Tipasa, sometimes called Tipasa in Mauretania, was a Roman settlement in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis, now known as Tipaza, and located in coastal central Algeria. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1982. It was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list in 2002. However, in 2006, it was removed from this list after conservation efforts were made.

History

Initially, the city was a small ancient Punic trading-post.

It was conquered by Ancient Rome and later turned into a military colony by Emperor Claudius to help control the kingdoms of Mauretania. Later, it became a municipium called Colonia Aelia Augusta Tipasensium.

The Roman city was built on three small hills that overlooked the sea, nearly 20 km east of Caesarea, the capital of Mauretania Caesariensis. During Roman rule, the city became more important because of its harbor and its central position on Roman coastal roads in North Africa. A wall about 7,500 feet long was built around the city to protect it from nomadic tribes. Inside the wall, Roman public buildings and homes were constructed.

Tipasa was very important for trade but was not known for art or learning.

Christianity came to Tipasa early. The first Christian inscription there (and the oldest Christian epitaph in Roman Africa) dates to October 17, 237 or 238 AD. In the 3rd century, Tipasa became an important Christian center and an episcopal see, now listed as a titular see by the Catholic Church. Many Christian religious buildings were built in the late 3rd and 4th centuries, including three churches: the Great Basilica and the Basilica Alexander on the western hill, and the Basilica of St. Salsa on the eastern hill. These were among the largest basilicas within modern Algeria.

Most people in the city were not Christian until, according to legend, a Christian girl named Salsa threw the head of their serpent idol into the sea. The angry people then stoned her to death. Her body was miraculously found in the sea and buried on a hill above the harbor in a small chapel, which later became a basilica. Salsa’s martyrdom happened in the 4th century. Around that time, historian Gsell estimated Tipasa had about 20,000 people. Christianity then spread among the Romanized Berbers and Roman colonists in Tipasa.

In about 372 AD, Tipasa resisted an attack by Firmus, a Berber rebel leader who had taken over nearby cities like Caesarea (modern Cherchell) and Icosium (modern Algiers). Tipasa became a base for the Roman counterattack. However, the city was conquered by the Vandals around 429 AD, ending its Roman-era prosperity. The Vandals partially destroyed the city in 430 AD.

In 484 AD, during a persecution of the Catholic Church by the Vandal king Huneric, the Catholic bishop of Tipasa was forced out and replaced with an Arian bishop. Many people fled to Spain, and others were harshly persecuted. In the following decades, the city fell into ruin. Around 530 AD, the Byzantines rebuilt Tipasa, and the city briefly revived during their rule in the 6th century.

By the end of the 7th century, the city was destroyed by the Arabs and left in ruins. The Arabs named it Tefassed, meaning "badly damaged" in Arabic.

In 1857, the area was settled again with the creation of the city of Tipaza, which now has nearly 30,000 people. The town and its surroundings are home to the Chenoua people, the largest Berber-speaking group in western Algeria.

The ruins of the old city remain. Most of the houses, which were on the central hill, have no traces left, but there are ruins of the Great Basilica and the Basilica Alexander on the western hill, the Basilica of St. Salsa on the eastern hill, two cemeteries, the baths, theatre, amphitheatre, and nymphaeum. The line of the city’s walls can still be seen, and at the foot of the eastern hill, the remains of the ancient harbor are visible.

The basilicas are surrounded by cemeteries filled with stone coffins covered in mosaics. The Basilica of St. Salsa, excavated by Stéphane Gsell, has a nave and two aisles and still contains a mosaic. The Great Basilica was used as a quarry for centuries, but its layout, divided into seven aisles, can still be seen. Under the church’s foundation are tombs carved into the rock. One tomb is circular, with an 18-meter diameter and space for 24 coffins.

Inside the Roman ruins, facing the sea and Mount Chenoua, a stele was erected in 1961 to honor Albert Camus. The stele includes a quote from his work Noces à Tipas: “I understand here what is called glory: the right to love beyond measure” (« Je comprends ici ce qu'on appelle gloire : le droit d'aimer sans mesure. »).

Climate change

Tipasa is a coastal heritage site that is at risk from rising sea levels. In 2022, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report listed it among African cultural sites that could be damaged by flooding and erosion by the year 2100.

Gallery

• Main Street
• Amphitheatre
• Theatre
• Large church
• Shrine for martyrs
• Unnamed Temple
• New Temple
• Public fountain
• Tomb of Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II