Tamentit
ﺗﺎﻣﻨﻄﻴﺖ
Commune
Location of Tamentit commune within Adrar Province
Location of Tamentit commune within Adrar Province
Tamentit is located in Algeria
Tamentit
Tamentit
Location of Tamentit within Algeria
Coordinates: 27°46′2″N 0°16′4″W / 27.76722°N 0.26778°W / 27.76722; -0.26778
CountryAlgeria
ProvinceAdrar
DistrictFenoughil
Elevation
240 m (790 ft)
Population
 (2008)[1]
 • Total9,481
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)

Tamentit (تامنطيت) (sometimes spelled Tamantit) is a town and commune or municipality in Fenoughil District of Adrar Province, in south-central Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 9,481,[1] up from 7,912 in 1998,[2] with an annual growth rate of 1.9%.[1]

Until the late twentieth century the people of Tamentit spoke Taznatit Berber.

History

A Jewish community existed in Tamentit until the 15th century. In 1492, Muhammad al-Maghili destroyed the Jewish communities of the region of Tuat, including their primary synagogue in Tamentit. The surviving Jews of Tamentit fled south along caravan routes and settled in communities along the Niger River. Several years later, in the face of persecution, these Jewish communities were forcibly converted to Islam. Some contemporary Malian Muslims claim to be the descendants of those Jews who converted to Islam.[3]

Geography

The villages of Tamentit are located near oases that are part of the Tuat region in northern Adrar Province, between the communes of Adrar to the north and Fenoughil to the south. The rocky Tademaït plateau rises far to the east, while the sandy Erg Iguidi and Erg Chech deserts lie to the west.

The Tamentit iron meteorite was found nearby in 1864.[4]

Tamentit Iron Meteorite, found in 1864 near Tamentit, weight about 500 kg. On display at Vulcania park in France.[4]

Climate

Tamentit has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with extremely hot summers and mild winters, and very little precipitation throughout the year.

Transportation

Tamentit is on the N6 national highway, which leads north to Adrar and south to Fenoughil commune and eventually Reggane. The village of Bouffaddi lies on the highway to the south of Tamentit, while the other villages of the commune are to the east of the highway, and are connected to it by local roads.

Education

5.9% of the population has a tertiary education, and another 17.9% has completed secondary education.[5] The overall literacy rate is 75.6%, and is 85.9% among males and 65.2% among females.[6]

Localities

As of 1984, the commune was composed of seven localities:[7]

  • Tamentit
  • Oulad El Ouali
  • Oulad Elhadj
  • Elmamoun
  • Noum En Nass
  • Bouffaddi
  • Abenkour

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tamentit.
  1. 1 2 3 "Population: Wilaya d'Adrar" (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. ↑ "Algeria Communes". Statoids. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
  3. ↑ "Zakhor". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  4. 1 2 Tamentit meteorite at Meteoritical Bulletin Database.
  5. ↑ "Structure relative de la population résidente des ménages ordinaires et collectifs âgée de 6 ans et plus selon le niveau d'instruction et la commune de résidence" (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Taux d'analphabétisme et taux d'alphabétisation de la population âgée de 15 ans et plus, selon le sexe et la commune de résidence " (PDF) (in French). Office National des Statistiques Algérie. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Décret n° 84-365, fixant la composition, la consistance et les limites territoriale des communes. Wilaya d'Adrar" (PDF) (in French). Journal officiel de la République Algérienne. 19 December 1984. p. 1472. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
Neighbouring towns and cities
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.