In total, Africa has 46 cultural heritage sites located in 26 countries. All of them belong to the periods of the most ancient, ancient and medieval history of Africa. In this regard, the most logical distribution of information about these objects according to the following four headings: 1) oldest era, 2) Ancient Egypt, 3) the era of antiquity in North Africa, 4) the era of the Middle Ages. In some cases, especially when characterizing the Middle Ages, it is advisable to use a sub-regional approach to presentation, reflecting primarily the differences between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Monuments of antiquity in North Africa
Ancient heritage North Africa
In the II millennium BC. NS. North Africa was inhabited by Libyan tribes living in a tribal system. At the end of the same millennium, the "peoples of the sea" appeared on its coast - first the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, who founded a number of their colonies here. Almost no material evidence has remained from those ancient times. However, the World Heritage Site includes the ruins of the Phoenician Carthage and Kerkuan and the Greek Cyrene.
In the II century. BC e., after the collapse of Carthage, all of North Africa, step by step, falls under the rule of Rome. Carthage and Numidius and Mauretania passed to it, and Cyrenaica joined in the east, in the place of which the overseas provinces of the empire were created. This is how Roman Africa arose, stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea for two thousand kilometers. It was one of the most prosperous regions of the Roman Empire, reaching its heyday in the 2nd century. n. NS. The Romans built roads, bridges, aqueducts, dams, reservoirs and aqueducts in North Africa and, naturally, their cities. Most of of them was either on the Mediterranean coast and specialized in maritime trade, or southern borders Roman possessions, which had to be protected from the raids of local tribes.
The ruins of Roman baths in Carthage survived for centuries
In total, there were several dozen such cities, and 11 of them, located on the territory of modern Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Libya, were included in the World Heritage List. Of course it comes about the ruins of these once flourishing cities, which is explained by the subsequent history of North Africa, which after the Romans was consistently ruled by the Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Ottoman Turks. But the greater the historical and cultural value represents what is left of these cities.
Monuments of Tunisia. The World Heritage List includes four monuments of Tunisia dating back to the Phoenician-Roman time. These are Carthage, Kerkuan, El Jem and Dugga (Tugga).
Ruins of Carthage. Back in 1100 BC. NS. The Phoenicians from the city of Tire on the shores of the Tunisian Gulf discovered by them founded the colony of Utica. In 825, another group of colonists from Tire founded another colony nearby, which received the name New town(Kartadasht) and went down in history under the name of Carthage. The very birth of Carthage is surrounded by many legends associated with the Tyrian princess Dido (Elissa), about which Virgil also narrates in his "Aeneid".
Initially, the city arose on the coastal hill of Beers, but then, as its size increased, it occupied the adjacent lands. Favorably located on the isthmus between the sea and the lake, it quickly turned into the largest slave-owning city-state in the Western Mediterranean, which conducted extensive trade on this sea and itself possessed many colonies on its shores. Ancient historians argued that during the heyday, the number of inhabitants in it reached 700 thousand people. Polybius, Strabo, Appian left descriptions of Carthage at that time.
However, three Punic (the Romans called the Carthaginians Punyans) wars with Rome undermined the power of Carthage. During the third of these wars in the years 149-146. BC NS. the Roman army of Scipio Africanus for three years besieged Carthage, and after its capture, by order of the Senate, destroyed the city to the ground. According to historical sources, it burned for sixteen days. Then, on the site of the destroyed city, a plow was made with a plow, sprinkled with salt, as a sign that this place was cursed and should never be reborn from now on.
It is difficult to expect that after all this, and even after more than two millennia, any tangible traces of ancient Carthage could be preserved. They remained either under a thick layer of later sediments, or under the buildings of the modern city of Tunisia. But nevertheless, the excavations that began here in late XIX c., exposed some of the ruins of true Carthage, primarily in the area of Bierce Hill and its old military harbor.
However, already under the Romans, Carthage experienced what is called the “second coming”. In 122 BC. NS. The Roman Senate, at the suggestion of the tribune of the people Gaius Gracchus, decided to restore Carthage, giving it a different name - Juno. Already under Emperor Augustus, a new Roman city actually arose on the ruins of the Punic city, which later became the administrative center of the province of Africa. Several more traces have survived from this city - these are the ruins of the baths of Emperor Antonin Pius, a large amphitheater, in the arena of which gladiators once fought, and now hosts international art festivals. A part of the 70-kilometer pipeline, which supplied the city with drinking water, also survived.
