Aïn El Turk

This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Aïn El Turk" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Ain el-Turck عين الترك
Town
Ain el-Turck
Beaches of Aïn El Turk.
Ain el-Turck Location within Algeria
Coordinates: 35°44′27″N 0°44′57″W / 35.74083°N 0.74917°W / 35.74083; -0.74917
Country	Algeria
Province	Oran
District	Aïn El Turk
Elevation	272 m (892 ft)
Population  (2008)
• Total	37,010
Cap Falcon Lighthouse
Coordinates	35°46′15.57″N 0°48′2.59″W / 35.7709917°N 0.8007194°W / 35.7709917; -0.8007194
Constructed	1868
Foundation	stone base
Construction	stone tower
Height	28.70 metres (94.2 ft)
Shape	octagonal prism tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white tower, dark green lantern
Operator	Office Nationale de Signalisation Maritime
Focal height	106 metres (348 ft)
Light source	main power
Intensity	1,000 W
Range	29 nautical miles (54 km; 33 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (4) W 25s.

Ain El Turk (Arabic: عين الترك, lit. 'Spring of the Turks', Tamazight: ⵄⵉⵏ ⴻⵜⵓⵔⴽ, romanized: Ɛin Eturk) is the capital of Ain el-Turck District. It is located about fifteen kilometers from Oran in the north-west of Algeria. The district contains nine municipalities. It now hosts an important seaside resort.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Ain El Turk is located 15 kilometers northeast of Oran and Mers El Kébir. It is settled along the Mediterranean Sea. The bay of the town spans over a length of approximaotely 8 kilometers between Cape Falcon in the northwest and the northern tip of Mers El Kébir in the northeast. The town borders Misserghin in the south, Bousfer to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and Mers El Kébir to the east.

History

Ain El Turk served as a landing point for the Regency of Algiers for when they came to besiege Spanish-occupied Oran. The locality of Ain El Turk was established after a decree on 11 August, 1850. This prescribed the creation of an urban center in the Eurfa plain. The territory of the municipality was 2,650 hectares, 25 acres, and 44 centiares.

After 1850, the coast surrounding Ain El Turk was heavily urbanized. Three sites were established in the area:

• Trouville in 1900;
• Bouisseville in 1905 (named after a certain Godefroy Bousisse, the owner of the locality);
• Saint Roch in 1912.

Under French Algerian rule, the area was established as an overseas collectivity by a decree signed on 23 March, 1864; this was enlarged in 1899. The commune remained in the province of Oran in 1956. Following Algerian independence, the town underwent uncontrolled urbanization. The town was extended from Cape Falcon to Mers El Kébir. This bidirectional sprawl was particularly due to the physical, agricultural, and military constraints of the site, which hinder expansion into the south.

See also

• List of lighthouses in Algeria

References