Tipaza

Tipaza

Tipaza is a small coastal town in northern Algeria, at the foot of Mount Chenoua. This port town was chosen as the ideal location by Phoenicians travelling to the Pillars of Hercules. The remains from the period testify to its historical importance. There is little information or writing on the history of Tipaza. It has recently been claimed that Tipaza was founded by the Carthaginians around the 5th century BC. The city flourished during the reign of the Numidian king Juba II and became one of the centres of Greco-Roman culture in North Africa. The city later became an extension of Caesarea. In the 1st century AD, during the reign of Claudius, the city became a Latin colony, and then a Roman colony in the 2nd century AD. Tipaza was also the centre of Christianity in Africa. Religious monuments, basilicas and inscriptions testify to the Christian influence once exercised in Tipaza and nearby African cities. The present town was founded in 1857. It is home to beautiful beaches and ancient historical ruins. The museum's collection is rich in artefacts from antiquity, and includes fragments of Punic stela cult of Tanit and Roman statues.