Mohamed ben Zamoum (born in
Boghni
Boghni is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Tizi Ouzou Province in northern Algeria. It is located in the south of Tizi Ouzou, surrounded by Djurdjura mountain and surrounded by Maatekas, Beni Kouffi, Voughardane, Mechtras and other small ...
on 1795 and died also in
Boghni
Boghni is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Tizi Ouzou Province in northern Algeria. It is located in the south of Tizi Ouzou, surrounded by Djurdjura mountain and surrounded by Maatekas, Beni Kouffi, Voughardane, Mechtras and other small ...
on 1843) was a
Kabyle marabout
A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Saha ...
who participated in the Algerian resistance against the
French conquest of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...
.
Family
Mohamed ben Zamoum was born during the year 1795 in the region of
Boghni
Boghni is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Tizi Ouzou Province in northern Algeria. It is located in the south of Tizi Ouzou, surrounded by Djurdjura mountain and surrounded by Maatekas, Beni Kouffi, Voughardane, Mechtras and other small ...
into the
Kabyle Iflissen Umellil confederacy, whom historically served as troops under the
Deylik of Algiers
The Regency of Algiers ( ar, دولة الجزائر, translit=Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) was a state in North Africa lasting from 1516 to 1830, until it was conquered by the French. Situated between the regency of Tunis in the east, the Sultanate o ...
.
He is part of the noble family of Ben Zamoum who reigned over the tribe of Flissas as part of the
kingdom of Koukou
The Kingdom of Kuku (''Kingdom of Koukou'') was a Kabyle Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a ...
.
Mohamed had several children, the best known of which are Hocine ben Zamoum and
Omar ben Zamoum
Omar ben Zamoum (born in Naciria on 1836 and died also in Naciria on 1898) was a Kabyle marabout who participated to the Algerian resistance during Mokrani Revolt against the French conquest of Algeria.
Family
Omar ben Zamoum was born during ...
who succeeded him in 1848 in command of the Flissas tribe.
His grandson Ali ben Zamoum also played a major role in the Kabyle resistance against French
troupes coloniales, from 1844 to 1848.
French conquest of Algeria
![Atlas Mountain Blida Algeria](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Atlas_Mountain_Blida_Algeria.jpg)
He served in the Deylik's army during the
Invasion of Algiers in 1830 against France, and he commanded the Zwawa forces during the invasion.
Several of his family members died in battle against the French army.
Just after the surrender of
Dey Hussein
Hussein Dey (real name Hüseyin bin Hüseyin; 1765 – 1838; ar, حسين داي) was the last Dey of the Deylik of Algiers.
Early life
He was born either in İzmir or Urla in the Ottoman Empire. He went to Istanbul and joined the Canoneers ( ...
on 5 July 1830 and the capitulation of the
Casbah of Algiers
The Casbah ( ar, قصبة, ''qaṣba'', meaning citadel) is the citadel of Algiers in Algeria and the traditional quarter clustered around it. In 1992, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed ' ...
, Sheikh Mohamed ben Zamoum organized with the
marabout
A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Saha ...
s of
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...
and
Mitidja
Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbasket ...
a meeting of the heads of the
zawiyas in the
Bordj Tamentfoust
Bordj Tamentfoust () is an Ottoman fort in the city of Tamentfoust, Algeria. The fort is among several Ottoman forts built during the Ottoman rule of Algeria, which were established to guard the city of Algiers. With the exception of Bordj Tament ...
on 26 July.
This meeting, which began on 23 July and ended on 26 July, decided on the option of resistance to the French presence in an energetic movement of the tribes whose leaders, like Mohamed ben Zamoum, joined their forces and mobilized themselves in the popular response after the fall of Algiers.
This meeting occurred when General
Victor de Bourmont did not follow the advice of Mohamed ben Zamoum in the letter he had addressed to him to dissuade him from initiating a military expedition of the
First Battle of Blida
The First Expedition of Blida took place from 22 to 24 July 1830, during the French conquest of Algeria.
The Expedition
On 22 July 1830, Marshal de Bourmont organized a reconnaissance expedition on the city of Blida. On the early morning of 23 J ...
.
The Sheikh wanted to urge the French to refrain from advancing into the country in the suburbs of
Algiers
Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
, at least until a treaty was signed which would regulate the nature of relations between the
French occupiers and the
Algerian nationals.
