Timgad *
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Trajan's Arch within the ruins of Timgad.
Country	Algeria
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii, iv
Reference	194
Region **	Arab States
Inscription history
Inscription	1982 (6th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List ** Region as classified by UNESCO

Coordinates: 35°29′03″N 6°28′07″E / 35.484237°N 6.468666°E / 35.484237; 6.468666 Timgad (called Thamugas or Tamugadi in old Berber) was a Roman colonial town in the Aures mountain- numidia Algeria founded by the Emperor Trajan around AD 100. The full name of the town was Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi. Trajan commemorated the city after his mother Marcia, father Marcus Ulpius Traianus and his eldest sister Ulpia Marciana.

Located in modern-day Algeria, about 35 km east of the town of Batna, the ruins are noteworthy for representing one of the best extant examples of the grid plan as used in Roman city planning.

History[link]

The city was founded ex nihilo as a military colony by the Emperor Trajan around AD 100. It was intended to serve, primarily, as a bastion against the Berbers in the nearby Aures Mountains. It was originally populated largely by Parthian veterans of the Roman army who were granted lands in return for years in service.

The city enjoyed a peaceful existence for the first several hundred years and became a center of Christian activity starting in the 3rd century, and a Donatist center in the 4th century.

In the 5th century, the city was sacked by the Vandals before falling into decline. In AD 535 the Byzantine general Solomon found the city when he came to occupy it. In the following century, the city was briefly repopulated as a primarily Christian city before being sacked by Berbers in the 7th century and being abandoned.

Because no new settlements were founded on the site after the 7th century, the town was partially preserved under sand up to a depth of approximately one meter. The encroachment of the Sahara on the ruins was the principal reason why the town is so well preserved.

After the Berber sacking in the 7th century the city disappeared from history until its excavation in 1881.

Description[link]

The Arch of Trajan in a late 19th century postcard.

Located at the intersection of six roads, the city was walled but not fortified. Originally designed for a population of around 15,000, the city quickly outgrew its original specifications and spilled beyond the orthogonal grid in a more loosely organized fashion.

At the time of its founding, the area surrounding the city was a fertile agricultural area, about 1000 meters above sea level.

The original Roman grid plan is magnificently visible in the orthogonal design, highlighted by the decumanus maximus and the cardo lined by a partially restored Corinthian colonnade. The cardo does not proceed completely through the town but instead terminates in a forum at the intersection with the decumanus.

At the west end of the decumanus rises a 12 m high triumphal arch, called Trajan's Arch, which was partially restored in 1900. The arch is principally of sandstone, and is of Corinthian order with three arches, the central one being 11' wide. The arch is also known as the Timgad Arch.

A 3,500-seat theater is in good condition and is used for contemporary productions. The other key buildings include four thermae, a library, and basilica.

The Capitoline Temple is dedicated to Jupiter and is approximately the same dimensions as the Pantheon in Rome. Nearby the capitol is a square church with a circular apse dating from the 7th century AD. Southeast of the city is a large Byzantine citadel built in the later days of the city.

World Heritage Site[link]

Timgad was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.

See also[link]

• Djémila
• Jerash
• Lambaesis

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Timgad

• UNESCO site on Timgad
• Great Buildings entry on Timgad
• UCSC Site on Timgad with index of photographs.
• Columbia Encyclopedia entry on Timgad
• Photos of Timgad
• Information on Roman Africa
• Videos on Timgad
• Map Location of Timgad

v t e World Heritage Sites in Algeria Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad Djémila Casbah of Algiers M'Zab Valley Tassili n'Ajjer Timgad Tipasa

v t e Batna Province Capital: Batna Districts Aïn Djasser Aïn Touta Arris Barika Batna Bouzina Chemora Djezzar El Madher Ichmoul Menaâ Merouana N'Gaous Ouled Salem Ouled Si Slimane Ras El Aioun Seggana Seriana T'Kout Tazoult Théniet El Abed Timgad Communes Aïn Djasser Aïn Touta Aïn Yagout Amantan Amdoukal Arris Barika Batna Ben Foudhala El Hakania Bitam Boulhilat Boumaguer Boumia Bouzina Djerma Djezzar Draa Etine El Hassi El Madher Fesdis Foum Toub Ghassira Chemora Gosbat Guigba Hidoussa Hayat Ichmoul Inoughissen Kimmel Ksar Bellezma Larbaa Lazrou Lemsane Maafa Menaa Merouana Metkaouak N'Gaous Nouader Oued Chaaba Oued El Ma Oued Taga Ouled Ammar Ouled Aouf Ouled Fadel Ouled Sellam Ouled Si Slimane Ouyoun El Assafir Rahbat Ras Ei Aioun Sefiane Seggana Seriana Talkhamt Taxlent Tazoult Teniet El Abed Tighanimine Tigherghar Tilatou Timgad Tkoutt Zanat El Beida

