Located in the northeast of the country, near Morocco's border with Algeria, Oujda was founded by Berbers of the Zenata tribe in A.D. 944. The history and character of the city has been formed by its proximity to Algeria. The city was claimed for centuries by both the rulers of Fez and Tlemcen in Algeria. Oujda was taken by the Almohade sultan Youse ben Tachfine in 1206 and later taken by the
Ottoman regent of Algiers. Under Sultan Moulay Ismail, Oujda returned to Moroccan control in 1687. The French occupied Oujda in 1844 and again in 1859 and, after an insurrection led by Bou Hamra, took the city again and retained it as part of the French protectorate until independence in 1956.
Today Oujda remains a trading center for traffic between Algeria and Morocco. Citrus fruit, grapes, wheat, barley, vegetables, tobacco, sheep and wool are traded from the city. Lead, coal, and manganese are mined nearby.
Ottoman regent of Algiers. Under Sultan Moulay Ismail, Oujda returned to Moroccan control in 1687. The French occupied Oujda in 1844 and again in 1859 and, after an insurrection led by Bou Hamra, took the city again and retained it as part of the French protectorate until independence in 1956.
Today Oujda remains a trading center for traffic between Algeria and Morocco. Citrus fruit, grapes, wheat, barley, vegetables, tobacco, sheep and wool are traded from the city. Lead, coal, and manganese are mined nearby.
