Azazga
| Azazga | |
|---|---|
| Country | Algeria |
| Province | Tizi Ouzou Province |
| Area | |
| • Total | 78.57 km2 (30.34 sq mi) |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Total | 70 000 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| Climate | Csa |
Azazga is a town in the Tizi Ouzou Province in northern Algeria. It is the third largest Kabyle city, after Béjaïa and Tizi Ouzou. It is the district seat of the so-named Daïra.
History
Azazga is a rich locality by its culture and its history. It was created under the French occupation in 1882. It was the chief town of the canton of the commune of Haut-Sébaou. In Kabyle, its name means “the deaf persons”, name which would have been given to the inhabitants of the village by the French at the time of colonization. It is said that indeed, one day, the inhabitants refused to hear French troops passing near the village and who asked them to locate rebels; from there the name of the village come from. the inhabitants of Azazga are very attached to their freedom, they played a very important role at the time of the Algerian War of Independence whose Chekini Mohand Said of the village of Rabta was a leader on November 1, 1954, and in 1963 during the revolts against the Algerian state of that time, then later he became a prefect until his retirement. In the same way during the riots of the black Spring in 2001 where it has been nearly 126 died and more than 5000 wounded and led to closing and the destruction of barracks of Gendarmerie after one year of quarantine.
Azazga was built on a marshy ground named “ilmathen” (Ilmaten, swamp), they were the source of drained water, and until 1962 many fountains were built in the entire city.
The inhabitants of this commune knew many waves of emigration towards the Middle East. For this reason we finds many Kabyles hearths today, in Syria, in Lebanon, and in the countries situated near Syria, and in New Caledonia and Guyana.
Sport
The football team of Azazga, Jeunesse Sportive Azazga or JSA, is one of the oldest clubs of Algeria. Founded in 1946, this club did not play in the Premier League for a long time. The other team of the area is OC Azazga, this club created in 1998 in Cheurfa, became from now better classified than the JSA. In June 2008, Ighil Bouzel created a new club which name is Union Sportive Azazga (USA). It began in 2008/2009 season with its Brazilian behavior (blue and yellow).
References
Coordinates: 36°44′43″N 4°22′16″E / 36.74528°N 4.37111°E
