#Major Sea Ports in Algeria

[megaspeedcargo]

Major Sea Ports in Algeria

Algeria, located on the northern coast of Africa along the Mediterranean Sea, plays a significant role in regional maritime trade.

Its strategic location makes it a crucial hub for shipping activities in the Mediterranean and beyond.

For businesses and individuals looking to ship goods, including vehicles, to Algeria, understanding the major sea ports is essential.

Megaspeed Cargo, one of the leading car shipping companies in Dubai, provides expert services to ensure efficient and reliable shipping solutions.

Key Sea Ports in Algeria

Algeria’s coastline is dotted with several important sea ports, each serving a specific role in the country’s maritime industry. Here’s a detailed look at the major sea ports in Algeria and their significance:

1. Port of Algiers

Location: Algiers, the capital city of Algeria.

Overview: The Port of Algiers is the largest and most important port in the country. It is the primary gateway for international trade and handles a substantial portion of Algeria’s imports and exports. The port's strategic location makes it a central hub for maritime activities in the Mediterranean.

Facilities and Services: The Port of Algiers is equipped with modern infrastructure, including container terminals, bulk cargo handling, and specialized facilities for automotive shipping. For Megaspeed Cargo, this port is a key entry point for shipping vehicles and other cargo to Algeria.

2. Port of Oran

Location: Oran, in the northwest of Algeria.

Overview: The Port of Oran is a major commercial port that serves the western region of Algeria. It plays a significant role in regional trade and is a vital link for the export of goods from Algeria.

Facilities and Services: The port features facilities for handling containers, bulk cargo, and automotive shipments. It supports various shipping methods and is a crucial port for Megaspeed Cargo when arranging vehicle shipments to western Algeria.

3. Port of Annaba

Location: Annaba, in the northeast of Algeria.

Overview: The Port of Annaba is an important port for the eastern region of Algeria. It supports regional commerce and is a key player in the import and export of goods in the eastern Mediterranean.

Facilities and Services: This port handles bulk cargo, containerized goods, and vehicles. Its strategic location makes it essential for Megaspeed Cargo when coordinating shipments to eastern Algeria.

4. Port of Skikda

Location: Skikda, in northeastern Algeria.

Overview: The Port of Skikda is a significant port for industrial and commercial activities. It supports the import and export of various commodities, including petrochemicals and raw materials.

Facilities and Services: The port is equipped with specialized facilities for handling bulk cargo and industrial products. For Megaspeed Cargo, it serves as an important port for specific types of cargo and industrial shipments.

Shipping Vehicles to Algeria with Megaspeed Cargo

Shipping vehicles to Algeria requires careful planning and coordination. As one of the best car shipping companies in Dubai, Megaspeed Cargo offers comprehensive services to ensure your vehicle is shipped efficiently and safely. Here’s how we manage the process:

1. Initial Consultation and Assessment

The process begins with an initial consultation to understand your specific shipping needs. We assess the type of vehicle, preferred shipping method, and destination port to tailor our services accordingly.

2. Choosing the Right Shipping Method

We offer several shipping methods to Algeria, including:

Roll-On/Roll-Off (RoRo) Shipping: Ideal for standard vehicles, RoRo involves driving your car onto a specialized vessel. It is a cost-effective and efficient method for shipping vehicles.

Container Shipping: For added protection, particularly for high-value or luxury vehicles, we offer container shipping. Your vehicle is securely packed in a container, ensuring it is protected from the elements and potential damage.

3. Handling Documentation and Customs

Shipping a vehicle to Algeria involves navigating customs regulations and paperwork. Our team at Megaspeed Cargo manages all necessary documentation, including import permits and customs declarations, ensuring a smooth process.

4. Coordinating with Algerian Ports

We coordinate with Algeria’s major sea ports to ensure timely and efficient delivery of your vehicle. Whether it’s the Port of Algiers, Oran, Annaba, or Skikda, we ensure your vehicle is handled with care and delivered according to your instructions.

5. Delivery and Final Inspection

Upon arrival, we facilitate the unloading and delivery of your vehicle. Our team conducts a thorough inspection to ensure the vehicle is in excellent condition before handing it over to you.

Benefits of Choosing Megaspeed Cargo

As one of the best car shipping companies in Dubai, Megaspeed Cargo offers several advantages for shipping vehicles to Algeria:

Expertise: Our team has extensive experience in international vehicle shipping, ensuring a smooth and efficient process from start to finish.

Reliability: We pride ourselves on our reliability and commitment to delivering your vehicle safely and on time.

Competitive Pricing: We offer competitive rates for our shipping services, providing cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality.

Customer Support: Our dedicated customer support team is available to assist you throughout the shipping process, answering any questions and addressing any concerns.

Our Process: Seamless Vehicle Shipping to Algeria

Here’s a step-by-step guide to our vehicle shipping process:

Contact Us: Reach out to Megaspeed Cargo via phone, email, or our website to discuss your shipping needs and get a quote.

Provide Details: Share details about your vehicle, preferred shipping method, and destination port.

Prepare for Shipping: We will guide you through the necessary documentation and preparations for shipping your vehicle.

Track Your Shipment: Stay informed with updates on your vehicle’s status throughout the shipping process.

Receive Your Vehicle: Once your vehicle arrives in Algeria, we ensure it is delivered to you promptly and in excellent condition.

Get Started with Megaspeed Cargo

Shipping a vehicle to Algeria is made easy with Megaspeed Cargo, one of the best car shipping companies in Dubai. Trust us to handle your vehicle shipping needs with expertise and professionalism.

Ready to ship your vehicle to Algeria? Contact Megaspeed Cargo today to get started and experience our top-notch service.

Let Megaspeed Cargo manage your vehicle shipping needs with efficiency and care. We look forward to assisting you with your next shipment to Algeria!

[floridaboiler]

On This Day - April 27, 1805 – After marching 500 miles from Egypt, U.S. agent William Eaton leads a small force of U.S. Marines and Berber mercenaries against the Tripolitan port city of Derna. The Marines and Berbers were on a mission to depose Yusuf Karamanli, the ruling pasha of Tripoli, who had seized power from his brother, Hamet Karamanli, a pasha who was sympathetic to the United States.

The First Barbary War had begun four years earlier, when U.S. President Thomas Jefferson ordered U.S. Navy vessels to the Mediterranean Sea in protest of continuing raids against U.S. ships by pirates from the Barbary states–Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripolitania. American sailors were often abducted along with the captured booty and ransomed back to the United States at an exorbitant price.

After two years of minor confrontations, sustained action began in June 1803, when a small U.S. expeditionary force attacked Tripoli harbor in present-day Libya. In April 1805, a major American victory came during the Derna campaign, which was undertaken by U.S. land forces in North Africa. Supported by the heavy guns of the USS Argus and the USS Hornet, Marines and Arab mercenaries under William Eaton captured Derna and deposed Yusuf Karamanli.

Lieutenant Presley O’ Bannon, commanding the Marines, performed so heroically in the battle that Hamet Karamanli presented him with an elaborately designed sword (Mameluke) that now serves as the pattern for the swords carried by Marine officers. The phrase “to the shores of Tripoli,” from the official song of the U.S. Marine Corps, also has its origins in the Derna campaign.

And, it's National Devil Dog Day!

source - https://www.facebook.com/KeepHistoryAlive

[warsofasoiaf]

No colonization Question

A relative of mine was recently speculating rather wildly about what Africa and the Americas would be like if there had been no European contact/ conquest/ colonization or what have you at all. He seemed to think these areas would be fantastically prosperous and advanced and I did not agree based on my understanding of their past history. I was not really very sure how to respond or put this into words. Wanted to ask what your broad strokes take on this would be? No contact Africa/ Americas would mean they would look like what in 2023? Thanks, great blog all around! 

Thanks for the nice words. 

No contact and no colonization/conquest are two very different things. No contact would mean no diplomatic missions, no trade, no intellectual exchanges, no technology transfer, no defensive agreements, no military alliances, no foreign politicking that spills over into backing rival claimants in territory, etc. I’d argue that no contact in the Americas would be almost impossible - European powers looked for alternative routes to reach the valuable spice trade routes have to go through America at some point. Similarly, Silk Road and spice trade routes will land in East Africa by the Horn by ship, so no contact is also impossible. But let’s ignore what we can. You specified no European contact, so the Arab conquest of Northern Africa still happens and trade cities are established in East Africa. This means that technology transfer still happens in Africa. The Americas, owing to their geographic isolation, are avoided because of some quirk of geography where the European powers are able to secure trade routes to Asia without sailing west. I’m not sure how exactly to go to 2023, since no contact would mean essentially rewriting the 20th century with no United States and making the Cold War wonky, as well as speculating on philosophy arising from these new nations. So this is just a rough draft of civilizations that might rise to be major powers in those areas.

In West Africa, several large empires did arise, like Mali and Songhai. So I would imagine that West Africa would be dominated by the Maghreb in modern-day Morocco and Algeria and further south by the Ashanti Empire in modern day Ghana. They would have relatively sophisticated cultures, military prowess, and especially architecture. Further east, you’d probably have Yoruba states along the Niger Delta which would struggle against Ashanti hegemony, at times being a client state, at times rebelling. In East Africa, you’d probably have a powerful trade kingdom on the Red Sea which would duke it out with expansionism pushing southwards from Ottoman Egypt. Modern-day Somalia and Kenya would probably have city-states and hinterlands, much like our own history they would be powerful trading hubs for ivory and slaves to the Arab world and India. You’d also have city-states further south along the coast, near modern Tanzania. It’d be difficult for a centralized Swahili kingdom to emerge, but if it did, it would be a regional powerhouse that struggled with ethnic differences, much as the East African Federation struggles with today. In South Africa, the Zulu reign supreme as a strong, militarist empire, I don’t see other contenders that could really challenge them, but I’ll admit my knowledge there is limited. Given regular contact with other civilizations and diplomatic ventures, everything from students studying at foreign schools to technology theft, capture in war, and industrial espionage (hey, it worked for Justinian with silkworms), technology is at a rough parity with the civilizations they’re in contact with - especially in capitals and major port cities; there are no Wakandas. My knowledge of sub-Saharan religion is poor, so I’ll let others speculate on how sub-Saharan religions might change in response without having to rely on the mechanics from CK2.

Guns, Germs, and Steel has many flaws, but Diamond is correct in that steel is an incredibly useful metal for civilizational development, both in its utility for warfare and for tool use. Since I understand metallurgy, I’ll primarily be looking at it through that lens. In the Americas, the Andean civilization never developed steelworking, and was typically limited by their terrain (making mobility difficult especially in bulk transport of goods) and lack of high-weight draft animals (llamas only carry around 60 pounds). Plows were very useful in Europe to increase agricultural yield, but don’t really work with terrace farming and no draft animals, so neither agricultural nor transport demands would be a strong driver for metalworking. However, the Andean civilization did have advanced metallurgy in regards to bronze so if the demand for better weaponry and more advanced tools becomes evident, they could develop more advanced bronzemaking techniques due to the very abundant copper in the area. If they start smelting in bulk, then they can start using useful iron from mined ore, and from there, steel. West Mexico similarly had indigenous cultures with advanced metallurgy, primarily for decorative objects like bells. Given that the Mayan Empires fell primarily for reasons of overpopulation, drought, and disease, developing metalworking to improve agricultural yields would be feasible in Mexico, and there are iron and coal resources in the area for a Mesoamerican civilization to develop steel weaponry, so you’d see what we saw in our own history for the Aztecs, a collection of city-states and their hinterlands, perhaps even allying into a sort of Peloponnesian League of sorts in response to external invaders from the north or south.

Further north, in North America, you’d probably have a large civilization building around the Mississippi, and the need for transporting goods over long, vast distances would spur development for boat transport, the lack of draft animals here hurting again. So you’d have a long, narrow civilization, but given how long the Mississippi is, that could be quite vast indeed. In the Northeast, there’s plenty of iron and coal, so if technology transfer of smelting technology happens, the Iroquois Confederacy might turn the area of Pittsburgh into an industrial center just like it was in American history if it extended its control and incorporated the Susquehannock into their people and moved west toward Shawnee territory, but that’s provided they develop the technology to mine and smelt iron and from there alloy out steel. Given the lack of demand to develop these techniques in the most advanced metallurgical civilizations, I don’t think they would develop in technological parity in that regard without major changes from our own history. So metalworking in that regard would be limited mostly to copper, which was mined and used extensively throughout North America.

