Tlemoen

Tlemoen

Tlemcen (/tlɛmˈsɛn/;[1] Arabic: تلمسان, romanized: Tilimsān) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of 140,158, as of the 2008 census.[2] The former capital of the Central Maghreb, the city is a mix of Berber, Arab, 'Āndalusī, Ottoman, and Western influences. From this mosaic of influences, the city derives the title of capital of Andalusian art in Algeria. Various titles are attributed to the city including "the Pearl of the Maghreb[3]", "the African Granada" and "the Medina of the West".[4] The name Tlemcen (Tilimsān) was given by the Zayyanid King Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan.[5] One possible etymology is that it comes from a Berber word tilmas, meaning "spring, water-hole",[6] or from the combination of the Berber words tala ("fountain"), the preposition m-, and sān ("two"), thus meaning "two fountains".[5] Another proposed etymology is from the Zanata words talam ("junction") and sān ("two"), referring to the town's geographic position which links the desert regions to the south with the mountainous regions to the north.[6]