Tipaza

Tipaza (formerly Tefessedt, Chenoua-Berber: Bazar, ⴱⴰⵣⴰⵔ, Arabic: تيپازة‎) is the capital of the Tipaza Province, Algeria. When it was part of the Roman Empire, it was called Tipasa. The modern town was founded in 1857, and is chiefly remarkable for its ancient ruins and sandy littoral.

Tipaza Bazar / ⴱⴰⵣⴰⵔ (Roman Tipasa)
Tipaza Location in Algeria
Coordinates: 36°35′31″N 2°26′58″E
Country	Algeria
Province	Tipaza
District	Tipaza
Population  (2008)
• Total	25,225
Climate	Csa
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Tipasa
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Designated	1982 (6th session)
Reference no.	193
State Party	Algeria
Region	Arab States
Endangered	2002–2006

Tipaza Lighthouse

Tipaza Lighthouse and the promontory
Algeria
Location	Tipaza Algeria
Coordinates	36°35′49.66″N 2°26′51.62″E
Year first constructed	1867[1]
Foundation	masonry base
Construction	masonry tower
Tower shape	quadrangular tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern	white tower, dark green lantern
Tower height	13.58 metres (44.6 ft)[1]
Focal height	34.08 metres (111.8 ft)[1]
Light source	main power
Range	18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi)[1]
Characteristic	Oc W 4s.[2]
Admiralty number	E6630
NGA number	22444
ARLHS number	ALG-053[3]
Managing agent	Office Nationale de Signalisation Maritime

History

Ancient history

Tipasa, as the city was then called, was an old Punic trading-post conquered by Ancient Rome. It was subsequently turned into a military colony by the emperor Claudius for the conquest of the kingdoms of Mauretania.[4]

Afterwards it became a municipium called Colonia Aelia Tipasensis, that reached the population of 20,000 inhabitants in the fourth century according to Stéphane Gsell.

The city served as an important Christian hub during the last centuries of Roman governorship, with three basilicas.

Tipasa was destroyed by the Vandals in 430 CE, but was reconstructed by the Byzantines one century later. At the end of the seventh century the city was demolished by Umayyad forces and reduced to ruins.[5]

In the nineteenth century the place was settled again. Now it is a town of nearly 30,000 inhabitants. The city is an important tourist place in modern Algeria, mainly because of the Tipasa ruins.

Modern era

Near Tipaza, the Tipaza longwave transmitter broadcasts French language Channel 3 radio programs from the Algerian Broadcasting Company. The longwave frequency 252 kHz can be well received in many parts of Europe.

The town and its surroundings is home to the largest Berber-speaking group of western Algeria, the Chenoua people.

The Tipaza station in 252 kHz had previously been out of service since March 17, 2014, but is broadcasting again at 252 kHz.[6]

Gallery

• 
  Ruins of Roman Tipasa
• 
  Basilica of St. Crispinus
• 
  Mausolée royal de Maurétanie
• 
  The Anonymous Temple
• 
  The New Temple
• 
  Villa des Fresques
• 
  La Basilique Judiciaire

See also

• List of lighthouses in Algeria
• Tipasa
• Tipaza Province
• Algeria

References

1. "Tipaza". Office Nationale de Signalisation Maritime. Ministere des Travaux Publics. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
2. List of Lights, Pub. 113: The West Coasts of Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Azovskoye More (Sea of Azov) (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2015.
3. "Western Algeria". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
4. Unesco-page
5. Toutain, Jules (1891). "Fouilles de M. Gsell à Tipasa : Basilique de Sainte Salsa". Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire. 11 (1): 179–185. doi:10.3406/mefr.1891.6684.
6. see - tuned to 252khz, as of 2015 Sept. 22

External links

• Tipasa Museum
• Site of Unesco