Souk Ahras - History

History

The town of Souk Ahras, as its region, experienced Aterian culture from the end of the Middle Palaeolithic to the early upper Palaeolithic. After the aterian, Souk Ahras entered the Caspian culture. Many stone tools, dating back to this period, were discovered. Stemmed arrows were found on the site of present day Souk Ahras, but also in Tiffech and Taoura, not far from it. Hometown of saint Augustin (born 13 November 354), Bishop of Hippo, Souk Ahras has played an important role in the political and cultural history of the region because of its strategic position. In the crossroads of Numide, then Roman and finally Berber civilizations, it was the location of military fortifications (Madaure, Tiffech, Khemissa...) and urban centers.

The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was situated in the north-eastern highlands of Numidia, shortly afterwards, it became a Roman municipium. The city was mentioned by Pliny the Elder. As a municipium, Thagaste was not settled by Italian immigrants and was inhabited by Romanized Berbers. It was about sixty miles from Hippo Regius, now called Annaba, and about 150 miles from Carthage (on the coast of present day Tunisia).

In the nineteenth century it was a French colonial settlement. In the twentieth century mining and the railway brought some signicance and prosperity to the town. During the revolution, it housed in the Ouled Bechiah mounts an autonomous Military base of the army of national liberation (ALN), called "Basis of the East".