Bethioua

Bethioua (Berber language: Ibeṭṭiwen, Arabic: بطيوة‎, formerly Arzew, under French rule, called Vieil Arzew then Saint Leu) is a town and region in the wilaya of Oran in the west of Algeria. It has a gas port, petrochemical facilities and desalination plant.

It is located on the ruins of the ancient Roman settlement of Portus Magnus. The region itself belonged to the Battiwa (Ibeṭṭiwen), a group of Berber clans which arrived from the Rif mountains, mainly Ait Said and Temsaman tribe some centuries ago in the 18th century around 1800. They were composed of clans from Zegzawa (Izegzawen) and the Ait Mait. Thus originally settled in Mazagran near the city of Mostaganem, when in 1784 was given to them by the bey of Mascara this coastal territory of Bethioua a little further west. During the French colonization, Bettiouas had to take refuge in Mazagran once again, most of them were given back their land by the authorities.[1] Today only elders can still really speak the tribe language.[2]

When the Anglo-Americans invaded Algeria in November 1941 (Operation Torch), the American troops who captured Oran landed at Beach Z,[3] which was the strip of coastline between Arzew and Bethioua.[4]