Ain Sefra

History

The Ksar of Aïn-Sefra was erected around the year 1586 by the children of Mohamed Benchaïb, known as Bou Dekhil, patron saint of the city, after the purchase of the land from local tribes against 1000 sheep, according to the tales of oral tradition. During the first French incursions in the middle of the 19th century, the majority of "Chorfa" families left the ksar as refugees, mainly to Tlemcen and Fez. The modern city dates back to the French colonial era. Initially, in 1882, a strategic military garrison post consequent to the revolt of Sheikh Bouamama left their bastion of Figuig. French troops have instead established a military post at the site of Aïn-Séfra, to control "The Gateway to the Sahara". A railway reached Aïn-Séfra as early as 1887, and it extended to Bechar and Kenadsa in 1906, both for economic and strategic reasons. During the colonial period, it was an important sub-prefecture and a military territory, but also a region of cultural, economic and political importance. The region where Aïn-Séfra is located was one of the bastions of the popular resistance against the French colonial conquest, south of Oran.

Geography

Aïn Sefra has a cold arid climate (Köppen BWk) with hot to sweltering summers and, owing to its elevation, cool to relatively cold winters, despite its location in the Sahara Desert. Snow has been recorded on rare occasions. It lightly snowed on 18 February 1979 for the first time in recorded history, and again on 16 December 2016 and in 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Most-observed species

• Epaulet Skimmer

  Orthetrum chrysostigma (Burmeister, 1839) · Insecta
  2
• European Greenfinch

  Chloris chloris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2
• Saharan Silver Ant

  Cataglyphis bombycinus (Roger, 1859) · Insecta
  1
• Violet Dropwing

  Trithemis annulata (Palisot de Beauvois, 1807) · Insecta
  1
• Small Copper

  Lycaena phlaeas (Linnaeus, 1761) · Insecta
  1
• Sahara Frog

  Pelophylax saharicus (Boulenger, 1913) · Amphibia
  1
• European chameleon

  Chamaeleo chamaeleon (Linnaeus, 1758) · Squamata
  1
• Werner's Diadem Snake

  Spalerosophis dolichospilus (Werner, 1923) · Squamata
  1

Most recent

• M 4.9 — 2009-12-14
  48 km ENE of Aïn Sefra, Algeria
• M 4 — 2008-02-05
  71 km SE of Bouarfa, Morocco