Hadj Ahmed Bey

Of Kulughli origin from Constantine, Hadj Ahmed Bey was a master administrator who constructed the stunning Palace of Ahmed Bey, one of the masterpieces of Maghrebi architecture. When French troops captured Algiers in 1830, he rejected French ultimatums to surrender eastern Algeria.

In November 1836, his tactical defenses annihilated the invading French army under Marshal Clauzel beneath Constantine's dizzying gorges. In October 1837, Constantine fell only after a ferocious house-to-house assault; Ahmed Bey escaped to the Aurès mountains, waging guerrilla warfare until 1848.