Medina of the 'Alids

The village of the Alids lay in the country around Tlemcen, on a route described by medieval Arab geographers. Ibn Hawqal called it a large inhabited village beside a river, with gardens and springs. Its name recalled the Alid rulers who had held authority in the region. The old accounts place it near the approaches to Tlemcen, a city that later became the capital of the Zayyanid kingdom and a major centre of learning and trade.