Tassili n;Ajjer - (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Brief Report

Located in a strange lunar landscape of great geological interest, this site is one of the most important groups of prehistoric cave art in the world. More than 15,000 drawings and engravings record the climatic changes, the animal migrations, and the evolution of the human life on the edge of the Sahara from 6000 BC until the first centuries of the current era. The geological formations are of outstanding scenic interest eroded in sandstone and shales are 'forests of rock'. 

Wonderful Universal Importance

Brief synthesis 

Tassili n'Ajjer is vast plateau in the south-east Algeria at the borders of Libya, Niger and Mali, covering an area of 72,000 square kilometers. The exceptional density of paintings and engravings, and the presence of many prehistoric remains are remarkable testimonies of Prehistory. From 10,000 V. CHR to the first centuries of our era, successive peoples many archaeological remains, habitations, burial mounds and enclosures that yielded abundant lithic and ceramics. It is, however, the rock art (engravings and paintings) that have made and Tassili Restaurant world-famous from 1933, the date of its discovery. 15,000 Engravings are identified. The property is also of great geological and aesthetic importance: the panorama of geological formations with 'rock forests' of sandstone eroded seems a strange lunar landscape.

Wide Report

Tassili a mountainous area in the middle of the Sahara, located to the south-east of the Algerian Sahara and is limited by the Libisch-arab Arab Jamahiriya, Niger and Mali, is a strange lunar landscape of deep gorges, steep riverbanks and 'stone forests'. Prehistory and Tassili Restaurant benefited from climatic conditions which were more favorable for the human habitation. The abundance of wild game, the possibilities of the livestock and pastoral life in immediate proximity of impregnable defensive sites formed the essential factors that beneficiary population development.

The unique rock formations and networks of steep valleys of the plateau are the result of the alternation of wet and dry periods. At the end of the superstructure forms part pleistocene era, for example, there were large lakes in the region, what are the large Very. The lakes are fed by rivers which the And Tassili Restaurant and dry riverbeds from this period. The action of the rivers on the surface of the plateau formed deep gorges and separate plateaus. In the last 10,000 years has be playful dryer, although this process was reversed by a more humid period of 4000 BC to 2000 BC. Wind erosion during dryer periods has formed rock formations which seem to ruins, known as 'stone forests'.  The plants and animals on the plateau witnesses of earlier periods wetter. Species survive in damp microclimate are fish and shrimp and, until the 1940s, a dwarf Sahara crocodile, many thousands of kilometers from the nearest population in Egypt. From approx. 6000BC. In the early centuries of the Christian era, the various peoples inhabited this plateau many traces in the archaeological record: settlements, tumuli & Norway's second housings and that was very ceramics.  

Five different time periods can be distinguished: the naturalist period, in which the flora of the savannah is shown; the archaic period, when small schematic diagrams or colossal forms the aspects of icons filled with an obvious magical interpretation; the Bovidian period (4000-1500 BC ),  The dominant period in terms of the number of paintings, during the presentation of the herds and the scenes of everyday life, in which a new naturalistic design, belong to the most well known examples of prehistoric murals; the Equidian period, that the end of the Neolithic and protohistoric periods, That corresponds to the disappearance of numerous species from the effects of gradual desiccation and the appearance of the horse; and the Cameline period, during the first centuries of the Christian era, which coincides with the beginning of the hyper-arid desert climate and with the advent of the cultural.  This site is one of the most important groups prehistoric cave art in the world. The most important group of paintings is situated to the east of Djanet in the National Park; other special rock art are located in the north, in the region of the Wadi Djerat Illizi nearby.

Tipasa - (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Tipasa - Algeria

Brief Report

On the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Tipaza was an old Punic trading post conquered by Rome and converted to a strategic base for the conquest of the kingdoms of Mauritania.  It consists of a unique group Phoenician, Roman, palaeochristian and Byzantine ruins next to indigenous monuments such as the Kbor Roumia seh, the large royal mausoleum of Mauritania.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Tipaza is situated 70 km west of Algiers. It is a serial estate with three locations: two archaeological parks in the vicinity of the current urban complex and the Royal Mauritanian Mausoleum, on the western Sahel plateau of Algiers, 11 km south-east of Tipaza.

