Thénia

Thénia (الثنية), sometimes written as Thenia, with around 40,000 inhabitants, is the chief town in the daïra of the same name, in the wilaya of Boumerdès, in northern Algeria. Historically, the name is a contraction of Theniet Beni Aicha (ثنية بني عائشة) "the mountain pass of the sons of Aisha", the Arabic translation of the Kabyle Berber toponym Tizi n At Ɛica. The steep-sided pass, which is only about 800 metres wide at its narrowest point, is sometimes taken to mark the transition between Mitidja and Grande Kabylie.[2]

Thénia
Thénia
Coordinates: 36°43′40″N 3°33′14″E
CountryAlgeria
ProvinceBoumerdès
Elevation
301 m (988 ft)
Population
 (1998)[1]
 • Total19,078
Time zoneUTC+1 (West Africa Time)

Villages

The villages of the commune of Thénia are:

Geography

Thénia is located on the main road from Algiers to Constantine, about forty kilometres east of Algiers, about ten kilometres inland from the coast, at an altitude of 300 metres—an excerpt from the 1962 Michelin map of Algeria showing the location can be seen here. Between the town and the coast, the scrub-covered Djebel bou Arous rises to a height of around 400 metres and then falls more gently to the coast. South and east is the valley of the Isser River, whose sides rise to around 600 metres and are deeply incised by streams; in many places the slopes are covered with vineyards and olive-groves.

Thénia is on the double-track portion of the Algiers-Skikda line and marks the end of electric commuter rail service from Algiers station.

History

During the French occupation, the town was renamed Ménerville, after Charles-Louis Pinson de Ménerville (1808–76), the first president of the court of appeals in Algiers.[3] It resumed the name of Thénia a few years after independence in 1962.

In 1944, the town had 2,656 inhabitants, of which the majority, 1,929, were European pieds noirs while the commune or district had 12,755, of which 2,640 were pieds noirs.[2]

Thénia was very near to the offshore epicenter of the May 21, 2003 Boumerdès earthquake, the strongest quake to hit Algeria since 1980.[4]

At least four people were killed and around twenty injured by a car bomb outside a police station in the town on 29 January 2008.[5]

Rivers
Isser River

This commune is crossed by several rivers:

Dam
Meraldene Dam

This commune has one dam:

Notable people
  • Sidi Boushaki, Algerian theologian.
  • Abdenour Boushaki, Algerian politician.
  • Abderrahmane Boushaki, Algerian leader.
  • Ahmed Bourenane, Algerian politician.
  • Ahmed Hadhoum, Algerian politician.
  • Ali Boushaki, Algerian theologian.
  • Amine ibn El Boushaki, Algerian judoka.
  • Brahim Boushaki, Algerian theologian.
  • Dahmane Deriche, Algerian politician.
  • Dahmane Deriche, Algerian artist.
  • Farid Ishak Boushaki, Algerian academician.
  • Firmus, Berber leader.
  • Gildo, Berber leader.
  • Hocine Soltani, Algerian boxer.
  • Lyès Deriche, Algerian leader.
  • Mascezel, Berber leader.
  • Mohamed Aïchaoui, Algerian journalist.
  • Mohamed Allalou, Algerian boxer.
  • Mohamed Boumerdassi, Algerian artist.
  • Mohamed Bourenane, Algerian politician.
  • Mohamed Deriche, Algerian politician.
  • Mohamed Deriche, Algerian academician.
  • Mohamed Mechkarini, Algerian militant.
  • Mohamed Missouri, Algerian boxer.
  • Mohamed Seghir Boushaki, Algerian politician.
  • Mustapha Ishak Boushaki, Algerian academician.
  • Noureddine Melikechi, Algerian physicist.
  • Nubel, Berber leader.
  • Rabah Rahmoune, Algerian politician.
  • Rachid Deriche, Algerian academician.
  • Salah Bouchatal, Algerian politician.
  • Salem Anou, Algerian politician.
  • Tarek Boushaki, Algerian academician.
  • Toufik Boushaki, Algerian academician.
  • Yahia Boushaki, Algerian politician.

See also

References
  1. Statoids
  2. British Naval Intelligence Division (May 1944). Algeria (vol. II), B. R. 505 A (Restricted), Geographical Handbook Series.
  3. "Algérie - Ménerville".
  4. Curtis L. Edwards, ed. (2004). Zemmouri, Algeria, Mw 6.8 Earthquake of May 21, 2003. Reston, VA: ASCE, TCLEE. ISBN 9780784407462.
  5. Mustapha Benfodil (2008-02-09). "Thénia, dellys et naciria : dans l'épicentre de la terreur". El Watan.
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