Founded in the 10th century by the berber Zirid prince Bologhine son of Ziri on the ruins of the Roman city Zucchabar, Miliana lost prominence during the colonial period.

It is built on a rocky shelf with steep edges on the southern slopes of Mount Zaccar Rherbi[fr], which covers its entire northern border and reaches 1,550 metres (5,090 ft).

To the east and south is the Chélif River Valley, and to the west is a large plateau that stretches to the Ouarsenis range.

The names Zucchabar or Sugabar were mentioned on epigraphic monuments nearby, indicating the place's belonging to a larger city.

[14] According to some, this name is derived from Latin and is attributed to the daughter of a patrician Roman family (Manlia) which owned large domains in the agricultural region of the Chélif River valley.

The city is mentioned by Ammianus Marcelinus during the insurrection of the Berber leader Firmus in 375; the Roman general Theodosius the Elder left Caesarea (now Cherchell) to occupy Sugabarritanum.

Between 972 and 980, Prince Buluggin ibn Ziri, founder of Algiers and Médéa, constructed a medina atop the ruins of the Roman city.

He describes it as "Ancient city, equipped with water-mills turned by its waterway and possessing a large number of irrigation canals.

In the 14th century, Ibn Khaldun described the city as "part of the Maghrawa Beni Warsifen domain in the Chélif River plain," and that Buluggin had drawn the map for El Djezaïr, Melyana and Lemdiya.

In 1261, Abou Hafs, brother of the Hafsid emir of Tunis, laid siege to the city and conquered it with forces that included mercenary Christian knights led by the exile Henry of Castile.

[16] After the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, the French encountered resistance from the population who pledged allegiance to Emir Abdelkader, who established a caliphate in Miliana in 1835.

The Peace Treaty of Desmichels guaranteed Emir Abdelkader the right to take possession of Miliana starting in 1835 where he was warmly welcomed by the city's general population and prominent citizens.

[16] The city was occupied in 1840 by Marshal Valée's troops, but the garrison was sieged several times by Ben Allel and local tribes.

[27] In 1957 during the Algerian War a battle took place at the Oued Guergour to the south of Miliana between the mujahideens and the French army.

Its vineyards, orchards and gardens, which lie below the town center, are fed by water from nearby mountains that usually have snow in winters.

Similar to association football,[29] the game was played during the spring and times of extreme drought because it was believed to bring rain.

On the eve of Mawlid, a parade of m'narette, lit up with candles and decorated with sweets and fruits, makes its way to the Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef mosque.

[34] Miliana's Rekb is a regional tradition of the Berber tribe of Beni Farah, an annual pilgrimage to the interior of the mausoleum of Sidi Ahmed Benyoucef.

Hundred of pilgrims come from several regions throughout the country to make their journey from the city of Messelmoun (Tipaza wilaya) to the saint's mausoleum.

The former home of Emir Abdelkader is a Moorish style building located in the city center, restored and transformed into the museum of Miliana.

[37] It contains several exposition halls on the history of the region, including archeological artifacts from the Roman and Muslim periods, the popular revolts against French conquest, and also ethnographic objects from Southern Algeria.