Oran
From Free net encyclopedia
- This article is about the city in Algeria. For other uses see Oran (disambiguation).
Image:Oran2.JPG Oran (population 700,000) (Arabic:Template:Ar, Wahran) is a city in northwest Algeria, situated on the Mediterranean Sea coast. During French rule in Algeria Oran was the prefecture of the Oran département. It now is the capital of an Oran Province (wilaya).
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History
Oran was founded in the 10th century by Moorish Andalusian traders, but was captured by the Spanish under Cardinal Cisneros in 1509. Spanish sovereignty lasted until 1708, when the city was conquered by the Ottomans. Spain returned in 1732 taking the city over again. However, its value as trade post had decreased very much and the king Charles IV sold the city to the Turkish. Ottoman rule lasted until 1831, when it fell to the French.
During the French colonial rule over Algeria, Oran was the capital of a département of the same name (number 92).
During World War II, Oran was held by Vichy France until it was captured by the Allies in late 1942, during Operation Torch.
In July 1940, the British Royal Navy shelled French warships in the port after they refused to respond to a British ultimatum designed to ensure they would not fall into German hands. The action sealed the hatred of Vichy France for Britain but convinced the world, especially the United States, of the British will to fight on alone against Nazi Germany and its allies.
Before the Algerian War of Independence, Oran had one of the highest proportion of European population than any other town in North Africa. Therefore, after the end of the war and the resulting exodus of Europeans and Jews to France, Oran lost about half its population.
Oran today
Today, Oran is a major port and a commercial centre, and has a university. The old quarter of Oran has a casbah and an 18th-century mosque.
Culture
The folk music Raï had its beginnings in Oran.
Fiction
Albert Camus' 1947 novel The Plague takes place in Oran.
Jeremy Schwendiman' 2006 The Oranic Regime describes the rise of the Oran way of life and its encroachment on the societies of peaceful democratic governments.
External links
- Visit Oran www.visitoran.com - At the moment, Oran's most useful and popular website.
- Sheraton Hotel Information and pictures for the Sheraton Hotel & Towers Oran.
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