béni Abbès has been the exile place of several political and historical Algerian figures such as Ferhat Abbas , Mohammed Memchaoui , Sheikh Abdelkader El Yadjouri and Sheikh Sliman Boudjnah . In late 1947, Sheikh Touhami , an MTLD activist came from Béchar to Béni Abbès to found an office for his political party. The Abbabsa, who have already attended

1296-503: Was visited by Bishop Guerin. Charles was looking for a companion for evangelism and asked to go south to prepare for it. The commander François-Henry Laperrine was interested in the presence of Charles de Foucauld and tried to get him on his tour of supply to the south. Charles showed himself even more favorable than François-Henry Laperrine, who seemed to use methods much less violent than its predecessors. On June 18, 1903, Charles asked Bishop Guerin for permission to accompany Laperrine, but

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