The archaeological site of Tipaza brings together one of the most extraordinary archaeological complexes of the Maghreb, And perhaps a what is the most important for the study of the contacts between the indigenous cultures and the various waves of colonization from the 6th century BC to the 6th century A.D. This city on the coast, for the first time a Carthaginian trading center,  The necropolis is one of the oldest and one of the most comprehensive of the Punic world (6th to 2nd century BC. C. ).  During this period, Tipaza played the role of a seaport, a place for commercial exchanges with the indigenous population. Many necropolis witnesses to the very varied forms of burial and and practices which witnesses of the multicultural exchange of influences from protohistoric times. The monumental, circular and building, known as the Royal Mauritanian Mausoleum, you associate a local architectural tradition of the type basina, a style of stepped truncated roofing,  The monumental, circular and building, known as the Royal Mauritanian Mausoleum, you associate a local architectural tradition of the type of basina, a style of stepped truncated roofing, the result of the different contributions, particularly Hellenistic and Pharaonic.The Roman period is characterized by a prestigious ensemble of buildings, consisting of very different architectural typologies. From the 3rd to 4th century A.D. a striking increase of Christianity it is clear from the multitude of religious buildings. Some of the rooms are furnished with high-quality mosaic stone and illustrate scenes from the daily life, or geometric patterns. The Vandal invasion of the 430's is not the final end of the prosperity of Tipaza, but the city, should not be forgotten by the Byzantines in 531, was in decline gradually from the 6th century.

Wide Report

Tipaza consists of a unique group Phoenician, Roman, paleo-Christian and Byzantine ruins next to indigenous monuments such as the Kbor Roumia seh, the large royal mausoleum of Mauritania. The site of Tipaza, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea 70 km west of Algiers, Takes one of the most extraordinary archaeological complexes of the Maghreb countries; it is perhaps the most important for the study of the contacts between the indigenous cultures and different waves of colonization from the 6th century BC to the 6th century AD. This seaside resort was first a Carthaginian trading center, whose cemetery is one of the most comprehensive of the Phoenician world (6TH/ 2th-century BC).  Then was conquered by the Romans who used it as a base from which to conquer the Mauritanian kingdoms.

The oldest Roman settlement is located in the center of the city on a steep slope protected by rocks and by a rudimentary defensive wall. In AD 147, at the time of the war of Antonine Wall Is Within Pius against the Mauritanians, this modest settlement was enclosed by a wall, 2,300 m in length. This stronghold, which is flanked by square and round towers, including three inputs, two of which are protected by semicircular reinforced defensive works similar to that found in Gaul and in Germany. Within this enclosure there are important buildings situated in the original core of the city and in the new districts: the forum, the curia, the capitolium, two temples, an amphitheatre, a nymphaeum, a theater and baths.

The impressive ruins of the municipal buildings are located in the heart of a dense network of private dwellings (many decorated with paintings and mosaics), commercial warehouses and industrial establishments of the 2nd and 3rd century. Christianity was in the city in the second half of the 3rd century(Tipaza later became a bishopric) and there are many Christian religious buildings. The huge 4th-century seven-aisled basilica, the central gangway of which was later divided, and a baptistry based on a circular plan, were intra muros in the west to the hill of Ras Knissia.

The enceinte was partly retained, a large christian cemetery stretches around a chapel and Bishop Alexander constructed as a resting place for his predecessor. In the east, the Basilica of St Peter and St Paul, and on the hill St Salsa in the graf and the church dedicated to the martyr, was the purpose of a pilgrimage which developed around another cemetery. The Vandal invasion of the 430s is not the final end of Tipaza's prosperity, but also all the city was not forget by the Byzantines in 534, was in a decline of the 6th century where he never recovered.

Timgad - (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Timgad - Algeria

Brief Report

Timgad lies on the northern slopes of the Aurès mountains and was created ex nihilo as a military colony by the Emperor Trajan in AD 100. With its square enclosure and orthogonal design based on the cardo and decumanus, the two perpendicular routes running through the city, it is an excellent example of Roman town planning.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Brief synthesis

Timgad, located north of the massif of the Aurès in a mountainous area of great beauty, 480 km south-east of Algiers and 110 km south of Constantine, a perfect example of a Roman military colony created ex nihilo.  By the middle of the 2nd century, the rapid growth of the city had tore the narrow limits of the original foundation. Timgad disseminated outside the limits of the ramparts and some important public buildings are built in the new districts: Capitolium, temples, markets and baths. Most of these buildings date from the Severan period, when the city enjoyed its Golden Age, moreover, supported by huge private residences.