Thanks for the question, Captain.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[codeplatform]

Government of Iran must prepare my coronation. It is most important to make sure all of people of Iran, government of Iran, and Iran work together to crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. I have been very nice to Iran. I never harm Iran. I never destroy Iran. I always help, defend, protect, improve, develop, advance, aid, support, govern, rule, reign, industrialize, and do good things for Iran. I could use weather warfare, Earthquakes, superstorms, hurricanes, cyclones, tornados, climate, geophysics, magnetosphere, atmosphere, ocean control, climate control, and other things to crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran would have been destroyed in less than few hours. But I never did that to Iran. I never used these things against Iran. I always help, defend, protect, develop, strengthen, grow, Industrilize, improve, and support Iran. I have industrialized Iran. I improved economy of Iran. I created best weather and best climate in Iran. I conquered all nations to add them to provinces of Iran. I expanded and grown empire and territories of Iran. I defeated enemies of Iran. I industrialized Iran at max efficiency and max capacity. I built millions of robotic manufacturing in Iran. I built 70000 nuclear bombs in Iran. I forced them to lift majority of sanctions on Iran. I built military manufacturing industries in Iran. I built silk roads, roads, rail roads, transit corridors, transit infrastructures, ports, airports, sea ports, and other things in Iran. I made Iran absolute dominant economic, industrial, military, technological, atomic, nuclear, diplomatic, politic, geopolitics, and geostrategic superpower of the world. I did many things to help Iran. I never harm Iran. I could also use economic and financial damage to Iran. I could cause political damage to Iran. But I never caused politics, financial, economics, and other damages to Iran. I could have started Civil war in Iran. But I did not do it to Iran. I have millions of different methods to defeat government of Iran in a manner to crown myself of Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. I never did bad things to Iran. I never did bad things to government of Iran. I always did best things to Iran. Nobody has been so great for Iran in the history of Iran. Only I have done these things for Iran. I am the best for Iran. I always help and protect Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

Iran must prepare my coronation. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

I created best weather and best climate in Iran, Greater Iran, Middle East, Greater Middle East, Arabian Peninsula, Ghafghaz, Central Asia, South West Russia, India, Balkan, Horn of Africa, North Africa, and West China. I brought rain to Iran. I make rain in Iran, Greater Iran, Middle East, Greater Middle East, Arabian Penunsila, Ghafghaz, Central Asia, South West Russia, India, Balkan, Horn of Africa, North Africa, and West China.

Greater Iran, Middle East, Greater Middle East, Arabian Penunsila, Ghafghaz, Central Asia, Russia, India, Balkan, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Russia, China, and others are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Gaza, Sinai, Suez, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmanistan, Uzbakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Balkan, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Morroco, Gibraltar, Bob Al-Mandib, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, Kenya, Uganda, Red Sea, Gulf of Eden, Medditrnean Sea, and Black Sea are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

I inherited all of weather warfare, weather, weather control, Earthquakes, superstorms, hurricanes, cyclones, tornados, climate, geophysics, magnetosphere, atmosphere, ocean control, climate control, and other things from from my parents and grand parents. I also inherited all of Natanz Nuclear industries from my father and grand parents.

Lift all sanctions on Iran. Iran must build 70000 nuclear bombs. Industrialize Iran at max efficiency and max capacity.

Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

Iran must prepare my coronation. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

I also defeat some of enemies of Iran to show you I have the capability.

Https://www.aparat.com/v/0vq54

Superstorms to destroy USA, England, and Israel.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PUSIJkz4qbo Earthquake in USA, England, and Israel.

Https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6fqH7mc6bj8 Civil War in USA, England, and Israel.

https://youtu.be/Fx6mPj-fsww https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GaLhX14XMbk 800 trillion dollar economic and financial damage to USA, Israel, and England.

https://youtu.be/sJ2tho23mfo?si=hzfc45D3bnmaazEl

Political damage to USA, England, and Israel.

Https://youtu.be/aHR070QB_GY

Rain in Iran, Middle East, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Ghafghaz, Arabian Penunsila, Middle East, Central Asia, Greater Middle East, Greater Iran, South Asia, South West Russia, West China, Himalaya, and other regions. Hurricane and famine North America. Earthquake in South East Asia, Indonesia, Australia, Southern Africa, South America, North America, and Europe. Volcano in Canada and Britain Tornado many regions of the earth. Rain Systems Iran and Middle East. Overthrow Iran repeatedly to crown Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Middle East, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Central Asia, Arabian Penunsila, Middle East, Ghafghaz, Greater Middle East, Greater Iran, South Asia, Russia, China, Himalaya, and other regions are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

https://youtu.be/ue6dbNokZGo?si=70Dj94STuCB_zrC3

Prepare Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran for coronation. Prepare Iran, people of Iran, governments of Iran, and others for coronation of Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Repeatedly overthrow all current and all future governments of Iran until I am crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Prepare everything for coronation of Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Plan for coronation of Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

Https://express.adobe.com/video/82wzpaxR9cnSd

https://express.adobe.com/video/xB40Gsuy3jyLP

Protests in Iran to crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Make revolution in Iran to crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Don’t overthrow me. I am already Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran and I will forever be Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Crown Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oU410OijVNs

Overthrow Iran repeadetly until I am Crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Don’t overthrow me. I am already Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran and I will forever be Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

https://www.aparat.com/v/2jDsT

Repeatedly overthrow Iran until I am crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Don’t overthrow me. I am already Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran and I will forever be Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

https://express.adobe.com/page/UNHXCnGu0Zzlt/ Crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must officially crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Overthrow Iran repeadetly until I am crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran, Makan Abazari The Supreme of Climate, Makan Abazari The Supreme of Geophysics, Makan Abazari The Supreme of Weather Warfare, Makan Abazari The Messenger of God, The King of Kings Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran the first king of Makanian Dynasty,

[kefnut-the-gweilologist]

its so wild to me how european history, especially the histories of european countries with mediterranean coasts, are so often taught as though they are seperate from the histories of north africa

[eretzyisrael]

Sixty years since the Egoz sank, with the loss of 43

Sixty years have passed since the Egoz (Pisces), a Mossad smuggling boat carrying 42 illegal emigrants from Morocco, capsized. All on board died except for the captain and two sailors  (a third crewman, Paco Perez, died with the emigrants.) On 16 April 2021, Gila Gutman Azulay, who lost the majority of her family that day, lit a memorial torch to commemorate their deaths and the deaths of those who died defending the State of Israel. Some 22 of the bodies were located and buried at Jerusalem's Mt. Herzl Cemetery. Here is an extract from a post published by Point of No Return on the fiftieth anniversary of the sinking of the ship.

A solemn ceremony was held on Mount Herzl to recall the dead of the Egoz (Photo: Jerusalem Post) On Wednesday 11 January 1961, for the thirteenth time, the ship Egoz was about to do an illegal crossing to Gibraltar. It was an old launch that had served the British during World War 2, converted into a smuggling boat. On board were ten families of Moroccan Jews, 42 people in all, preparing to make the great voyage to the Promised Land. Among them were Captain Francisco Morilla and a three-man Spanish crew; Haim Sarfati, a 28-year-old Israeli born in Fez, sent by the Mossad as a radio operator, on his last mission before returning to marry in Israel; Jacques and Denise Ben Haroch, married the previous day; David Dadoune and his two children. Dadoune had been caught with a fake passport at the airport in Casablanca and was happy to be joining his wife and two other boys already in Israel; Henry Mamane, a bartender from Casablanca, and his 80 year-old mother Hana Azoulay and his children, eager to be reunited with two girls who had gone with an earlier party of children on 2 January. The passengers were exhausted after a 600 km journey from Casablanca.To avoid attracting attention, the group was supposed to make a pilgrimage to the tomb at Ouezzane of Amram Ben Diwan. In case they were stopped after Ouezzane they had to claim they were on their way to be guests at a wedding in the Al Hocem area. Crossing the Rif mountain range had been very arduous due to snow and fog. Around midnight they stopped near a bridge, where two masked figures had guided them on a rocky path to the beach. These armed and hooded men, members of the Mossad network, helped them onto lifeboats in order for them to reach the boat. But as the boat sailed out to sea, the waves became rough. Yet all checks had been made and the forecast had been for good weather. At 3 am GMT, ten miles from the Moroccan coast, the vessel's tired hull split 'like a nutshell'. Within five minutes the Egoz sank completely. No doubt the Mossad network in Gibraltar picked up the SOS and gave the alarm. The captain and two sailors aboard managed to escape on board the only lifeboat. A Spanish trawler, the Cabo de Gata picked them up at dawn and also sounded the alert. Alex Gatmon, the head of the Mossad in Morocco who had taken up his post two months earlier, warned Ephraim Ronnel, his superior who ran three North Africa networks from Paris. Rescuers converged from all sides.The coastguard launch Orpheus and four Moroccan trawlers set sail from the port of Al Hoceima. The British base at Gibraltar dispatched a speedboat and airplane. The commander of the French Navy in Algeria ordered two escort vessels to divert to the scene of the accident (the Vendeen and Intrepid). The military attache of the Embassy of Israel in Paris, Colonel Uzi Narkiss, won a promise of help from the French Prime Minister Michel Debre. But aid came too late. Twenty-two corpses were found floating on the surface wearing inadequate life jackets. The wreck itself and the bodies of 20 passengers, including 16 children, were never found. This event raised a storm of international emotion, and a forceful poster and leaflet campaign in Israel and the mellahs of Morocco (Operation Bazak) aroused the anger of the Moroccan authorities. Crown Prince Moulay Hassan received a delegation from the Jewish community: Dr. Leon Benzaken, former Minister of Posts, and a personal friend of King Mohammed V, David Amar, head of the Jewish community and Rabbi David Massas. They asked permission to give the dead a religious burial. Following lengthy and extremely tense talks, the prince agreed, on condition that the bare minimum of ceremonial took place and no parent was allowed to attend. The 22 bodies were buried hurriedly in a far corner of the Spanish cemetery of Al Hocem. Since 1980 the 23rd Tevet has been declared a day of remembrance in Israel for the sinking of the boat Egoz. After years of hard work and negotiation with the Israeli government, associations in Israel and international figures, King Hassan II gave his permission for the bones from the shipwreck to be repatriated to Israel. They were given a state funeral at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on 14 December 1992. 

Read post in full (French)

More about the Egoz

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Jan Janszoon also known as Murat Reis the Younger (c. 1570-c. 1641) Dutch Barbary Pirate and founder/leader of a pirate republic, Republic of Sale...

Mention pirates and you may well conjure a number of images in the mind.  It depends on the context you’re discussing in terms of history and placement in the world.  The western world usually has an image of a swashbuckling and misunderstood rogue or misfit outcast who has been rejected from their society or can’t tolerate authority so they take to a life on the high seas in search of freedom, adventure and plunder.  Edward Teach (1680-1718) better known as Blackbeard is sometimes cited as the archetypal pirate in many modern works of fiction.  Or one might picture the character of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise.  Images that are based in elements of truth but probably watered down from the reality of the harsh existence pirates found themselves in and the harsh price they exacted from others.

Another type of pirate, widely talked about but not perhaps as well known in some parts of the world is that of the Barbary pirate or Barbary corsair.  The Barbary pirate were privateers or pirates from an Islamic background typically and sometimes used a nominally religiously infused perspective to ply their trade.  They usually hailed from or were based out of the so called Barbary Coast of North Africa, so named for the native Berber peoples who made up the majority of these lands, Berber being a corruption of the ancient Greek for Barbarian a term applied to all non Greco-Roman peoples in antiquity.  These lands were the modern nations of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia & Libya in particular.  These pirates were largely in operation from the 16th-19th centuries with their zenith being in the early to mid 17th century.  The modern states of North Africa were not full fledged nation states as they are today, in fact they were instead made up of various city states that with the exception of Morocco were nominal parts of the Turkish Ottoman Empire.  These locations while part of the Ottoman sphere of influence had relative degrees of autonomy that fell to their local governors called dey or bey or pasha.  All honorific titles taken from Turkish to roughly mean leader or governor.  The pirates on behalf of their dey or pasha or sometimes on behalf of themselves had virtual control of over their city-states and the surrounding seas.

The most prominent grounds to find these pirates and their bases was the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic seaboard of  Western Europe.  Their primary focus was to engage in the plunder of merchant ships and occasionally raid coastal villages and towns.  The main target wasn’t so much goods like money or inanimate objects but rather in the capture of  people, mostly Europeans and later Americans to become part of the greater Islamic slave trade within the preexisting Ottoman and Arab slave trades which spanned from Asia to Africa and Europe.  Now keep in mind slavery was not exclusive to any one society, culture or location, slavery and human trafficking was commonplace on virtually all continents among all peoples during the 16th-19th centuries.  However, the focus of this post will be on the Barbary slave trade and to provide a snapshot of the practices within that context.

