Culture in the wilaya of Constantine
Constantine is one of the 3 schools of malouf, the Arab Andalusian classical music of Algeria, with Tlemcen and Algiers. The city hosts the International Cultural Festival of Malouf.
Malouf
Constantine is one of the 3 schools of malouf, the Arab Andalusian classical music of Algeria, with Tlemcen and Algiers. The city hosts the International Cultural Festival of Malouf.
Constantine was the Arab Capital of Culture in 2015, and the year opened in the city on 16 April 2015.
Dress and embroidery
Gold thread embroidery decorates the Constantine gandoura, a wide velvet dress, using the fetla or medjboud techniques. In December 2024 UNESCO added the women's ceremonial costume of eastern Algeria to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The university
Founded in 1969, the University of Constantine has a campus designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.
People
The writer Kateb Yacine was born in Constantine in 1929. The runner Hassiba Boulmerka, born in the city on 10 July 1968, won the 1,500 m at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. It was the first Olympic gold medal for Algeria, and she also won 2 world titles at 1,500 m.
The footballer Djamel Eddine Mesbah was born in Zighoud Youcef on 9 October 1984. He played for the Algeria national team from 2010 to 2017.
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