SAIDA

town, northwestern Algeria, on the southern slopes of the Tell Atlas and the northern fringe of the Hauts (high) Plateaux. The city's site has been of military importance since the construction there of a Roman fort. Sada was a stronghold of Abdelkader, the Algerian national leader who burned the town upon the approach of French forces in 1844. Modern Sada was founded as a French military outpost in 1854 and once housed a regiment of the French Foreign Legion. Its growth was stimulated by the arrival of the OranBchar railway, and it was incorporated in 1862. The town lies along the right bank of the Wadi Sada, protected by the Abd el-Krim (3,966 feet ), wooded mountains on the opposite shore that rise steeply from the valley floor. The surrounding region is fertile and well-watered, and cereals (mainly wheat), olives, and grapes are grown to the north. Esparto grass and cereals are grown and goats and sheep are herded in the dry steppelike Hauts Plateaux and in the Saharan Atlas. These resources combine to make Sada a trade centre for sheep, wool, and cereals. It is also noted for fine leatherwork and especially for its mineral waters (bottled and sold nationally). Pop. (1977) mun., 61,698.