Algiers 1 University

University of Algiers
جامعة الجزائر – بن يوسف بن خـدة
	Latin: Universitas Academica Algierensis
Former names	Higher School of Letters of Algiers; Superior School of Medicine and Pharmacy; School of Sciences of Algiers; School of Law of Algiers
Motto	Integritas, Scientia, Vis (Latin)
Motto in English	Integrity, Knowledge, Strength
Type	Public research university
Established	1909; 115 years ago
President	Ali Abubaha
Rector	Fares Mokhtari
Students	45,000
Location	Algiers, Algeria
Campus	Urban, suburban
Colors	Green ; Red
Affiliations	Association of African Universities; Association of Arab Universities; Erasmus+; Mediterranean Universities Union
Website	univ-alger.dz

The University of Algiers (Arabic: جامعة الجزائر), commonly called the Algiers 1 University or Benyoucef Benkhedda (Arabic: بن يوسف بن خـدة), is a public research university based in Algiers, Algeria. Founded in 1909 from the amalgamation of different French colonial educational institutions, it has become the oldest and most prestigious organised university in the country.^[1]^[2]^[3]

History

The University under French Colonialism, 1830-1962

The historical tradition of higher education in Algeria began in 1832, with the creation of the Higher School of Letters of Algiers (École supérieure des lettres d'Alger), as a way to guarantee the teaching of Arabic and French languages, in the context of the French conquest of Algeria. In 1849 the institution opened campuses in Oran and Constantine, and was formally integrated into the regular French education system on 20 December 1879. Subsequently, the Superior School of Medicine and Pharmacy (École supérieure de médecine et de pharmacie) was created in 1833 (officialized on 4 August 1857); in 1868 the School of Sciences (École supérieure des sciences), and; in 1879 the School of Law (École supérieure de droit).^[4] All were based in the city of Algiers.^[5]

In 1909, these Superior Schools were turned into the Faculties of Letters, Law, Medicine and Pharmacy, and Sciences. Soon after, in the same year, the faculties were united to form the University of Algiers.^[5] With this change, the University of Algiers became the only colonial French higher education institution on par with a metropolitan universities.

Throughout the French colonial period, the majority of student were European. Arab and Berber Algerians only made up a small minority, ranging from 1.2% to 18.1% of the total student body.^[6]

On 19 May 1956, the General Union of Algerian Muslim Students (UGEMA) called an indefinite student strike, which halted the academic courses and examinations at the University of Algiers, rallying support from the National Liberation Front.^[6]

On 7 June 1962 – just a month ahead of the Algerian independence referendum – the Organisation Armée Secrète (OAS), the movement of colonists opposing Algerian independence, set fire to the library building, destroying 500,000 books.^[7] The destruction of these books and the library was reported in the Arab world as a tactic of war or dirty war, known as scorched earth. Egypt, Iraq and Jordan condemned the arson and issued repudiation notes. It showed the savagery of the anti-independence movement would extend to removing and indeed destroying culture so long as Algeria intended to create its own national culture.^[8]

The University of Algiers since Algerian Independence, 1962-Present

The 1971 higher education reform abolished the college system and grouped the different disciplines by affinities into departments and institutes. The reform decrees the progressive Arabization of the disciplines, starting with certain classes in the social sciences (initially, philosophy and history). On 12 December 1998, the college system was re-established.^[5]

In 2009 the university was subdivided into three new institutions. The most important, the University of Algiers Benyoucef Benkhedda (or Algiers 1 University), stands as heir to the historical-academic tradition. The other two institutions created were:^[5]

Abou El Kacem Saadallah University (Algiers 2 University);
Brahim Soltane Chaibout University (Algiers 3 University).

In 2015, due to the state of degradation of the university's buildings, professors, students and supporters demanded that the university be classified as a national historical-architectural heritage. The Ministry of Culture responded to the claims in July 2015.^[9]^[10]

Library

The library holds 800,000 volumes.^[11]

Notable faculty

Fernand Braudel (1902–1985) – French historian
John Peters Humphrey (1905–1995) – Canadian legal scholar
André Chastagnol (1920–1996) – French historian
Assia Djebar (1936–2015) – novelist, translator, film maker
Ahmed Zaoui – Islamic scholar, obtained refugee status in New Zealand in 2014

Notable alumni

Arts and Science

Jean Baptiste Paulin Trolard (1842–1910) – physician; the "vein of Trolard" (the superior anastomotic vein) was named after him
Albert Camus (1913–1960) – writer and the awardee of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957.
Paul Coste-Floret (1911–1979) law professor and politician
Albert Memmi (1920–2020) – Tunisian scholar
Suzanne Carrell (1923–2019) – educator
Gabriel Camps (1927–2002) – archaeologist and social anthropologist
Maurice Audin (1932–1957) – mathematician and political activist
Fadéla M'rabet (born 1935) – writer and feminist.
Fatima Gallaire (1944–2020) – author and playwright
Youcef Saad (born 1950) – mathematician
Bernard Picinbono (born 1933) – applied statistician
Elias Zerhouni (born 1951) – Algerian-born American physician scientist radiologist and biomedical engineer.
Saddek Rabah (born 1968) – University Professor and academic researcher.
Kaouther Adimi (born 1986) – writer
Abdelkader Rezig Elmokhadimi (1950–2022) – author and journalist.

