Arzew (أرزيو) is a port city in Algeria, 22 miles from Oran. It is the capital of Arzew District, Oran Province.

History

Antiquity

The site of modern-day Arzew was originally inhabited by the Berber Ben Bethioua tribe, coming from the nearby town of Bethioua coming from the Rif mountains in current Morocco and the semi-nomadic Hamian tribe. It was named Arsenaria, or Portus Magnus (Great Harbour) under the Roman Empire (the latter name is the one that can be seen in its former coat of arms). It has several Roman remains, mosaics, and artworks, which were deplaced to the museum of nearby Oran. During Roman times, Arzew's exports used to be grain and salt. The Vandals destroyed Portus Magnus in 429/430. Since the Muslim conquests, it regained some importance, as it was noted by the geographer El Bekri , during his description of North Africa (1068) where he described the Roman ruins (old Arzew) as Arzao, an abandoned Roman port. The Almohads refounded the port in 1162. Under the Ziyanids, the port, located near the Ziyanid capital Tlemcen was renamed to Marsa Ben Zian (i.e. the port of the Zian tribe).

Modern history

In July 10, 1833, the French forces coming from Oran go further east and occupy the locality, which has then been simply called Marsa (i.e. port). After years of war (ended by the Treaty of Desmichels) Arzew became a legal possession of France, transliterated in Arabic as Arziou and in French as Arzowe. King Louis-Philippe orders the creation of the settlement of Arzew Le Port in August 12, 1845, which encourages people from Europe to settle the area. It becomes a fully-functional commune in December 31, 1856. It was an important war site during World War II (see Operation Torch). After the independence of Algeria in 1962, Arzew became an important port and industrial area, home to a refinery exporting LNG (liquified natural gas), as well as a fleet of small fishing boats to work the local waters.

References

• * Algeria - Arzew (GeneaWiki)

External links

• 111th Observation Squadron World War II Narrative History, Part VI: The Battle Of Arzew - John C.L. Scribner