Oujda is a major city in northeast Morocco near the border with Algeria. Oujda is the largest city and capital of the Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of 506,224 people (2024 census). It is located about 15 kilometres (9 miles) west of the Moroccan-Algerian border in the south of the Beni Iznassen Mountains and about 55km (34 miles) south of the Mediterranean coast.
History
Ancient mirador
Origins
There is some evidence of a settlement during the Roman occupation, which seems to have been under the control of Berbers rather than Romans.
The city was founded in 994 by Ziri ibn Atiyya, Berber chief of the ZenataMaghrawa tribe. Ziri was, with his tribe, authorized to occupy the region of Fas, but feeling insecure in that region and that town, and wishing to be nearer to the central Maghrib homeland of his tribe, he moved to Oujda, installed there a garrison and his possessions, appointing one of his relatives as governor.
11th to 19th centuries
In the mid-11th century, a new quarter with a wall was allegedly added to the primitive core. Yusuf ibn Tashfin occupied the city in 1079, and in the next century, it came under Almohad control, with its fortifications repaired and strengthened under the Almohad caliph Muhammad al-Nasir.
Oujda played an important strategic role between the Marinids, based in Fes, and the Abdalwadids of the Kingdom of Tlemcen. The Marinid sultan Abu Yusuf Yaqub destroyed the city when he defeated Sultan Yaghmorasan in 1271. When his successor Abu Yaqub Yusuf conquered the city again in 1296, he destroyed the remaining fortifications but then rebuilt the town with the new walls, a palace, and a Great Mosque (the current one). The town continued to change hands, however. Around 1325, Sultan Abu al-Hasan took the city again during a series of campaigns which extended Marinid control into the central Maghreb for a brief period.
Because of its frontier position, the city was frequently contested between the Sharifian dynasties of Morocco – the Saadis, followed by the Alaouites – to the west and the Ottoman Empire to the east, from the 16th century onward. It was often attached to the province or region of Tlemcen, which itself also changed hands several times in this period. During the long reign of Moulay Isma'il (1672–1727), Oujda was firmly under Alaouite control and defended by new fortifications and garrisons built by the sultan. After Isma'il's death, however, political instability returned. It was only in 1795 that the city was retaken by the Alaouites and permanently incorporated into Morocco.
The French occupied Oujda in 1844 and again in 1859. To the west of the city is the site of the Battle of Isly which occurred in 1844. In 1907-1908, Oujda was reconquered by General Bugeaud and Marshal Lyautey and used as a French military base to control eastern Morocco. The city's modern infrastructure was initially developed during the French occupation.[citation needed]
Anti-Jewish riots occurred in Oujda June 1948, during the 1948 Palestine war in the aftermath of the establishment of the State of Israel.:151 Oujda, located near the border, was a departure point for Moroccan Jews seeking to reach Israel by crossing into French Algeria; at the time they were not permitted to do so from within Morocco.:151 In the events, 47 Jews and one French person were killed, many were injured, and property was damaged.:151
Oujda is located in the south of Beni Znassen mountains.
Climate
The city has a cold semi-arid climate bordering on hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSk bordering on BSh). Rainfall is between 300mm (11.8in) and 500mm (19.7in) per year. It rarely snows in winter; last snowfall was on 7 January 2026. Weather in Oujda is cool but still tepid and wet in winter, hot and dry in summer.
Climate data for Oujda (Oujda Airport) 1991–2020, extremes 1910–present
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1947–1976), Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)
Architecture
Left: Oujda Church Right: Oujda, Bd Mohamed V
The main characteristic of the city is having the old city in the centre. The old city maintains traditional features of the Moroccan architecture with its narrow, winding alleys which lead to the houses and markets, such as the jewelry market and the leather market. The Grand Mosque of Oujda is one of its historically most important mosques.
Roman era ruins, called Bled el Gaada, are just outside of Ouijda.[citation needed] The ruins consist of a Roman fort measuring 175 by 210 metres (574 by 689ft).
Music
Gharnati refers to a variety of Andalusi music, named after the city of Granada. Tlemcen is Gharnati music's traditional centre in the Maghreb; however, the music style has since spread in Morocco, with Oujda being one of its main Moroccan centres. Each year, the city hosts an International Festival of Gharnati Music.
Reggada Music is a major traditional music movement. It is a Moroccan Amazigh ancient musical genre and traditional war dance from the Beni Znassen/Aït Iznasen tribes of north-east Morocco (Provinces of Oujda, Berkane and Taourirt), more precisely coming from the village called Ain-Reggada. This dance used to celebrate and emulate victory of a battle. This music has now become part of the global music sphere.
Subdivisions
Wilaya building
The province is divided administratively into the following:
Tourists aiming at Saïdia, bordering the Mediterranean, transit to Oujda's airport. The city is served by Angads Airport, which has connecting international flights to Lisbon, Brussels, Madrid, Marseille or Paris for example, as well as domestic flights to Casablanca.
The city is the endpoint of the main railroad from Casablanca via Fes and Taourirt before the border with Algeria. There are several day and night trains to and from the city, linking it to the western part of the country.
The Oriental Desert Express was originally built in the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Mediterranean–Niger Railway. One of its cars, the historical "prince's wagon" passenger car runs now twice annually. Outside camera shots of the Oriental Desert Express were featured in the 2015 James Bond film Spectre.
Oujda has a strategic importance because of its location on the border. There are many economic and natural resources, however, the city struggles historically with an unemployment rate higher than the national average, standing on average at 20% compared to the 10.3% national average.
Oujda relies heavily on trading, given its location near the Algeria-Morocco border. Oujda's economy is directly related to the border's condition as it represents a passage for businesses directed toward Fes in the west, Talmasan in the east, Figuig in the south, and Melilla in the north.
On 18 March 2003, King Mohammed VI indicated the importance of reviving the economy of Morocco's Oriental. As a result of this effort, Technopole Oujda was established and the region witnessed road improvement, airport expansion and other projects.
Sport
The sports infrastructure in Oujda is composed of a municipal stadium, an Olympic venue, the Honneur Stadium of Oujda, built in 1976, the sports complex 'Rock' including a rugby stadium, a complex tennis in the park Lala Aicha, a golf course, and two sports halls.
Football
In 1957, MC Oujda (MCO) became the first football club to win the Throne Cup of Morocco, defeating the Wydad of Casablanca, a feat the club repeated the following year. In 1959, in its third successive appearance in the final, the club lost against FAR of Rabat. However, in MC Oujda's fourth successive final, the club defeated FUS Rabat. In 1962 MCO won its last Throne cup against the Kawkab Athletic Club of Marrakech.
Islam Mitat – woman who was tricked by her Afghan-British husband into joining the Islamic State
Town twinning
Trowbridge, UK, (2009) Trowbridge has the largest Moroccan community in the UK outside London, and is the first UK town to be twinned with a place from a Muslim country. At the time, Trowbridge had approximately 80 resident families who had roots in Oujda.
↑"Klimatafel von Oujda / Marokko"(PDF). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
↑"Station Oujda" (in French). Météo Climat. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
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