Aurès Range Idurar n Awras (Berber) جبال الأوراس |
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Mountain landscape at Hammam Essalihine
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Highest point | |
Peak | Djebel Chélia (Algeria) |
Elevation | 2,328 m (7,638 ft) |
Coordinates | 35°19′05″N 6°38′13″E / 35.31806°N 6.63694°ECoordinates: 35°19′05″N 6°38′13″E / 35.31806°N 6.63694°E |
Geography | |
Countries | Algeria and Tunisia |
States/Provinces | |
Parent range | Atlas Mountain System |
The Aurès Mountains, (Berber: Awras, Latin: Aurasium,Arabic: جبال الأوراس) are an eastern prolongation of the Atlas Mountain System that lies to the east of the Saharan Atlas in northeastern Algeria.
The mountain range gives its name to the mountainous natural and historical region of the Aurès.
The Aurès mountains are the eastern continuation of the Saharan Atlas. They are located at a lower elevation than the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The highest peak in the Aurès range is Djebel Chélia in Khenchela Province, which sits at 2,328 metres (7,638 ft).
The Belezma Range is a northwestern prolongation of the Aurès Mountains located where the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas come together. Its main summits are 2,178 m (7,145 ft) high Djebel Refaâ and 2,136 m (7,007 ft) high Djebel Tichaou.
Historically, the Aurès served as a refuge and bulwark for the Berber tribes, forming a base of resistance against the Romans, Vandals, Byzantine, and Arabs along the centuries.
The mountain area was also a district of French Algeria that existed during and after the Algerian War of Independence from 1954 to 1962. It was in this region that the Algerian War of Independence was started by Berber freedom fighters. The rugged terrain of the Aurès makes it still one of the least developed areas in the Maghreb.