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Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed (Arabic: أحمد خليفاتي محمد‎) better known by his stage name Cheb Mami (Arabic: شاب مامي‎), (born in Saïda, Algeria on 1 January 1966) is an Algerian-born raï singer. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic, French and sometimes, as on Layali, in Egyptian Arabic.

As of July 2010, Mami was imprisoned in France, where he was found guilty of drugging and forcing a former romantic partner to undergo a failed abortion. A Parisian court found him guilty at trial and sentenced him to five years in prison. He was released in March 2011 on parole.^[1]

Beginnings[link]

Cheb Mami was born in Graba-el-wed (Arabic: غربة الواد), a populous quarter of Saïda (Arabic: سعيدة), Algeria. Located 170 kilometres south of Oran, the city of Saida is on the high mesas of southwestern Algeria. Cheb Mami grew up to a family of factory workers. He began singing and playing the accordion on Saida streets and by 1980 began performing at local weddings and ceremonies.^[2]

In 1982, the 16-year-old adolescent sang on the Alhan wa Chabab radio show, a singing competition organised by Radio Télevision Algérienne. He sang "El Marsam" (The Sanctuary) a classic of Oranese music from the 1920s. The audience was transfixed by the sheer emotion of his performance and by his concordant vocal intonations which captured perfectly the flavour of the song's title. The judges, who represented the government which refused to admit even the existence of raï, gave the first prize to the contestant that sang a cover version of a hit by the famous Egyptian diva, Umm Kulthum, but were forced to acknowledge the standing ovation Mami received by awarding him second prize.

Cheb Mami was spotted by Boualem, the producer of the Oran label, Disco Maghreb, and the cassette waltz began.^[3]

Career[link]

It was in 1985 that Mami came to Paris and found his musical niche. Raï fused blues, funk, salsa, reggae, hip hop and Algerian rhythms, while integrating touches of his idols Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding and French rapper MC Solaar.

Cheb Mami made his first official public appearance at the First Oran Raï Festival in 1985, which marked the official recognition of the genre by the Algerian authorities.^[3]

He was in military service for two years in Algeria but was an entertainer on army bases. After that, in May 1989, Mami returned to Paris at the Olympia, rejuvenating raï music. He began making recordings and performing in cabarets in the Paris suburb of Barbès. He also toured the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Scandinavia and England.

Mami's music is a blend of Mediterranean and Western influences including Turkish, Flamenco and Greek music as well as Latin music. His voice is tinged with Andalusian accents, and his music is an amalgamation of the traditional and the modern styles of singing and creation of music.

In 1999, Mami topped the French pop charts with a groundbreaking duet with French rapper K-Mel, "Parisien du Nord". The song was an anthem against racism that seamlessly made the transition between hip hop and raï, and introduced throngs of young new audiences to raï. This song explores the racist issues between Arabs and French and the challenges of identity.^[2]

international recognition[link]

When Sting's album Brand New Day was released in 1999, the pair's duet, "Desert Rose", appeared on singles charts around the world, and led to television appearances on Saturday Night Live, the Today Show, Jay Leno, David Letterman, the Grammy Awards telecast and even a live performance at the Super Bowl".^[4]

Soon after his collaboration with Sting, Mami's released perhaps his most successful recording, the album Dellali, produced by former Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers. The album's lead single was "Le Raï C'est Chic", on which Sting returned the favor by providing backing vocals.^[5]

These successes fulfilled Mami's long-held dream of internationalising raï sounds, and has led him to be called the "Prince of Raï".^[5] Although Mami has been able to be recognized by mainstream media in the United States, Americans often equate his raï music genre with rock in the US during the 1950s and 1960s.^[6] Americans believe raï to be "North African punk,^[6]" a genre of music for the purpose of rebelling against the government and resembling the music of ‘young rockers’^[6] in the US, when in reality this music plays a very different role in the life of the North African diasporic community in France.^[6] Although raï does include narratives of the various struggles of this community against "the Algerian state or against the forces of ‘tradition’",^[6] it is also the "music of the racialized Other"^[6] which chronicles struggles with racism and identity of North African people in France.

