Miliana

History

For a long time Miliana was the sanctuary capital of the Numidian kings. In 105 BCE Jugurtha was captured not far from this region. A Roman garrison was established in Zucchabar by Emperor Augustus between 27 and 25 BCE. The city is mentioned by Ammianus Marcelinus during the insurrection of the Berber leader Firmus in 375; the Roman general Theodosius the Elder left Caesarea (now Cherchell) to occupy Sugabarritanum. Zucchabar was an important city in the province of Mauretania Caesariensis and became a Christian episcopal see. The names of two of its Catholic bishops and one Donatist are recorded: *Maximianus, who attended the Conference of Carthage (411); **Germanus, the Donatist bishop who attended the same conference; *Stephanus, one of the Catholic bishops whom Huneric summoned to a meeting in Carthage in February 484 and then exiled. The bishopric is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees. In the 5th century, with the arrival of the Vandals, the Roman city was abandoned along with most of its ancient monuments. Between 972 and 980, Prince Buluggin ibn Ziri, founder of Algiers and Médéa, constructed a medina atop the ruins of the Roman city. During this period, the city experienced a renaissance and great prosperity. It is mentioned by several Muslim geographers. In the 10th century, Ibn Hawqal was the first to reference the city in his writings. He describes it as "Ancient city, equipped with water-mills turned by its waterway and possessing a large number of irrigation canals." In the 11th century, Al-Bakri wrote that Miliana was one of the cities constructed by Buluggin, along with Algiers and Médéa. In the 14th century, Ibn Khaldun described the city as "part of the Maghrawa Beni Warsifen domain in the Chélif River plain," and that…

Geography

The commune of Miliana is located in the north of the Aïn Defla wilaya. The town is located 114 km to the southwest of Algiers, 50 km to the west of Médéa, and 92 km to the east of Chlef. , which covers its entire northern border and reaches . There is also a smaller ridge to the south that reaches , separating Miliana from Khemis Miliana. The area around the town is well forested. To the east and south is the Chélif River Valley, and to the west is a large plateau that stretches to the Ouarsenis range.

Most-observed species

• Early Virgin's-bower

  Clematis cirrhosa L. · Magnoliopsida
  5
• White Mignonette

  Reseda alba L. · Magnoliopsida
  4
• Spotted Flycatcher

  Muscicapa striata (Pallas, 1764) · Aves
  3
• smooth golden fleece

  Urospermum dalechampii (L.) Scop. ex F.W.Schmidt · Magnoliopsida
  3
• Pale Speedwell

  Veronica cymbalaria Bodard · Magnoliopsida
  3
• Teucrium pseudochamaepitys L.

  Teucrium pseudochamaepitys L. · Magnoliopsida
  3
• Minorca honeysuckle

  Lonicera implexa Aiton · Magnoliopsida
  3
• Culicoides odiatus Austen, 1921

  Culicoides odiatus Austen, 1921 · Insecta
  2

Most recent

• M 5 — 2024-12-16
  17 km ENE of Sidi Akkacha, Algeria
• M 4 — 2022-12-07
  northern Algeria
• M 4.8 — 2022-11-12
  24 km NE of Berrouaghia, Algeria
• M 4.1 — 2022-03-18
  16 km ENE of Berrouaghia, Algeria
• M 4.4 — 2021-07-31
  5 km NNW of El Abadia, Algeria
• M 3.6 — 2020-08-29
  36 km WNW of Hadjout, Algeria