However, we can talk about the “third coming” of Carthage, which came after in 429 this city was taken by the vandals, who made it the capital of their kingdom. And even about his “fourth coming” - after in 553 he was again taken by storm by the Byzantine commander Belisarius and turned into the capital, this time of Byzantine Africa. It was only in 698 that Carthage was completely destroyed by the Arabs. They used the stone of the dismantled ancient buildings for the construction of the city of Tunisia, in the modern buildings of which the traces of Carthage are hardly distinguishable. Although one of its oldest quarters, Tophet, was considered sacred, since it was here that the sacrifice of young children to the god Baal took place over the centuries, has recently been partially restored in exact accordance with the original. Excavations in the suburbs of Tunisia continue.
El Jem amphitheater. On the site of modern El Jem, located between the cities of Sousse and Sfax, during the era of the Roman Empire there was the city of Tisdrus, which reached its heyday in the 3rd century. n. NS. Residential buildings with mosaics testify to that time, but first of all - a huge, well-preserved amphitheater, designed for 35 thousand spectators and was inferior in size only to the Roman Colosseum. Constructed of large blocks of pink tuff, it has a length of 150 m and a height of 36 m. Three tiers of arcades, a podium, an arena, and underground galleries are well preserved. Scientists believe that due to the onset of the crisis of the Roman Empire, the construction of this amphitheater was not completed.
Monuments of Algeria and Morocco. Worldwide cultural heritage includes three "dead" cities in Algeria. The most ancient of them is Tipasa, which existed in pre-Roman times, while Timgad and Dzhemila trace their ancestry back to the reign of Emperor Trajan. In Morocco, there is the Roman city of Volubilis, which is in many ways similar to them.
Archaeological sites of Tipasa. Tipasa, located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea west of the city of Algeria, was at first one of the first Phoenician colonies, then passed to Carthage, from it to Mauretania, and at the beginning of a new era began to belong to Rome.
From the Punic era, the remains of burials have been preserved here, from the Moorish era - a large royal mausoleum and fragments of the fortress walls. But the Roman era is especially richly represented here: the buildings of the city forum with the buildings of the curia, the capitol and the basilica, the main street - the cardo, the theater, the big and small baths, the amphitheater, residential buildings, the necropolis - were excavated. Remains of frescoes have been preserved in the ruins of rich Roman villas.
Destroyed by the Arabs in the 7th century, Tipasa was never reborn. Now its past can be judged only by the remaining ruins of the city and by the exhibits collected in the local museum.
Archaeological sites of Timgada. Timgad ( ancient name Tamugadi, Roman - Colony of Marcian Trajan) was founded in 100 BC. NS. under Emperor Trajan on the slope of the Ores mountain range to protect the southern borders of Roman Africa; its first inhabitants were veterans of one of the legions of the empire. Timgad reached its heyday in the II-III centuries. At the same time, its architectural appearance took shape.
Originally, the city occupied a rectangular, walled site measuring 330 x 360 m and was planned according to the usual model of a Roman military camp with intersecting main streets of the Cardo and Decuman, with a clear subdivision into six block-blocks, each of which included 24 insula houses, with triumphal arches at the entrances to the main thoroughfares, with a forum, a capitol, a theater, baths. The improvement of Timgad is evidenced by the fact that under its streets sewer pipes... The city had a large public library with a book depository and a reading room. Gradually, the building began to go beyond the fortress walls, behind which temples, markets, trade and craft quarters also appeared, and in the III century. these walls were demolished altogether.
At the end of the Roman Empire, the city of Timgad became an important center of Christianity. A whole complex of early Christian buildings appeared here, including a basilica and a baptistery. However, in the V century. Timgad was destroyed by the Berbers. In the VI century. the Byzantines, who built their fortress here, tried to restore it. But in the VII century. Timgad, finally destroyed by the Arab conquerors, was abandoned by the inhabitants. And what survived began to collapse under the influence of sand and wind.
Architectural structures of incredible beauty, mysterious ancient necropolises, vast reserves with many rare animals and plants, squares of historical cities and sights, the history of which still raises many questions. Where can you see all these unique objects? In Africa! On a continent that most tourists associate exclusively with the Sahara Desert and the sweltering heat. Literally in every African country there are amazing sights that deserve the attention of curious tourists. The continent is rich in incredibly beautiful natural reserves, many ancient cities have survived, and the pyramids of Giza are considered one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world. Anyone looking for an unforgettable African adventure should definitely visit the unique World Heritage Sites.
In the southeast of Algeria, among the lifeless landscapes of the Sahara, there is the unique Tassilin-Ajer plateau. The main value of this place is the petroglyphs, some of which date back to the 7th millennium BC. Currently, the plateau, which is about 500 meters long, is part of the large Tassilin-Ajer national reserve, total area which is more than 70,000 sq. meters. In addition to incredible archaeological sites, the plateau is also remarkable for its original geological formations.
