Ali V Ben Ahmed, nicknamed Ali Khodja, Ali-Meguer, or Ali Loco (the mad) (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: علي ابن أحمد خوجة) was a Kouloughli of partial Georgian ( Mengrelian) and Native Algerian origins born in modern day Algeria. He was the

dey Dey (Arabic: داي), from the Turkish honorific title ''dayı'', literally meaning uncle, was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 ...

of 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 ...

from September 1817, just after the assassination of his predecessor

Omar Agha Omar Agha was the Dey of the Deylik of Algiers from April 1815 to September 1817, after the assassination of his predecessor Mohamed Kharnadji on 7 April 1815, who had been in office for only 17 days. Early life He was born on the island of Les ...

the 8th. He remained so until his death in February 1818. His sobriquet ''Ali-Meguer'' may indicate his

Mingrelian Mingrelian may refer to: *the Mingrelians *the Mingrelian language Mingrelian or Megrelian (, ) is a Kartvelian language spoken in Western Georgia (regions of Mingrelia and Abkhazia), primarily by the Mingrelians. The language was also called kol ...

background.

Origins

He was a Kouloughli. His mother was an Algerian Kabyle, most likely from the Zwawa tribal confederation. He was

from his father's side, although it is unknown if his father was fully, or only partially mingrelian.

Early life

He was complicit in the assassination of Ahmed bin Ali Khodja in 1808, and the assassination of Omar agha (1817). He served in various important positions before being elected

Dey Dey (Arabic: داي), from the Turkish honorific title ''dayı'', literally meaning uncle, was the title given to the rulers of the Regency of Algiers (Algeria), Tripoli,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 ...

in 1817.

Rule

A few days after his arrival, and to better ensure his safety, he left the

Palace of the Djenina A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

located in the lower part of the city of

Casbah A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...

and offering small defences, to move to the

fortress of the Casbah A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

where he put the treasury safe. Using his connections to the Kabyles, he signed an alliance with the Zwawas, and the Kouloughlis. After they attempted to rebel against his rule he at one point had more than 1,500 Turkish janissaries executed.

Death

He died of the

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

on February 28, 1818.Camille Rousset, La Conquête d'Alger, Paris, E. Plon et Cie, 1879, pp. 7-1
online
version After his death in 1818, he was buried in the

Thaalibia Cemetery Thaalibia Cemetery ( ar, المقبرة الثعالبية) or Abd al-Rahman al-Tha'alibi Cemetery ( ar, مقبرة سيدي عبد الرحمان الثعالبي) is a cemetery in the Casbah of Algiers in the commune of the Casbah of Algiers. ...

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 ' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali Khodja Deys of Algiers People from Constantine, Algeria 18th-century births 1818 deaths 19th-century deaths from plague (disease) Georgians from the Ottoman Empire Infectious disease deaths in Algeria