History of the Wilaya of Blida:
Around the year 925 of the Hegira (1519 of the Christian era), a pious marabout who had twice made the pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam and who had traveled extensively in Muslim countries, particularly in Andalusia (Spain) will settle at the confluence of the Tabeskent wadi and Châabet Erroman (pomegranate ravine) streams today called Oued Sidi El Kebir.
Around 1533, Pasha Kheir Eddine sent thousands of Moors expelled from Spain after the capitulation of Granada to Algeria, who dispersed in groups between Algiers and Cherchell. Filled with compassion for these unfortunate immigrants, Sidi Ahmed El Kebir called one of these groups, which he set up on the shore of Châabet Erroman.
Sidi Ahmed el Kebir knew how to interest in their fate the pasha kheir eddine who granted them his protection had a mosque, a bath and an ordinary oven built for them. These establishments become the core of a “small town” that Sidi Ahmed el-Kebir named “El-Blida”. the foundation of Blida therefore dates from 1535, with a typically Arab appellation and origin.
Sidi Ahmed El kebir, after having discovered and diverted the beautiful waters of the Atlas mountain with the help of the Andalusians who merged with the local tribes, introduced the region to the technique of irrigation, the arboreal technique and embroidery. leather.
The famous traveling marabout and poet Sidi Ahmed Ben Youcef Echerif de meliana, enthusiastic, fascinated and charmed by the freshness and beauty of the site, would have exclaimed upon discovering Blida: “Sidi Ahmed El Kebir named you El Blida (the little town ), I call you el Ourida (the little rose)” hence the current name of Blida, (the city of roses).
The French colonial army entered the city of Blida for the first time in 1830, but then had to evacuate it after encountering fierce resistance from the population. Around 1834, Blida was invaded and ransacked by colonialists after bloody fighting. Two camps were created in 1838 to monitor the city.
Long before the outbreak of the armed revolution, the city of Blida was a place of meetings and meetings of the main leaders. The Atlas Blidée will remain famous in the history of the Algerian revolution. The city of Blida has given the finest example of heroism and sacrifice for the conquest of freedom.
Blida was surrounded by a wall four meters high pierced by seven doors (Bab Dzair, Bab Errahba, Bab El Kbour, Bab essebt, Bab Ezaouia, Bab el Khouikha and Bab El Ksab)
The wilaya of Blida covers an area of 1,478.62 km2, and is made up of 10 daïras and 25 municipalities.
Two types of relief characterize the wilaya of Blida:
- The Mitidja plain with fertile land and its very low slopes,
- The area of the Atlas Blidéen and the foothills.
The average annual temperature is fairly stable, varying between 11.5°C in winter and 33°C in summer. The average annual rainfall is around 600mm, it is higher in the Atlas.
The prevailing winds are the east and west wind and the sirocco in summer.