For thousands of years, under the influence of the wind, incredibly beautiful and harmonious stone arches were formed from sandstone, and geologists also managed to establish that once upon a time turbulent rivers flowed through these places. Visitors to the attraction will have the opportunity to see more than 300 unique geological formations, look into hidden caves, and stroll through some of the world's most valuable archaeological areas.
In 1909, vivid rock paintings were discovered on the plateau, which depicted people, animals, and various scenes from life. They are another great confirmation that the once desert area was full of life. Here rivers flowed, along the banks of which there were fertile soils, herds of domestic animals grazed on spacious meadows. In total, more than 15,000 rock paintings were discovered on the plateau, some of them are about 8 thousand years old, and the latest drawings were made in the first centuries of our era. The Tassilin-Ajer Plateau is one of the world's largest accumulations of rock art, which makes it a landmark of world importance.
In the Benin city of Abomey, there is a unique historical complex - beautiful royal palaces, which are a reminder of the times of the reign of the Dahomey kings. In total, there are 12 palaces in the complex, with an interesting history of construction. cultural tradition... With each change of ruler, it was decided to build a new one next to the old palace, a large-scale complex was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.
Travelers who love to explore unusual sights should head to The Gambia. Here, in the Senegambia region, there are mysterious circles of megaliths, the purpose and history of the appearance of which scientists from all over the world have been arguing for hundreds of years. Scientists managed to find out that the mysterious rings were built in the period from the 8th to the 12th century, with a more thorough study of the area, they discovered burials of earlier periods.
Ghana has an amazing object that will surely appeal to fans of unusual architectural attractions. These are traditional Ashanti buildings located in the Asante area. The complex of 13 buildings is incredibly beautiful, it is the only reminder of the once powerful and prosperous state of Ashanti. The heyday of the state fell on the 18th century, and from the beginning of the 19th century, a series of destructive wars fell upon it.
The Theban necropolis is one of the most important sights of Egypt, here travelers can see the unique burials of the pharaohs, surviving memorial temples and other historical buildings, one way or another connected with the culture of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. Among the memorial temples, the most interesting temple of Queen Hatshupsut, located in the Deir el-Bahri region, is also interesting to visit the memorial temple of Ramses III.
Travelers who find the Theban necropolises not enough should visit the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis and get acquainted with its unique sights. The history of this once mighty city lasted more than 3,000 years and ended in the 5th century AD, today Memphis is a unique open-air museum. Not a single building has survived on the territory of the ancient city, for many years its entire territory has been in constant development of archaeologists.
In the center of the Sinai Peninsula, there is a unique religious landmark - the Monastery of St. Catherine. This monastery was founded in the 4th century and has been operating continuously for over one and a half thousand years; it is one of the oldest in the world. The monastery was built by order of the Emperor Justian, initially it was called the Monastery of the Transfiguration, and acquired its current name only in the 11th century. For many hundreds of years, the monastery has remained a traditional place Christian pilgrimage, the main artifact hidden within its walls is the relics of St. Catherine.
Perhaps the most unusual nature reserve in Africa is the Sanga Forest. It is so vast that it is located on the territory of three states at once - Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Congo. For this reason, Sanga Wildlife Sanctuary is often referred to as the Forest of the Three Nations. A significant part of the reserve is covered with evergreen rain forests, which are the place for not only tourist excursions, but also important scientific research.
Kenya is home to one of the world's most important natural attractions - Lake Turkana, which is also known by another name - Lake Rudolph. This lake is located in the Great Reef Valley, its depth is relatively shallow and averages about 30 meters. At the same time, the scale of the lake is quite impressive, its length is about 290 km, and its width is about 32 km, the total area of the reservoir is 6 405 square meters. meters.
In the Congo, nature lovers can visit the Okapi reserve, it is located in the northeastern part of the state, the area of the reserve is about 13.7 thousand square meters. km. The main value of the national reserve is the rare animals living on its territory, some species of which are on the verge of extinction. There are 13 species of monkeys alone in the reserve, forest elephants are also found in the park, and the main inhabitants of the park are okapi. In 2002, there were 94 objects, or 12.8% of their the total in the world. By the number of objects world heritage Tunisia (7), Algeria, Morocco, Egypt and Tanzania (6 each), Libya and DR Congo (5 each) are distinguished on the continent.
Cultural heritage sites in Africa 57.
It is advisable to distribute them over four eras.
