Madghacen

Madghacen stands alone on open ground north-east of Batna, a circular stone drum about fifty-nine metres across and eighteen high, built in stepped courses and ringed by sixty engaged Doric columns with an Egyptian-influenced cornice above them. It is a royal Numidian mausoleum, generally dated to around the third century before the common era, which places it well before Roman rule and makes it one of the oldest standing monuments in the country. A short passage leads into a small burial chamber inside, entered by a low door. The mixture of Numidian form with Greek and Egyptian architectural detail is what makes it significant, and it stands almost unaltered.

History

Medracen is one of several great funerary monuments of the ancient Berber kingdoms and one of only two built in the shape of a tumulus, the other being the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania west of Algiers. It is the older of the two and has been identified as a royal mausoleum of the Numidian kingdom, dated by different studies to the 4th century BC or to the time of King Masinissa, who reigned from 202 to 148 BC (Wikipedia, Medracen).

What to look for

• Sixty engaged Doric columns - the ring around the stone drum.
• A stepped circular tomb - the Numidian royal form.
• The inner burial chamber - reached by a low passage.
• Greek and Egyptian detail - the influences worked into the design.

When to go

October to May; the plain is very hot in summer with no shade. Two hours including the drive. Morning or late light is best on the stonework.

What to expect

It stands alone with no visitor facilities and no shade. The interior chamber is small, dark and sometimes closed. Interpretation is minimal. Getting there needs a car; public transport does not serve it.

Nearby

Batna is south-west; Timgad lies south.

Key facts