Sidi Okba ( ar, سيدي عقبة) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Biskra Province Biskra ( ar, ولاية بسكرة) is a province (''wilaya'') of Algeria. The capital city is Biskra. Tolga is one of the famous ''daïras'' of this wilaya. Other localities include Lichoua, Sidi Okba, Sidi Khaled, El-Kantara and Ouled Djell ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. It was named after the

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

General

Uqba ibn Nafi ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ ibn ʿAbd al-Qays al-Fihrī al-Qurashī ( ar, عقبة بن نافع بن عبد القيس الفهري القرشي, ʿUqba ibn Nāfiʿ ibn ʿAbd al-Qays al-Fihrī), also simply known as Uqba ibn Nafi, was an Arab general ser ...

who died there in 683 AD. The nearest big city is

Biskra Biskra ( ar, بسكرة ; ; Latin Vescera) is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about 248 miles (400 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (115&nbs ...

which is located 18 km away. Sidi Okba sits on an oasis. In 1911 it was described by

Baedeker Verlag Karl Baedeker, founded by Karl Baedeker on July 1, 1827, is a German publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred to simply as " Baedekers" (a term sometimes used to refer to similar works fro ...

as "the religious center of the Zab". Baedeker stated that the town founded by

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

s visiting the tomb of Sidi Okba who died in a nearby town called Thouda. The

Sidi Okba Mosque Sidi Okba Mosque ( ar, مسجد سيدي عقبة, ''Masjid Sīdī ʻUqbah'') is the oldest surviving mosque in Algeria. The mosque was first established as the mausoleum in 686 dedicated to ʻUqbah ibn Nāfiʻ, a Companion of the Prophet and on ...

, which was built around Okba's tomb, is the oldest Islamic monument in the country.

References

Communes of Biskra Province {{Biskra-geo-stub

See also

References