Aurès Mountains

Aures Mountains
جبال الأوراس
Aures Mountains; جبال الأوراس
	Mountain landscape at Hammam Essalihine
Highest point
Peak	Djebel Chélia, Algeria
Elevation	2,328 m (7,638 ft)
Coordinates	35°19′05″N 6°38′13″E / 35.31806°N 6.63694°E
Geography
Countries	Algeria
Provinces	Batna, Tebessa, Khenchela, Oum El Bouaghi, Souk Ahras and Biskra
Parent range	Atlas Mountain System

The Aures Mountains (Arabic: جبال الأوراس, known in antiquity as Latin: Aurasius Mons) are a subrange of the Saharan Atlas in northeastern Algeria.^[1] The mountain range gives its name to the mountainous natural and historical region of the Aures.

Geography[edit]

The Aures mountains are the eastern continuation of the Saharan Atlas. The highest peak in the Aurès mountain range is Djebel Chélia in Khenchela Province, which sits at 2,328 metres (7,638 ft).

The Belezma Range is a northwestern prolongation of the Aures Mountains located where the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas come together. Its main summits are 2,178 m (7,146 ft) high Djebel Refaâ and 2,136 m (7,008 ft) high Djebel Tichaou.^[2] The Atlas chain of mountains extends over 1000 kilometers in total over Northern Africa.

History[edit]

Historically, the Aures served as a refuge and bulwark for the Berber tribes, forming a base of resistance against the Romans, Vandals, Byzantine, and Arabs along the centuries.^[3]

The mountain area was also a district of French Algeria that existed during and after the Algerian War of Independence from 1954 to 1962. It was in this region that the Algerian War of Independence was started by Berber freedom fighters. The rugged terrain of the Aures makes it still one of the least developed areas in the Maghreb.

Population[edit]

In eastern Algeria, the Aures is a large Berber-speaking region, home of the Chaoui people. The Chaoui eastern Berber population practices traditional transhumance, farming fixed stone terraces in the mountains where they grow sorghum, as well as other grains and vegetables. Seasonally they move their cattle to relatively warm areas in the lowland valleys where they pitch tents or live in other temporary structures and tend livestock through the winter.^[4]

Features[edit]

Location of the Aures region in Algeria
View of one of the mountains of the Belezma Range, a western subrange of the Aures
Landscape of southern area of the range

References[edit]

^ "Aurès - mountains, Algeria". Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 Jul 1998. Retrieved 8 Apr 2023.
^ Belezma National Park - Travel to Algeria
^ Conant, Jonathan (2012). Staying Roman : conquest and identity in Africa and the Mediterranean, 439–700. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–281. ISBN 0521196973.
^ La vie économique du Chaouia de l'Aures

External links[edit]

Les Aurès - Algérie (French). Includes many photos of the region.

[Encyclopedia_Britannica_1998-1] "Aurès - mountains, Algeria". Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 Jul 1998. Retrieved 8 Apr 2023.

[2] Belezma National Park - Travel to Algeria

[Conant-3] Conant, Jonathan (2012). Staying Roman : conquest and identity in Africa and the Mediterranean, 439–700. Cambridge New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–281. ISBN 0521196973.

[4] La vie économique du Chaouia de l'Aures

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e Mountains of Algeria
Tell Atlas	Blidean Atlas Babor Mountains Beni-Chougrane Bibans Bouzegza Mount [ar] Constantine Mountains Chenoua Mount Dahra Range Djurdjura Edough Khachna Kroumirie Ouarsenis Medjerda Mountains Murdjajo Numidian Range Saïda Mountains Tlemcen Mountains Titteri Tessala Range Trara Yemma Gouraya
Saharan Atlas	Amour Range Aurès Mountains Belezma Range Hodna Mountains Ksour Range Ouled Naïl Range Nememcha Range Zab Mountains
Saharan massifs	Ougarta Range Ahaggar Mountains Teffedest Mountains Tassili n'Ajjer Tadrart Rouge Adrar des Ifoghas
Peaks	Achaoun Anneb Djebel Antar Djebel Azao Djebel Chélia Djebel Grouz Djebel Guetiane Djebel Tsili Koudiat Béni Arif Koudiat Sidi Abdelkader Lalla Khedidja Maouna Mount Babor Mount Bissa Mount Issa Mount Tahat Mount Tamgout Mount Zaccar Pic des Singes Taourirt Tan Afella Thaletat
Geography of Algeria List of mountains in Algeria Atlas Mountains Hautes Plaines Kem Kem

v t e Major African geological formations
Plates	Major plates: African Plate Minor plates: Somali Plate Microplates: Lwandle Plate Madagascar Plate Rovuma Plate Seychelles Plate Victoria Microplate
Cratons and shields	Arabian-Nubian Shield Congo Craton Kaapvaal Craton Kalahari Craton Saharan Metacraton Tanzania Craton Tuareg Shield West African Craton Zimbabwe Craton
Shear zones	Aswa Dislocation Broodkop Shear Zone Central African Shear Zone Chuan Shear Zones Foumban Shear Zone Kandi Fault Zone Mwembeshi Shear Zone Todi Shear Zone Western Meseta Shear Zone
Orogens	Alpine Orogen Cape Fold Belt Damara Orogen East African Orogen Eburnean Orogen Gondwanide Orogen Kibaran Orogen Kuunga Orogen Mauritanide Belt Pan-African orogens Terra Australis Orogen
Rifts	Afar Triangle Anza trough Bahr el Arab rift Benue Trough Blue Nile rift East African Rift Gulf of Suez Rift Lamu Embayment Melut Basin Muglad Basin Red Sea Rift Sangha Aulacogen Atbara rift Urema Valley West and Central African Rift System White Nile rift
Sedimentary basins	Angola Basin Aoukar Blue Nile Basin Chad Basin Congo Basin Douala Basin El Djouf Karoo Basin Gabon Basin Iullemmeden Basin Kufra Basin Murzuq Basin Niger Delta Basin Ogaden Basin Orange River Basin Ouled Abdoun Basin Owambo Basin Reggane Basin Rio del Rey Basin Sirte Basin Somali Coastal Basin Taoudeni Basin Tanzania Coastal Basin Tindouf Basin Turkana Basin
Mountain ranges	Aïr Mountains Atlas Mountains Aurès Mountains Bambouk Mountains Blue Mountains Cameroon line Central Pangean Mountains Chaillu Mountains Drakensberg Eastern Arc Mountains Eastern Rift mountains Ethiopian Highlands Great Escarpment Great Karas Mountains Guinea Highlands Hoggar Mountains Imatong Mountains Jebel Uweinat Loma Mountains Mandara Mountains Marrah Mountains Mitumba Mountains Nuba Mountains Rif Mountains Rwenzori Mountains Sankwala Mountains Serra da Leba Serra da Chela Teffedest Mountains Tibesti Mountains
Inselbergs (aka koppie)	Anti-Atlas Mount Gorongosa Jugurtha Tableland Mount Mabu Mulanje Massif Mont Niénokoué Wase Rock Zuma Rock List of inselbergs

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