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Tipasa




















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TIPASA
Village, beach and ruins


Tipasa, Algeria

Tipasa

Tipasa, Algeria

Tipasa has most things coming its way, seen with the traveller's eyes. Not only is there a nice little village, and a beach coming with the necessary facilities. But Tipasa has one of the better Roman ruins along the Mediterranean Sea. The setting is enough to have you stay here a day or two, sunrise and sunset will add to the experience of exploring the sites themselves.
Tipasa was originally a Phoenician trading post, but it became a Roman colony in the 2nd century AD. Later it became one of the most important Christian settlements in Northern Africa. With the coming of the Vandals and their Arian Christianity in 430, most of the inhabitants fled to Spain. According to a legend, the inhabitants had their tongues cut out, but by a miracle they could still speak. With the coming of the Arabs in the 7th century, there was so little left that they called the place Tefassad, meaning "badly damaged".
One the most interesting sites at Tipasa, is the mausoleum down at the sea side, built in the 5th century, where there are 14 places for sarcophagi. The Forum is well preserved, and is the oldest part of the ruin area. The museum is small but still full of valuable mosaics that were taken from the Basilica, and which sometimes dates back to 1st century AD. The main road, 14 metres wide, has about 200 metres preserved.

Tipasa, Algeria

Eat and Sleep
Hotels are good a bit out of town, along the beach. One OK hotel in town. Eating is fairly easy done, but there are some restaurants that are high-priced, so look around.

Transportation
Buses to and from Cherchell and Algiers.




By Tore Kjeilen