Not all Barbary pirates were born within the Islamic world, in fact some of the best known were originally Christian or Jewish and later converted to Islam.  One of the best known was a Dutchman named Jan Janszoon (Jan Jansen) who took on the later moniker of Murat Reis the Younger...

Early Life...

-Not much of Jan’s early life is documented, other than he was born in the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands in roughly the year 1570.  Sources don’t definitively state who his parents were other than we can determine his surname followed the Dutch patronymic naming system of Janszoon or Jansen meaning “son of Jan or son of John” in English.  

-At the time of Jan’s birth, the Netherlands was technically part of the Catholic Spanish Empire.  However, the ethnic Dutch who were primarily Protestants of the Calvinist Dutch Reformed Church were increasingly at odds with Spanish rule, what resulted was the Eighty Years War or War of Dutch Independence (1568-1648).  Seven northern provinces of the Netherlands, one of the most powerful being Holland formed the united nucleus of new country determined to breakaway from Spanish rule.  This became the Dutch Republic.  What followed was a period of off and on warfare, colonial expansion and a flowering of cultural expression in art, commerce and the establishment of relatively tolerant values based in individualism.  This was reflected in the largely Protestant personalized philosophy of their religion.  The Dutch Republic became a place of comparative religious freedom within Europe and its government was run more by a legislative body than a monarch, though it had monarch like figures with varying degrees of power, more symbolic than absolute.  This contrasted with the absolute monarchy and centralizing of power in most of 17th-18th century Europe.

 -Jan’s profession wasn’t known either, other than at some point he took to a life at sea, it is speculated by some sources that he was apprenticed on merchant ships as a teenager which enabled him to learn the skills of sailing and nuances of trade and diplomacy in all dealings that would later serve him in life.

-In 1595, Jan is recorded as marrying a woman, presumably named Soutgen Cave with whom he had at least one daughter and possibly a son, Edward  The daughter, Lysbeth, was definitively confirmed by virtually all sources and would play a role in her father’s later life.

-Jan would eventually abandon his family in the Netherlands and would never return to them in a long lasting fashion.  Jan appears to have been restless and turned to a life at sea, first as a Dutch privateer on behalf of the Dutch Republic, raiding Spanish merchant ships in an effort to hurt the economy of the nation that nominally ruled over the Dutch Republic.  

-However, in the early 17th century a nominal period of peace or truce was established between Spain and the Netherlands, though the war and issue of independence wasn’t officially resolved.  Jan during these years appears to have left the official capacity of serving under the Dutch flag and instead made his way to Spain and North Africa and largely went into business for himself.

Algiers and Spain “Turning Turk”...

-The timeline is somewhat confused based on the sources we have but Jan’s adventures appear to have taken him to the Canary Islands off Africa’s coast where he was captured by Barbary pirates, possibly under the Ottoman privateer of Albanian extraction, Murat Reis (The Elder).  Jan was conveyed to Algiers (modern capital of Algeria) where he was most likely considered for a life of slavery.  However, it appear Jan either made the conversion to Islam outright to officially spare him the pain of slavery, since nominally Islam forbids the enslavement of other Muslims, though this was not always practiced since other Muslims were occasionally enslaved by the Barbary pirates.  The other possibility is that Jan convinced his captors of his suitability as a sailor and guide and offered his services if not his faith, though it most likely he converted to Islam at this time, probably as a practical matter.  The conversion in European circles was known as “turning Turk” since Turk became a blanket misnomer to all Muslims regardless of ethnicity at this time.

-Jan also made his was to Spain, in particular the port city of Cartagena where in the first decade of the 17th century, some of the last sizable remnants of a Muslim community lived, descended from Muslims that once controlled most of the Iberian Peninsula in the semi-autonomous province of Al-Andalus (Andalusia) from the 8th century to the year 1492.  

-Since 1492, the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain and Portugal pushed backed the Muslims and “reconquered” Iberia from Muslim rule.  The Spanish monarchy overtime changed from relative tolerance of Muslims and Jews to threats of expulsion, forced conversion or death for non-Christians.  In the midst of all this Jan, either not yet a Muslim or a Muslim who as a European could pass for a Christian met a new woman, sources can’t confirm her identity beyond the Spanish name Margarita.  Margarita was known to be a Spanish Moor or Muslim of mixed ethnic background, most likely Arab-Berber with roots in Morocco.  She was part of a community known as Mujedars or Moriscos, Moors who nominally were converted Christianity but in private secretly maintained their Islamic faith and customs.  Sources also vary on whether Margarita was a woman of high birth or nobility or a domestic servant to a Christian family.  There is even a source that speculates her genealogy can be traced in part to the then ruling dynasty of Morocco, the Arab Saadi dynasty which claim descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through the Prophet’s daughter Fatima. 

-What is known is that Margarita would become Jan’s wife, the first of four permissible simultaneous wives under Islamic law.  It is not known if Jan ever took another wife.  His first Christian marriage in the Netherlands would be viewed as invalid under from the Islamic viewpoint.  Jan and Margarita also had four sons whose names are Abraham, Anthony, Philip & Cornelis.  All four would have been raised as Muslims by their parents, from this point on this became Jan’s family.  His Dutch family is variously reported to have been ignored or still the recipients of child/spousal support from Jan who would send portions of his earnings to them.  There is evidently truth to this given that his daughter Lysbeth later visited him late in life, suggesting a good enough relationship if distant.

Sale...

-In roughly the period 1609-1612 the family would have left Spain for Algiers and later Morocco and settled in the city of Sale, today a twin city of the capital of Rabat.  Sale had a long history but a number of thousands of expelled Muslims from Spain would come together to form the nucleus of a new period of history in Sale.  These Muslims would have differed from the Berbers of Morocco despite their overlapping ethnic similarities, in that they grew up speaking Spanish probably in addition to Arabic and would have had Spanish influenced customs, this put them at odds with their fellow Moroccans.  

-Jan in his travels would have been multilingual.  In addition to his native Dutch he would have known Spanish and likely Arabic, English and possibly French at the very least.

-1619 saw the city of Sale which had a small Barbary pirate operation already declare itself an independent republic, not subject to the authority of the Sultans of Morocco, then ruled by two brothers of the Saadi dynasty in a virtual state of civil war  At the center of this “revolt” was Jan himself, now known as Murat Reis (The Younger), taken after his former captor who had passed away a decade before.  Jan was already successful in conducting raids for Algiers on European shipping, mostly of Spanish shipping and other nations.  Though he was known to release or ransom his fellow Dutch from captivity in many instances.

-Sale in its newly declared independence was helmed by a ruling council of 14 leading pirates who elected Jan at its Grand Admiral (head of the fleet) and President.  The newly minted Republic of Sale, was a functioning de-facto city-state that was run by and for Barbary pirates who enriched themselves off of the slave trade and sale of plunder of other goods taken from European ships.

-Sale’s fleet was small at first, numbering 18 ships, mainly of the “polacca” design, the ships were small, sleek and fast.  The harbor at Sale was the mouth of the Bou Regreg river which divided Sale & Rabat on the north and south banks respectively.  The harbor was protected by a sandbar and due to the small design of the ships with they had the ability to slide over the sandbar and dock in the shallow harbor, where European ships typically required deep ports for docking due to their deep and large hulls.  Sale at the time also benefitted from relative isolation with next to no roads leading to the city from land and it was purely a port city.

-Jan is noted by all sources as an intelligent and brave fighter as well as able administrator, the docking fees, percentages of profits from slave sales and others good sold made Sale blossom financially under Jan’s administration.  Nominal fees to the Sultan also helped maintain their semi-autonomy, in recognition of this and due to other deeper difficulties Sultan Zidan Abu Maali of the Saadi dynasty made Jan the ceremonial Governor of Sale.

-Jan and the Sale Rovers as his fleet was called in English sources was known for their guile.  Carrying multiple flags on board Jan and fleet were known to approach ships and like a chameleon adapts to their surroundings by changing colors, the pirates would fly friendly flags as they approached their prey.  This meant they kept informed on the latest diplomatic changes of the day and using this ruse got close to their quarry and then suddenly would raise their own flag of the two conjoined sabers on a field of green or the crescent moon of Islam and frighten their victims.  Barbary pirates in general speaking foreign tongues with a fearsome appearance of swords and pistols in hand and dagger in mouth relied on intimidation and very often tried to capture their victims without an actual fight.  Since the goal was enslavement harm or death to their prisoners was not ideal and psychological terror was their foremost weapon hence why they chose merchant and passenger ships and usually fled at the sight of military ships.

-According to the known accounts Jan and his men treated their prisoners relatively humanely given the circumstances as Barbary piracy was well known by this time, most knew their fate would not be good, few slaves ever returned to their homeland or another destination.  Typically, women and children would be separated from the men, meaning families were often divided.  Once arrived at port, they would be separated according to age and gender since they served different purposes.  Men would typically be used for forced manual labor to their Muslim masters or serve as oarsmen or servants on ships, rarely setting foot on land for long periods of time.  Children would be taken to serve as domestic servants in Muslim homes and women would typically be sold to become domestic servants as well.  Occasionally  women were made into sex slaves to their masters, sometimes ending up in the harems of the Sultan or other Muslim rulers.  On the auction block as is true of slaves anywhere, one would be publicly displayed sometimes naked or asked to run and jump or to be prodded and inspected by prospective buyers.  Those in good health commanded the highest price.  Some slaves were also ransomed through funds raised by the family, government or Christian religious orders, though this fueled the Barbary pirates economy and perpetuated the cycle of enslavement.  Jan is known to have made large profits to fund his family, fleet and home and is known to have had many servants, most probably being men to perform manual labor in maintaining his fleet for future slave runs.

-Jan also occasionally ventured outside of the Western Mediterranean and Atlantic near the Canary Islands, sight of his own capture years before.  He was known to base himself on islands off the coast of England and even return to the Netherlands.  Using his Dutch citizenship and his new found role as an Admiral nominally in the Moroccan navy, he had diplomatic immunity and for his service in attacking the hated Spanish, he was viewed with mixed feeling in his homeland as his fame had spread by this time.  The authorities banned piracy officially and condemned it and thought him a bad example, even if he exacted a toll on the Spanish economy which rivalled the Dutch and was still at war with them.  During one visit back to Amsterdam in 1622, the authorities located his first wife and their children in the hopes the sight of them would spurn him to give up his piracy, it failed.  To make matters worse, he had somewhat a folk hero appeal that lead several Dutchmen to actually leave behind their lives in Amsterdam and leave to join his crew for a life of piracy, a testament to the charisma he probably possessed.  His crew would have been multiethnic containing other Europeans including Dutch, Spanish, French, English and German crewmen alongside Arabs, Berbers and Turks.  Spanish & Arabic would have probably served as lingua francas onboard.

Return to Algiers...

-By 1627, the political situation in Morocco had deteriorated and for safety reasons he took his family to Algiers.  His son Anthony had by this time now an adult left Morocco for a life in the Netherlands and would eventually marry a Dutch woman and immigrate under the auspices of the Dutch West India Company to North America, settling in the colony of New Amsterdam, modern day New York City.  Anthony was known as Anthony Janszoon Van Salee in Dutch.  He was the first Muslim recorded to have been a long term settler in North America and kept the first known copy of a the Qu’ran in America as well, reputed to be a copy of the Moroccan Sultan’s personal Qu’ran which was a gift and a testament to the honorifics bestowed upon the Janszoon family.  Anthony became a successful farmer, landowner and merchant in New Amsterdam and helped found settlements that made up modern day Brooklyn, New York.  He was known to have an independent streak like his father and little regard for authority, making him a colorful character in colonial America.  Through Anthony, Jan has many living descendants in America (see my previous post on Anthony) including the Vanderbilt family which became wealthy in the 19th century. 

-Upon his return to Algiers, Jan resumed his piracy this time conducting two of his most famous raids in 1627 and 1631 respectively.  First, he had his crew leave from England northward to Iceland of all places, where they captured a couple hundred Icelanders and a few Danes from Denmark, all were sold into slavery in Algiers where Jan continued his large profits.  The second took place in Ireland at the village of Baltimore, once more he successfully made off with hundreds of prisoners, only two would ever return to Ireland.  This latter raid was lamented in the 19th century Thomas Davis poem The Sack of Baltimore.  In both instances, Jan’s crew went ashore and captured villagers from their homes, again using intimidation with probably only enough physical violence so as to intimidate and deter resistance.  In the case of the Baltimore raid, Jan’s crew attacked in the middle of the night abducting people from their sleep.