A strong and prosperous colony, Timgad should have served as a compelling image of the splendour of Rome on Numidian soil. Buildings, constructed entirely of stone, often were restored in the course of the Empire: the Trajan's Arch in the middle of the 2nd century, the eastern gate in 146, and the Western port under Marcus-Aurelius . The streets were paved with large rectangular limestone plates and, as attested by the 14 baths, which can still be seen today, particular attention was paid to the allocation of public toilets. The houses of various sizes, blinded by their beautiful mosaics, which were intended to compensate for the absence of precious marble. During the Christian period, Timgad was known bishopric. After the Vandal invasion of 430, Timgad was destroyed at the end of the 5th century by the Aurès Montagnards.  The Byzantine reconquest revived some activities in the city, defended by a fort built on the south, 539, reuse blocks removed from the Roman monuments. The Arab invasion have led to the final collapse of Thamugadi which no longer be occupied after the 8th century.

Wide Report

Timgad, which is located on the northern slopes of the Aurès mountains in an area of great natural beauty and is a perfect example of a Roman military colony created ex nihilo by Emperor Trajan in AD 100 under the name Thamugadi. With its square enclosure and orthogonal design based on the cardo and decumanus, the two perpendicular routes through the city, it is an excellent example of Roman town planning at its height, while it would have served as a compelling image of the splendour of Rome on Numidian soil.

Registered in a square enceinte was partly retained measure 355 m on each side, the layout of Timgad is based on an accurate orthogonal grid, from the decumanus, of which the shaft of the military road of Theveste to Lambesis, and the north-south axis of the cardo. The result is a network of insulae of normal proportions, which is interrupted only in the south to create space for large public buildings: the forum and its annexs (basilica and curia), temples, a theater with a capacity of 3500, a market and baths. In the north-eastern sector, there are other baths and a public library, that corresponds to the network of insulae, open in the cardo.

By halfway through the 2nd century, the rapid growth of the city could no longer be blocked by the narrow limits of the original foundation. Timgad disseminated outside the limits of the red light district, and some of the important public buildings were built in the new districts to the west and to the south, such as the capitolium, temples, markets and baths. Most of these buildings date from the Severan period, when the city enjoyed its 'golden age', which is supported by huge private residential buildings, such as the House of Sertius or the House of hermaphrodite. During the early Empire, the buildings are often restored, the streets were paved with large rectangular plates of limestone, and special attention was paid to the disposal of public toilets. The houses sparkled under their decor of beautiful mosaics, which were intended to compensate for the absence of precious marble.

During the Christian period, Timgad was a bishopric known at the end of the 4th century, when Bishop Optat was the spokesman of the Donatist heresy. After the Vandal invasion of 430, Timgad was destroyed by author knowing of the Aurès mountains at the end of the 5th century.  

M;Zab Valley Site- (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Brief Report

A traditional human habitat, founded in the 10th century by the Ibadites around their five ksour (fortified cities), is preserved in the M'Zab valley. Simple, functional and perfectly adapted to the environment, the architecture of the M'Zab is designed for the living room, taking account of the structure of the family. It is a source of inspiration for the current urban planners.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Located on a 600 km south of Algiers, in the heart of the Sahara desert, the five ksour (reinforced villages) of the M'Zab valley are a very homogeneous ensemble formation, in the desert, the mark of a sedentary and urban civilisation possess a original culture which, through its own merit, preserved its cohesion through the centuries.  Consists of ksour and palm groves of El-Atteuf , Bounoura, Melika, Ghardaïa and Beni-Isguen (founded between 1012 and 1350), the M'Zab valley logement has virtually the same way of life and the same building techniques since the 11th century, ordered by a specific social and cultural context. And by the need to adapt to a hostile environment, the choice of responded to a historical necessity for withdrawal and a defensive necessary. Each of these miniature citadels, surrounded by walls, is dominated by a mosque, the minaret of which acts as watchtower.  The mosque is designed as a fortress, the last bastion of resistance in the event of a siege, and consists of a arsenal and a grain store. Around this building, which is essential for life, houses have been built in concentric circles in the red light district. Each house a cubic cell of standard type, illustrates an egalitarian society based on respect for the family structure, aimed at the conservation of the intimacy and autonomy. At the beginning of the first millennium, the Ibadis created in the M'Zab, with local materials, a common architecture, with its perfect adaptation to the environment and the simplicity of the forms, an example and a influence for contemporary architecture and urban development.

