ROYAL MAUSOLEUM OF MAURETANIA
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Located to the east of Tipasa, this mausoleum rises to 261 m on one of the green hills of the Sahel. What looks like a mound from afar is a circular edifice 63 m in diameter with a cylindrical drum. Its outer wall is adorned with sixty relief columns surmounted by Ionic-style capitals that support a cornice above which a stepped stone cone rises 30 m. The Christian cross-shaped moldings of the false doors set at the four cardinal points certainly explain why the Mausoleum is erroneously referred to as the Christian Tomb. Some specialists have suggested that it may have been the tomb of Juba II and his wife Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, but others believe that the building is older, dating from between the 3rd and 1st centuries BC, and is a Unesco World Heritage site. Interest was great, so much so that the Ottomans bombarded the top of the edifice, which was supposed to contain marvellous treasures. In 1865, excavations ordered by Napoleon III revealed an entrance under the false eastern gate. Researchers had to follow a spiral corridor and pass through two well-defended doors to reach a double funerary chamber, empty and without a trace, which suggests that it once served as a tomb. The interior is no longer open to visitors. You can, however, take a tour of it: the view of the coastline and the Atlas Mountains is breathtaking.
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Monument incroyable qui même aujourd'hui n'a pas encore percé tous ces secrets!
Cela vaut le coup d'œil! De plus, une fois pénétré sur le site, la vue aux alentour est de toute beauté! Le seul point négatif est qu'il n'est plus possible de visiter l'intérieur (l'agent à l'entrée m'a expliqué que par le passé c'était possible mais que comme les œuvres culturels ne sont pas entretenues cela représenterait un danger de continuer à laisser rentrer les touristes).
Si vous êtes de passage à Tipaza, à voir absolument pour son originalité!.