Akbou or Aqvu ( ar, أقبو) is a town in the

Kabylie 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 ...

region in northern

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

Béjaïa Province The Béjaïa Province ( Kabyle: ''Tawilayt n Bgayet''; ar, ولاية بجاية, Latn, ar, Wilāyat Bijāyah; french: wilaya de Béjaïa or ) is a province of Algeria in the Kabylie region. The province's capital city is Béjaïa, the terminus ...

. It is a growing city with a population of 52,300 in 2008. This is a number approximately 20,000 more than what was recorded in 1998.

History

The modern town of Akbou was established by the French in 1874. However, the area was occupied in ancient times by the Romans and contains a Roman mausoleum in the middle of the Soummam valley. Bou Baghli had earlier organized the uprising in

against the French conquest in 1851. The French recognized the strategic importance of the area on the Soummam river and set up a stronghold. The area was again subject to an uprising in 1871, but the French troops led a ruthless suppression. The fertile land in the Soummam valley was destined for settlement and shortly afterwards was established in 1874.

Geography

Akbou is located in the upper

Soummam River The Soummam River (pronounced om'm is a river in northern Algeria, born from the confluence of the Sahel River and the Bou Sellam River near Akbou and flowing into the Mediterranean Sea at Béjaïa. Description The waters that reach the sea in ...

valley on the eastern flank of the Djurdjura Mountain. It is bounded to the north by

Ouzellaguen Ouzellaguen is a town in northern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = ...

, east by the Soummam River, which separates it from the commune of Amalou, south-east by the Wadi Sahel, locally called "assif abbas", which separates it from the communes of Ait R'Zine, to the south by

Tazmalt Tazmalt is a town in northern Algeria. It's about 85 km south west of Bejaia, 50 km at east of Bouira, 55 km south east of Tizi Ouzou, and 165 km south east of the capital Algiers. Tazmalt is the biggest city of Sahel-Djurdjura r ...

, to the west by the municipality of

Ighram Ighram is a town and commune of Kabylie in northern Algeria. The town is located on the Soummam, on its left bank. It is located south-west of the wilaya of Bejaia, a distance of more than 70 km from the provincial capital and less than 5& ...

and north-west by the town of

Chellata Chelata is a town in northern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , ...

. It is located at an average altitude of 280 m, and the commune covers an area of 52.18 square kilometers, comprising two distinct areas: the urban area and peripheries on the plain such as the villages Lazib and Colonel Amirouche (ex. Riquet).

Economy

Akbou plays an important economic role in the region because of its industrial base. The valley has attracted much investment and large state enterprises as Alcovel, Mac and Soum Sonaric, Soummam,

General Emballage A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

and Ramdy. There are two large markets. The first is a wholesale market for fruits and vegetables ranked third nationally. The second is a market for vehicles and displays an average of 5,000 vehicles every Friday. Akbou will benefit from the contribution of the large

Tichy Haf Dam Tichy is a town and commune in Béjaïa Province, northern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , ...

located not far from the city. Three large reservoirs created are scheduled to meet both the needs of people from industry and agriculture. With a municipal budget of almost 700 million dinars, Akbou is a wealthy city that is growing rapidly.

Culture and heritage

Monuments

The Mausoleum Ausium, situated on the peak of Akbou, is over 2,000 years old. It is assumed it was built by the Romans.

Petra Castle

Note the existence of the historical castle of Petra, located at a place called Mlakou, 8 km north-east of Akbou. It was destroyed by Theodosius in the war against

Firmus According to the ''Historia Augusta'', Firmus (died 273) was a usurper during the reign of Aurelian. The contradictory accounts of his life and the man himself are considered to be a complete fabrication, perhaps based on the later Firmus. His ...

Bibliography

*Robin, Noël, ''Histoire du chérif Bou Bar'la'', Alger, A. Jourdan, 1884, 294 p. *Robin, Noël, ''Notes historiques sur la Grande Kabylie de 1838 à 1851'', Alger, 1905, 269 p. *Rinn, Louis, Histoire de l’insurrection de 1871 en Algérie, Alger, 1891, 672 p. *Mahe, Alain, ''Histoire de la Grande Kabylie, XIXe-XXe siècles. Anthropologie historique du lien social dans les communautés villageoises'', Editions Bouchene, 2001, 650 p.,