Politics and Diplomacy

Ferhat Abbas (1899–1985) – politician
Mohamed Lamine Debaghine (1917–2003) – political activist
Mehdi Ben Barka (1920–1965?) – Moroccan politician; disappeared in 1965
Lakhdar Brahimi (born 1934) – UN diplomat and Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Hassiba Ben Bouali (1938–1957) – political activist
Ferhat Mehenni (born 1951) – political activist
Ahmed Djoghlaf (born 1953) – executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Said Djinnit (born 1954) – United Nations diplomat
Brahim Djamel Kassali (born 1954) – Algerian Minister of Finance
Khalida Toumi (born 1958) – feminist activist

References

^ "University of Algiers/Benyoucef Benkhedda". enstructive.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
^ "University of Algiers – Benyoucef Benkhedda". africanseer.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
^ "University of Algiers". mediahex.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
^ Mélia, Jean (1950). Histoire de l’Université d’Alger: L’épopée intellectuelle de l’Algérie (in French). Algiers: La Maison des livres. pp. 39–50.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "About University of Algiers (Algeria)". www.africa2trust.com. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
^ ^a ^b Pervillé, Guy (1984). Les Étudiants algériens de l’université française 1880-1962: Populisme et nationalisme chez les étudiants et intellectuels musulmans algériens de formation française (in French). Paris: Éditions de CNRS. p. 128.
^ n incendie criminel ravage l’universite, plusieurs autres batiments publics sont de ́truit’, LeMonde(9 June 1962)
^ Fleury, Georges. The Secret History of the Organisation De l'Armée Secrète Grasset, 2002.
^ "Appel d'universitaires et d'intellectuels à faire de la Fac centrale un monument historique". Reporters. 12 June 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
^ "L'appel des universitaires a été entendu: la Fac centrale d'Alger classée monument historique". Huffington Post. 3 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ "Libraries and museums – Algeria". Encyclopedia of the Nations. 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.

External links

University of Algiers Website (in Arabic, English, and French)
Faculty of Islamic Sciences (in Arabic)

36°46′15″N 3°03′20″E / 36.77083°N 3.05556°E / 36.77083; 3.05556

[algiers-1] "University of Algiers/Benyoucef Benkhedda". enstructive.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.

[african-2] "University of Algiers – Benyoucef Benkhedda". africanseer.com. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2013.

[media-3] "University of Algiers". mediahex.com. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.

[4] Mélia, Jean (1950). Histoire de l’Université d’Alger: L’épopée intellectuelle de l’Algérie (in French). Algiers: La Maison des livres. pp. 39–50.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

[A2T-5] "About University of Algiers (Algeria)". www.africa2trust.com. Retrieved 3 June 2024.

[:0-6] Pervillé, Guy (1984). Les Étudiants algériens de l’université française 1880-1962: Populisme et nationalisme chez les étudiants et intellectuels musulmans algériens de formation française (in French). Paris: Éditions de CNRS. p. 128.

[7] riminel ravage l’universite, plusieurs autres batiments publics sont de ́truit’, LeMonde(9 June 1962)

[8] Fleury, Georges. The Secret History of the Organisation De l'Armée Secrète Grasset, 2002.

[9] "Appel d'universitaires et d'intellectuels à faire de la Fac centrale un monument historique". Reporters. 12 June 2015. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2021.

[huffpost_fac_centrale-10] "L'appel des universitaires a été entendu: la Fac centrale d'Alger classée monument historique". Huffington Post. 3 July 2015. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[11] "Libraries and museums – Algeria". Encyclopedia of the Nations. 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