The oldest era
Represented by four archaeological sites located in Ethiopia and Libya
Civilizations of Ancient Egypt
In the UNESCO List, it is reflected in three world famous historical and architectural monuments
1. The area of the city of Memphis, which was the capital of the country in the era of the Old Kingdom, with the surrounding necropolises. Its core is three "Great Pyramids" on the outskirts of Cairo Giza
2. Remains of the second capital of Egypt - the city of Thebes, which was the capital in the era of the Middle and New Kingdoms. This complex includes the temples of Karnak and Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs were buried.
3. Monuments of Nubia from Abu Simbel to Philae, dating back to the era of the New Kingdom. Most of them had to be moved to another location during the construction of the Aswan Dam. Actually, this was the beginning of the compilation of the List of World Heritage Sites.
Antique heritage of North Africa
Represented by objects located on the territory of all countries of this subregion. They can be subdivided into
Phoenician (Carthage and Kerkuan in Tunisia)
Ancient Greek (Cyrene in Libya)
Ancient Roman (ruins of cities in Algeria (Tipasa, Timgad, Dzhemila),
in Tunisia (Duga),
in Libya (Sabrata, Leptis Magna),
in Morocco (Volubilis)
The era of the middle ages and modern times
The objects of the cultural heritage of this era are the most numerous. Among them are objects
1) - Arab-Muslim culture in North Africa
The most famous are numerous Muslim monuments
Cairo in Egypt,
Tunisia and Kairouan in Tunisia,
Algeria and the Mzab oasis (Gardai) in Algeria,
Marrakesh and Fez in Morocco
2) - Christian monuments of Ethiopia - Axum, Gonder, Lalibela
In sub-Saharan Africa, two more groups of objects are distinguished:
1) One of them refers to West Africa and reflects
Cultural heritage of medieval civilizations of this part
continent (Timbuktu and Jenna in Mali),
Or the legacy of the colonial era with its slave trade (O. Gore in
Senegal, Elmina in Ghana)
2) Another group of objects belongs to Southeast Africa (Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Mozambique). The most famous of them is Great Zimbabwe.
Objects natural heritage in Africa 34.
This is mainly National parks and reserves. The most famous -
Serengeti, Ngoro Ngoro and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
Rwenzori in Uganda
Mountain Kenya in Kenya
Virunga, Garamba and Okapi in DR Congo
Nikono Koba in Senegal
Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa.
Objects cultural and natural heritage is in Algeria,
The most famous of them is the Algerian Tassilin-Ajer with
rock paintings of the ancient inhabitants of the Sahara
One of the two largest layers of the cultural heritage of North Africa are the cities of the ancient era, preserved in ruins. The remains of the city of Cyrene (Libya), founded by Dorian colonists from the island of Fera (Thira or Santorini) in the 7th century, belong to the monuments of Greco-Hellenic culture. BC. During the Hellenistic period, the city was ruled by the Ptolemies. In the center of the large-scale ruins of Cyrene, an altar, three rows of columns of the Temple of Apollo, statues of Aphrodite and Apollo, an amphitheater that rises directly above the cliff are partially preserved. Cyrene is located almost strictly to the south of, and it is no coincidence that this part of Africa was colonized by the Greeks, having received the name Libya from them.
In the western part of the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians, who came from the eastern coast of the main sea of the ancient era, founded their colonies. The Romans called the inhabitants of these colonies Punami. Monuments of the Phoenician-Punic culture can be seen in the archaeological reserves-cities of Carthage, Dugga, Kerkuan, Sousse and Sabrata.
(), founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century. BC, became the capital of a powerful state, a real rival of pre-imperial Rome. True, from the Punic period of Carthage, only the ruins of port and city structures, as well as the Tophet Hill ("altar"), remained. In the city of Dugga (Tunisia), which also served as the capital of the Libyan-Punic state, the mausoleums of the Punic period have been preserved. The remains of the Punic mausoleum also remind of the first inhabitants of the city-museum of Sabrat (Libya).
Phoenician-Punic tombs are preserved in the vicinity of the city Sousse(Tunisia), which was founded in the IX century. BC. Phoenicians and was named by them Gadrumet. The city reached its heyday during the existence of the Carthaginian state. In terms of wealth, he was second only to Carthage itself. During the third Punic War, Sousse was the headquarters of the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal, who was trying to repel the Roman legions that had landed in North Africa.
Much better preserved are the ruins of the Punic city (Tunisia), which was abandoned by the inhabitants during the first Punic war (mid-3rd century BC) and was not rebuilt by the ancient Romans. The city had a single building plan and was surrounded by a wall. The comfortable mansions in Kerkuan had bathtubs, tiled floors, and gutters to drain rainwater from rooftops. In the city there were pottery workshops, manufactories for the production of purple and glass. There were at least four necropolises outside the city walls.
