Constantine

Constantine rises on a rocky height above the deep gorge of the Rhumel in northeastern Algeria. In antiquity it was Cirta, a capital of Numidian kings and a fortified center connected with the Mediterranean ports of Rusicade and Chullu. The steep ravine gave the city a formidable natural defense, while bridges and approaches linked it with the surrounding country.

Under Ottoman rule Constantine became the seat of the eastern beylik, whose governors administered a large part of Algeria. Salah Bey, who ruled in the later eighteenth century, sponsored buildings and urban works; in 1792 the old El Kantara bridge was rebuilt across the gorge. His successor Ahmed Bey defended Constantine against French invasion, but the city fell after an assault in 1837.