Overview During the
Roman Empire, a small settlement called
Unica Colonia existed in the area of the current Oran, but this settlement disappeared as the
Maghreb was conquered by a succession of regional powers, beginning with the
Vandals in
435, followed by the
Berbers of the
Mauro-Roman Kingdom, and finally the
Arabs around
the start of the 8th century. Present-day Oran was founded in 903 by the and Ajissa
Berbers of the
Maghrawa confederation who lived in the area. The city enjoyed a period of prosperity under the
Almohad Caliph
Abd al-Mu'min for a lengthy period of time when he built thirty vessels to connect it with Andalusia. It was captured by the
Castilians under
Cardinal Cisneros in 1509, and Spanish sovereignty lasted until 1708 when the city was conquered by the
Algerians during the
Siege of Oran (1707–1708). Spain recaptured the city in 1732. However, its value as a trading post had decreased greatly, so during the reign of King
Charles IV the city was
recaptured in 1790–1792 by a coalition of Algerian troops against Spain which resulted in victory for the bey of Oran despite the many attempts in 1563. The beylik lasted until 1831 when the city fell to the
French. Under
French rule during the 19th and 20th centuries, Oran was the capital of the
Département of Oran (number 92). In July 1940, the
British navy shelled French warships in the port after they refused a British ultimatum to surrender; this action was taken to ensure the fleet would not fall into German hands, as the
Nazis had defeated France and occupied Paris. The action increased the hatred of the Vichy regime for
Britain but convinced the world that the British would fight alone against
Nazi Germany and its allies. The
Vichy government held Oran during
World War II until its capture by the
Allies in late 1942, during
Operation Torch. Also, during French rule, Jews were encouraged to modernize and take on jobs they had not before, including agriculture, while Muslims were forced out of the city and their ancestral fertile lands were confiscated and given to Colons. Jews in the city were allowed to join the French Army starting 24 October 1870, while Muslims were forced to do
military service. Algerian Jews were granted citizenship while Algerian Muslims were not. Jews would soon be targeted after the war for not supporting the struggle for independence against France. Before the
Algerian War of 1954–1962, Oran had one of the highest proportions of Europeans of any city in North Africa. In July 1962, after a ceasefire and accords with France, the
FLN entered Oran and were shot at by Europeans. A mob attacked
pied-noir neighborhoods in response to the incident and during the subsequent
Oran massacre of 1962 at least 95 and as many as 365 were killed; many others are reported to have "disappeared". This triggered a larger exodus of Europeans to France, which was already underway. In 1962, most of the Europeans and
Algerian Jews living in Oran were repatriated to France.
Islamic dynasties (910–1509) Spanish period (1509–1708, 1732–1792) .
Santa Cruz is
Spanish for "
holy cross". Before the Spaniards, the Portuguese launched a failed expedition to capture the city in July 1501. Four years later, the Spanish took
Mers-el-Kébir, located just west of Oran. Thus began the first organized incursions against the city which, at the time, numbered 25,000 inhabitants and counted 6,000
fueros. Count
Pedro Navarro, on the orders of Cardinal
Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, finally
captured the city on 17 May 1509. The occupying forces
set fire to the books and archives of the town. By 1554, the Turks had reached Algiers. The governor of Oran,
Count Alcaudete, allied himself with Moroccan Sultan
Mohammed ash-Sheikh against them. Nine years later, in 1563,
Álvaro de Bazán, Marquis de Santa Cruz, built the
fort of Santa-Cruz, strategically placed at the top of a mountain, l'Aïdour, more than above the sea, directly to the west of the city. Pedro Garcerán de Borja, Grand Master of the
Order of Montesa, was captain of Oran when, on 14 July 1568,
John of Austria (the illegitimate son of
Charles I and paternal half-brother of King
Philip II), led a
flotilla of 33 galleys against the Algerians. In April 1669 the Spanish governor, the 6th
Marquess of Los Vélez, expelled all the Jews who lived in Oran and
Mers El Kébir sending them to be resettled in either
Nice, or
Livorno. The Spanish rebuilt
Santa Cruz Fort to accommodate their city governors. "The fortifications of the place were composed of thick and continuous walls of over two and a half km in circumference, surmounted by strong towers spaced between them," with a central castle or
kasbah where the Spanish governor had his headquarters. Under Spanish rule, the city continued to grow, requiring enlargement of the city walls. In spite of the improved fortifications, the city was the object of repeated attacks. Notable in this regard, Moroccan Sharif
Moulay Ismail tried to force his way past the defences in 1707, only to see his army decimated. In 1739, trade with the surroundings was forbidden for years due to the plague. In 1744, king
Philip V asked the governor Tomás du Rollet de la tour for dromedaries to replenish the stock at the
Royal Palace of Aranjuez. However, the former
bey of Oran had banned trade with the Spaniards and those dromedaries gradually sent to the king had been sold by thieving tribesmen. Most of the maintenance of the place was paid by the
bull of the Crusade, a contribution of the Spanish Catholic church.
Beylikal period (1708–1732, 1792–1831) The Spanish occupied the city until 1708, when the
Bey of Mascara,
Mustapha Ben Youssef (
Bouchelaghem), vassal of the
Deylik of Algiers, and who was an
Arabized Berber from the Mascara region took advantage of the
War of Spanish Succession to
drive the Spanish out. In 1732, Spanish forces returned under
José Carrillo de Albornoz,
capturing the city from Bouchelaghem. Spain maintained its hold over Oran for the next six decades. In the night after 8 October 1790,
a violent earthquake claimed more than 3,000 victims in less than seven minutes.
Charles IV saw no advantage in continuing the occupation of the city, which had become increasingly expensive and perilous. He initiated discussions with the
Dey of Algiers.
Siege of Oran and Mers el-Kébir (1790–1792) After another earthquake damaged the Spanish defences, the forces of the new Bey of Oran,
Mohammed el Kebir besieged the city. By the end of 1790, there was a clear Algerian advantage. The Spanish, not wanting to risk their troops, signed an agreement with the Algerians on 12 September in Algiers, and on 12 December in
Madrid, which recognized Algerian control over the city. In
World War II, Oran was one of the landing points in
Operation Torch, the first American action in the
Europe-North Africa theatre in November 1942. The Task Force suffered some damage to its fleet, trying to land in shallow water, but the enemy ships were sunk or driven off, and Oran surrendered after heavy fire from British battleships.
Since independence (1962) Due to the exodus of
Pieds-Noirs, the
Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur d'Oran was converted into a public library,
Aubert Library of Oran, in 1984. Today, Oran is a major port and a commercial centre, and has three universities. The old quarter of Oran has a
casbah and an 18th-century
mosque. The modern section of Oran is referred to as La Ville Nouvelle and was built after 1831; this section contrasts with the older section, La Blanca. == Geography ==