Marsat El Hadjadj

Marsat El Hadjadj is a coastal commune at the eastern end of the Oran coast, in the daira, or district, of Bethioua. Its Arabic name means "port of the pilgrims", and the French name, Port-aux-Poules, "port of the hens", probably came from a confusion between the Arabic words for pilgrims and for poultry. It had 12,729 inhabitants at the 2008 census (ONS). Its places include Mers El Hadjadj Beach and the El Mactaa desalination plant.