Tlemcen, town, northwestern Algeria, capital of Tlemcen Province. It is surrounded by olive plantations and vineyards. Carpets, leather products, and textiles are manufactured here. The city flourished as the capital of an Arab sultanate from 1282 to 1553, when it came under Ottoman Turkish rule. It was held by the French from 1842 until Algeria obtained independence in 1962.
Tlemcen was periodically besieged by the Marinids throughout the 14th century, but during times of truce the rulers of the town worked on its architectural adornment and developed its religious and educational institutions and its commerce and industry. The city declined at the end of the 14th century, and it fell to the Algerian Turks in 1559.
Tlemcen supports a bustling trade in agricultural products and textile, leather, and metal handicrafts and has some light industrial development. The population is sharply divided between the Hadars and the Koulouglis, each living within its own sector. Population: 107,632.