Wide Report 

The M'Zab valley, located in the Sahara, 600 km south of Algiers, is the site of a unique group in a limited area. Traces of very early settlement are to be found on the plateau and rocky slopes bordering the valley, was plagued by rare and devastating floods of the wadi. However, systematic depopulation of the countryside and the adaptation of a striking original architecture to a semi-desert site dating from the beginning of the 11th century and are the result of a group of people who by clearly religious, social and moral ideals. The Ibadis, whose doctrine in many ways reached the intransigent purism of Khridjism, governed a part of the Maghreb during the 10th century. They founded a state whose capital, Tahert, was destroyed by fire in 909; they then asked other territorial basis, first by Sedrata and finally in the M'Zab. The site bears witness, in a very special way, for Al Ibadi culture peaked.

The main reason for the choice of this valley, which until then only sporadically inhabited by nomadic groups, was the defensive possibilities offered a community which was concerned with its own security and massive commitment to the preservation of its identity, even at the expense of themselves. The occupation of the land and the organization of the space were based on very strict principles and their accuracy and their details, was exemplary nature. A group of five ksour (ksar: fortified village) - El Atteuf, Bou Noura, Beni Isguen, Melika and Ghardia - located on rocky foothills housed a sedentary and mainly urban population. Each of these miniature citadels, surrounded by walls, is dominated by a mosque, minaret functioned as watchtower.  The three unchangeable elements - ksar, cemetery, palm garden with its summer citadel - are found in all five villages. They serve to illustrate an example of a traditional human settlement, which is representative of a culture that has continued in the 20th century. The mosque, with its arsenal and grain stores, is designed as a fortress, the last bastion of resistance to a siege. Around this building, which is essential for life, houses have been built in concentric circles on the walls. Each house, a cubic cell of standard type, illustrates an egalitarian ideal, while in the cemetery only the tomb of sages and the small mosques are distinguished. The pattern of life in the M'Zab valley a seasonal migration. Every summer the population moved to palm groves, where the 'Summer' cities were marked by a looser organization, the strong defensive nature of the houses, the presence of watchtowers and a mosque without minaret, are similar to those of the cemeteries.  The settlement of the M'Zab valley has exerted considerable influence on architects and urban planners of the 20th century, Le Corbusier, is 'Pouillon' is added

Kasbah of Algiers - (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Brief Report

The Kasbah is a unique type of medina, or islamic city. It is located in one of the most beautiful coastal areas in the Mediterranean Sea, with views of the islands where a Carthaginian trading-post was founded in the 4th century BC. There are the remains of the citadel, the old mosques and Ottoman palaces, as well as the remains of a traditional urban structure associated with a deep sense of community.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Brief synthesis

The Kasbah of Algiers is an excellent example of a historic city Maghreb has enormous influence on the urban planning in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea and in Africa south of the Sahara. Indeed, located on the Mediterranean sea, the site was inhabited in any case from the 6th century BC when the Phoenician trading post was established. The term Kasbah, that originally designated the highest point of the medina during the Zirid era, now applies to the ensemble of the old center of El Djazair, within the limits indicated by the ramparts and built at the end of the 16th century, which dates back to the Ottoman period.

In this environment where nearly 50,000 people live, very interesting traditional houses, palaces, hammams, mosques and various souks are still preserved, the urban form of which is a reflection of a effect of stratification of different styles in a complex and original system that adapted remarkably well on a very hilly and rough terrain.

