Constantine (), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. During

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingd ...

it was called

Cirta Cirta, also known by #Names, various other names in classical antiquity, antiquity, was the ancient Berbers, Berber, Punic people, Punic and Roman Empire, Roman settlement which later became Constantine, Algeria, Constantine, Algeria. Cirta was ...

and was renamed "Constantina" in honour of Emperor

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

. Located somewhat inland, Constantine is about from the

Mediterranean coast The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eu ...

, on the banks of the Rhumel River. Constantine is regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the commercial centre of its region and has a population of about 450,000 (938,475Office National des Statistiques, Recensement General de la Population et de l'Habitat 2008
2008 population census. Accessed on 2016-01-27. with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

and

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

. There are several museums and historical sites located around the city. Constantine is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" because of the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the various hills, valleys, and ravines that the city is built on and around. Constantine was named the Arab Capital of Culture in 2015.

History

Ancient history

In antiquity, the city was originally called

and served as the capital of the

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 town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...

kingdom of

Numidia Numidia was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunisia and Libya. The polity was originally divided between ...

. In 112 B.C., the city was the capital of the Numidian king

Jugurtha Jugurtha or Jugurthen (c. 160 – 104 BC) was a king of Numidia, the ancient kingdom of the Numidians in northwest Africa. When the Numidian king Micipsa, who had adopted Jugurtha, died in 118 BC, Micipsa's two sons, Hiempsal and Adherbal ...

, who defeated his half-brother Adherbal. The city later served as the base for Roman generals

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus () was an ancient Roman statesman and general. He was a leader of the Optimates, the conservative faction of the Roman Senate. He was a bitter political opponent of Gaius Marius. He was Roman consul, consul in 1 ...

and

Gaius Marius Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbrian War, Cimbric and Jugurthine War, Jugurthine wars, he held the office of Roman consul, consul an unprecedented seven times. Rising from a fami ...

in their war against Jugurtha. Later, with the removal of King

Juba I Juba I of Numidia (, ; –46BC) was a king of Numidia (present-day Algeria) who reigned from 60 to 46 BC. He was the son and successor to Hiempsal II. Biography In 81 BC, Hiempsal had been driven from his throne; soon afterwards, Pompey wa ...

and the remaining supporters of

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey ( ) or Pompey the Great, was a Roman general and statesman who was prominent in the last decades of the Roman Republic. ...

in Africa (),

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

gave special rights to the citizens of

, now known as Colonia Sittlanorum. In 311 AD, during the civil war between emperor

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius ( 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized as a legitimate ...

and usurper

Domitius Alexander Lucius Domitius Alexander (died 310), probably born in Phrygia, was vicarius of Africa when Emperor Maxentius ordered him to send his son as hostage to Rome. Alexander refused and proclaimed himself emperor in 308. The most detailed if somewhat ...

(a former governor of Africa), the city was destroyed. Rebuilt in 313 AD, it was subsequently named in Latin as "Colonia Constantiniana" or "Constantina", after emperor

, who had defeated Maxentius. During Roman rule, the city exported wheat and was the only population center that lay on both of the Roman roads paved in ancient Algeria. Captured by the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

in 432, Constantine returned to the Byzantine

Exarchate of Africa The Exarchate of Africa was a division of the Byzantine Empire around Carthage that encompassed its possessions on the Western Mediterranean. Ruled by an exarch (viceroy), it was established by the Emperor Maurice in 591 and survived until t ...

from 534 to 697. Following the Arab conquest of the city in the 8th century, it became known as ''Qacentina''. The city was a part of the wider region of

Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna (), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia, eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (roughly western Libya). It included all of what had previously been the Byzantine province of ...

Modern history

The city recovered in the 12th century and under

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

and

Hafsid The Hafsid dynasty ( ) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. that ruled Ifriqiya (modern day Tunisia, w ...

rule it was again a prosperous market, with links to

Pisa Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

and

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

. After taking it from the

Hafsids The Hafsid dynasty ( ) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Berber descentC. Magbaily Fyle, ''Introduction to the History of African Civilization: Precolonial Africa'', (University Press of America, 1999), 84. that ruled Ifriqiya (modern day Tunisia, w ...

in 1529 it was intermittently part of

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, ruled by a Turkish

bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

(governor) subordinate to the

dey Dey (, from ) was the title given to the rulers of the regencies of Algiers, Tripolitania,Bertarelli (1929), p. 203. and Tunis under the Ottoman Empire from 1671 onwards. Twenty-nine ''deys'' held office from the establishment of the deylicate ...

