Tag: Constantine

Constantine (Arabic: قسنطينة‎, Qusanṭīnah, also spelled Qasentina also spelled as Kasantina) is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river. Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of 448,374 (1,000,000 with the agglomeration), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city (one of the most beautiful one is the Palais du Bey, in the casbah). It is often referred to as the “City of Bridges” due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.
The city was originally created by the Phoenicians, who called it Sarim Batim (royal city). Later it was named Cirta, which in Phoenician means a city carved into the rock. The…