Tlemcen, town, northwestern Algeria, capital of Tlemcen Province. It is surrounded by olive plantations and vineyards. Carpets, leather products, and textiles are manufactured here. The city flourished as the capital of an Arab sultanate from 1282 to 1553, when it came under Ottoman Turkish rule. It was held by the French from 1842 until Algeria obtained independence in 1962. Population (1987) 126,882.
