However, its value as a trading post had decreased greatly, so during the reign of King Charles IV the city was recaptured in 1790–1792 by a coalition of Algerian troops against Spain which resulted in victory for the bey of Oran despite the many attempts in 1563.

The action increased the hatred of the Vichy regime for Britain but convinced the world that the British would fight alone against Nazi Germany and its allies.

The Vichy government held Oran during World War II until its capture by the Allies in late 1942, during Operation Torch.

[citation needed] Also, during French rule, Jews were encouraged to modernize and take on jobs they had not before, including agriculture, while Muslims were forced out of the city and their ancestral fertile lands were confiscated and given to Colons.

[16] Jews in the city were allowed to join the French Army starting 24 October 1870, while Muslims were forced to do military service.

A mob attacked pied-noir neighborhoods in response to the incident and during the subsequent Oran massacre of 1962 at least 95 and as many as 365 were killed;[18] many others are reported to have "disappeared".

Count Pedro Navarro, on the orders of Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, finally captured the city on 17 May 1509.

Pedro Garcerán de Borja, Grand Master of the Order of Montesa, was captain of Oran when, on 14 July 1568, John of Austria (the illegitimate son of Charles I and paternal half-brother of King Philip II), led a flotilla of 33 galleys against the Algerians.

In April 1669 the Spanish governor, the 6th Marquess of Los Vélez, expelled all the Jews who lived in Oran and Mers El Kébir[22] sending them to be resettled in either Nice, or Livorno.

"The fortifications of the place were composed of thick and continuous walls of over two and a half km in circumference, surmounted by strong towers spaced between them," with a central castle or kasbah where the Spanish governor had his headquarters.

In 1744, king Philip V asked the governor Tomás du Rollet de la tour for dromedaries to replenish the stock at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez.

However, the former bey of Oran had banned trade with the Spaniards and those dromedaries gradually sent to the king had been sold by thieving tribesmen.

After another earthquake damaged the Spanish defences, the forces of the new Bey of Oran, Mohammed el Kebir besieged the city.

The town of 10,000 inhabitants was still in the possession of the Ottoman Empire when a squadron under the command of captain Bourmand seized el-Kébir on 14 December 1830.

In September 1831, General Berthezène appointed Mr. Pujol as mayor of Oran; he had been captain of cavalry in retirement and was wounded in the right hand under the Empire.

[citation needed] In 1832, leading a force of five thousand men, the young Emir Abd al-Qadir attacked Oran.

[citation needed] Many Europeans settled in Oran during the French period, and by the early 20th century they formed a majority of the city's population.

[29][30][31] In World War II, Oran was one of the landing points in Operation Torch, the first American action in the Europe-North Africa theatre in November 1942.

The Task Force suffered some damage to its fleet, trying to land in shallow water, but the enemy ships were sunk or driven off, and Oran surrendered after heavy fire from British battleships.

Neighborhood streets The historical district Sidi El Houari [es] is a suburb in the north of the d'Oran city.

Other tourist curiosities: one ancient prefecture of the data base Stalingrad, the Spanish vestiges dating from the 16th century, and especially the Palate of the Bey d'Oran.

Mers El Kébir ("The Great Port") is a municipality northwest of Oran, about seven kilometres (4+1⁄2 mi) from the city centre.

It has several buildings which are the seats of institutions as the headquarters of Sonatrach's downstream activity, the hospital Établissement Hospitalo-universitaire "November 1st, 1954", the convention center (Palais des Congrès), University of sciences and technology (conceived by the Japanese architect Kenzō Tange), the Institute of medical sciences, the Court of Justice and the National Centre of Research in Social and Cultural Anthropology.

Bir El Djir is an urban extension east of Oran, 8 km (5 mi) from the city center, with a population of 118,000 inhabitants.

A project started in 2008/9 for the Oran Tram, a tramway system consisting of 32 stations over a distance of 18.7 km (11.6 mi) going to Es-Sénia, in the South and Sidi Maarouf in the east side, while passing by the centre town The tramway serves Haï Sabbah, University of Sciences and Technology (USTO), the Crossroads of the Three Private clinics, the Law courts, Dar El Baïda, the Plate-Saint Michel, the Place of 1 November, Saint-Anthony, Boulanger, Saint-Hubert, the 3rd Ring road and finally The University of Es-Sénia.

The Es Senia Airport also serves passengers from most smaller towns in proximity to Oran (Sig, Mostaganem, Arzew, etc.).

[45] Oran has numerous hotels in all categories, from luxury to basic, as well as many restaurants offering Algerian specialities and other foods.

Tourists will also find a variety of cinemas, arts centres, the regional theatre, an open-air theatre, the Museum, the historic city centre of Oran, the district of Sidi El Houari, the municipal gardens, Médina Djedida with its artisanal products, the cathedral, Djebel Murdjadjo, and nearby seaside resorts.

It is an Ottoman era palace built of Islamic architecture, consists of harem, guard towers and stucco-painted halls.

[49] The wilaya of Oran is also equipped with five desalination plants, including the unit of Macta, with a maximum daily capacity of 500,000 m3.