Tlemcen

**Tlemcen** () is a toun in northwastren Algerie, an the caipital o the province o the same name. It is locatit inland in the centre o a region kent for its olive plantations an vineyards. The ceety haes developed leather, cairpet, an textile industries, which it ships tae the port o Rashgun for export.

Its population is aboot 140,000, while the province haed 949,135 indwallers in the 2008 census.

## Etymology
The wird Tlemcen () comes frae Berber *Tala Imsan* ( in Tifinagh) which means "the dry spring". The name is whiles spelled *Tlemsen*, *Tlemsan*, or *Tilimsen*.

## Cultur

Its centuries o rich history an cultur hae made the ceety a centre o a unique blend o muisic an airt. Its textiles an haundcrafts, its elegant blend o Islamic, Berber, Andalucian an French culturs, an its ceul climate in the muntains hae made it an important centre o tourism in Algerie. It is hame tae a bonnie tomb - that o Sidi Boumédiène, whose tomb adjoins tae a mosque. The Great Mosque at Tlemcen wis completit in 1136 an is said tae be the maist remarkable remainin example o Almoravid airchitectur.

## History
Tlemcen wis foondit bi the Romans in the 4t century CE unner the name o *Pomaria* as a military ootpost. It wis an important ceety in North Africae see o the Roman Catholic Kirk in the century in which it wis biggit, whaur it wis the centre o a diocese. Its bishop, Victor, wis a prominent representative at the Cooncil o Carthage in 411, an its bishop Honoratus wis exiled in 484 bi the Vandal keeng Huneric for denyin Arianism. It wis a centre o a lairge Christian population for mony centuries efter the ceety's Arab conquest in 708. In the later aicht century an the nint century, the ceety became a Kinrick o Banu Ifran o the Kharijite sufri. Thir same Berber Kharijis an aa began tae develop various sma Saharan oases an tae link them intae regular trans-Saharan caravan routes terminatin at Tlemcen—beginnin a process that wad determine Tlemcen's historical role for amaist aw o the next millennium.

In 1082 the Almoravid leader Yusuf ibn Tashfin foondit the ceety o Tagrart ("Encampment" in the Berber leid), which merged wi the existin dounset, nou cried Agadir an syne then became kent as Tlemcen (Tilimsan). Tlemcen probably passed frae Almoravid tae Almohad control in the mid-twalt century. Housomeivver, in the early thirteent century, Ibn Ghaniya attemptit tae restore Almoravid control o the Maghreb. In aboot 1209, the region aroond Tlemcen wis devastatit bi retreatin Almoravid forces, no lang afore thair feenal defeat bi the Almohads at the Battle o Jebel Nafusa in 1210. Despite the destruction o Tlemcen's aaready-feeble agricultural base, Tlemcen rose tae prominence as a major tradin an admeenistrative centre in the region unner the succeedin reign o the Almohads.

On the collapse o Almohad rule in the 1230s Tlemcen became the caipital o ane o three successor states, the (Ziyyanid) kinrick o Tlemcen (1236 - 1554) an wis ruled for centuries bi successive Ziyyanid sultans. Its banner wis a white crescent pointin upwards on a blue field. Durin the Middle Ages, Tlemcen no anerlie served as a tradin ceety connectin the "coastal" route athort the Maghreb wi the trans-Saharan caravan routes, but an aa hoosed a European tradin center (funduk) which connectit African an European merchants. In pairticular, Tlemcen wis ane o the pynts throu which African gowd (arrivin frae sooth o the Sahara via Sijilmasa or Taghaza) entered the European haunds. Consequently, Tlemcen wis pairtially integratit intae the European financial seestem. Sae, for example, Genoese bills o exchynge circulatit thare, at least amang merchants no subject tae (or no deterred bi) releegious prohibitions.