As a result of the Punic wars, the Romans seized the possessions of the Carthaginian state and built here the military fortress cities of Volubilis, Dzhemila, Timgad and Leptis Magna. Volubilis () from the 1st century. was an outpost of the Roman Empire in northwest Africa. The city flourished in the 5th century, when copper and olive oil were mined here. In all the big cities of the empire, following the example of Rome, forums, triumphal arches, theaters, amphitheaters, and baths were built. Residential buildings were equipped with great comfort, were decorated with paintings and mosaics.
(Algeria) has the best preserved Roman ruins in northern Africa. Moreover, Roman city planners adapted the local architecture to the conditions of the mountainous terrain. Ancient buildings seem to "climb" the mountains, while maintaining their architectural merits. It is no coincidence that Dzhemila means "beautiful" in translation.
(Algeria) was founded in 100 by Emperor Trajan to fight the Berbers at a great distance from the Mediterranean Sea. The well-preserved triumphal arch is named in honor of Trajan. The city received a regular layout of a Roman camp with a rectangular grid of streets, becoming an excellent example of Roman urban planning. Main temple Timgada is dedicated to Jupiter and has the same proportions as the Roman Pantheon.
The Roman (Libya) is also perfectly preserved, which flourished in the 1st-3rd centuries. AD At this time, the city was the dazzling capital of the Roman Empire in Africa, shaking visitors with its grandeur. In the middle of the II century. here was born the future Roman emperor Septimius Severus, as reminiscent of the massive triumphal arch. The architectural masterpieces of Leptis Magna include: the Forum of Septimius Severus, the Baths of Hadrian, the Market Square and the theater. The baths are connected to the Mediterranean bay by a graceful, colonnaded street. In the vicinity of the city there is an amphitheater and a hippodrome.
The cities of Dugga, Sabrata and Cyrene, founded earlier, reached their heyday under the Romans. The Romans rebuilt their destroyed Carthage, giving it a typical Roman appearance. In Roman times, (Tunisia) was formed, which included the Capitol, the Arch of Septimius Severus, a forum with a temple, the sanctuary of Juno Celeste, a theater, etc. Most of the monuments of the city of Sabrata (Libya) also belong to the Roman period: two forums, the Temple of Jupiter, terms, an aqueduct and a theater with a capacity of 5 thousand spectators.
It was built in Roman times amphitheater in El Jem e (Tunisia). This amphitheater is the largest in northern Africa and is often compared to the Roman amphitheater. During performances, the amphitheater could accommodate up to 37 thousand spectators. And it was built in the 3rd century. proconsul of the Roman province of Africa, who later proclaimed himself emperor, and Africa - independent from Rome.
Most of the ancient cities were destroyed and abandoned during the Arab conquest of North Africa. However, this is what allowed them to stand in a preserved form to this day. Monuments of the early Christian and Byzantine periods are not so much represented, but they can also be seen in the cities of Tipasa, Timgad, Carthage, Sousse and Sabrata. Among the early Christian cities is Tipasa (Algeria), founded on three hills by the Phoenicians as a trading settlement on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The population of Tipasa adopted Christianity already in the 3rd century, and several early Christian basilicas have survived in the city.
I would be grateful if you share this article on social networks:
In total, Africa has 46 cultural heritage sites located in 26 countries. All of them belong to the periods of the most ancient, ancient and medieval history of Africa. In this regard, the most logical is the distribution of information about these objects according to the following four headings: 1) the most ancient era, 2) Ancient Egypt, 3) the era of antiquity in North Africa, 4) the era of the Middle Ages. In some cases, especially when characterizing the Middle Ages, it is advisable to use a sub-regional approach to presentation, reflecting primarily the differences between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Monuments of antiquity in North Africa
Antique heritage of North Africa
In the II millennium BC. NS. North Africa was inhabited by Libyan tribes living in a tribal system. At the end of the same millennium, the "peoples of the sea" appeared on its coast - first the Phoenicians, then the Greeks, who founded a number of their colonies here. Almost no material evidence has remained from those ancient times. However, the World Heritage Site includes the ruins of the Phoenician Carthage and Kerkuan and the Greek Cyrene.
