Tipaza and The Casbah

Over Memorial Day weekend I went on two embassy-sponsored tours. 

Tipaza, a town about an hour to the west of Algiers, was one of many settlements constructed along the Mediterranean coast by early travelers, perhaps Phoenicians, on their sea journeys west from Carthage.  Tipaza reached its peak of wealth and influence around 200 AD under Roman rule.

Roman Ruins at Tipaza

Many of the original Roman tile floors remain in situ
and unprotected.  Visitors scramble all over the entire site.

Today Tipaza is a seaside archeological site.  The site is beautifully located above the sea and the ruins are remarkably extensive.  Several especially well-preserved segments, such as the tiled floor of the judicial building, were removed for museum preservation during archeological excavation; but today most of the ancient city is accessible and available for all to explore.  There are still several tile floors and wall paintings in situ and nothing is off limits.  We spent several hours in the morning with our tour guide exploring the Roman town.  Then we enjoyed a lunch of fresh fish by the sea.  After lunch we visited the “Dome of the Christian Lady” so named because of the cross symbols carved on the edifices, even though the carvings were done at the time of construction, prior to the arrival of Christianity.  It is an enormous pyramid-type dome sitting on top of a hill, which overlooks one of Algeria’s most beautiful and fertile valleys, nicknamed the “breadbasket of Europe” during the French period.

Select your lunch

Pyramid Dome of The Christian Lady

Breadbasket of Europe

During our drive along the coast, we discussed the enormous potential for tourism Algeria offers.  Our guide, an historian by profession, is passionate that now is the perfect time for Algeria to invest and to attract European tourists who love to be by the sea but are a bit nervous about going to Tunisia or Egypt.  And the resources here would likely appeal to so many: the history, the archeology, and of course the extensive Mediterranean coastline.  Our guide tells us that he and his colleagues cannot seem to raise the government’s interest in investing in the infrastructure to make Algeria a world-class tourist destination.   

The Casbah

Going again the next day with our guide, a small group of us explored the maze of the ancient city, the Casbah, for several hours on Sunday morning.  (Though it’s inside – and truly the center – of the city, it is off-limits for us without special arrangements.)  Built before the 18^th century, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site listed as a “unique urban environment,” and unique it is.  Still occupied by Algerian families, the buildings are mostly interconnected step-like structures rising up the steep hillside from the sea front.  When constructed, no one house (each 4 or 5 stories tall) was allowed to block another’s view.  And the tiny alleys and hallways connecting everything allow for excellent shelter – from the sun and from adversaries, thus its reputation as a place where anyone can hide out for years.  Such was the case during the Algerian fight for independence when the freedom fighters slipped into the Casbah and out of the grasp of the French.  Our guide (this is my third tour with him) took us all through the twists and turns, ups and downs, of the alleyways and inside several of the buildings.  One of the “rules” during the early days of the Casbah was that no one could show his standing or wealth on the exterior of his dwelling, so all the homes looked then and look now, pretty much the same on the outside.  But inside some are actually palatial villas covered with Dutch tiles, marble fountains, and lush gardens.  We were treated to a wonderful lunch on the terrace of one of the residents.  He and his family love cooking for visitors and so it was quite a spread, very traditional with all of us sitting on big cushions and sipping mint tea.  The lunch lasted a couple of hours, and we all agreed a nap in the shade of the terrace would have been perfect.  But our day in the Casbah was done after that.