Emir Abdelkader

Emir Abdelkader El Djezairi عـبـد الـقـادر الـجـزائـري
Photographed by Étienne Carjat in 1865
Native name	عـبـد الـقـادر الـجـزائـري
Birth name	Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine al-Hasani-
Born	(1808-09-06)September 6, 1808 Guetna, Algeria
Died	May 26, 1883(1883-05-26) (aged 74) Damascus, Syria
Buried at	El Alia Cemetery
Rank	Emir
Battles/wars	Battle of Macta Battle of Sig Battle of Sidi-Brahim
Awards	Legion of Honour (Grand Cross) Order of Pius IX First Class of the Order of the Medjidie Order of the Redeemer (Grand Cross)

Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; Arabic: عبد القادر ابن محيي الدين ʿAbd al-Qādir ibn Muḥyiddīn), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Djezairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion in the mid-19th century.

Early life

In his childhood, he learned and memorized the Holy Quran and studied linguistics.

When Algeria was invaded by France in 1830, he began a rebellion against the French for a decade until 1842 with a number of tribes.

In 1837, he signed the Treaty of Tafna with Marshall Bugeaud. But King Louis-Philippe broke the treaty two years later, leading Emir to declare against Jihad on October 15, 1839. In 1847, he was exiled to France from 1847 to October 1852. When he was released by Napoleon III, Emir then took up his residence in Damascus. In July 1860, he ceased a conflict between Muslims and Christians. While he was in Damascus, he wrote books and composed poesy.

Emir Abdelkader died on the May 26, 1883 and was buried in Damascus. On July 5, 1966, the Algerian government brought his remains back to Algeria to be interred on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of independence and the 136th anniversary of the French conquest. A mosque bearing his name has been constructed as a national shrine in Constantine. He is seen by the Algerians as their national hero.