In the II century. BC e., after the collapse of Carthage, all of North Africa, step by step, falls under the rule of Rome. Carthage and Numidius and Mauretania passed to it, and Cyrenaica joined in the east, in the place of which the overseas provinces of the empire were created. This is how Roman Africa arose, stretching from the Atlantic to the Red Sea for two thousand kilometers. It was one of the most prosperous regions of the Roman Empire, reaching its heyday in the 2nd century. n. NS. The Romans built roads, bridges, aqueducts, dams, reservoirs and aqueducts in North Africa and, naturally, their cities. Most of them were located either on the Mediterranean coast and specialized in maritime trade, or on the southern borders of the Roman possessions, which needed to be protected from the raids of local tribes.
The ruins of Roman baths in Carthage survived for centuries
In total, there were several dozen such cities, and 11 of them, located on the territory of modern Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Libya, were included in the World Heritage List. Of course, we are talking about the ruins of these once flourishing cities, which is explained by the subsequent history of North Africa, which after the Romans was consistently ruled by the Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Ottoman Turks. But what is left of these cities all the more of a historical and cultural value.
Monuments of Tunisia. The World Heritage List includes four monuments of Tunisia dating back to the Phoenician-Roman time. These are Carthage, Kerkuan, El Jem and Dugga (Tugga).
Ruins of Carthage. Back in 1100 BC. NS. The Phoenicians from the city of Tire on the shores of the Tunisian Gulf discovered by them founded the colony of Utica. In 825, another group of colonists from Tire founded another colony nearby, which was named the New City (Kartadasht) and went down in history under the name of Carthage. The very birth of Carthage is surrounded by many legends associated with the Tyrian princess Dido (Elissa), about which Virgil also narrates in his "Aeneid".
Initially, the city arose on the coastal hill of Beers, but then, as its size increased, it occupied the adjacent lands. Favorably located on the isthmus between the sea and the lake, it quickly turned into the largest slave-owning city-state in the Western Mediterranean, which conducted extensive trade on this sea and itself possessed many colonies on its shores. Ancient historians argued that during the heyday, the number of inhabitants in it reached 700 thousand people. Polybius, Strabo, Appian left descriptions of Carthage at that time.
However, three Punic (the Romans called the Carthaginians Punyans) wars with Rome undermined the power of Carthage. During the third of these wars in the years 149-146. BC NS. the Roman army of Scipio Africanus for three years besieged Carthage, and after its capture, by order of the Senate, destroyed the city to the ground. According to historical sources, it burned for sixteen days. Then, on the site of the destroyed city, a plow was made with a plow, sprinkled with salt, as a sign that this place was cursed and should never be reborn from now on.
It is difficult to expect that after all this, and even after more than two millennia, any tangible traces of ancient Carthage could be preserved. They remained either under a thick layer of later sediments, or under the buildings of the modern city of Tunisia. Nevertheless, excavations that began here at the end of the 19th century have uncovered some of the ruins of genuine Carthage, primarily in the area of Bierce Hill and its old military harbor.
However, already under the Romans, Carthage experienced what is called the “second coming”. In 122 BC. NS. The Roman Senate, at the suggestion of the tribune of the people Gaius Gracchus, decided to restore Carthage, giving it a different name - Juno. Already under Emperor Augustus, a new Roman city actually arose on the ruins of the Punic city, which later became the administrative center of the province of Africa. Several more traces have survived from this city - these are the ruins of the baths of Emperor Antonin Pius, a large amphitheater, in the arena of which gladiators once fought, and now hosts international art festivals. A part of the 70-kilometer pipeline, which supplied the city with drinking water, also survived.
However, we can talk about the “third coming” of Carthage, which came after in 429 this city was taken by the vandals, who made it the capital of their kingdom. And even about his “fourth coming” - after in 553 he was again taken by storm by the Byzantine commander Belisarius and turned into the capital, this time of Byzantine Africa. It was only in 698 that Carthage was completely destroyed by the Arabs. They used the stone of the dismantled ancient buildings for the construction of the city of Tunisia, in the modern buildings of which the traces of Carthage are hardly distinguishable. Although one of its oldest quarters, Tophet, was considered sacred, since it was here that the sacrifice of young children to the god Baal took place over the centuries, has recently been partially restored in exact accordance with the original. Excavations in the suburbs of Tunisia continue.
El Jem amphitheater. On the site of modern El Jem, located between the cities of Sousse and Sfax, during the era of the Roman Empire there was the city of Tisdrus, which reached its heyday in the 3rd century. n. NS. Residential buildings with mosaics testify to that time, but first of all - a huge, well-preserved amphitheater, designed for 35 thousand spectators and was inferior in size only to the Roman Colosseum. Constructed of large blocks of pink tuff, it has a length of 150 m and a height of 36 m. Three tiers of arcades, a podium, an arena, and underground galleries are well preserved. Scientists believe that due to the onset of the crisis of the Roman Empire, the construction of this amphitheater was not completed.