Arrest, imprisonment and release[link]

Mami was under an international arrest warrant after being indicted in October 2006 for "voluntary violence, sequestration and threats" against an ex-girlfriend, and failing to answer a court summons on May 14, 2007. He was accused of having tried to force Isabelle Simon, his former girlfriend and a magazine photographer, to have an forced abortion.^[7] During a trip to Algeria in the summer of 2005, the victim Isabelle Simon was locked in a house belonging to one of Mami's friends, where an abortive procedure was attempted on her. Back in France, however, she realized the fetus was still alive. Mami had accused his manager Michel Lecorre (a.k.a. Michel Levy) of organizing the abortion plan; Michel Levy was later sentenced to four years for plotting and organizing the assault.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Mami was arrested in France several days before his trial; he was taken into custody by officials at a Paris airport as he arrived into the country from Algeria on June 22, 20010.^[12] The following July, a Paris court found him guilty of drugging and attempted forcible abortion, and sentenced him to five years in prison.^[13]

On 21 September 2010, his lawyers applied for conditional release, a request that was turned down on 12 October 2010.^[14] Upon a second appeal however, the French court agreed for his conditional release on 23 March 2011.^[15]

Selected discography[link]

• Prince of Raï (1989)
  • Tracks: Ana Mazel  • Dertfik Confiance  • Douni El Bladi  • Lella Rani Ensaaf El Mektoub  • Ralia Mahboubit Galbi  • Tayo Tayo Adiani
• Let Me Raï (1991)
  • Tracks: Yo Yo  • Haoulou  • Let Me Cry  • Douha Alia  • Fatma  • Rah Eddani  • Khalihoum  • Maandi  • Manimane  • Alache Alache
• Saida (1994)
  • Tracks: H'babi  • Ma Ma  • Gaulbak K'ssah  • Hay Wadi Hay Galbi  • Bent Bareh  • Baida  • Ghi N'Ti  • Li Fet ghi Mnem  • Zouaji  • Alache Alache  • Trab
• Douni El Bladi (1996)
  • Tracks: Douni el Bladi  • Dertfik Confiance  • Ralia Mahboubit Galbi  • Ana Mazel  • Lella Rai Saaf El Mektoub  • Tayo Tayo Adiani  • Ouach Etsalini  • Idha Enti Bitik  • Chedi Bentek  • Maniche Aadouk  • Ghebnouha  • Sehrane Ouahdi  • Alauni (Instrumental)
• Meli Meli (1999)
  • Tracks: Meli Meli  • Alache Alik  • Bledi  • Rani Maak El Youm  • Fatma  • Hada Ch'h  • Hatachi  • Bekatni  • Cheikh  • Azwaw  • Parisien du Nord  • Marseillais du Nord  • Au Pays des Merveillus  • Azwaw Alternative
• Dellali (2001)
  • Tracks: Raï C'est Chic  • Viens Habibi  • Madanite  • Rim Lachoua  • Yahamami  • Ana Oualache  • Ma Vie 2 fois  • Tzazae  • Zarartou  • Manazureh  • Machi Chaba  • Hoaulou  • Khalouni
• Lazrag Saani (2002)
  • Tracks: Lazrag Saani  • Zazarkhatri  • Rouhi Douri Yalala  • Mani Sabar  • Madiriche Aliya  • Hay Delali  • Delali Mantzaoutchi  • Raikoum Rai Ma  • Salou Maana  • Derti Jauline  • Ana Khatini  • Hoaulou  • Sair Fer
• Du Sud au Nord (2003)
  • Tracks: Des 2 Côtés feat. Mouss et Hakim / Parisien du Nord feat. K.mel / Madanite feat. Ziggy Marley  • Desert Rose feat. Sting  • Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero  • Nagumo feat. Susheela Raman  • Enfant d'esfrinque feat. Corneille  • Clando feat. 113  • Youm Wara Youm feat. Samira Said  • Fugitif feat. Tonton David  • The Best Times of Our Lives feat. Aswad  • Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias  • Azwaw 2 feat. Idir
• Live au Grand Rex (2004)
  • Tracks: Azwaw  • Parisien du Nord  • Nagumo feat. Susheela Raman  • Mamzareli  • Mazal Souvenir Aandi  • Desert Rose  • Koum Tara feat. Enrico Macias  • Bledi - Mon pays  • Cosi Celeste feat. Zucchero  • Alache Alik  • Meli Meli  • Des 2 Côtés feat. Mous et Hakim  • Haoulou  • Zarartou
• Layali (2006)
  • Tracks: Halili feat. Zaho  • Gualbi Gualbi  • Inshallah  • Tigi Tigi  • Gaiye bil Salama  • Ahla Layali Omrina  • Ajlissou  • Nos Couleurs feat. K.Maro  • Mama Dabia  • Ellie Beina Intaha  • Amshi Btraring  • Non c'sera non (Omri Omri) feat. Sween

