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The Kalâa of the Aït Abbas or Kalâa of the Beni Abbes (Berber: ⵇⴰⵍⵄⴰ ⵍⴰⵉⵜ ⵄⴰⴱⴰⵙ [Qalεa nāt εabbas]; Arabic: قلعة بني عباس), sometimes spelled Qal'a or Guelaa, was a citadel and the capital of the kingdom of Ait Abbas, which was founded in the sixteenth century in the Bibans and almost totally destroyed during the revolt of Cheikh Mokrani in 1871.

Situation[]

The Kalâa of Aït Abbas is an important village of Kabylie in Algeria and an ancient fortress and capital of a local kingdom from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, as evidenced by its many vestiges. It is attached to the current Algerian commune of Ighil Ali (wilaya of Béjaïa). The site is located 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) southeast of Ighil Ali, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north of Teniet En Nasr, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Bordj Bou Arreridj and about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Bejaia.

The Kalâa, following the heart-shaped relief, is built on a rocky plateau with an area of 400 hectares (990 acres) in the Biban range, at nearly 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level.

Bibliography[]

  • Youssef Benoudjit, La Kalaa des Béni Abbès : au xvie siècle, Alger, Dahlab, 1997, 350 p. (ISBN 9961611322)
  • Mahfoud Kaddache, Et l'Algérie se libéra, Alger, Paris-Méditerranée, 2003, 235 p. (ISBN 2842721799)
  • Jean Morizot, Les Kabyles : Propos d'un témoin, Paris, CHEAM, 1985, 279 p. (ISBN 2903182124)

Sources[]

  • Charles Farine, À travers la Kabylie, Paris, Ducrocq, 1865, 419 p.
  • كتاب النسب للإمام العشماوي
  • كتاب سلسلة الأصول لعبدالله بن حشلاف
  • نبذة عن تاريخ قلعة بني عباس -الجمعية الثقافية-نادي المقراني
  • Présentation de la Kalâa des Beni Abbès (Algérie [archive]), sur la Bibliothèque nationale de France.
  • a, b et c Djamel Alilat, Commémoration de la mort de El Mokrani [archive], Liberté du 30 avril 2006.
  • Le Temps d'Algérie, édition du 11 mai 2009, p. 17
  • a, b et c Djamel Alilat, Découverte d'un canon du xvie siècle : Béjaïa, Qalaâ des Beni Abbès
  • article du journal El Watan, publié le 21 avril 2006. a et b Morizot 1985, p. 57

Coordinates: 36°17′42″N 4°34′48″E / 36.295°N 4.580°E / 36.295; 4.580

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The original article can be found at Kalâa of Ait Abbas and the edit history here.

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