Monuments of Algeria and Morocco. The world cultural heritage includes three “dead” cities in Algeria. The most ancient of them is Tipasa, which existed in pre-Roman times, while Timgad and Dzhemila trace their ancestry back to the reign of Emperor Trajan. In Morocco, there is the Roman city of Volubilis, which is in many ways similar to them.
Archaeological sites of Tipasa. Tipasa, located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea west of the city of Algeria, was at first one of the first Phoenician colonies, then passed to Carthage, from it to Mauretania, and at the beginning of a new era began to belong to Rome.
From the Punic era, the remains of burials have been preserved here, from the Moorish era - a large royal mausoleum and fragments of the fortress walls. But the Roman era is especially richly represented here: the buildings of the city forum with the buildings of the curia, the capitol and the basilica, the main street - the cardo, the theater, the big and small baths, the amphitheater, residential buildings, the necropolis - were excavated. Remains of frescoes have been preserved in the ruins of rich Roman villas.
Destroyed by the Arabs in the 7th century, Tipasa was never reborn. Now its past can be judged only by the remaining ruins of the city and by the exhibits collected in the local museum.
Archaeological sites of Timgada. Timgad (ancient name Tamugadi, Roman - Colony of Marcian Trajan) was founded in 100 BC. NS. under Emperor Trajan on the slope of the Ores mountain range to protect the southern borders of Roman Africa; its first inhabitants were veterans of one of the legions of the empire. Timgad reached its heyday in the II-III centuries. At the same time, its architectural appearance took shape.
Originally, the city occupied a rectangular, walled site measuring 330 x 360 m and was planned according to the usual model of a Roman military camp with intersecting main streets of the Cardo and Decuman, with a clear subdivision into six block-blocks, each of which included 24 insula houses, with triumphal arches at the entrances to the main thoroughfares, with a forum, a capitol, a theater, baths. The improvement of Timgad is evidenced by the fact that sewer pipes were laid under its streets. The city had a large public library with a book depository and a reading room. Gradually, the building began to go beyond the fortress walls, behind which temples, markets, trade and craft quarters also appeared, and in the III century. these walls were demolished altogether.
At the end of the Roman Empire, the city of Timgad became an important center of Christianity. A whole complex of early Christian buildings appeared here, including a basilica and a baptistery. However, in the V century. Timgad was destroyed by the Berbers. In the VI century. the Byzantines, who built their fortress here, tried to restore it. But in the VII century. Timgad, finally destroyed by the Arab conquerors, was abandoned by the inhabitants. And what survived began to collapse under the influence of sand and wind.
Excavations at Timgad were started by French archaeologists in 1880, and now its ruins provide a fairly clear idea of the appearance of this provincial Roman city. Here you can see the remains of the city forum, once decorated with statues, and the adjacent public buildings, theater for 4 thousand seats. The baths have been perfectly preserved, which had pools for cold and hot water with mosaic floors. The same can be said about Trajan's three-span triumphal arch. It is not surprising that, in terms of visibility and preservation, Timgad is often compared to the famous ruins of Pompeii in Italy. Many artifacts from Roman antiquity are on display at the local archaeological museum.
Numerous ancient architectural monuments in Dzhemila are well preserved
Archaeological sites of Dzhemila. Jemila - locality in the northeastern part of Algeria, located on the site of the ancient Roman city with the Berber name of Kuikul. This city, like Timgad, was founded under the Emperor Trajan to protect the empire's possessions from the Berber tribes. Therefore, it was located at an altitude of 900 m above sea level, "back" to the mountain range. In the II-IV centuries. Kuykul became quite big city the Roman province of Numidia, made rich by the cultivation of barley. In the VI-VIII centuries. it also turned out to be one of the centers of Christianity in North Africa, and was later destroyed.
The area occupied by the ruins of the ancient city is elongated and follows the relief of the area, so that its usual regular plan is combined with more free building. Nowadays, the main street, the cardo, framed by colonnades, can be clearly traced here. The remains of two forums, several temples, thermal baths, a theater located on a high mountain ledge, the triumphal arch of Caracalla, a market square, old city walls and gates have also survived. In the archaeological museum of Dzhemila, you can see antique mosaics and sculptures.
