Cheikh Mustapha El Hamel

Cheikh Mustapha assumed the leadership of the Zawiya of El Hamel in 1904 following the death of his cousin, the celebrated spiritual leader Lalla Zaynab. Under his enlightened guidance, the zawiya expanded its vast network of charitable soup kitchens, medical aid, and agricultural cooperatives across the Hodna basin.

During the devastating drought and famine years of World War I, Cheikh Mustapha opened the massive granaries of the zawiya to feed starving peasant families, regardless of tribal origin. He funded the education of young Algerian scholars who would later lead the National Movement.