Tipasa Tipaza | |
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  Tipasa Location in Algeria | |
| Coordinates:36°35′31″N2°26′58″E / 36.59194°N 2.44944°E /36.59194; 2.44944 | |
| Official name | Tipasa |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii, iv |
| Designated | 1982(6thsession) |
| Reference no. | 193 |
| Region | Arab States |
| Endangered | 2002–2006 |
Tipasa, sometimes distinguished asTipasa in Mauretania, was acolonia in theRoman provinceMauretania Caesariensis, nowadays calledTipaza, and located in coastal centralAlgeria. Since 1982,[1] it has been declared by UNESCO aWorld Heritage Site. It was declared aWorld Heritage Site in danger in 2002,[2] but was removed from the danger list in 2006[3] following conservation efforts.
Initially the city was a small ancientPunic trading-post.
Conquered byAncient Rome, it was turned into a militarycolony by theemperorClaudius for the conquest of the kingdoms ofMauretania.[4] Afterwards it became amunicipium calledColonia Aelia Augusta Tipasensium.[5]
The Roman city was built on three small hills which overlooked the sea, nearly 20 km. east fromCaesarea (capital ofMauretania Caesariensis).[6] Under Roman rule the city acquired greater commercial and military importance because of its harbour and its central position on the system of Roman coastal roads in North Africa. A wall of approximately 7,500 feet (2,300 metres) was built around the city for defense against nomadic tribes, and Roman public buildings and districts of houses were constructed within the enclosure.[7]
Commercially Tipasa was of considerable importance, but it was not distinguished in art or learning.[8]
Christianity was introduced to Tipasa early,[8] with the first Christian inscription there (and the oldest Christian epitaph in Roman Africa) dating to October 17, 237 AD,[9] or 238.[7] The city became an important Christian centre in the 3rd century.,[7] becoming anepiscopal see,[6] now inscribed in theCatholic Church's list oftitular sees.[8] It saw the construction of numerous Christian religious buildings in the later third and fourth centuries,[7] including three churches — the Great Basilica and the Basilica Alexander on the western hill, and the Basilica of St Salsa on the eastern hill, the biggest basilicas within the modern limits of Algeria.[9][6]
Most of the inhabitants, however, continued to be non-Christian until, according to legend, Salsa, a Christian maiden, threw the head of their serpent idol into the sea, whereupon the enraged populace stoned her to death. The body, miraculously recovered from the sea, was buried, on the hill above the harbour, in a small chapel which gave place subsequently to the stately basilica. Salsa'smartyrdom took place in the fourth century. According to the historian Gsell, Tipasa reached a population of 20,000 inhabitants around that time.[5] Christianity now became general among the Romanised Berbers and Roman colonists of Tipasa.[9]
About 372 Tipasa withstood an assault byFirmus, the leader of a Berber rebellion that had overrun the nearby cities of Caesarea (modern Cherchell) and Icosium (modern Algiers). Tipasa then served as the base for the Roman counter-campaign.[7] However, its fortifications did not prevent the city from being conquered by the Vandals about 429, bringing to an end the prosperity that the city had enjoyed during the Roman period.[7] The conquerors partially destroyed the city in 430.
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In 484, during the persecution of the Catholic church by theVandal kingHuneric (477‑484), the Catholic bishop of Tipasa was expelled and replaced with anArian bishop, whereupon many of the inhabitants of the city fled toSpain. Many of the remainder were cruelly persecuted.[7][6][10] In the ensuing decades the city fell into ruin.[7] About 530, Tipasa was rebuilt by theByzantines, and during their occupation in the 6th century revived for a brief time.[11]
At the end of the seventh century the city was destroyed by theArabs and reduced to ruins.[12] The newcomers gave it the nameTefassed, which translated from theArabic language meansbadly damaged[clarification needed].[11]
In 1857, the area was settled again with the creation of the city ofTipaza that now has nearly 30,000 inhabitants. The town and its surroundings is home to the largest Berber-speaking group of western Algeria, theChenoua people.
The ruins of the old city also remain. Of the houses, most of which stood on the central hill, no traces remain; 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 ramparts can be distinctly traced and at the foot of the eastern hill the remains of the ancient harbour.[6]
The basilicas are surrounded by cemeteries, which are full of coffins, all of stone and covered withmosaics. The basilica of St. Salsa, which has been excavated by Stéphane Gsell, consists of a nave and two aisles, and still contains a mosaic. The Great Basilica served for centuries as a quarry, but it is still possible to make out the plan of the building, which was divided into seven aisles. Under the foundations of the church are tombs hewn out of the solid rock. Of these one is circular, with a diameter of 18 m and space for 24 coffins.[6]
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Inside the Roman ruins, facing the sea and Mount Chenoua, a stele was erected in 1961 in honor ofAlbert Camus with this phrase in French, extracted from his workNoces à Tipasa: “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. »).[13]
As a coastal heritage site, Tipasa is vulnerable tosea level rise. In 2022, theIPCC Sixth Assessment Report included it in the list of African cultural sites which would be threatened byflooding andcoastal erosion by the end of the century.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Tipasa (1)".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 1003.
Romano-Berber cities in Roman North Africa | ||
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Sorted by contemporary national borders | ||
| Morocco | %2c_Algeria_04966r.jpg) | |
| Algeria |
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| Tunisia | ||
| Egypt | ||
| Spain | ||
| Kingdoms and provinces | ||
| Related articles | ||
1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites2 Proposed | ||
Capital:Tipaza | ||
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