El Goléa (Koléa) before 1830
The town of Koléa, located on the southern slope of the Sahel, experienced a significant migratory flow after the fall of Granada.
Andalusian families, expelled from Spain, allowed themselves to be seduced by the invigorating climate and the beneficial water of the Queen of the Sahel. This population mingled with the natives and never left again.
The city was officially founded in 1550 during the reign of Dey Hassan Ben Khayr-Eddine. Overlooking Mitidja, the blessed city has attracted Muslim pilgrims since the 16th century.
Koléa owes its religious vocation to Sidi Embarek. The story of the Muslim scholar is intertwined with that of a rich Turkish landowner named Ismaïl. It is the latter, it is said, who discovered the gifts of this man blessed by God before giving him all his property, including the famous haouch (hamlet) Bou Ismaïl.
The patron saint is buried in the city which opened its arms to him and his evocation continues to mark the spiritual life of its inhabitants.
Andalusian families, expelled from Spain, allowed themselves to be seduced by the invigorating climate and the beneficial water of the Queen of the Sahel. This population mingled with the natives and never left again.
The city was officially founded in 1550 during the reign of Dey Hassan Ben Khayr-Eddine. Overlooking Mitidja, the blessed city has attracted Muslim pilgrims since the 16th century.
Koléa owes its religious vocation to Sidi Embarek. The story of the Muslim scholar is intertwined with that of a rich Turkish landowner named Ismaïl. It is the latter, it is said, who discovered the gifts of this man blessed by God before giving him all his property, including the famous haouch (hamlet) Bou Ismaïl.
The patron saint is buried in the city which opened its arms to him and his evocation continues to mark the spiritual life of its inhabitants.