But de Bourmont did not want to follow the advice of the Sheikh, and he began his campaign against
Blida on 23 July after having contracted a connivance with the bey of
Titteri
The Titteri ( ar, جبل التيطري, ber, Tittri) is a historical region in Algeria. It is located in the mountainous area of the southern Tell Atlas in the Atlas Mountains.
Geography
The Titteri was a former administrative division of the R ...
in
Médéa
Médéa ( ber, Lemdiyyet, ar, المدية ''al-Madiya''), population 123,535 (1998 census) is the capital city of Médéa Province, Algeria. It is located roughly 68 km south of Algiers.
The present-day city is situated on the site of ...
, the named Mustapha Boumezrag.
The defeat of the 1,200 infantry, 100 cavalry, and artillery pieces on which General de Bourmont had based in his expedition against Blida and its surroundings, had convinced Sheikh ben Zamoum that resistance against the French was possible and that the combat would settle the positions of the belligerents.
Allegiance to Ben Zamoum
The tribes of Mitidja and Kabylia then signed a treaty of allegiance to Sheikh ben Zamoum dated 26 July 1830, where he was proclaimed leader of the popular resistance against the forces of the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
.
Thus, from 2 September 1830, the Sheikh stepped up his raids against the French forces commanded by the new arriving General
Bertrand Clauzel, who had been appointed commander-in-chief of the expedition army to replace de Bourmont.
Second Battle of Blida
![Plan de Thénia des Béni Aïcha dans le territoire des Khachna à l'est d'Alger](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Plan_de_Th%C3%A9nia_des_B%C3%A9ni_A%C3%AFcha_dans_le_territoire_des_Khachna_%C3%A0_l%27est_d%27Alger.jpg)
When on 18 November 1830, a second column of 7,000 French soldiers invaded the town of
Blida, they found it almost deserted because most of the population had fled to the mountain of
Chréa on the injunction of Sheikh ben Zamoum.
But while the column of Colonel Rulhière was marching on
Médéa
Médéa ( ber, Lemdiyyet, ar, المدية ''al-Madiya''), population 123,535 (1998 census) is the capital city of Médéa Province, Algeria. It is located roughly 68 km south of Algiers.
The present-day city is situated on the site of ...
after taking possession of Blida, the Sheikh sent a contingent of
Kabyles from the Flissas tribe under the leadership of his son Hocine ben Zamoum to hook the French in
Mitidja
Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbasket ...
.
Having learned of the occupation of Blida by the French soldiers, Hocine ben Zamoum called on Kabyle reinforcements from the
Khachna
The Khachna Range ( ar, جبال الخشنة, ''Jibal Khashna''; Berber ''Adrar n Kheshna'') is a mountain range of the Tell Atlas, part of the Atlas Mountain System. It is located in Kabylie, Algeria.
Geography
The ''Khachna'' is a massif m ...
, the
Col des Beni Aïcha
In geomorphology, a col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 103. . It may also be called a gap. Particularly rugged and forbidding c ...
, the Beni Moussa and the Beni Misra to march against the city of Blida in order to liberate it.
Resistance of Kabylia
Sheikh Mohamed Ben Zamoum was allied with
Emir Abdelkader in the year 1837, and he undertook with his
Emirate of Abdelkader
The Emirate of Mascara, Emirate of Abd al-Qadir, or the Resistance of Mascara, was founded by Abd al-Qadir al-Jazairi with the allegiance of the people of Algeria to resist the French conquest of Algeria with its first capital at Mascara then ...
the operation of building a viable
Algerian state
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, religi ...
which would include the former territory of the
kingdom of Koukou
The Kingdom of Kuku (''Kingdom of Koukou'') was a Kabyle Berber
Berber or Berbers may refer to:
Ethnic group
* Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa
* Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages
Places
* Berber, Sudan, a ...
, and this especially after the signing of the
Tafna treaty on May 30 of the same year.
During the seven years which would follow the alliance between Kabylia and the state of Abdelkader until 1843, dozens of battles pitted the faithful of Sheikh ben Zamoum against French troops in the mountains and plains to the east from Algiers.
