The first to inhabit the region where Algiers rises were the Phoenicians, who in 1200 BC founded a settlement about twenty kilometers from today's capital of the North African country. Subsequently, during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, the city became a Roman colony. Conquered by the Vandals in 429 AD, it then underwent the domination of the Byzantines and Arabs.
The foundation of Algiers ( al-Jazâ'ir in Arabic) dates back to 944 and was strongly desired by the Berber ruler Buluggin ibn Ziri, founder of the Ziride dynasty. Later the city would be occupied and ruled by the Spaniards, the Ottomans and the French. The country gained independence from France on July 5, 1962, at the end of the Algerian war. Near the Jardin d'Essai, the green lung of the capital, stands a monument (the Maqam Echahid ) that commemorates the historic emancipation.
Thanks to its port - which has grown exponentially especially in recent years - today Algiers is not only the most important seaport in the country , but also in the whole of North Africa. In addition to passenger traffic (Corsica Linea guarantees a connection between Marseille and Algiers), commercial activities are also carried out within the port (the North African country mainly deals with the export of food and oil products).
Finally, the capital of Algeria boasts two firsts: a Unesco heritage (the qasba of Algiers ) and the third largest mosque in the world (the Djamaa el Djazair, located in the municipality of Mohammadia).