Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania

The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania stands on a ridge some two hundred and fifty metres above the sea between Tipaza and Kolea, a circular stone monument about sixty metres across and thirty high, built as a stepped cone on a base ringed with engaged Ionic columns and false doors. It is usually attributed to Juba II, the Berber king who ruled Mauretania under Roman patronage, and to his wife Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, though the attribution is not certain. A spiral corridor runs inside to a burial chamber, long since emptied. Local tradition calls it the tomb of the Christian woman, a name derived from cross-like marks on the false doors.

History

The mausoleum is held to have been built in 3 BC by Juba II, king of Mauretania, and his wife Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony, and it is probably the communal tomb of the royal family described by the 1st-century geographer Pomponius Mela; it resembles the Mausoleum of Augustus in Rome, begun some time before Juba left Rome. Its French and Arabic names both mean the tomb of the Christian woman, after cross-like lines on its false door. In 1555 the Pasha of Algiers, Salah Rais, ordered it pulled down, but the work was given up when large black wasps swarmed out and stung workers to death, late in the 18th century Baba Mahommed tried in vain to wreck it with artillery, and after the French conquest the French Navy used it for target practice; no human remains of the royal couple have been found inside (Wikipedia, Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania).

What to look for

• A sixty-metre stone drum - the stepped cone on its ridge.
• Engaged Ionic columns and false doors - the decoration of the base.
• The internal spiral corridor - the passage to the burial chamber.
• The ridge position - the monument seen from far along the coast.

When to go

October to May. Two hours. Combine with Tipasa on the coast below. Opening hours are irregular and the interior is not always accessible.

What to expect

The interior corridor is often closed and its opening cannot be relied on. There is little interpretation and no shade on the ridge. The attribution to Juba and Cleopatra Selene is traditional rather than proven. Access needs a car.

Nearby

Tipasa is north-west on the coast; Algiers lies east.

Key facts