Archaeological sites of Volubilis. The ruins of this Roman city are found in Morocco. At first there was a Berber settlement, which in the III century. BC NS. experienced a strong influence of Carthage. When in 40 A.D. NS. under Emperor Caligula, Mauretania became part of the Roman Empire, Volubilis became one of its westernmost outposts in Africa. It was a thriving city with 20 thousand inhabitants, who were mainly engaged in manufacturing olive oil... Volubilis retained its economic and cultural significance until the end of the 8th century, when Idris I, the founder of the Arab Idrisid dynasty in the Maghreb, built one of his residences in its place. Much later, already in the 18th century. one of the sultans removed all the remaining marble from here for the construction of his palace in Meknes.
Excavations of Volubilis began in 1915, and now you can also see here the ruins of a Roman city with a regular layout and an unusually wide central street cardo running from north to south, the remains of powerful fortress walls with gates and rounded towers, thermae, arches of Caracalla, numerous arcades, porticos, pedestals. In the houses on the cardo, right behind the arch of Caracalla, mosaics have survived depicting Bacchus on a chariot, a nereid, sleeping Ariadne, the abduction of Ganymede, the exploits of Hercules. And in the so-called “house of Orpheus” two magnificent mosaics have been preserved, one of which depicts the legendary Orpheus. Especially valuable finds are kept in the local museum and in the museum of the city of Rabat.
Monuments of Libya. Of the ancient cities on the territory of modern Libya, three are included in the World Heritage List. All of them are located on the Mediterranean coast: Sabrata and Leptis Magna in Tripolitania, Cyrene in Cyrenaica. Today these are “dead” cities, ruins, the special value of which, like most cities in the Maghreb, lies in the fact that since ancient times they have never been built up again.
Archaeological sites of Sabrata. The ancient city of Sabrata, located to the west of the current Libyan capital Tripoli, was founded by the Phoenicians in the first half of the 1st millennium BC. NS. and served as their trading post through which goods were exported from Africa. Then it passed into the possession of the Roman Empire and reached its heyday in the II-III centuries. n. NS. After the Romans, the city fell into the hands of the Byzantines and, finally, in the middle of the 7th century. was destroyed by the Arabs. As a result, the ruins of Sabrata retained traces of three historical layers: Punic-Phoenician, Roman and Byzantine.
Excavations near the port of Sabrat are interesting for architectural monuments of the Roman and Byzantine eras.
Only the remains of the mausoleum now remind of the first of them, the Basilica of Justinian, of the third, but the Roman period is presented richer. During the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius, a virtually new Roman city was built next to the old Phoenician city. It is from him that the ruins of a forum with columnar porticoes, a curia, a temple of Jupiter, an amphitheater, a cistern pool, an aqueduct, and residential buildings have survived to this day. The decoration of Sabrata was a theater built in 180, which at the beginning of the 20th century. underwent restoration. Seating 5 thousand spectators, it was decorated with arches and a two-tiered colonnade of the Corinthian order.
An archaeological museum has been opened near the ruins of Sabrata.
Archaeological sites of Leptis Magna. This is another one ancient city on the Mediterranean coast near the modern city of Homs. It was founded in the 7th century. BC. Phoenicians, from the VI to the end of the III century. BC. was under the rule of Carthage. After the second Punic War 218-207 biennium BC NS. was captured by the Numidians, and in 107 BC. NS. - by the Romans. Before the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, it was part of it, and it was at this time that it reached its peak. The emperor Septimius Sever, who was born here in 146, did a lot for the prosperity of Leptis Magna. But in the 7th-11th centuries. Arab conquests and the gradual covering of the harbor with sand led to the fact that the city was depopulated. As a result of excavations, which began here only in the 1920s, the majestic ruins of Leptis Magna were discovered.
In the most ancient part of the city, adjacent to the harbor, you can now see the ruins of an old forum with a curia, a basilica and several temples. To the south of the forum was a market with two pavilions and a large, sea-facing theater built under the Emperor Augustus. Under Emperor Hadrian, a majestic ensemble of thermae with mosaic floors, an outdoor swimming pool, a gymnastic exercise hall, and numerous statues was built. The city was crossed by the main street (cardo), decorated with triumphal arches of the emperors Tiberius and Trajan.
Timgad, once a walled city, was founded in 100 BC.
And in the era of the Severs, a new one was actually built next to the old city, to the southeast of it. It left the impressive ruins of the second forum measuring 200 ґ 100 m, which was surrounded by the buildings of the basilica with a huge hall, the temple of Septimius Severus, porticoes and arcades. From this forum to the port passed new street a cardo twenty meters wide, decorated with 250 Aswan granite columns. A lighthouse, embankments, other temples, porticos, and rich villas were also built in the vicinity.
Many of the marble reliefs, veneers and mosaics found here are now preserved in the archaeological museum during excavations and in the Tripoli museum.