It was
Emir Mustapha
Mustapha ibn Muhieddine (1814–1863; ar, مصطفى ابن محيي الدين '), known as Emir Mustapha, Sidi Moustafa, Moustafa El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the Frenc ...
who then began the great offensive against the French colonists of
Mitidja
Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria. It is about long, with a width of . Traditionally devoted largely to agriculture and serving as the breadbasket ...
during the
First Raid on Reghaïa
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number 1 (number), one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, D ...
on 8 May 1837, and this is how the
Col des Beni Aïcha
In geomorphology, a col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 103. . It may also be called a gap. Particularly rugged and forbidding c ...
and the plain of the
Issers
Isser, formerly spelled Issers ( ar, يسر, kab, ⵉⵙⴻⵔ) is a town and commune in Boumerdès Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 27,990. As of the latest census it has 32,580 residents.
Isser is locate ...
were then set ablaze to the confines of the city
Dellys.
Death
Mohamed ben Zamoum died during the year 1843 in the region of
Boghni
Boghni is a town and Communes of Algeria, commune in Tizi Ouzou Province in northern Algeria. It is located in the south of Tizi Ouzou, surrounded by Djurdjura mountain and surrounded by Maatekas, Beni Kouffi, Voughardane, Mechtras and other small ...
in
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of th ...
at the age of 48 after thirteen years of resistance against the
French conquest of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...
.
Gallery
File:Photo aérienne de Reghaia.jpg, Raid on Reghaïa (1837)
File:Col de Ténia.jpg, Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha
The Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the troops of ''Beni Aïcha'' of the ''Igawawen''.
Historical Contex ...
(1837)
File:Photo boudouaou marine 08102014.jpg, First Battle of Boudouaou
The First Battle of Boudouaou in 25–26 May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the troops of Kabylia of the ''Igawawen''.
Historical Context
When Emi ...
(1837)
File:Oued Isser واد يسر - panoramio.jpg, First Battle of the Issers
The First Battle of the Issers in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under General Perrégaux and Colonel Schauenburg against the troops of Kabylia of the ''Igawawen''.
Background
The ceasefire si ...
(1837)
File:Sidi Soussan à Dellys.jpg, First Assault of Dellys
The ''First Assault of Dellys'' in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, opposed the troupes coloniales under Corvette captain Félix-Ariel d'Assigny (1794-1846) to the resistance fighters of the town of Dellys in Kabylia of the ''Iga ...
(1837)
See also
*
French conquest of Algeria
The French invasion of Algeria (; ) took place between 1830 and 1903. In 1827, an argument between Hussein Dey, the ruler of the Deylik of Algiers, and the French consul escalated into a blockade, following which the July Monarchy of France inva ...
*
Ottoman Algeria
The Regency of Algiers ( ar, دولة الجزائر, translit=Dawlat al-Jaza'ir) was a state in North Africa lasting from 1516 to 1830, until it was French conquest of Algeria, conquered by the French. Situated between the Ottoman Tunisia, re ...
*
Invasion of Algiers in 1830
*
First Battle of Blida
The First Expedition of Blida took place from 22 to 24 July 1830, during the French conquest of Algeria.
The Expedition
On 22 July 1830, Marshal de Bourmont organized a reconnaissance expedition on the city of Blida. On the early morning of 23 J ...
(1830)
*
Raid on Reghaïa (1837)
*
Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha
The Expedition of the Col des Beni Aïcha in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the troops of ''Beni Aïcha'' of the ''Igawawen''.
Historical Contex ...
(1837)
*
First Battle of Boudouaou
The First Battle of Boudouaou in 25–26 May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the troops of Kabylia of the ''Igawawen''.
Historical Context
When Emi ...
(1837)
*
First Battle of the Issers
The First Battle of the Issers in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, pitted the troupes coloniales under General Perrégaux and Colonel Schauenburg against the troops of Kabylia of the ''Igawawen''.
Background
The ceasefire si ...
(1837)
*
First Assault of Dellys
The ''First Assault of Dellys'' in May 1837, during the French conquest of Algeria, opposed the troupes coloniales under Corvette captain Félix-Ariel d'Assigny (1794-1846) to the resistance fighters of the town of Dellys in Kabylia of the ''Iga ...
(1837)
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
1795 births
Algerian people
People from Naciria
People from Naciria District
People from Boumerdès Province
Kabyle people
1843 deaths
Deaths in Algeria
French Algeria
1830s in Algeria
{{Algeria-mil-bio-stub