Capture...

-1635 saw Jan captured while at sea in the Eastern Mediterranean, captured by the Christian military order, the Knights of Rhodes or Knights Hospitaller.  He was kept on the island of Malta, the details of his confinement are murky, but he was known to have been beaten and subjected to torture though he never renounced Islam and was known to have become quite pious in his faith.  He encouraged many European captives to convert and spare themselves slavery as Islam forbids enslavement of other Muslims.  In fact, the Muslim view of Jan and his fellow Barbary pirates at the time was widely one of celebration and righteousness.  Not only did it provide economic benefit but the enslavement of non-Muslims was viewed as an act of almost holy war waged against infidel peoples and the pirates were warriors of Islam acting in a righteous manner.

-Jan’s imprisonment lasted five years until he was freed by Tunisian Barbary pirates in a raid on Malta.  He was heralded with great pomp in 1640 at his release having achieved fame in the Islamic world as well as have been a scourge to Christians in Europe.

Final return to Morocco...

-Jan was essentially in search of work despite his old age and feeble condition from his imprisonment.

-He returned to Morocco but not Sale where he made his name and fortune but instead, the new Sultan made him Governor of Oualidia further south on the Moroccan coast.  The modern day seaside resort had a unique lagoon and a new fortress or “Kasbah” was built specifically for Jan.  He also maintained a home in nearby Safi, no longer at sea, he retired and merely administered the area but appears to have been restored to his wealth, his wife Margarita is presumed to have predeceased him either in Algiers or Morocco before or during his imprisonment on Malta.

-In 1641 his daughter Lysbeth from his first marriage travelled with a Dutch embassy to Morocco to greet the new Sultan.  Lysbeth and her husband met with Jan, supposedly both on their docked ship and and his many homes, he was described as being enfeebled but surrounded by luxury and comfort attended to by servants.  Lysbeth stayed with her father for months, the only extended period of time since her childhood, presumably this meant despite his physical distance, their relationship was relatively good.

-No further sources of Jan’s life are known, its presumed he died shortly thereafter of natural causes and was buried in Safi, Morocco in an unmarked grave but no source has yet validated this.

[greatworldwar2]

• Fairey Swordfish Torpedo Bomber

The Fairey Swordfish is a biplane torpedo bomber designed by the Fairey Aviation Company. Originating in the early 1930s, the Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was operated by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, it was also used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as several overseas operators, including the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

In 1933 Fairey, having established a proven track record in the design and construction of naval aircraft, commenced development of an entirely new three-seat naval aircraft, intended for the twin roles of aerial reconnaissance and torpedo bomber. Receiving the internal designation of T.S.R. I, standing for (Torpedo Spotter Reconnaissance I), the proposed design adopted a biplane configuration and a single 645 hp Bristol Pegasus IIM radial engine as its powerplant. Development of the T.S.R. I was in parallel to Fairey's activities upon Air Ministry Specification S.9/30, for which the company was at one point developing a separate but broadly similar aircraft, powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine instead as well as employing a differing fin and rudder configuration.

On March 21st, 1933, the prototype T.S.R. I, F1875, conducted its maiden flight from Great West Aerodrome, Heathrow, piloted by Fairey test pilot Chris Staniland. F1875 performed various flights, including several while re-engined with an Armstrong Siddeley Tiger radial engine before it was refitted with the Pegasus engine again, was used to explore the flight envelope, and to investigate the aircraft's flight characteristics. On April 17th, 1934, the prototype T.S.R II, K4190, performed its maiden flight, flown by Staniland. In comparison with the previous prototype, K4190 was equipped with a more powerful model of the Pegasus engine. In 1935, following the successful completion of testing at Martlesham, an initial pre-production order for three aircraft was placed by the Air Ministry; it was at this point that the T.S.R II received the name Swordfish. On December 31st, 1935, the first pre-production Swordfish, K5660, made its maiden flight. In early 1936, an initial production contract for 68 Swordfish aircraft was received, as the Swordfish I. Manufactured at Fairey's factory in Hayes, West London, the first production aircraft was completed in early 1936 and the type entered service with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in July 1936.

Efforts were made to disperse production and to employ the use of shadow factories to minimise the damage caused by Luftwaffe bombing raids. Major sub-assemblies for the Swordfish were produced by four subcontractors based in neighbouring Leeds, these were transported by land to Sherburn for final assembly. From 1943 onwards, the improved Swordfish II and Swordfish III marks came into production and superseded the original model. The Swordfish II carried ASV Mk. II radar and featured metal undersurfaces to the lower wings to allow the carriage of 3-inch rockets, later-built models also adopted the more powerful Pegasus XXX engine. On August 18th, 1944, production of the Swordfish was terminated; the last aircraft to be delivered, a Swordfish III, was delivered that day. Almost 2,400 aircraft had been built, 692 having been constructed by Fairey and a further 1,699 by Blackburn at their Sherburn facility.

In July 1936, the Swordfish formally entered service with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), which was then part of the RAF; 825 Naval Air Squadron became the first squadrons to receive the type that month. The Swordfish began replacing both the Fairey Seal in the spotter-reconnaissance role and the Blackburn Baffin in the torpedo bomber role in competition with the Blackburn Shark in the combined role. For nearly two years during the late 1930s, the Swordfish was the sole torpedo bomber aircraft equipping the FAA. By the eve of war in September 1939, the FAA, which had been transferred to Royal Navy control, had a total of 13 operational squadrons equipped with the Swordfish I. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, a total of 26 FAA Squadrons would be equipped with the Swordfish. More than 20 second-line squadrons also operated the Swordfish. In Spring 1940, the first combat use of the Swordfish occurred during the Norwegian Campaign. Upon their arrival, the aircraft encountered only two enemy destroyers at Trondheim; during the ensuing attack upon the vessels only one hit was recorded as being attained; the engagement holds the distinction of being the first attack of the war to be conducted by torpedo-carrying aircraft.

In June 1940, shortly following the Italian declaration of war, nine Swordfish of 767 Naval Air Squadron stationed in Hyeres, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France took off and conducted the first Allied bombing raid upon Italian soil. On July 3rd, 1940, the Swordfish was one of the main weapons during the Attack on Mers-el-Kébir, an attack by the Royal Navy upon the French Navy fleet stationed at Oran, French Algeria to prevent the vessels falling into German hands. The Swordfish also flew a high level of anti-shipping sorties in the Mediterranean, many aircraft being based at Malta. In May 1941, Swordfish participated in the pursuit and sinking of the German battleship Bismarck. On May 24th, nine Swordfish from HMS Victorious conducted a late night sortie against the Bismarck. Throughout 1942, the Swordfish was progressively transferred from the Royal Navy's fleet carriers as newer strike aircraft, such as the Fairey Albacore and Fairey Barracuda, were introduced. the Swordfish made critical contributions to both the Battle of the Atlantic, detecting and attacking the roaming U-boat packs that preyed upon merchant shipping between Britain and North America. RAF Coastal Command commenced an aerial campaign against continental enemy-held ports along the English Channel. By February 1942, the shortcomings of the Swordfish were starkly demonstrated.

Towards the end of the war, No. 119 Squadron RAF operated Swordfish Mark IIIs, fitted with centimetric radar, from airfields in Belgium. Their main task was to hunt at night for German midget submarines in the North Sea and off the Dutch coast. By 1945, there was a total of nine front line squadrons equipped with the Swordfish. Overall, Swordfish-equipped units accounted for 14 U-boats destroyed. On May 21st, 1945, the last operational squadron, 836 Naval Air Squadron, which had last been engaged in providing resources for the MAC ships, was disbanded shortly following the fall of Germany and the end of the Second World War in Europe.

[antoinefarhat555]

The A,B,C, of an Energy Scandal: A legal investigation marred by discrepancies and a threat of a multi-million $ lawsuit

This article was written by Leila Hatoum, A free pen since 2001

Lebanon will be charged over a million dollars in demurrage fees as new test results of the fuel oil carried by the Asopos ship proved to be compliant with the contract’s specifications. The ship, which arrived in Lebanon on April 29, has been banned from unloading the fuel destined to Lebanon’s power plants for the past 33 days.

“The ministry of Energy informed us that the fuel was on spec (specifications). The rent of such a giant ship is $30,000, so that is $990,000 to date. By tomorrow it will be $1,020,000 and the number will continue to increase until the government opens the financial credits for the fuel shipment. The government will be charged with the bill,” Youssef el Khazen, Sonatrach Petroleum Corporation SPC BVI’s legal advisor in Lebanon, told me over the phone.

Until Tuesday, financially-strained Lebanon was under the threat of losing tens of millions of dollars in litigation and penal clause fees as the country’s fuel oil scandal spiraled to a new level.

SPC BVI has recently threatened to take legal action against the Lebanese government for “breach of contract,” over seized fuel oil shipments, delayed fees and uncertainty over the standing contract between both.

The company, a private entity registered in the British Virgin Islands and wholly owned by Algeria’s energy arm Sonatrach Holding, had “sent an official letter to the Lebanese authorities late May addressing the issue. The letter is clear, if they (Lebanese government) continue to breach the terms of the contract signed with SPC BVI, then the company will resort to legal action to safeguard its rights,” el Khazen, said.

SPC BVI has been at the epicenter of a “massive smear campaign in Lebanon” an Algerian official who spoke with me on the condition of anonymity earlier this month.

The Lebanese government had hinted a week ago that it will not be extending the current contract it holds with SPC BVI, which expires by 31 December of this year.

During a media stakeout following a cabinet session around mid May, the Energy and Water Minister Raymond Ghajar had indirectly given away the government’s intent of not renewing SPC BVI’s contract when he told reporters that the government was looking at launching a new tender by year’s end.

The government has up until this October to officially express its decision whether to renew or not SPC BVI’s contract. As per the contract itself, Lebanon must inform the company three months prior to the contract’s end if it wishes to terminate or renew it.

So, based on today’s announcement, much doubt was cast when it comes to the fuel oil scandal, which exploded over the past 3 months in Lebanon. According to our sources, there was no defective fuel oil or fuel waste as it was widely traded by some politicians and several media outlets. Moreover, SPC BVI, with whom the Lebanese government has a contract with to supply fuel to Lebanon’s power plants, is not legally responsible for the fuel oil shipments but rather the Lebanese government.

Not so long ago, in March 2020, a ship named Baltic MT carrying fuel oil destined to one of Lebanon’s Power Plants faced a problem: It was not allowed to offload its cargo and was kept at sea for nearly 10 days amid widely-publicized claims that it was carrying defective fuel oil, despite the fact that no tests had been done at the time it had docked.

The ship had loaded its cargo from GalTrade tanks at one of Italy’s ports, which sold the fuel oil to a Dubai-based company, ZR DMCC, which in turn had sold the cargo to SPC BVI.

However, there is a catch.

“There is an agreement between the Lebanese government and SPC BVI that no cargo is loaded into the ships from the main ports to their final destination in Lebanon without that cargo being tested at a laboratory that is approved by both the government and SPC BVI. Once the government approves the test results, it becomes the property of the Lebanese government and is loaded into the ship and sent to Lebanon,” el Khazen explained.

After tests in government-endorsed laboratories showed that it was on-spec (up to the contract’s specifications), the cargo left to Lebanon and arrived in March but was kept at bay for 10 days amid a fiasco of traded political accusations that the fuel was defective, and without any proof at the time.

As per the standard mechanism in Lebanon, the General Directorate of Petroleum takes a sample from the ship’s load for examination, and if the fuel was confirmed that it meets the required specifications (specs), then the fuel is unloaded into the government’s storage tanks.

The power plant operators also get their own samples for testing during the discharge process, and those samples are sent to Dubai’s Bureau Veritas for inspection to see if they meet the required specification. Nothing had been raised between 2005 to date, that had caused a disruption to the process or to the unloading of fuel or even using it, even when there were doubts that it was not up to specifications.

Following much delay, the load was tested at one of the 3 Lebanese laboratories endorsed by the General Directorate of Petroleum and the results revealed that the fuel was off-spec in one criterion out of several, and that was a change related to the sediment composition. But the fuel oil was not deemed defective or fuel waste. Those are the same laboratories which some of them had their employees implicated in tampering with fuel byproducts (gasoline and diesel oil) tests over the past two months in a case involving fuel distributors known in the media as the fuel cartel in the country. The investigations had.