Wide Report

The Kasbah of Algiers is a unique form of medina, or islamic city. As such, it is an excellent example of a historic Maghreb city with specific characteristics related to the natural location and history of the city, despite the devastation caused by poor preservation of the old urban fabric. The Kasbah jam very interesting traditional Arab Mediterranean houses in which the ancestral Arab lifestyle and Muslim customs has mixed with other architectural traditions. It is located in one of the most beautiful coastal areas in the Mediterranean Sea, with views of the islands where a Carthaginian trading-post was founded in the 4th century BC. The Kasbah with the remains of the citadel, the old mosques and Ottoman palaces as well as the remnants of a traditional urban structure associated with a deep sense of community.

The history of Algiers is even more complex and turbulent than that of the entire country. Located on the seafront, the site was inhabited by at least the 6th century BC, when the Phoenician trading post was established. Carthaginians, various Berber tribes, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs (from the 7th century) took turns coveting and ultimately the city. Spain the expansionist policy was also Algeria and benefited from weakness under local powers by rivalry between the smaller countries of the Maghreb which emerged from the Berber invasions. A Turk corsair, Khair Razi-al-Din founded his capital in Algiers (1516) and has a large part of the modern Algerian coast depending on the Ottoman Sultan. The central authority in Istanbul intervened relatively little in management of the region and the Bey declared as master in the city where the military power and forces large economic prosperity.

The construction of the city began in 1516 and lasted until the 17th century. Although the administrative and military organization implied the presence of many Turks, Algiers was not an Ottoman city. The city combined with the science of the Turkish military architecture with mediterranean architectural tradition. The flourishing condition of the trade is expressed in terms of the extreme wealth of the establishment of houses in Algiers. The unique nature reserve is the reason for the winding streets, true meanders which are characteristic of the old city.

The European misunderstanding of the Arab life on one hand, and, on the other hand, settlers' desire for their own practices and architectural and urban aesthetics combined to severe destruction. Fortunately, a part of the city was saved. In the 1920s, real interest showed in the safeguarding of the old city. However, the Algerian authorities ordered the first studies to protect the Algiers Kasbah only in the early 1970s. At that time, it was classified as a historic location and a comprehensive restoration plan was established for the old town.  A very intelligent redevelopment plan is to introduce in the Kasbah, modern comfort without disturbance of the traditional urban planning and architecture, and restore the Kasbah's original functions: residential, commercial and cultural circles.

Djémila - (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Brief Report

The location 900 m above the sea level, Djemila or Cuicul, with its forum, temples, basilicas, triumphant arches and houses, is an interesting example of Roman city planning adapted to a location in the mountains.

Wonderful Universal Importance

Brief synthesis

The site of Djemila is located 50 km northeast of the city Setif. Well known for its antique name Cuicul, Djemila is an establishment of a Roman colony founded during the reign of Nerva (96 - 98 A.D. ).  The Roman city occupied a singular defensive position. Cuicul is one of the flowers of the Roman architecture in North Africa. Remarkably adapted to the limitations of the mountainous terrain, on a rocky spur which spreads at a height of 900 m, between the wadi Guergour and the wadi Betame, two mountain torrents, the city has a private Senate and Forum. Around the beginning of the 3rd century, it expanded outside the ramparts with the creation of the Septimius Severus Temple, the Arc of Caracalla, the market and the civil basilica.  The website has also been marked by christianity in the form of various cult buildings: a cathedral, a church and the baptistry is regarded as one of the largest of the period can be reached by public transport. The site of Djemila includes an impressive collection of mosaic stone, illustrates mythological stories and scenes of everyday life.

Wide Report

Djemila bears eloquent exceptional testimony of the Roman civilisation, and is an excellent example, with its forum, temples, basilicas and triumphant arches, houses of an architectural ensemble representative of the Roman culture. It is also an interesting example of Roman city planning adapted to a location in the mountains. The Roman colony Cuicul was probably founded on the current location of Djemila, during the short reign of Nerva (AD 96-98). The early city, whose name is of Berber origin, is housed in a remarkable defensive position on a rocky spur which spreads at a height of 900 m, between two mountain streams, and Wadi Wadi Guergour Betame.

