Blida () is a city in Algeria. It is the capital of Blida Province, and it is located about 45 km south-west of Algiers, the national capital. The name Blida, i.e. bulaydah, is a diminutive of the Arabic word belda, city.
Geography
It gets its name from the classical Arabic word for "small city:" boulayda. Blida is known as the city of roses because of the large number of roses in its gardens.
Blida lies surrounded with orchards and gardens, above the sea, at the base of the Tell Atlas, on the southern edge of the fertile Mitidja Plain, and the right bank of the Oued el kebir outflow from the Chiffa gorge. The abundant water of this stream provides power for large corn mills and several factories, and also supplies the town with its numerous fountains and irrigated gardens. Within Blida is Chréa National Park, one of the largest national parks in the country and part of the Atlas Mountains. Blida is surrounded by a wall of considerable extent, pierced by six gates, and is further defended by Port Mimieh, crowning a steep hill on the left bank of the river.
left|200px|thumb|Sidi Ahmed El-Kebir Tomb.
Climate
In Blida, there is a Mediterranean climate. The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Csa. The average annual temperature in Blida is . About of precipitation falls annually.
History
right|250px|thumb|Al-kawthar Mosque, Blida
No ancient center preceded the city. It was identified with the town of Mitidja in the Middle Ages which was ruined during the Beni Ghania campaigns. The present town was founded by Moors—principally by Sidi Ahmed El-Kebir—in the 16th century.
The town was rebuilt according to a grid plan following an earthquake in 1825 on a site about a mile distant from the ruins. It numbers among its buildings several mosques and churches, extensive barracks and a large military hospital. The principal square, the place d'Armes, is surrounded by arcaded houses and shaded by trees. The center of a fertile district, and a post on one of the main routes in the country, Blida has a flourishing trade, chiefly in oranges and flour. The orange groves contain over 50,000 trees, and in April the air for miles round is laden with the scent of the orange blossoms. In the public gardens is a group of magnificent olive trees. The products of the neighboring cork trees and cedar groves are a source of revenue to the town. It was intricately rebuilt of interconnecting alleyways and streets, and was made accessible through the existing six major gates. The gates were as follows:
- Bab Er-Rahba
- Bab Ed-Zair
- Bab El-Khouikha
- Bab Es-Sebt
- Bab Ez-Zaouia
- Bab El-Kbour
- Bab El-Kseb
Today those gates no longer exist, but their names are still in use by people in Blida as reference points to locate streets, places, schools and businesses.
In 1839, French troops occupied the city and built a military base there.