At the peak o its success, in the first hauf o the fowerteent century, Tlemcen wis a ceety o aiblins 40,000 indwallers. It hoosed several well-kent madrasas an numerous wealthy releegious foondations, becomin the principal intellectual centre o the central Maghreb. At the souq aroond the Great Mosque, merchants sauld ooen fabrics an rugs frae the East, slaves an gowd frae athort the Sahara, local earthenware an leather guids, an a variety o Mediterranean maritime guids "redirectit" tae Tlemcen bi corsairs—in addition tae the intentional European imports available at the funduk. Merchant hooses based in Tlemcen, sic as the al-Makkari maintained regular branch offices in Mali an the Sudan.

Later in the fowerteent century, the ceety twice fell unner the rule o the Marinid sultan, Abu al-Hasan Ali (1337–48) an his son Abu 'Inan. In baith cases, the Marinids foond that thay wur unable tae hauld the region against local resistance. Nivertheless, thir episodes appear tae hae merked the beginnin o the end. Ower the follaein twa centuries, Zayyanid Tlemcen wis intermittently a vassel o Tunis, Fes, or Aragon. When the Spainyie teuk the ceety o Oran frae the kinrick in 1509, continuous pressure frae the Berbers promptit the Spainyie tae attempt a coonterattack against the ceety o Tlemcen (1543), which wis deemed bi the Papacy tae be a crusade. The Spainyie failed tae tak the ceety in the first attack, awtho the strategic vulnerability o Tlemcen caused the kinrick's wecht tae shift toward the safer an mair hivily fortifee'd corsair base at Algiers.

The ruler o Tlemcen is reportit tae hae been advised bi a Jewish viceroy named Abraham, who, in the time o the Inquiseetion o Torquemada, opened the gates o Tlemcen tae hordes o Jews an Moors fleein Spain. Abraham is said tae hae supportit them wi his awn money an wi the tolerance o the keeng o Tlemcen.

In 1554, the kinrick o Tlemcen came unner the pertection o the Ottoman Empire, which deposed the Zayyanid dynasty. The Ottomans wur fechtin a naval war against the Spaniards athort the Mediterranean, an the Kinrick o Tlemcen became anither vassal o the Sultan in Constantinople. Tlemcen an the Algerian provinces regained effective unthirldom in thair awn affairs in 1671, awtho Tlemcen wis nae langer a govrenment seat as afore. The Spainyie wur evictit frae Oran in 1792, but thirty years later thay wur replaced bi the French, who seized Algiers. A French fleet bombardit Algiers in 1830, at which pynt the dey capitulatit tae French colonial rule; a broad coalition o natives continued tae resist, coordinatit loosely at Tlemcen. The great Berber leader Abd al-Kader, focht wi incredible skill an valor, but his defeat in 1844 at Isly endit the dream o a new independent Algerie.

Tlemcen wis a vacation spot an retreat for French settlers in Algerie, who foond it tae be far mair temperate than Oran or Algiers. The ceety adaptit an became mair cosmopolitan, wi a unique ootleuk on airt an cultur, an its airchitecture an urban life evolved tae accommodate this new sense. In the unthirldom muivements o the mid-twintiet century, it wis relatively quiet, reflectin the ceety's sense o aloofness frae the turbulence o Algiers.

## Transport
It is served bi the internaitional Zenata Airport.

## Internaitional relations
### Twin touns — Sister ceeties
Tlemcen is twinned wi:

## See an aa
* Great Mosque o Tlemcen
* Tlemcen Province
* WA Tlemcen
* Tlemcen National Park
* Zenata – Messali El Hadj Airport
* El-Ourit Waterfalls

## References
;Notes

## Freemit airtins

* Tlemcen, non offeecial wabsteid
* Cultur, airt an history o Tlemcen
* Abou Bakr Belkaid University o Tlemcen
* Wilaya de Tlemcen par Paysage d'Algérie  : History an auncient photos.
* membres.lycos.fr/tlemcen13000 
* www.netlemcen.fr.st 
* Free/Open Source Community o Tlemcen 
* Unoffeecial portrait o this ceety
*