Maghnia

Maghnia, town, northwestern Algeria, on the northern edge of the High Plateau (Hauts Plateaux), 8 miles (13 km) east of the border with Morocco. The modern town grew around a French redoubt built in 1844 on the site of the Roman post of Numerus Syrorum. It was named for the local Muslim saint Lalla Maghnia and contains her mausoleum, probably built in the 18th century. Located within the watershed of Wadi Tafna, Maghnia is a busy agricultural centre, trading in cereals and wool from both Algeria and Morocco. There is a lead mine at Bou Beker, 18 miles (29 km) south in the Tell Atlas Mountains, and a noted mineral spring, Hammam Boughrara, 6 miles (10 km) to the northeast. Pop. (1998) 73,294; (2008) 87,393.