Zemmouri is a town and commune in the Bordj Menaïel District of Boumerdès Province, Algeria. As of 2008, the population of the municipality is 26,408.[1]
The villages of the commune of Zemmouri are:
The coastal site of Zemmouri El-Bahri was a Phoenician and later Roman settlement named Rusubbicari.[2] In the medieval period, it became a small port named Marsā al-Dajāj (literally "chicken port"). Archeological research there has uncovered medieval structures and pottery, as well as Roman coins.[3]
By the 19th century the main village, slightly further inland, was known as Zemmouri (usually spelled Zamouri or Zemouri at the time). In 1872 the French government established a colonial settlement there using land confiscated from the Isser el-Ouidan tribe and from private individuals in the wake of the Mokrani Revolt;[4] in 1886 it was renamed Courbet, after Admiral Amédée Courbet.[5] Following Algeria's independence in 1962, the name Zemmouri was restored.
The disastrous 2003 Boumerdès earthquake led to the discovery of a thrust fault; it was subsequently named after the town. The fault has since been incorporated into seismic hazard maps, which will serve as an important guideline for public safety.[6]
To the northwest of the town, the Sahel Forest and the coastal dunes on which it grows are dominated by Aleppo pine and other Mediterranean maquis flora, and constitute a tourist attraction.[7]
36°47′N 3°36′E / 36.783°N 3.600°E / 36.783; 3.600