Médéa

Medea is a Roman city named ad Medix or Media ("halfway" in Latin), so called because it was equidistant from Tirinadi (Berrouaghia) and Sufnsar (Amourah) rest house of Mauretania caesarean on the road linking the capital Caesarea (Cherchell) to the colony Auzia (Aumale). [2]

During the Roman Empire there was a settlement called Lamdia at Médéa. During the Roman Empire the town of Lamdia,[3] was the seat of an ancient Christian bishopric of the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis.[4] Only one bishop of the town is known. The Donatist Felix, attended the 411 Conference of Carthage. The town at that time had no Catholic bishops. Today Lamdia survives as a titular bishopric of the Roman Church and the current bishop is Marian Eleganti, bishop of Chur.

Following the defeat of the Berbers in the 11th century, Arab tribes of Hilal and Sulaym descent were settled in the region, mixing with and Arabicizing the local Berbers.[5]

Médéa was the capital of Titteri; a Bey, deputy of the Dey of Algiers, was resident there. The beylik of Titteri (chief Medea) was established in 1548. The last Bey Mostefa Boumezrag ran it from 1819 to 1830, when the French arrived. In 1837, after the Treaty of Tafna, Medea became one of the capitals of the part of Algeria ruled by Abdelkader El Djezairi, but was occupied by the French when they eventually took possession of the whole of Algeria. Until 1962 Médéa was a garrison town for the French army.[6]

One of the largest pharmaceutical production units in Algeria (Saidal-Antibiotical) is located in Medea.

Shoe factories also established in Takbou and M'Salah.

Medea under snow during a 2012 winter

• Amine Megateli - Professional footballer
• Jean Richepin - French poet and writer, member of Académie française
• Djamel Tlemçani - Professional footballer
• Daniela Skokovic - author and librarian

• Médéa Province