Sidi Bel Abbès Province

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Sidi Bel Abbès (Template:Langx) is one of the provinces (wilayas) of Algeria, situated in the northwestern part of the country. Its name is derived from the name of its capital, the city of Sidi Bel Abbès.

History

Sidi Bel Abbès's location, climate, topography and water sources have attracted many immigrants through history; the region has also been subjected to many foreign invasions. The Romans used the region as a military refuge, leaving behind their influence in architecture. Starting at the end of the 5th century, the indigenous population experienced Byzantine domination, to which they responded with almost constant rebellion and attempts at revolution.

This continued until the Islamic conquests at the end of the 7th century, which were welcomed by the Berber tribes, who appreciated the message of equality in Islam. Major population growth occurred in the 11th Century. The emergence of the Almoravid dynasty in the region led to the unification of the Maghreb. This dynasty was overthrown by the Almoahidin in the 12th Century, and in the 13th Century, the unified Maghreb region was split into the domains of three different families. Sidi Bel Abbès eventually fell under the control of the Zayanites, ruled by their founder Ighmrasin bin Zayan, who united the Hilal tribes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The province of Sidi Bel Abbès was created from Oran (department) in 1974. In 1984, Aïn Témouchent Province was carved out of its territory.