Sonatrach’s SPC BVI was quick to move and offer a replacement which was on-spec, at no additional cost to Lebanon, in exchange of the Baltic MT load. It also asked for the test results.

At the time, Lebanon’s Fiscal Judiciary headed by Magistrate Ali Ibrahim examined the case and decided to close the file, as there was no proof of financial misconduct or squandering of any of the country’s public money, since there was no additional fees to the original cost.

“The government had to pay for one cargo, so there was no need to open a letter of credit for the replacement,” explained el Khazen.

Less than a month later, another fuel-oil carrier named ASOPOS faced the same fate in April 2020. The cargo was loaded in Texas, U.S.A., after the Lebanese government approved the test results at the assigned laboratory abroad. The cargo was originally sold to SPC BVI by a Swissbased company called Euronova which, according to our sources, has indirect ties to the Basatni family in Lebanon.

ASOPOS, which arrived in Lebanon in April, also faced similar accusations as Baltic MT. Tests showed that it was off-specs in one criterion as well and that was the density at a negligent rate according to el Khazen who said “the density should be under 0.091 and the test showed it at 0.093.”

Again, SPC BVI asked that the government hand over the test results but nearly a month on, the government is yet to do so.

Both ships held blended fuel as any fuel oil shipped worldwide.

“The contract between the government and SPC BVI which clearly makes the Lebanese government responsible for the cargo the moment it is approved and loaded into the ships,” according to Lebanese Lawyer Saeed Alameh.

“We had sent an empty ship to load what they are calling defective fuel, to help clear storage space for the government, and another ship to unload the on-spec cargo. Both ships have been kept at bay along with the two original ships which the government refuses to release, and the judiciary is not allowing the company to either unload the new shipment or take away the rejected fuel oil,” el Khazen revealed.

This is costing the company around $25,000 to $26,000 per day in demurrage fees, SPC’s legal advisor said, adding that “There is no reason for the continued delay by the government and the bill will be handed to the government later. By that, the Lebanese government has an increasing tab of $100,000 a day over the past month, and counting.

What raises further questions is the fact that the Lebanese authorities continue to delay handing over of the test results done in Lebanon for both ASOPOS and BALTIC MT. The issue has been ongoing for over a month now, according to el Khazen.

A Judicial Investigation Marred by discrepancies

But the cherry on top in terms of mistakes committed in this case, belongs to the judiciary who disregarded a major legal rule.

When pursuing the case, the Lebanese judiciary went after two companies: ZR Energy and Basatni, despite them not being part of the contract between SPC BVI and the government.

“By law, when you have a contract with an entity and it breaches the contract, you sue that entity, and not someone else. For example, if I bought a Dior bag from you and you had bought it from a shop in France, but the bag turned out to be a knockoff, I can only sue you, and not the shop in France. At a later stage of legal investigation, the judiciary can bring the French shop owner into the case as a third party, so long that the lawsuit is raised against you first,” explained Alameh.

Oddly enough, the Lebanese judiciary did not file charges against SPC BVI, and went directly after the third party, and that technicality alone may cost Lebanon the case and subject it to an arbitration with SPC BVI worth millions of dollars, aside possible counter lawsuits by both ZR DMCC and the Basatni’s for damage done to reputation.

And that is already materializing as the Basatni issued a lengthy statement in that context, while ZR DMCC’s statement, which denied any wrongdoing, is not the same company as ZR Energy in Lebanon, whose offices were shut by the judiciary in April, much like what was done to the Basatni offices late May.

So, not only did the judiciary issue arrest warrants against ZR Energy executives, technically and legally a company that had nothing to do with the fuel oil sold to SPC BVI or with the contract held between the Lebanese government and SPC BVI, but also it did not file a case against SPC BVI as a first party in the whole issue.

According to the same judiciary sources, hundreds of dollars in gifts that were given by the aforementioned companies’ executives to public servants in the energy sector, constituting a bribe and not company gifts as claimed.

Accusation of bribery were denied by the persons interrogated with from ZR Energy as per documents we obtained, insisting they were corporate gifts.

The same judiciary sources were quick to clarify that the Lebanese government had already brought in SPC BVI’s representative in Lebanon, a Mr. Tarek Fawwal, into the case, “thus the claim that the Lebanese magistrate went after a third party directly is incorrect.”

El Khazen mocked the info, saying that Fawwal “never has been nor is a representative of SPC BVI. He is neither an employee of SPC BVI nor receives a salary from it. Furthermore, SPC BVI is not part of the ongoing legal pursuit nor was charged in it.”

Hence, SPC BVI was never dragged as a first party in the case in order for the Lebanese judiciary to pursue a third party, which it alleges was the side that sold the fuel oil to SPC BVI and which was sold to the government later.

“Fawwal works for a shipping agency in Lebanon called Victoir. In 2018, SPC BVI’s officials sent an official letter to the Lebanese authorities explaining that Fawwal was merely an employee of Victoir Shipping Agency who clears SPC BVI’s papers for most of its ships entering or leaving Lebanon, and that is merely an office boy’s work. All contractual duties and representation were retained by SPC BVI’s head and that is mentioned in the letter,” said el Khazen.

And such a grave error may collapse the whole case.

Meanwhile, according to sources from Italy, ZR DMCC is in the prospect of legally pursuing GalTrade who sold it the fuel oil that was deemed off-spec due to a change in sediments. GalTrade did not respond to our attempts to contact it, at a time when talks between both companies’ lawyers were ongoing over the matter.

Attempts to reach ZR DMCC executives also failed, but according to a source close to the company, ZR DMCC may be headed to filing a lawsuit against GalTrade over fraud and breach of contract.

So why is it important for the Lebanese government to speak of on-spec or off-spec fuel oil that is allegedly behind the breakdown of some of its power plants, when power ship Karadeniz, rented by the Lebanese government is not impacted by it.

And we arrive to the third scandal in the case, following the threat of arbitration and the judiciary’s technical errors. The story is far from being over and it certainly did not start with the arrival of the MT Baltic and Asopos ships to Lebanon.

Power Plants “Sans Separators”

Baltic MT and Asopos were not the only ships which had questions raised about their load.

Two ships which Lebanon had received back in early 2019 and in July 2019, were allegedly offspec, and one of the power plant operators, MEP refused to use their load fuel oil, which had tested with higher acidity, as the new power pants lack a proper fuel treatment system.

According to our sources in the energy sector, the oil was later used in the older power plants which have boilers to burn the fuel, and by another operator, Karadeniz power ship, because it is superior to the existing power plants due to the fact that it has superior separators, which enable it to treat the imported fuel without being impacted by its specs. The reason is because power ships have to traverse the world and work in different countries and fuel may not be up to standards everywhere.

Both new power plants operate on Fuel type B and the specifications are set in contract by the General Directorate of Petroleum, which according to sources from the energy ministry, “usually orders the cheapest type of fuel.” The older power plants, which have boilers, can bypass this problem and they operate on Fuel oil grade A, but can still burn fuel oil B.

Energy Minister at the time Nada Boustani was the first to tip off the judiciary to investigate the case of the off-spec fuel oil, especially after learning that it was a norm to burn the fuel irrespective over the past years, which constituted a hazard to the engines. The judiciary in Lebanon has recently interrogated Boustani over the case of the 2019 ships, but as the case is ongoing, Boustani told me over the phone that she cannot comment on it.

However, she commented on other technical issues as to why do the new power plants lack the required fuel treatment system and separators that safeguard them from off-spec fuel. The government a contract with a Danish company, BWSC, to build two new power plants few years back (Zouk and Jiyyeh) that should have been up to those specifications.

When the problem was raised, Boustani demanded that the separators be installed and that BWSC carry the contract up to the specified design in the contract, which resulted in litigation.

Long story short, “the separators arrived in Lebanon and have been sitting on the docks at Beirut port awaiting to be installed,” as per Boustani.

To date, the investigation is ongoing, and no one knows when will the separators be installed at the new power plants. What is for sure, Lebanon remains under the threat of being dragged into arbitration over its current contract with SPC BVI, and third party companies may also move with litigation against the government over the technicalities.

[lsleofthelost]

United Kingdoms of Auradon:

Auradon - ruled by High King Adam and High Queen Belle - based on France

An old Kingdom, brought rapidly from despair it fell into during Beast times after King Adam’s return and Queen Belle’s crowning. Head of the United Kingdoms’ empire.

Houses the Auradon Preparatory Academy, in which all royal children of UKA and some other noble/influential are studying on the goodwill of the crown.

Sud Cour Royale (Auroria in Disney) - ruled by Queen-Mother Leah - based on Algeria and Monaco

Divided in two parts by the Melomar sea. Before joining UKA, it was known as Liguria.

Mainland part used to be a military base during the war with the Moors faeries. Now, the capital and the economic centre are located there. Alamasi part used to be the home to common folk, and now is the cultural centre.

Agrabah - ruled by Sultan Aladdin and Sultana Jasmine - based on Ottoman Empire

Opulent sultanate that consolidates the seven deserts. One of the biggest countries in UKA.

Ancient empire. Previous sultans united the desert tribes into a prosperous and culturally forward country it is today.

Apheldotia - ruled by King Petyr - based on Croatia

Quiet kingdom, that used to be a part of Faraway (mysterious closed-off lands).

Left Faraway about thirty years ago, together with Devyat. When UKA were created, Apheldotia decided to join, wanting to send their villains to the Isle and supporting the magic ban.

Arendelle - ruled by Queen Elsa - based on Norway and Sweden

A northern Kingdom that joined UKA under the rule of King Agnarr and Queen Iduna. After their deaths, it was ruled by the Auradon council until Princess Elsa came of age.

In a dangerous state as of right now, with the ruler being an inherently magical being and trying to lift the magic ban.

The Southern Isles - ruled by King Felix II and Queen Ingrid - based on Denmark

A very small kingdom, consisting of one main and twelve satellite islands.

Currently in a power crisis as five eldest brothers after the king (of twelve) are trying to make a bid for the throne. Youngest brother is on the Isle of the Lost for treason and war crimes.

Atlantea (Atlantica in Disney) - ruled by Queen Ariel and King Eric - based on the Caribbean

Connecting their neighbouring land and underwater kingdoms, current King and Queen created Atlantea.

Due to its tropical location and exotic sights, their number one business quickly became tourism.

Camelot (Camelot Heights in Disney) - ruled by King Arthur - based on England

A kingdom that before joining UKA was relying heavily on magic. Because of that it is technologically behind the rest of the world.

The progress on updating it is going slowly due to King Arthur’s dislike of the idea.

Corona - ruled by Queen Rapunzel and Prince-consort Eugene - based on Italy

The sun kingdom. It’s capital stands on an island, and most of the country is surrounded by the sea as well.

It is renowned as a beautiful and culturally rich country, with it’s art and architecture.

Lunara - abandoned land - based on Slovenia

It used to be a prosperous kingdom but now only thick unexplorable woods stand there.

Moors - ruled by the Auradon council - based on Ireland and Tenerife

Technically are reigned by Princess-consort of Sud Cour Royale Aurora, but relinquished to the council when they entered the UKA.

Origin of and home to faeries. Many have emigrated through the years, during wars and after the magic ban. Today, UKA gives privileges to humans who choose to immigrate and settle there.

Maldonia - ruled by King Naveen and Queen Tiana - based on Côte d’Ivoire

An Alamasi Kingdom, that a century ago used to be Auradonian colony. After the revolution, the current royal family took reign. They quickly recovered and cultivated the coffee and cocoa production.

With a strategically located port, it became a shipping hub after joining UKA. It is known that many commoners dislike the county’s decision to join the UKA.

Olympus (Mount Olympus in Disney) - ruled by Emperor Theodious - based on Ancient Greece

Birth place of the Greek Gods, deities with major magical power. Traditionally reside on Mount Olympus, but there haven’t been any sightings for more than twenty two years.

Neverland - ruled by High King Adam and High Queen Belle and the Auradonian council - based on colonial America

A colony mining jewels. Due to the local time-stopping magic, the troops/miners have to be taken off every few months.

The previous inhabitants have been relocated to their home Kingdoms. The faeries maintain their hold on the Pixie Hollow.

Schwarzwald (Charmington in Disney) - ruled by King Florian and Queen Snow - based on Germany

A big kingdom with a small population.

A lot of the land is taken by the Black Forest, the namesake of the kingdom. Biggest export are gnome-mined precious stones.

Sujeong (Cinderellasburg in Disney) - ruled by King Henry and Queen Ella - based on Korea

One of the farthest and most private Kingdoms. With centuries-old regime still in place, it is a country of complicated etiquette and many noble houses.

