The kubba or tomb of Sidi Bu Medin, near the palace, is held in great veneration by the Arabs.
It contains the kubba of a celebrated marabout, Sidi Embarek, who lived in the 7th century.
The town, founded by the French, derives its name from the kubba (tomb) of a marabout named Sidi-bel-Abbes, near which a redoubt was constructed by General Bedeau in 1843.