v t e Association of African Universities
Algeria	Algiers 1 University Constantine 1 University Oran 1 University University of Ouargla University of Science and Technology Houari Boumediene
Angola	Agostinho Neto University
Benin	University of Abomey-Calavi
Botswana	Botho University Botswana Accountancy College Botswana International University of Science and Technology Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Botswana
Burkina Faso	Nazi Boni University University of Ouagadougou
Burundi	University of Burundi
Cameroon	University of Bamenda University of Buea University of Douala University of Dschang University of Maroua University of Ngaoundéré University of Yaoundé I
Cape Verde	Jean Piaget University of Cape Verde
Central African Republic	EUCLID University of Bangui
Chad	University of N'Djamena
Republic of the Congo	Marien Ngouabi University
Cote d'Ivoire	International University of Grand-Bassam Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Catholic University of Bukavu University of Kinshasa University of Kisangani University of Lubumbashi
Egypt	Ain Shams University Al-Azhar University Alexandria Higher Institute of Engineering and Technology Alexandria University Benha University Cairo University Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology Egyptian e-Learning University Helwan University Mansoura University Menoufia University Minya University Misr University for Science and Technology October 6 University Pharos University in Alexandria South Valley University Suez Canal University Tanta University The American University in Cairo The British University in Egypt University of Sadat City Zagazig University
Eritrea	University of Asmara
Eswatini	University of Eswatini
Ethiopia	Addis Ababa Science and Technology University Addis Ababa University Ethiopian Civil Service University Haramaya University Hawassa University Jimma University Mekelle University St. Mary's University Wollega University
Gabon	Omar Bongo University
Ghana	Accra Institute of Technology Accra Technical University African University College of Communications All Nations University Ashesi University Bluecrest University College Central University George Grant University of Mines and Technology Ghana Institute of Languages Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration Koforidua Technical University Kumasi Technical University Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Methodist University College Ghana Pentecost University Presbyterian University College Radford University College Regent University College of Science and Technology Regional Maritime University University for Development Studies University of Cape Coast University of Education, Winneba University of Energy and Natural Resources University of Ghana University of Health and Allied Sciences University of Professional Studies University of Media, Arts and Communication Valley View University Wisconsin International University College Zenith University College
Kenya	African Virtual University Catholic University of Eastern Africa Daystar University Dedan Kimathi University of Technology Egerton University International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology Kenyatta University Maseno University Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology Moi University Mount Kenya University Multimedia University of Kenya South Eastern Kenya University Strathmore University Umma University University of Eldoret University of Nairobi
Lesotho	National University of Lesotho
Liberia	Cuttington University Stella Maris Polytechnic University United Methodist University
Libya	Al Asmarya University for Islamic Sciences Al Zawiya University Misurata University Sabha University University of Benghazi University of Tripoli
Madagascar	University of Antananarivo University of Toamasina University of Toliara
Malawi	Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources Malawi University of Science and Technology UNICAF University of Malawi
Mali	University of Bamako
Mauritania	University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya
Mauritius	Open University of Mauritius University of Mauritius University of Technology, Mauritius
Morocco	Mohammed First University Mohammed V University University of al-Qarawiyyin
Mozambique	Catholic University of Mozambique Eduardo Mondlane University Maputo University
Namibia	International University of Management Namibia University of Science and Technology University of Namibia
Niger	Abdou Moumouni University Higher Institute of Mining, Industry and Geology Maryam Abacha American University Niger
Nigeria	Abia State University Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Adamawa State University Ahmadu Bello University Al-Hikmah University Babcock University Bayero University Bells University of Technology Bowen University Crawford University Delta State University, Abraka Ebonyi State University Federal University of Technology, Minna Federal University of Technology, Owerri Federal University of Technology, Yola Gombe State University Kogi State University Kwara State University Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Michael Okpara University of Agriculture National Open University of Nigeria Niger Delta University Nnamdi Azikiwe University Osun State University Pan-Atlantic University Redeemer's University Rivers State University University of Abuja University of Africa University of Agriculture, Abeokuta University of Agriculture, Makurdi University of Benin University of Calabar University of Ibadan University of Ilorin University of Lagos University of Port Harcourt University of Uyo Usman Dan Fodio University
Rwanda	Université Nationale du Rwanda
Sierra Leone	Njala University University of Sierra Leone
Somalia	Benadir University East Africa University Puntland State University
South Africa	Cape Peninsula University of Technology Central University of Technology Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University North-West University Rhodes University University of Cape Town University of Fort Hare University of Johannesburg University of KwaZulu-Natal University of the Free State University of Limpopo University of Pretoria University of South Africa University of Stellenbosch University of the Western Cape University of the Witwatersrand University of Venda University of Zululand Walter Sisulu University
South Sudan	University of Juba
Sudan	El Imam El Mahdi University Omdurman Ahlia University Red Sea University University of Science and Technology
Tanzania	Ardhi University Muslim University of Morogoro Mzumbe University St. Augustine University of Tanzania The Open University of Tanzania University of Dar es Salaam Zanzibar University
The Gambia	University of the Gambia
Togo	Université de Lomé
Uganda	Busitema University Uganda Christian University Uganda Management Institute Uganda Martyrs University
Zambia	Cavendish University Copperbelt University Mulungushi University University of Zambia Zambian Open University
Zimbabwe	Africa University Bindura University of Science Education Chinhoyi University of Technology Great Zimbabwe University Harare Institute of Technology Lupane State University Midlands State University National University of Science and Technology University of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Open University

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF 2
National	Germany United States France BnF data Norway Israel
Other	IdRef