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Just east of Algiers lies a breathtaking mountainous region along the northern coast of Algeria. It is amongst the rolling green hills and diverse landscape that Djemila can be found. The scattered remains of the Roman Empire that once ruled this expanse is the only memory of their occupation, yet stands as a monument to their engineering skills in constructing a beautiful town on a landscape that few would choose for construction. All though Djemila was not a big town, and therefore not the largest ruins in North Africa, it is the best preserved and can be described as extraordinary.

Djemila was constructed during the first century AD under the name of Cuicul. It began its existence as a military garrison, but the occupiers soon realized that the agriculturally rich landscape could be used to farm. Farming and agricultural products such as olives and cereal transformed Cuicul into a thriving market place. After the fall of the mighty Roman Empire, the town of Cuicul was slowly abandoned during the fifth century. Even thought the Muslims took over the region, they did not settle into the town. They merely renamed it to Djemila, meaning beautiful, and left the town to fade into memory and oblivion until excavation work started on it in the year 1909.

It is believed that during the third century there were approximately twenty thousand people occupying the city. The museum at the entrance of the ruins has a magnificent collection of artifacts, such as mosaics, marble statues, cooking utensils and items, oil lamps and other reminders of their lives. So many items were recovered from the site that it seems as if the museum can barely contain them. The ruins themselves are magnificent. A basilica and a baptistery were dated back to the fourth century and while the buildings contain the original mosaics, the dome has been restored. The eighteen roomed Europe House is built with a courtyard in its centre and the Great Baths have remained in surprisingly good condition, with double panels and pipes, where hot water once ran, being seen intermittently. Other constructions of interest and splendor include the triumphant arch, the theatre which is able to accommodate three thousand spectators, the temples and the third century altar.

Original Post: algeria

The airstrip is by a white beach on the south side of Ofu, about an hour's walk from Olosega village, and it's still possible to have to yourself this quintessential Polynesian paradise of swaying palms, magnificent reef, and rugged mountains rising out of the sea. The beach and reef between the airstrip and the bridge are now part of National Park of American Samoa. Flying foxes are common along the south coast in the late afternoon.

To climb to the former television tower atop Ofu's Tumutumu Mountain (494 meters), take the concrete ramp up the hill from near the wharf at Alaufau village and keep straight ahead for five km on a track cut by a bulldozer decades ago. It's not hard to follow if you avoid turns and descents. Continue up to the ridge top, then over the well wooded mountain to Leolo Ridge (458 meters). There's ample shade in the morning when the sun is still on an angle. The best views are obstructed by trees.

Olosega Sights

There's no trail along Olosega's forbidding east coast.

Original Post: americansamoa

The Kasbah of Algiers was founded on the ruins of old Icosium, a Phoenician commercial outpost called which later developed into a small Roman town. It is a small city which, built on a hill, goes down towards the sea, divided in two: the High city and the Low city.

One finds there masonries and mosques of the 17th century; Ketchaoua mosque (built in 1794 by the Dey Baba Hassan) flanked by two minarets, mosque el Djedid (built in 1660, at the time of Turkish regency) with its large finished ovoid cupola points some and its four coupolettes, mosque El Kébir, mosque Ali Betchnin, Dar Aziza, palate of Jénina. In the Kasbah, there are also labyrinths of lanes and houses that are very picturesque.


Original Post: worldheritagesite

In 1982, UNESCO recognized the M’Zab Valley as a World Heritage Site, not only because of its beauty, but the significance of the towns and villages that are located within this region of Algeria. The towns have adapted to suit their environment, while using traditional and ingenious methods to create environmentally friendly structures that blend into the landscapes of the M’Zab Valley. Situated approximately five hundred kilometers outside of Algiers, the M’Zab Valley can be found in the Northern Saharan region of the country.

The historical presence of ancient tribes can be seen through out the valley as symbols adorn various rocks and features in the valley. The walled villages in the M’Zab Valley each have their own unique structures that serve as attractions to their settlement, much as mosques, minaret towers or the layout of the homes, which are usually constructed to circle the mosque. Many of them serve as a welcoming oasis to travelers, with breathtaking palm groves supplying a cool place to rest, and a living to the residents of the village. As the valley provides fertile land for the towns to plant their palm plantations, it is a picturesque region, from start to finish. Tradesmen and souvenir shop owners are very convincing and tourists will often end up buying a few more items then intended. Visiting the M’Zab Valley is a rewarding and memorable region, where locals are friendly and sights are awe inspiring.

Original Post: algeria

The Statue of Christ the Redeemer history starts in the XVIth Century when the Portuguese named the mountain Pináculo da Tentação (The Pinnacle [peak] of Temptation), alluding to the Biblical Mountain.


Original Post: copacabana

The Colosseum - the greatest amphitheatre of the antiquity - was built in Rome, Italy, about 1920 years ago. It is considered an architectural and engineering wonder, and remains as a standing proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world.

After the splendour of imperial times, the Colosseum was abandoned, and in turn it became a fortress for the medieval clans of the city, a source of building materials, a picturesque scenery for painters, a place of Christian worship. Today it is a challenge for the archaeologists and a scenario for events and shows.In this site you'll find information on history, architecture and on the games that were held in the amphitheatre, there are also news on the events in the Colosseum, practical information for a visit, FAQs, a page of feedback with the most usual questions asked by our readers, and much more, like figures and plans,a sitemap and even a page on the cats of the arena.