The classic formula of Roman urban design was adapted to the physical limitations of the site: at both ends of the cardo maximus, the backbone of the city, two gates. In the center is the forum, a closed square surrounded by buildings necessary for the good functioning of civil life: the capitolium in the north, the curia to the east, a civil basilica (Basilica Julia) in the west.  Aristocratic houses set with rich mosaics from which their modern names (the House of Amphitrite, the House of Europe, etc. ) Multiplied in the course of the 2nd century in this central area, where the Temple of Venus Genetrix and the macellum (covered market) are also located. This unimaginative defensive situation, enclosed by walls, could the development of the city.

In the middle 2nd century the city therefore extended to the south, where a new district, rich in both public buildings and private homes, was established. Here the Arc of Caracalla, the temple of the family of Severus, a new forum, a theater (already carried out under Antonine Wall Is Within Pius), and further on, baths built in the reign of Commodus.  Under the buildings of the classical period the Basilica Vestiaria (cloth) and a fountain that is a small replica of the Meta Sudans in Rome are remarkable. Christianity was implanted in the southern district of at an early stage. The remains of a group episcopal buildings are established: two basilicas, a baptistery, a chapel and a few houses, the residence of the bishop and the priest.  The Vandals were of Djemila only for a short time; the city was taken by the Byzantines in 553. Excavations began on the abandoned grounds, which is one of the world's most beautiful Roman ruins, until 1909.

Al Qal"a of Beni Hammad Site - (World Heritage Site in Algeria)

Brief Report

In a mountainous area of exceptional beauty, the ruins of the first capital of the Hammadid now, set up in 1007 and scrapped in 1152, an authentic image of a reinforced islamic city. The mosque, whose prayer room has 13 courses with eight bays, is one of the largest in Algeria.

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

The Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad is a remarkable archaeological site is located 36 km northeast of the city M'Sila. This ensemble of preserved ruins, at 1,000 m altitude, is located in a mountainous area of eye-catching beauty on the southern flank of Jabel Maâdid. The Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad was founded in the beginning of the 11th century by Hammad, son of Bologhine (founder of Algiers), and abandoned in 1090 under the threat of a Hilalian invasion. It is one of the most interesting and most precisely dated monumental complexes of the Islamic civilisation. It was the first capital of the Hammadid now enjoyed and much splendour. The Al Qal'a consists of, 7 km of partly dismantled fortress walls, a large number of monumental relics, including the great mosque and the minaret and a series of palaces. The mosque, with its prayer hall consists of 13 naves of 8 bays is the largest after that of Mansourah and the minaret is the oldest in Algeria after that Sidi Boumerouane. The ruins of the Al Qal'a witnesses of the great refinement of the Hammad civilisation, an original architecture and the beautiful culture of North Africa. 

Wide Report

The ensemble of preserved ruins known as Al Qal'ah of Beni Hammad is located on the southern flank of the Jebel Maâdid in a mountainous area of outstanding beauty. The bears special witness of a cultural tradition: it is one of the most interesting and most precisely dated monumental complexes of the Islamic civilisation, and gives an authentic picture of a Muslim city.

In a mountainous terrain at 1,000 m above sea level, on the southern flank of the Jebel Maâdid, you will find the ruins of the first capital of the Hammadid now, founded in 1007 by Hammad, son of Bologhine, the founder of Algiers. The city was abandoned in 1090 when he was threatened by a Hilalian invasion, and finally destroyed in 1152 by the Almohads. He enjoyed great splendour during the 11th century. The Al Qal'a comprises a large number of monumental relics, including the Great Mosque and the minaret, as well as a number of palaces, including the Kanar, Greeting and more palaces. 

The mosque, with the prayer room of 13 courses with eight bays, is one of the largest in Algeria after Mansura. The minaret, 25 meters high, is the prototype of the three-tiered minaret composition can be seen in particular in the Giralda in Seville. The impressive ruins testify to the great refinement of the Hammadid civilisation. The Castle of the beacon, located on a huge rock which remains dominated by the surrounding area, was inspired by the classification of eastern palaces. The palace of the Hammadid now is a complex consists of three houses separated by gardens, pavilions and cisterns. 

Excavations have brought to light the locations of other palaces, as well as a wealth of other material that is exhibited in the museums of Setif and Constantine and Algiers.