Algeria - Roman Mauretania

We spend the whole of today along Mediterranean west of Algiers. Driving west we reach Cherchell, Phoenician Iol and Roman Caesarea, which was once the capital of the Numidian client King Juba II and his wife Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. Our afternoon is spent at the Roman city of Tipasa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the sea, with impressive remains both of the high Roman Empire, and of the early Christian period. We also stop at the huge cylindrical tomb, variously called the ‘Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania’ or the ‘Tomb of the Christian Woman’.

This morning we have time to visit the Bardo Museum, housed in a neo–Moorish Villa and the Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts, before transferring to the airport for our flight to Annaba. We arrive in Annaba in time for a late lunch and an afternoon visit to Hippo Regius. The great North African churchman later known as St. Augustine ended his days here in AD430, and we visit the remains of this once splendid city a mile to the south of modern Annaba. It was once a port, situated on an inlet which has since silted over, leaving the ruins isolated and complete, and now dominated by the basilica of St Augustine which was built on a nearby hill during the 19th century. We visit the basilica as well as the site.

We depart early this morning to visit the theatre and museum at Guelma. The Numidian Jugurtha won an important battle against the Romans here. We continue south to Khemissa, this relatively little-known or visited site was certainly a significant Numidian settlement from at least the second century AD. This huge ancient city is set in glorious surroundings, and among the ruins we find an old forum built on an artificial terrace on the north slope of the hill with shops and adjoining temples, as well as a Basilica dating probably to the second century AD. We then head west to Constantine, making one final stop to see the tomb of Massinissa and the site at El Khroub.

Our morning is spent at the beautifully situated ruined city of Tiddis, an authentic Berber site modified by Roman civilization. Spectacularly located, the sandstone constructions at Tiddis have a distinctive ochre-red colour from the deep red of the earth in the surrounding area which is washed down from the hill-top and carried by the wind. The site has been occupied a least since the Neolithic period and several circular ‘bazina’ burial monuments from the pre-Roman Numidian period are visible at the site. We return to Constantine for lunch and later explore this extraordinary city, dramatically situated on a plateau by a deep ravine. Here we’ll see its museum, kasbah, suspension bridge and the Palace of Ahmed Bey, one of the finest Ottoman-era buildings in the country.

We journey west to the site of Djémila situated on a narrow triangular plateau, 900m above sea level and described as ‘one of the most perfect expressions of the meeting of Roman power and African beauty’. The town here is thought to have been founded by either Emperor Nerva or Trajan between AD 96 – 117 initially as a military garrison. Despite the challenging topography of the undulating landscape, its builders tried to conform, largely unsuccessfully, to Roman grid planning standards. It is partly owing to the consequent interesting layout and linear urban expansion and its good state of preservation that the site was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1982. In the afternoon we drive to Setif and end the day at the Setif Archaeological Museum, home to some unusual artefacts, but also some exceptional Roman mosaics including the ‘Triumph of Dionysus’.

An early start this morning as we make the long journey south to Timgad, the Roman city founded in AD 100 by Emperor Trajan, principally as a colony for veterans of the Legio III Augusta. This huge site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982 and is famed for its formal orthogonal grid layout of the original town plan, measuring some 355m on each side, and for the good preservation of some of its monuments. Still visible is a rare example of a Roman Library and no less than eight bath complexes scatter the site.

Continuing south, our first stop today is at Lambaesis. This was the main military base of the Third Legion Augusta. The Legion may have numbered up to 25,000 men, recruited initially from Gaul, but later also from other Roman provinces and North Africa. The site is now rather forlorn, but parts of it, such as the amphitheatre and the four-sided arch in the military camp, are still quite substantial and worthy of some exploration. From here we drive through the spectacular scenery of the Aurès Mountains to the Biskra province which lies on the northern edge of the Sahara. We will stop on the way in the area of the gorges of Tighanimine and the breathtaking canyon of Rhouffi and we will visit the Balconies of Ghoufi where the cliffs cascade in naturally formed balconies and were used centuries ago to carve out cave dwellings from the sandstone. 

We enjoy a relaxing morning visiting the Oasis of Biskra and the Palmerie at Tolga. For centuries, inhabitants of the Ziban mountain range have carefully planted and pollinated their precious date palms here – the local adage being ‘give to the date palm and she will return the favour’. There are more than 100 cultivars of dates produced from four million trees in Biskra, ensuring agriculture remains the lifeblood of the region’s economy. After lunch at the Palmerie, we transfer to Biskra airport for our flight to Algiers. We will arrive in Algiers in time for dinner.

Our tour comes to an end today and we make our independent onward journeys.