. Salah Bey, who ruled the city in 1770–1792, greatly embellished it and built much of the

Muslim architecture Muslims () 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 Abraham (or ''Allah'') as it ...

still visible today. During the Ottoman reign of Constantine, merchants traded a variety of goods such as; agricultural products, animals, embroidered textiles, leather, precious metals, swords, and pistols. In 1826 the last bey, Ahmed Bey ben Mohamed Chérif, became the new head of state. He led a fierce resistance against French forces, which invaded Algeria four years later. By 13 October 1837, the territory was captured by France, and from 1848 on until 1962 it was the centre of the Constantine Département. In 1880, while working in the military hospital in Constantine, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran discovered that the cause of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

is a

protozoa Protozoa (: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a polyphyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic debris. Historically ...

n. He observed the parasites in a

blood smear A blood smear, peripheral blood smear or blood film is a thin layer of blood smeared on a glass microscope slide and then stained in such a way as to allow the various blood cells to be examined microscopically. Blood smears are examined in the i ...

taken from a soldier who had just died of malaria. For this, he received the 1907

Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single ...

. This was the first time that protozoa were shown to be a cause of disease. His work helped inspire researchers and veterinarians today to try to find a cure for malaria in animals. In 1934, Muslim anti-Jewish riots, the 1934 Constantine Pogrom, caused the death of 23 local Jews and 3 local Muslims, 81 people were injured on both sides of the conflict. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, during the campaign in North Africa (1942–43), Allied forces used Constantine and the nearby cities of Sétif and Bone as operational bases.

Geography

Constantine is situated on a plateau at an elevation

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

. The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges over Rhumel River and a

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...

crossing the ravine. The ravine is crossed by seven bridges, including Sidi M'Cid bridge. Constantine is the railhead of a prosperous and diverse agricultural area. It is also a centre of the

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals such as wheat, barley, maize, rice, and other food grains. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other agri ...

and has flour mills, a tractor factory, and industries producing textiles, wool, linen and leather goods. Algeria and

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

serve as its markets.

Climate

Constantine has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Csa''), with hot, dry summers and mild, moist winters.

Main sights

The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. In 1911,

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

described it as "resembling the Kasba of

, the picturesque charm of which has so far been marred by the construction of but a few new streets." * El Bey Mosque built in 1703 also known by its post colonial name Souq El Ghezal Mosque. * Great Mosque of Constantine historical mosque built in 1136. * Cirta Museum, previously Gustave Mercier Museum (displays ancient and modern Algerian art) * Abd al Hamid Ben Badis Mosque * The Casbah (

Kasbah A kasbah (, also ; , , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasbah, qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term in Spanish (), which is derived from the same ...

) known locally by the name of Swika ** Emir Abdelkader University and Mosque * Soumma Mausoleum *

Massinissa Masinissa (''c.'' 238 BC – 148 BC), also spelled Massinissa, Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ultimately uniting th ...

's Mausoleum * Municipal Library of Constantine * Ahmed Bey Palace * Ruins of the Antonian

Roman aqueduct The Romans constructed aqueducts throughout their Republic and later Empire, to bring water from outside sources into cities and towns. Aqueduct water supplied public baths, latrines, fountains, and private households; it also supported min ...

* Ben Abdelmalek Stadium Nearby are * the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

city of Tiddis * the

megalith A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. More than 35,000 megalithic structures have been identified across Europe, ranging geographically f ...

ic monuments and burial grounds at Djebel Mazala Salluste.

The City of Bridges

File:John_Beasly_Greene_(American,_born_France_-_(Elcantara_Bridge,_Constantine,_Algeria)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg, Bridge El-Kantara, earliest photo, 1856 by John Beasley Greene File:pont des chutes.jpg, Bridge of the Falls File:Sidi M'Cid.JPG, Sidi M'Cid Bridge File:Magnia.jpg, Sidi Rached Bridge File:Constantine bridge.jpg, El-Kantara Bridge File:Old Constantine.JPG, Constantine:Old city The topography of the city is unique and it determines the need for bridges. At the end of the 19th century,

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, celebrated as a master of the short story, as well as a representative of the naturalist school, depicting human lives, destinies and s ...

wrote: "Eight bridges used to cross this ravine. Six of these bridges are in ruins today." Today the most important bridges are: * Sidi M'Cid Bridge (1912), a suspension bridge with a length of 168m, * Bab El Kantra Bridge (1792) bridge which leads toward north, * Sidi Rached bridge (1912), a long

of 447ms and 27 arches, designed by Paul Séjourné, * Devil's bridge, a tiny beam bridge, * Falls bridge (1925), formed by a series of arches on top of a waterfall, * Mellah Slimane Bridge (1925), a suspension bridge, * Salah Bey Bridge (Trans-Rhummel viaduct, 2014), the first cable-stayed bridge in Constantine, designed by

Dissing+Weitling Dissing+Weitling is an architecture and design practice in Copenhagen, Denmark. The founders and namesakes Hans Dissing and Otto Weitling founded the firm upon the death of Arne Jacobsen as a continuation of his office where both had been key emplo ...

architecture, * Meddjez Dechiche Bridge

Education

Constantine has in general four universities: two of them are downtown Constantine Mentouri Public University, designed by the Brazilian architect

Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (15 December 1907 – 5 December 2012), known as Oscar Niemeyer (), was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was b ...