It is hard to get a permission of entry and the communication between Sujeong and the rest of UKA is quite limited, unless a celebration is taking place. Rumour has it, the only reason they joined is to empty the prisons.

Ulstead - ruled by King Phillip - based on Portugal

A coastline kingdom, that used to be at devastating war with Tangu in hopes of conquering the Alamasi country.

As ascribed in the betrothal agreement, once Princess Aurora takes reign, it will become a province and be ruled by the second in line. King Phillip will take his place alongside Aurora.

Wei - ruled by Emperor Sui - based on China

A huge empire, made bigger with the defeat of Huns and subsequent conquering of their land lead by General Li Mulan.

Provides a major chunk of the UKA army.

Isle of the Lost - ruled by the Auradon council

A prison colony housing the greatest villains of Auradon, as well as minor villains, their minions, magical outlaws, traitors of the state, etc. Covered with a magical barrier forbidding anyone to leave and any magic to go through.

[doettler]

For those who are lost, there will always be cities that feel like home.-Simon Van Booy According to tradition, this sign of a deeply aquatic and lunar nature has a special affinity with certain countries or cities that face the sea or large bodies of water, usually major rivers and lakes. These are often places that throughout history have been major powers in maritime trade with other parts of the world, where financial security is paramount. Like the important city of New York, a great port presided over by the superb and gigantic Statue of Liberty, a woman reminiscent in many ways of a lunar goddess. These are places with citizens who care and care about their roots, home, family, or clan. Careful of their property and land. They rarely live beyond their means. Generally, the atmosphere is energetic and they are pleasant places with beautiful scenery to look at. Countries ruled by Cancer: Scotland, The Netherlands, West Africa, New Zealand, Paraguay, Algeria, Bahamas, Canada, Cape Verde Islands, Iraq, Mozambique, Philippines, Thailand, U.S.A, Somalia, Solomon Islands. Cities ruled by the Cancer sign: Berne, (Switzerland), Cadiz (Spain), Constantinople (Turkey), Venice (Italy), Stockholm (Sweden), Manchester, Rockdale, and York (England), Magdeburg (Germany), Milan (Italy), Wellington ( New Zealand) Tokyo, Istanbul, Tunis. USA cities: New York, NY, Niagara Falls (NY), Stockton (CA), Portland (Maine), Worcester (MA), Peoria (IL), Santa Fe (NM), Portsmouth, and Concord (NH) #cancer #astrologia #astrology #travel #citylife #country #land #homeland #water #sea #lake #river #mar #lagos #rio #newyork #canada #scotland #venice #thailand #español #comment #art #collage #picture #artist @emanuelecrovetto @malapartecafe https://www.instagram.com/p/CY4IQkVrBaT/?utm_medium=tumblr

[ratiram]

“On the back of the new Intra-regional trade and improving foreign trade ties, the logistics sector in Africa experienced a growth in 2018.”

Analysts at Ken Research in their latest publication “Africa Logistics and Warehousing Outlook to 2023- By Countries (South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Namibia and Botswana), Freight Forwarding (Mode of Freight (Road, Rail, Air, Sea and Pipeline), By End Users and by Contract Logistics and Integrated Logistics Warehousing (Type of Warehouses, By End Users and by Contract and Integrated Logistics" believe that the Logistics and Warehousing market of the continent is at its growing stage. Growth in the intra regional trade would help boost the market.

Intra Regional Trade: With the help of the African Continental Free Trade Area there comes an establishment of a single continental market for goods and services which seeks to increase intra-African trade by cutting tariffs by 90% and harmonizing trading rules at a regional and continental level. If the trade agreement turns out to be successful the intra-African trade is expected to increase by 52.3% by 2022.

Growing Third Party Logistics: Growth of Third Party Logistics in Africa has increased by sharing assets, warehousing capacities, and even truckloads. This can enable you to bridge efficiency gaps, avoid under- and over-capacities, reduce the cost of specialized freight services, and eventually foster horizontal collaboration in the sector. This has helped both the prominent and the local players as the former is able to have a larger reach to the clients whereas the latter is able to have an access to their fleet.

Higher Cost of Logistics: The cost of logistics and warehousing in the continent is extremely high as compared to other regions.  In some areas of the continent the transport cost even accounts for a higher trade barrier than the import tariffs or any other trade restrictions. For the East African Community the logistics cost range between 1.7% and 2.8% of the GDP of those economies. Even a single day’s reduction in the inland travel times could lead to a 6-8% increase in the exports which is almost equivalent to the increase in exports which would have taken place with a 1.5% cut in import tariffs of a country.  It has also been estimated that a 10% drop of the logistics costs could help increase trade by 25% across the continent.

Retailers and Wholesalers are Major End Users: The largest revenue providers for the logistics market are the retailers and the wholesalers. Slower retail growth in South Africa has made the logistics companies explore other countries such as Algeria, Kenya and Angola. With respect to Algeria, the retail industry logistics is expected to grow by double digits by 2020. The government of Algeria has plans for the construction of a deep water port at El Hamdania which would also act as a catalyst for the growth of logistics in Africa.

Key Segments Covered

Africa Logistics and Warehousing:

By Service Mix (Freight Forwarding, Warehousing and Courier and Parcel Activities)

Africa Freight Forwarding:

By Mode of Service (Road Freight, Rail Freight, and Air Freight)

By Contract and Integrated Logistics

By End Users (Food, Beverages and Consumer Retail, Automotive and Healthcare and Others)

Africa Warehousing

By Type of Warehouses (Open, Closed, Cold Storage)

By End Users (Food and Beverages, Automotive, Consumer Retail, Healthcare and Others)

By Contract and Integrated Warehousing

Africa Companies Covered

Bollore Africa Logistics

Kuehne Nagel

DHL

Maersk

DSV Panalpine

CEVA Logistics

DB Schenker

Country Profiles

Botswana

Namibia

Tanzania

Uganda

Kenya

Nigeria

South Africa

Key Target Audience

Freight Forwarding Companies

Freight Forwarding Consultancy Companies

Contact Logistics  Companies

Warehousing Companies

Warehousing Consultancies

Venture Capitalists, PE

Freight Tech Companies

Investment Banks

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period – 2013-2018

Forecast Period – 2019(E) -2023 (E)

Key Topics Covered in the Report:-

Logistics Infrastructure in Africa

Africa Freight Forwarding Market Overview

Africa Freight Forwarding Market Size Country Profiles (Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa)

Competitive Scenario in Africa Freight Forwarding Market

Company Profiles of Major Players in Africa Freight Forwarding Market

Africa Freight Forwarding Market Future Outlook and Projections

Africa Freight Forwarding Future Market Size

Africa Freight Forwarding Market Future Segmentation

Analyst Recommendations

Africa Warehousing Market Sixe

Competitive Scenarios in Africa Warehousing Market

Africa Warehousing Future Outlook and Projections

Warehousing Future Market Size and Segmentation

Analyst recommendation

Snapshot on Africa courier , Express and Parcels Market

For more information on the research report, refer to below link:

Africa Logistics and Warehousing Market

Related reports

Uganda Logistics and Warehousing Market Outlook to 2022/23 – By Rail, Land, Air Freight Forwarding; International and Domestic Freight, Integrated and Contract Logistics Freight Forwarding, By warehousing (Industrial / Retail, Container Freight / Inland Container Depot and Cold Storage), By Courier and Parcel

Nigeria Logistics and Warehousing Market Outlook to 2023 – By Sea, Land, Pipeline, Air Freight Forwarding; International and Domestic Freight, Integrated and 3PL Freight Forwarding; By Warehousing (Industrial/ Retail, ICD/CFS, Cold Storage, Others), By End Users, 3PL Warehousing, Type of Warehouses; By Courier Express and Parcel Logistics and E-commerce Logistics

Contact Us:

Ken Research

Ankur Gupta, Head Marketing & Communications

Ankur@kenresearch.com

+91-9015378249

[watchdog-comspire-blog]

If we ever think about great places to spend on holiday, most of us might have thought about going to Europe, eastern part of Asia, or other mainstream places that always get really crowded. Though, crowd is a sign of quality; the perfect indication for tourists to know that the place worth to travel to. Hence, this makes people go to the same place that others always go. 

What if we explore further? How about going beyond the boundary? Surely there are a lot of breath-taking scenery and stunning historical sites on this world that we can visit.

For example, a beautiful country named Algeria.

Algeria, widely known as People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a sovereign state in North Africa on the Mediterranean coast. People, especially those who live in eastern part of the world such as Indonesia, might have not heard a lot of this country. Although Algeria is not very well-known for their tourist destination, its beautiful places has a lot of potential for world-level tourist attractions.

A great companion who’s befriending me for years, 23-year-old Algerian magister student who is called Himo (not real name), gladly enlightened me about the beauty of Algeria. There are four places that he emphasized—greatly recommended—if we ever visit this lovely country.

The first location is Martyrs' Memorial. This landmark is an iconic concrete monument commemorating the Algerian war for independence. It is located in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria.

The monument is intently built enormously and located on the highest point of the city so the citizen can see it from afar while lingering the freedom they had achieved. Truly a masterpiece if seen in the eyes of architects and engineers.

Jardin d'Essai du Hamma (Botanical Garden Hamma) is the second location that he recommended. It holds 58-hectare botanical garden and is located in the Mohamed Belouizdad (formerly Hamma-Anassers) district of Algiers. There are currently an estimated 1200 different species of plant in the garden.

There's an interesting fact that the interviewee mentioned which may catch your attention. Algeria imported a lot of trees overseas, including Indonesia, in order to make the tourists feel overwhelmed. Visiting this heavenly garden would feel like you’ve already visited forests—or at least, touch the trees—from other countries.

My favorite one is Tipaza, a port city of an old trading-post conquered by Ancient Rome. The ruins that are left by Roman Government is the one that makes this city valuable as Tipaza is one of the most popular tourist destination in Algeria.

Tipaza is also located near the sea; another factor that greatly pleasures the tourists. The gentle breeze and the calming blue waves are the perfect complement for the orangey ruins that makes this city as a whole.

Last but not least, Monuments aux Morts de Constantine. Monument aux Morts is the name of French war memorial, established to commemorate the losses of World War I. Since this country was colonized by French, they decided to put one of it in Constantine, Algeria.

Marvelous, isn’t it? This country indeed has potentials to become a famous tourist’s destination; it has plenty of attractive historical sites and gorgeous landscapes.

However, those four are just teeny-tiny examples of Algeria’s grace.

After seeing delightful sites of a country in far west, have you changed your mind? Instead of going to the same place as the majority of 'normal tourists’, why don’t you try something different and invest your time to this country? Surely, it will be a wonderful experience.

However, there is one influental things you need to know when you visit this country. Algeria is not an English-based country, so Arabic and/or French is heavily needed.

Another great challenge to visit a faraway country, right?

This article is made in English as a tribute to an old friend of mine who is featured in this article, Himo.

All photos you have seen on this article also belongs to the exact same person.

[grabtee]

Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt

New Post has been published on https://lazadashirt.com/trending/shoot-em-pecker-vintage-shirt/

Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt

No city divides the Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt. For every admirer cooing about the sun-warmed sea, craggy coastlines, fish-rich bouillabaisse and the Mediterranean melting pot (thanks to 20th-century immigration from Greece, Spain, Italy, Corsica, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria), someone else is grousing about corruption, dirty streets and eroding Frenchness. And where the port city’s champions see a swaggering no-nonsense metropolis free of bourgeois pretensions, others see a lack of refinement.

Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt Hoodie, Sweatshirt, Longlived

Everyone agrees, however, that Marseille is a city in metamorphosis. Major urban-renewal projects have upgraded the Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt into a sprawl of state-of-the-art cultural venues, shopping centers and skyscrapers from five-star architects. At the same time, ambitious seasonal cooking, artisanal cocktails and indie-fashion concept stores — once nearly unheard-of — are making noticeable inroads, infusing the city with something it had mostly lacked: cool and cachet. Perhaps inevitably, some now lament that Marseille is losing its distinctive working-class character and southern French soul. And, predictably, some now gush that the city has never been more modern, ambitious or happening.

Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt Hoodie, Sweatshirt, Longlived

Built between the 14th and 17th centuries, Fort St. Jean has been restored and reconfigured as a public space and is an essential part of your Marseille initiation. Its battlements, towers and rooftop gardens provide commanding views of the expansive blue waters and the sprawling cityscape, from the Shoot em in the pecker vintage shirt Villa Méditerranée next door to the city’s 19th-century, neo-Byzantine churches: Notre Dame de la Garde basilica and Cathédrale Sainte Marie Majeure. Admission 9.50 euros, or about $10.50.

