Trara Mountains

The Trara mountain range is a mountainous region of Algeria located on the northwest coast of the country, with an average altitude of 500 to 1,000 metres (1,600 to 3,300 ft). It culminates at altitude of 1,336 metres (4,383 ft) at the level of the jebel Fellaoucene.

Trara Mountains, Algeria

The Trara Mountains are a coastal range in the western extension of the Tell Atlas mountains. It represents, in the Tell Oranais, a mountainous block whose access is very difficult. This massif appears as a mountainous arch between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the valley of the Wadi Tafna to the east, the Wadi Mouilah to the south and the valley of Wadi Kiss to the west which determines the Moroccan border.^[1] This space represents a well-identified geographical entity in view of its rugged relief of east-west orientation running entirely north of the Wilayah of Tlemcen and the northwest of the Wilayah of Aïn Témouchent.^[1]

The vegetation of the massif is made up mainly of pines and cypresses.^[2]

Population

Like other mountainous regions of North Africa, this regional entity is characterized by a human environment of Berber origin, which is very ancient and highly conservative.^[3][4]

The tribes living in this area had been grouped since the Middle Ages^[5] into a confederation called Trara,^[6] named after the same massif. This confederation was composed of seven tribes of the Koumia branch of the Beni Faten:^[7] Beni Mishel,^[8] Beni Menir, Beni Ouarsous, Beni Khallad,^[9] Beni Abed, Beni Frouzech, and Beni Rimâne. They are also called Oulahca^[10][11]

The Koumia tribe^[12] lived in the Trara Mountains, ^[13]near Nedroma. Remarkable for their bravery, they became one of the most powerful tribes of the Almohads thanks to their exploits.^{[14][15][16][17]}

Trara and the Almohads

Abd Al Mumin Ben Ali, the first of the Almohad princes,^[18] is generally regarded as the “founder of Nedroma^[19]” by popular tradition, which has made him the “founding hero” of the city^[20].He was from the Koumia tribe,^[21]  in the Trara mountains.^[22] His place of origin is typically located at the foot of Trara.^[23] As noted by Ibn Khaldun,^[24] who primarily relied on his native tribe in his government. Many sources reinforce the idea that Abd al-Mu’min descended from Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of Muhammadas well as the father of the Prophet’s only male descendants. This ancestry allowed him to legitimize himself as a direct descendant of the Prophet, an essential criterion for holding the highest office in Islam^[25]

Notable people

Abdul-Mu'min ben Ali^[26] (1094-1163) Berber leader and the founder of the Almoravid dynasty