Mascara (Arabic: ولاية معسكر‎) is a province (wilaya) in Algeria. There was an earthquake in Mascara City (the capital) on 18 August 1994 - 5.6 on the Richter scale - which killed 171 people. It was named after its capital, whose name means "military garrison" in Arabic, and which is unrelated to "Mascara", the cosmetic. Another important locality is the town of Sig.