Algeria Road and rail junction on the northern edge of the Tell Atlass, close to the Moroccan border. Tlemcen is backed by the cliffs of the well-watered Tlemcen Mountains and overlooks the fertile Hennaya and Maghnia plains. It is the capital of the district, exporting blankets, carpets, olive oil, leather and esparto grass through the port of Rashgun. Its manufactures include brassware, footwear, hosiery, carpets and furnitures. The resulting temperate climate favoured Tlemcen's development and explains its historical importance.

Originally founded by the Romans in the 4th century, The town was later renamed Agadir "Escarpment" by the Berbers. This eventually merged with the neighbouring Almoravid military settlement of Tagrart, which was founded in the 11th century. The union evolved in the 13th century as the town of Tlemcen (from the Berber tilmisane, "springs," for the local perennial springs). Tlemcen was the capital of the 'Abd-el-Wadid kingdom of Tilimsan from the 13th to the 15th century. Later it bacame the Moorish capital of the region, until it fell to the Turks in 1553, when it started to decline. In 1842, the French captured it. Architecturally, it retains its medival Moorish character, with some of the best preserved buildings of the early Arab conquerors dating from the 12th century onwards. Among the numerous splending mosques are the Grand Mosque and the Mosque (and museum) of Bel-Hassane. Other medival remains include towers and minarets.

Population : (estimated) 130.000