, and Algerian architect Rashid Hassaine, including Zerzara technical engineering pole, Zouaghi Slimane Geography and Earth Sciences Pole, and in the City of El-Khroub is the Institute of Veterinary Sciences. Emir Abdelkader University is one of the biggest Islamic universities with many faculties covering religious studies, foreign languages, and literature. Constantine's new town "nouvelle ville ali mendjeli" has two big universities: Université Constantine 2 known as "lella nsoumer" offers maths, computer and economy majors, and the new university is actually a university pole with more than 20,000 students, 17 faculties and more than 40,000 residents. It is now the largest African university under the name of "Université Salah Boubnider" known as "Université Constantine 3".

Transport

Constantine is served by Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport. Constantine also owns its 14.7 km-long tram network serving the city centre at the airport and the main neighbourhoods of the metropolis Constantine tramway.

Twin towns – sister cities

Constantine is twinned with: *

Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...

, France *

Sousse Sousse, Sūsah , or Soussa (, ), is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which ...

, Tunisia

Notable people

Constantine has been the hometown of many noteworthy people in Algeria and France. * Abdelhamid Brahimi, former Prime Minister of Algeria (1984-1988) *

Abdelhamid Ben Badis ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Muṣṭafā ibn Makkī ibn Bādīs (), better known as Ibn Bādīs () was an Algerian Salafi educator, exegete, Islamic reformer, scholar and figurehead of cultural nationalism. In 1931, Ben Badis founded the Association ...

, Islamic reformer and philosopher * Abdelmalek Sellal, former Prime Minister of Algeria two terms (2012-2014),(2014-2017) * Ahmed Bey, last

Bey Bey, also spelled as Baig, Bayg, Beigh, Beig, Bek, Baeg, Begh, or Beg, is a Turkic title for a chieftain, and a royal, aristocratic title traditionally applied to people with special lineages to the leaders or rulers of variously sized areas in ...

of Constantine (1826-1848) * Ahlam Mosteghanemi, writer * Alfred Nakache, Olympic champion swimmer and Holocaust survivor. * Ali Saïdi-Sief, Olympic medallist * Amar Bentoumi, lawyer, Algerian independence activist, Algerian politician * Malek Bennabi, philosopher * Rabah Bitat, third

President of Algeria The president of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria (, ) is the head of state and chief executive of Algeria, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Algerian People's National Armed Forces. The current president is Abdelmadjid Tebbo ...

(1978) * Sabri Boukadoum, former Minister of foreign affairs and acting Prime Minister * Mouloud Hamrouche, former Prime Minister of Algeria (1989-1991) * Djamel Eddine Laouisset, Algerian Scholar *

Masinissa Masinissa (''c.'' 238 BC – 148 BC), also spelled Massinissa, Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ultimately uniting the ...

, the first King of Numidia * Hassiba Boulmerka, athlete, first Algerian woman to win an Olympic title (1992) * Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Valentinois, daughter of

Louis II, Prince of Monaco Louis II (Louis Honoré Charles Antoine Grimaldi; 12 July 1870 – 9 May 1949) was Prince of Monaco from 26 June 1922 to 9 May 1949. Early years Born in Baden-Baden, Louis II was the only child of Albert I, Prince of Monaco (1848–1922), and L ...

, and mother of Prince Rainier III * Roger Chauviré (1880–1957), French writer *

Claude Cohen-Tannoudji Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (; born 1 April 1933) is a French physicist. He shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with Steven Chu and William Daniel Phillips for research in methods of laser cooling and magnetic trap (atoms), trapping atoms. Currentl ...

, Nobel Prize winner in physics * Sidi Fredj Halimi, Chief Rabbi and rabbinical court president *

Enrico Macias Gaston Ghrenassia (born 11 December 1938), known by his stage name Enrico Macias, is a French singer, songwriter and musician. Early years Gaston Ghrenassia was born to a Sephardic Jews, Sephardic Jewish family. His father, Sylvain Ghrenassia ...

, French singer *

Cheb i Sabbah Serge El Beze, best known as Cheb i Sabbah"Jewish DJ Captivates Arab Ears"
''

Jean-Michel Atlan, artist * Alphonse Halimi, world champion boxer *

Kateb Yacine Kateb Yacine (; 2 August 1929 or 6 August 1929 – 28 October 1989) was an Algerian writer notable for his novels and Play (theatre), plays, both in French language, French and Algerian Arabic, and his advocacy of the Berberism, Berber caus ...

, writer *

Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel (July 31, 1919 – August 11, 2007) was a French painter. Artistic life Boitel belonged to the art movement called "La Jeune Peinture" ("Young Picture") of the School of Paris,The School of Paris (1945–1965) by Lydia Harambourg. ...

, artist * Sandra Laoura, Olympic medallist * Malek Haddad, poet * Moussa Maaskri, actor * Fadéla M'rabet writer and feminist * Cherif Guellal, Algerian diplomat, first ambassador to the USA (1963-1967)

References

External links

��''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

''
The Cascades, Constantine, Algeria

Images of Constantine
in Manar al-Athar digital heritage photo archive {{Authority control 200s BC establishments 203 BC Communes of Constantine Province Phoenician colonies in Algeria Province seats of Algeria Constantine Province