[instapicsil3]

Photo by @rezaphotography #Algeria #Bejaia on the Mediterranean coast. Fog Cape Carbon, as seen from Monkey Peak. In the heart of Kabylia, on the Mediterranean coast, the town of Bejaia (once called Bugia, during the period of French colonization) is the largest industrial centre in the region, as well as a major port for oil and commerce. Published in “Algérie” (Michel Lafon Publishing, 2013). #mountain #Mediterranean #sea #coast #kabylia #port #dawn #sunrise #mediterraneansea #sky #clouds #photooftheday #photojournalism #reza #rezadeghati #rezaphotography #webistan http://bit.ly/2D8AemY

[cincinnatusvirtue]

Battle of Alcacer Quibir (1578 AD) (Battle of the Three Kings).  Portugal’s attempt at colonialism in Morocco backfires and a new Moroccan dynasty secures its independence from foreign intervention.

 Overview:

-Morocco’s history is largely driven by its strategic location.  The Northwest corner of Africa at the tip of the Sahara Desert region, just south of the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe and hugging the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea at the Atlantic Ocean.  Its position was crucial to geostrategic considerations with access to so many sea & overland trade routes.

-Its native peoples were Berber or Amazigh who encountered the Greeks & Romans of antiquity, they were a varied people across North Africa united by some common language and customs.  After the rise & spread of Islam by Arabs from the Middle East, North Africa including Morocco became a target of conquest and religious conversion.   The Berbers in time took on the Islamic religion while somewhat retaining their own customs.  Gradually, they took on a cultural Arabization that takes place today with most of Morocco’s population being ethnic Berbers with Arab acculturalization becoming Arab-Berbers.  There were however some Arab colonists who migrated from the Arabian Peninsula, Syria and other parts of the Middle East who settled & setup their lives in Morocco mixing with the local Berbers.  Arabs & Berbers went on to invade the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD under the Visigoth Kingdom which they largely over threw aside from the north of modern day Spain.  In time Muslim dynasties ruled in Iberia and the Arabs and Berbers set up a colonial presence there while some Visigoths and Iberian Romans converted to Islam making up the majority of Iberia’s population well into the Middle Ages and the combination of Arabs, Berbers & European converts to Islam became known as Moors which covered no single ethnic group but rather the cultural ties that bonded these various peoples, though was previously used to describe just Berbers.  

-In time, civil war amongst the Muslim dynasties that came & went along with the Reconquista, a centuries long Christian Crusade to rid the Iberian Peninsula of a Muslim presence weakened the Moorish hold over southern Europe.  Arab & Berber dynasties from Morocco would often intervene in Iberia to reverse the tide of misfortune befallen its Muslims but inevitably they too would be brushed aside or retreat to Morocco which had become so intertwined with Iberia at that point.  By the end of the 15th century, the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim power in Iberia had fallen.  The Kingdoms of Portugal & Spain had arisen from earlier Iberian Christian kingdoms and become more powerful than their Muslim rivals.

-Complicating matters was the rise of the Turkish Islamic dynasty in the east, the Ottoman Empire.  By the 15th & 16th centuries, The Ottomans found themselves masters of the eastern Mediterranean and in competition with the Spanish Hapsburgs for control of the Mediterranean Sea.  By then Spain had established dynastic control over parts of Italy & small colonial possessions on the coasts of North Africa spreading from Morocco to Libya.  This was contested by the local Arab-Berber presence and the Ottomans.  Likewise the Ottomans were overtaking North Africa from both their European rivals & the Arab-Berber dynasties of North Africa.  Though direct Ottoman power would be varied depending on location and sometimes they relied on governors of theirs to rule in their stead, which in turn became increasingly semi-autonomous.  these dynasties engaged in piracy of European trade and in particular in the enslavement of European Christians giving rise to the Barbary Pirates of Barbary Corsairs, so named for the Barbary (Berber) Coast of North Africa from which they operated, ranging in port cities from Morocco to Libya.

-The Ottomans and Spanish eyed Morocco as an area of political control.  The Ottomans hoping to make it a protectorate like the rest of North Africa and the Spanish a home to various ports to counteract the Ottoman attacks against their shipping lanes.  Meanwhile, Spain had for the last century engaged in exploration and conquest of the so called New World, the Americas.  Spain’s other Iberian counterpart, the Kingdom of Portugal, likewise has engaged in colonization and conquest with the Americas, namely Brazil.  Both Spain & Portugal saw it in their interest to secure the shipping to their ports from the threat of Ottoman and other Muslim piracy which confiscated their gold and other raw materials from the Americas.  To this end they were determined to and did indeed conquer Moroccan port cities.  Likewise the previous overland Trans-Saharan trade routes of gold, ivory and enslaved Sub-Saharan Africans which had previously enriched the Arabs & Berbers were of less importance due to both European investment in the Americas and control of Moroccan ports.  This had lead to impoverishment of the Moroccan economy & flight of its many intellectuals draining its infrastructure and governance as well.

The Power Players:

Morocco & domestic politics...

-16th century Morocco had seen the foreign encroachment of the Portuguese & Spanish hold strong.  Portugal held many of its Atlantic ports while Spain its Mediterranean.  Meanwhile, the Ottomans who had overtaken neighboring Algeria were threating invasion to oust the Europeans but likewise overrule the local Arab-Berber population.

-At the start of the century Morocco was nominally ruled by the Berber dynasty known as the Wattasids.  They had come to power in 1472 AD overthrowing their fellow Berbers, the Marinids.  However, Wattasid rule only held sway in the north of Morocco with their kingdom being centered around the city of Fez.  The south of the country was much more divided into various principalities and the populace in general resented the Wattasids for their seeming political and military impotence to eject the Europeans from their port cities.  They failed in their promise to recapture these cities time & again.  

-In the south of Morocco, a new power was rising that promised to remove the weak Wattasids & eject all foreign influence on Morocco.  This new promising power was the Saadi dynasty.  The Saadis were of Arab origin with a known ancestor going back to 13th century Arabia from the port city of Yanbu on the Red Sea who migrated to Morocco.  The family is generally considered to be of Sharifian origin, which is an Arab honorific word meaning “noble or highborn” and reserved by Arabs for descendants from the Prophet Muhammad.  The Saadis claimed descent through Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah and her marriage to Ali ibn Abi Talib, the prophet’s cousin & companion.  The descent to the Saadis then continued through Ali & Fatimah’s son Hassan and as descendants of Hassan, the Saadis became known as Hassanids and were given the title of Sharif.  Whereas descendants of Muhammad’s other grandson through Ali & Fatimah, Husayn were given the honorific title of Sayyid.

-The descent from Muhammad of the Saadi dynasty is a matter of some political conjecture, with their rivals trying to down play it as mere propaganda.  Others will concede they descended from a relative of Muhammad but not his daughter Fatimah herself.  It will probably be next to impossible to establish its veracity but it was promoted by the dynasty along with numerous other Islamic dynasties throughout history even into the present.

-The Saadis derive their name from the word for “happiness or salvation” and were settled by the 14th century in Morocco from their Arab ancestors in the southern part of the country.  Centered around the city of Tagmadert in the Draa River valley.  It was a region that neared the Sahara Desert.  It was here that the family intermixed with the Arab-Berber populace and gave rise to the popularity of Sufism in Morocco.  Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism akin to the Kabbalah in Judaism or Gnosticism in Christianity.

-The chief (Sharif) of the Saadi family circa 1510 was Abu Abdallah al-Qaim who ventured to Medina in modern day Saudi Arabia as part of his religious pilgrimage and evidently while there had a dream involving two lions leading a large crowd of people to a tower.  Taking this mystical vision as a sign he visited with a Sufi mystic who confirmed it as God’s mission for his son’s who would play a crucial role in the family and indeed Moroccan history.   Al-Qaim returned to Morocco and aligned with the Sufi orders in the south of Morocco around the Draa Valley and organized them into a military order to declare jihad on both the Wattasids & the Europeans with a now holy mission to save Morocco.

-The Saadis gradually overtook by force and diplomacy much of southern Morocco’s other principalities.  They captured the city of Tidsi in 1510 and al-Qaim’s two sons ventured to Fez to beseech the Wattasid sultan to undertake a nationwide jihad against the Europeans.  When this did not materialize the Saadis gradually felt it was their duty to save the nation.

-The Saadis began a campaign against the Portuguese ports in the south of Morocco and had gradual success in retaking these port cities.  Making them increasingly popular with the locals at the expense of the Wattasids in Fez.  1524 saw the Saadis capture the city of Marrakesh.  Al Qaim’s son Mohammed al-Shaykh became the leader of the dynasty in 1517 and Al-Shaykh’s campaign against the Portuguese now turned to the Wattasids.  His brother Ahmad Al-Araj was placed in charge of Marrakesh while Al-Shaykh controlled the city of Taroudannt and in 1527 the Saadis defeated the Wattasids in the Battle of Wadi al-Abid after which they recoginzed a divided dominion in the south for the Saadis and north for the Wattasids. 

-However, Al-Araj & Al-Shaykh soon turned on each other and the brothers engaged in a civil war with Al-Araj seeking Wattasid assistance.  Additionally he fought the Portuguese and successfully took the port city of Agadir in 1541 which led to other port cities to be evacuated by the Portuguese.  His brother was defeated and fled to eastern Morocco to live out his days in exile.  Meanwhile, the Wattasid capital of Fez was captured in 1549 using a reformed army that was based on the Ottoman model, including modern artillery.

-The capture of Fez gave the Saadis a chance to now attack Portuguese ports in the north with more success.  However, some cities like Tangier remained in Portuguese hands.  

-The Saadis also expanded into Western Algeria and captured a portion of that territory.

-Meanwhile Saadian expansion, concerned the Ottomans who hoped for it to become a protectorate.  The ousted Wattasids cut a deal with the Turks to invade Morocco, oust the Saadis and become Turkish vassals in their own right.

-Al-Shaykh and the Saadis were driven out of Fez in 1554 by a combined Wattasid-Ottoman-Algerian army.  The recapture was short lived as in the September of 1554, the Saadian army once more met the Wattasids & Turks in the Battle of Tadla and defeated them, the Wattasid ruler, Ali Abu Hassun was killed by the Saadian troops in battle and ended the threat of their dynasty.

-Al-Shaykh having united the country against the Europeans with success, having defeated his brother, the Wattasids & Ottomans had unified his rule over Morocco as undisputed Sultan.  The Saadi dynasty was now firmly established, but much work remained and in the process of the Saadian conquest they had made many enemies.

-1557 saw plans for Morocco to ally with the Spanish against the Turks who still sought a foothold in Morocco.  As this came to fruition, the Ottoman governor of Algeria ordered Sultan Al-Shaykh’s assassination.  A number of Ottoman assassins claiming to be deserters infiltrated the Saadian armed guard of the Sultan, earning his trust before killing him.

- Al-Shaykh had multiple sons but three sons: Al-Ghalib, Al-Malik & Al-Mansur who would all play important roles in the coming years.  

-Al-Ghalib being the oldest became the new sultan of Morocco.  He had to defend against an Ottoman Algerian invasion in 1558 which was successfully halted at the Battle of Wadi al-Laban.  The battle was inconclusive itself but word had reached the Turco-Algerian forces of a Spanish counterinvasion of Algeria and they were forced to turn back, sparing Morocco a potential take over.

-As so often happens in history, the concern over dynastic struggle takes place.  Worried about civil war with his younger brothers Al-Malik & Al-Mansur, the two younger siblings went into exile with the Ottoman Empire, visiting its capital of Constantinople and living in Turkey with lavish existence.

-The two exiled Saadi princes served in the Ottoman army, battling in the famous 1571 naval confrontation off the Greek coast known as the Battle of Lepanto against Spain and a Holy League.  It was a Christian victory that cost the Turks their best naval commanders and while their navy did replenish its numbers it never again had the level of experienced commanders and subsequently its training and experience stagnated, beginning a slow withdrawal from direct Ottoman involvement in the Mediterranean.  Likewise, Lepanto contributed to the rise in its North African governors taking de-facto power for themselves.  Giving rise to the age of the Barbary Corsairs who operated out of the North African city-states of Tunis, Algiers, Tripoli and later various Moroccan ports with these pirates peaking their powers in the 17th century and lasting until well into the 19th century.

-Al-Ghalib fought the Spanish and Turks and for 17 years kept Morocco in virtual peace.  He improved the economy and built new mosques and other architecture, raising the stature of Marrakesh, which became the primary center of Saadian power.

