Back to the Hall of Legends
Exhibit room
Kings & Rulers
“Founders of kingdoms and heads of a nation.”
22 figures5 eras4 regions
Kings, dynasty founders and heads of state — the builders of order, from the unified kingdom of ancient Numidia to the leaders of the modern republic.
Why this collection matters
Their statecraft gave North Africa some of its earliest political structures and, much later, the institutions of a sovereign Algeria.
Featured stories
In this gallery
Ancient Numidia (c. 202 BC)
Massinissa
Constantine
Ancient Numidia (c. 215–203 BC)
Syphax
Western Algeria
Numidia (c. 60–46 BC)
Juba I
Constantine
Roman client king (c. 25 BC – 23 AD)
Juba II
Western Algeria
Roman client kingdom (1st c. AD)
Ptolemy of Mauretania
Western Algeria
Roman emperor (193–211 AD)
Septimius Severus
National / Algeria-wide
13th century (r. 1235–1283)
Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan
Western Algeria
8th century (founded Tahert c. 776)
Abd al-Rahman ibn Rustam
Western Algeria
10th century
Ziri ibn Manad
Kabylie
Late 10th century
Buluggin ibn Ziri
Algiers
Early 11th century
Hammad ibn Buluggin
Constantine
Almoravid era (11th c.)
Yusuf ibn Tashfin
Maghreb / Intellectual history
12th century (Almohads)
Abd al-Mu'min
Western Algeria
Late 18th century
Hassan Pacha
Algiers
Early 18th century
Baba Ali Chaouch
Algiers
1898–1974
Messali Hadj
Western Algeria
National movement (1930s–1962)
Ferhat Abbas
National / Algeria-wide
1916–2012
Ahmed Ben Bella
Western Algeria
1932–1978
Houari Boumédiène
Constantine
1919–1992
Mohamed Boudiaf
National / Algeria-wide
War of Independence (1961–1962)
Benyoucef Benkhedda
National / Algeria-wide
1926–2015
Hocine Aït Ahmed
Kabylie
Curator's note
“Kings, dynasty founders and heads of state — the builders of order, from the unified kingdom of ancient Numidia to the leaders of the modern republic.”
— Museum curator
Guided walk
Walk this gallery with the curator
A guided tour through the Hall of Legends, room by room.