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (French/English/Arabic)
• Cheb Mami's lyrics English translation on Shawshara.com
• [www.zikooo.com/search/mp3/1/cheb-mami.html Télécharger Cheb Mami Mp3]

Cheb Bilal (born Bilal Mouffok) is a well-known raï singer. He was born on July 23, 1966 in Cherchel, Algeria.

Career[link]

Bilal spent much of his youth in Oran, Algeria where he studied at the conservatory of music. He was raised by his grandfather.

Initially, Cheb Bilal performed at weddings and festivals around Oran. In 1980, he created the group El Ahouar. In 1989 he went to Marseilles, France, which he described as a turning point in his career.^[1] He also spent much of his time on the prision of "l3awad" in Kenitra ( Morocco). He is a well-known singer in morocco.

It is said^{[by whom?]} he gained his inspiration from former legendary singer Abdul.

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2009)

Souad Massi
Souad Massi in concert in Jarash, Jordan 25 June 2007 Photo: Merkur Beqiri
Background information
Born	(1972-08-23) August 23, 1972 (age 39) Algiers, Algeria
Genres	Rock, Country, Fado, Algerian folk music, World music
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Oud
Years active	1989–present
Labels	Island
Website	www.souadmassi.com.fr

Souad Massi, born August 23, 1972, is an Algerian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threats. In 1999, Massi performed at the Femmes d'Algerie concert in Paris, which led to a recording contract with Island Records.

Massi's music, which prominently features the acoustic guitar, displays Western musical style influences such as rock, country or the Portuguese fado but sometimes incorporates oriental musical influences and oriental instruments like the oud as well as African musical stylings. Massi sings in Algerian Arabic, French, and occasionally English and Kabyle (Berber language), often employing multiple languages in the same song.

Childhood and early bands[link]

Massi was born in Algiers, Algeria to a poor family of seven children.^[1] Encouraged by her older brother, she began studying music at a young age, singing and playing guitar.^[1] Growing up, she immersed herself in American country and roots music – musical styles that would later strongly influence her songwriting.^[2] At the age of seventeen, she joined a flamenco band, but quickly grew bored with the group and left.

Massi performing in 2005

In the early 1990s, Massi joined the Algerian political rock band Atakor, who were influenced by Western rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and U2. She recorded and performed with the group for seven years, releasing a successful album and two popular music videos.^[3] The band, however, with its political lyrics and growing popularity became a target. Massi disguised herself by cutting her hair and dressing in male clothing, but she nevertheless became the target of a series of death threats.^[1] In 1999, she left the band and moved to Paris, France.

Solo career[link]

In 1999, Massi was invited to perform at the Femmes d'Algerie ("Women from Algeria") festival in Paris, which led to a recording contract with Island Records.^[4] In June 2001, she released her solo debut album, Raoui ("Storyteller"), which Allmusic compared to 1960s American folk music.^[5] Sung mostly in French and Arabic, the album became a critical and commercial success in France.^[3] The following year, she was nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the Radio 3 World Music Awards.^[6]

In 2003, she released her second album, Deb ("Heartbroken"). The album's lyrics were more personal, rather than political, and it became one of the most successful North African albums worldwide.^[7] Three years later, Massi released her third album, Mesk Elil ("Honeysuckle"). The album expanded on the themes of love and loss that had been explored on Deb, and featured duets with Daby Toure and Rabah Khalfa.

In 2010, she released her fourth studio album Ô Houria. This album was produced by Francis Cabrel and Francoise Michel. It features Paul Weller on piano and vocals on its closing song.

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• 2001: Raoui
• 2003: Deb ^[8]
• 2005: Mesk Elil
• 2007: Live acoustique
• 2010: Ô Houria

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• www.souadmassi.com
• www.souadmassi.com.fr
• www.myspace.com/massisouad