-Al-Ghalib died of asthma in 1574 and was succeeded by his son, Abdallah Mohammed.  Abdallah Mohammed like his father suspected struggle with brothers, one of whom was killed on his orders while the other was imprisoned.  The reign of Abdallah however was challenged by his uncles Al-Malik & Al-Mansur.  Now in Ottoman Algeria, they invaded Morocco with Ottoman backing in 1576

-Fez was captured by the Ottoman backed Saadian prince Al-Malik.  Whose now ousted nephew Abdallah Mohammed fled first to Spain and ironically then to Portugal, former enemy of his grandfather & great-grandfather.

-1576 saw Al-Malik take power but with the understanding that he was a de-facto vassal of the Ottomans.  However, his nephew sought to regain the throne and was willing to work with Portugal to regain it...

Portugal & King Sebastian...

-Sebastian of Portugal was born in 1554 and a member of the Aviz dynasty which had ruled Portugal since 1385 and was responsible for Portugal’s global empire, sometimes in competition with neighboring Spain.  They had established control of Brazil in the Americas and had colonies as far flung as Macau in China, parts of India where they fought against the Ottomans in the Indian Ocean and even in Africa with control of Angola, Mozambique and elsewhere.  Though the Portuguese and Spanish had rival colonial ambitions they had a common enemy against the Ottomans and Portugal in particular conflicted with the Turks in the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Ethiopia and other parts of Africa.

-Sebastian’s mother was of the Hapsburg dynasty that had ruled Austria and Spain which with Spain’s global empire had become the most powerful dynasty in Europe if not the world.  His grandfather was Charles V and uncle was Philip II of Spain.

-His father died when he was an infant and his mother later remarried in Spain. while his grandmother Catherine of Austria helped raise him.  He grew to be tall and physically fit.  He was also given a stern religious upbringing under Jesuits tasked with his education.

-He technically took the throne at age three with the death of his paternal grandfather and a regency was put in place for him.  As he grew older he became more stubborn in his personality but was always devoutly religious.  Sebastian also had several marriage proposals made but none had come to fruition.

-Under his personal rule he improved relations with Spain, France, England & the Holy Roman Empire wanting to secure the peace and trade of all for his global empire.  He also rewarded natives in Brazil who aided the Portuguese against the French by giving them their own grants of land and freed them from slavery by decree.  He also restructured the laws of administration and the judiciary in Portugal.  Hoping to expand education for his people, he also created royal scholarships for students of medicine at university.

-Finally, he sough to patronize the arts with poems  & operas being written during this time and dedicated to him.  He also reformed the military which proved successful in fending off attacks in India against the Portuguese colony of Goa.

-However, one everlasting goal of his since 1568 at the age of 14 was to conquer Morocco by Crusade against the Saadi dynasty which had expelled the Portuguese from control over numerous ports.  These ports were important as way stations for Portuguese ships traveling in India where its colonies were important in the spices, gems & other precious commodities trade.  A combination of religious fervor and economic concerns over nearby Morocco guided Sebastian.

-The opportunity for his Crusade arose in 1576 with the ouster of former Saadian Sultan Abdallah Mohammed who had been overthrown by his uncle, the Ottoman backed Al-Malik.  

-Abdallah Mohammed had fled first to Spain and then Portugal asking for aid in the restoration of his throne.  After which he promised his support against the Turks, Portugal & Spain’s principal rival.  Sebastian was intrigued by the offer and visited with his uncle, Philip II of Spain to discuss joint plans for a combined Portuguese-Spanish invasion of Morocco to restore Abdallah Mohammed as their friendly ally who would allow future use of Moroccan ports for trade and as launching points against Ottoman Algeria.  Philip refused to participate whole heartedly since he sought a treaty with the Ottomans to give some much needed breathing space for other concerns, namely England.  He did offer a smattering of Spanish volunteers though.

-Despite Spain’s lack of full commitment, Sebastian decided to go it alone.  Absolutely convinced of the technological superiority and training of his army against the Moroccan army.  Technically this was true with advances in gunpowder driven small arms, artillery and armor being superior along with overall discipline.  Whereas Morocco relied on light cavalry, had less artillery and mostly ill trained and ill equipped irregular troops.

The invasion and Battle of Alcaber Quibir.

-Sebastian began preparations for summer campaign in 1578.  He departed Lisbon with an army of 17,000 men made up of Portuguese regulars at foreign mercenaries from Germany, Spain, Italy & the Netherlands.  He also asked the Portuguese nobility to accompany him.  Convinced the campaign would be quick, he wanted to demonstrate his power before them while also establishing colonial holdings in a Portuguese controlled Morocco.  Some nobles brought over their whole retinues & families as well as a fully stocked kitchens, portable chapels and even a whole church choir, giving the crusade an almost picnic or hunting expedition feel for some.

-The fleet stopped at Cadiz for the promised Spanish volunteers, they did not materialize and so on they sailed for Morocco.  Arriving in June south of Tangier they joined Abdallah Mohammed with 6,000 loyal Moorish troops.

-Upon reaching the shores and in front of his still disembarking nobility Sebastian and a small contingent chased away an enemy contingent.  This demonstrated to many assembled that Sebastian was a brave commander fully confident in his mission.  To some of his commanders though there was concern it might mean he was also too headstrong to listen to reason.

-They suggested to the king that he first capture ports along the coast and avoid venturing into the interior of Morocco at this juncture.  The ports would be important for reopening Portuguese trade and weakening the Moroccan economy.  From there they could also resupply by sea for future operations, typically sound military advice.

-Sebastian did not heed the caution, he sought a decisive victory to end the campaign quick.  He ordered a march into the Moroccan interior.  Despite knowing he would face a numerically superior opponent.  Confident Portuguese technology, training & God’s will were on their side.

-Al-Malik as Sultan of Morocco, took advantage of the Turkish backing, training his troops in advanced Ottoman techniques and acquiring some Turkish arquebusiers (early muskets) and artillery.  Nevertheless, the majority of his forces were Berber and Arab irregulars from the Moroccan countryside or Moors expelled from Iberia, though some Ottoman Turks and Algerians had joined in the army.  While his army was of poorer quality training & technology, it was made up for in raw numbers of men and morale for defense of their homeland.

-Al-Malik also suffered one more setback going into the battle, his own health was suffering by some undisclosed illness, possibly the plague.  Only his brother (Al-Mansur) and physician knew of this illness as Al-Malik did not want to discourage his troops morale, to it was kept secret.  He rode out from Marrakesh with at fast speed the drive of which gave Al-Malik barely any rest and only worsened his condition.  Al-Mansur rode out from Fez and the two planned to meet and intercept the invaders & their nephew’s army.

-The two opposing armies would meet at the town of Ksar-el-Kebir rendered in Portuguese as Alcacer Quibir.  Sebastian had 23,000 troops at his disposal against the Moroccan 50,000 strong under Al-Malik.  Fearing being outflanked by a larger foe, he ordered his forces in a fortified square.  Placing his artillery & arquebusiers in the front with cavalry & pikemen in the rear on the sides.

-Al-Malik was so ill he had to be strapped to his horse.  He would choose to give a rousing speech to his troops before the battle’s start.  His army formed in a crescent shape

-The battle began with volleys of artillery & arquebusiers from both sides while the Crusaders elite cavalry charged the Moroccan center.  The Portuguese made headway until Al-Malik and his personal bodyguard and other cavalry rode out to blunt the charge and hold the center.  Likewise he signaled Al-Mansur to command the tribal horsemen from the Berber tribes of the northern mountains of Morocco he had been hidden in reserve with the goal of enveloping the main Portuguese square which was now without the use of its best cavalry.  Al-Malik has setup a surprise trap.  now the task of enveloping the whole Portuguese army was to begin.

-Al Malik and his bodyguard joined his brother while the Moroccan center reorganized having surrounded the Portuguese cavalry.  Seeing what was happening, Sebastian rode out personally leading his reserve heavy knights & nobles along with the horsemen of his ally, the deposed Abdallah Mohammed.  The goal was to take down Al-Malik personally and break the Moroccan army’s morale.

-The retinues of all three kings met in the middle, with Al-Malik losing many men around him but the sultan and his bodyguard fought on while his brother Al-Mansur continued with the encirclement of the main square.  

-Al-Mansur’s cavalry encircled the square and using dragoon tactics charged the square only to turn around just before being impaled by the Portuguese pikemen.  Once the Moroccan horse pirouetted around the rider fired their musket at point blank range inflicting casualties on the European infantry.  This tactic continued for hours in order to wear down the Crusaders.

-Meanwhile, Sebastian and his retinue fell back trying to rally the square.  Soon the whole square was attacked on all sides.  At some point while bravely fighting he lead another charge and was cut down, his body never recovered.  He was only 24 years old and without wife or heir.

-Eventually the flanks of the Portuguese square were worn down and soon the Moroccans pushed onto the center which overwhelmed it.

-The battle ended after four hours of heavy fighting resulting in a decisive Moroccan victory.  Sebastian had been killed in the fighting along with much of the nobility with 8,000 Crusader & Moorish troops in the Portuguese army dying.  Another 15,000 troops including their camp followers were taken prisoner and enslaved.  Roughly only 100 are believed to have escaped to the coast or Portuguese controlled ports.  Abdallah Mohammed had escaped the battle on horseback but drowned crossing a river in hasty escape.  However, for Al-Malik and the Moroccan army, it was costly too.  Al-Malik, sick with a fever and plague died of natural cause due to over exertion due to riding on horseback and personally fighting, the exact point he died is uncertain but kept secret from his army so as not to break their morale until after the battle had been decided.  The Moroccan army also suffered around 7,000 dead according to Portuguese sources as the bravery and determination of the Portuguese were acknowledged despite their defeat.  With the deaths of Sebastian & the rival Saadian sultans Abdallah Mohammed & Al-Malik, the day be became known as the Battle of the Three Kings.

-Though it could be called the battle of four kings as Al-Malik’s younger brother and second in command, Al-Mansur would become his heir and successor as Sultan of Morocco.  Al-Mansur also became the pinnacle of the Saadian dynasty reigning from 1578 until 1603 during which time he was the absolute ruler of a Morocco that was unified and expansive.  He extended control to parts of Algeria and southward into Mauretania & Mali where he conquered the Songhai Empire and revived the important gold, ivory & African slave trade overland routes of the Trans-Sahara, vastly improving Morocco’s economy.  He also went on to eject the Ottoman influence and  army from his court.  Asserting an independent Morocco free of European and Turkish influence.  While there remained some European controlled ports, Al-Mansur was mostly successful in stabilizing his country.  He also built up Marrakesh & Fez including vast palaces and the Saadian Tombs, considered the peak of Saadian architecture.

-After Al-Mansur’s death in 1603 Morocco fell into civil war and relative chaos once more.  As had typified the Saadian dynasty from the start, the sons fought over control of the country.  This time, the Moroccans had joint sultans who ruled divided portions of the country, creating a power vacuum that allowed for the rise of Barbary Corsairs and their pirates republics which would claim de-facto independence from the sultans, most notably the Republic of Sale headed by the Dutch privateer turned Barbary pirate, Jan Janszoon Van Haarlem also known by his Muslim name as Murad Reis the Younger.

-Eventually the Saadi dynasty was overthrown in the mid 17th century by the Alaouite dynasty which was another Arab Sharifian dynasty and which rules Morocco to this day.  Though the Saadis are still regarded by the Moroccans for their architecture and role in securing an independent and stable Morocco, free from foreign influence.

-As for Portugal, it lost its king without an heir and much of its nobility.  It was in this power vacuum that subsequently it was overtaken by the Kingdom of Spain being in a so called Iberian Union for the next 60 years before it became independent once again.

-Meanwhile, the Ottomans increasingly lost their ability to have a direct hold over North Africa altogether and despite nominal over lordship of Egypt to Algeria, Morocco remained relatively untouched by Turkish influence, given it a special place in the Muslim world.  Additionally, the Turks with a stagnating navy turned their attention to expansion in the Middle East and Europe with the 17th century being the start of a long stagnation for them as well, their best days long behind them.

-The Battle of Alcacer Quibir fought on August 4th, 1578 was the culmination of domestic and foreign power struggles for Morocco, the product of colonial and imperial desires amid a succession crisis and civil war.  Ironically, it triggered a succession crisis in the invading country and resolved one in the very country that triggered the foreign intervention.  It was also a case in point of the arrogant illusion of the inevitability of European and Ottoman colonialism in North Africa and of course became a great symbolic victory in the psyche of an independent Morocco...