Tipaza (Arabic: تيپازة, romanizedTīpāza) is the capital of the Tipaza Province, Algeria. When it was part of the Roman Empire, it was called Tipasa. The modern town was founded in 1857, and is chiefly remarkable for its ancient ruins and sandy littoral.

Tipaza
Arabic: تيپازة
Location of Tipaza within Tipaza Province
Location of Tipaza within Tipaza Province
Tipaza is located in Algeria
Tipaza
Tipaza
Location in Algeria
Coordinates: 36°35′31″N 2°26′58″E / 36.59194°N 2.44944°E / 36.59194; 2.44944
CountryAlgeria
ProvinceTipaza
DistrictTipaza
Population
 (2008)
 • Total25,225
ClimateCsa
Tipaza Lighthouse Edit this at Wikidata
Tipaza Lighthouse and the promontory
Constructed1867 Edit this on Wikidata
Foundationmasonry base
Constructionmasonry tower
Height13 m (43 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Shapequadrangular tower with balcony and lantern[1][2][3]
Markingswhite (tower), dark green (lantern) Edit this on Wikidata
Power sourcemains electricity Edit this on Wikidata
OperatorNational Maritime Signaling Office Edit this on Wikidata
Focal height34 m (112 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Range18 nmi (33 km; 21 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicOc W 4s Edit this on Wikidata
Official nameTipasa
TypeCultural
Criteriaiii, iv
Designated1982 (6th session)
Reference no.193
RegionArab States
Endangered2002–2006

History

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Ancient history

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Tipasa, as the city was then called, was an old Punic trading-post conquered by Ancient Rome. It was subsequently turned into a military colony by the emperor Claudius for the conquest of the kingdoms of Mauretania.[4]

Afterwards, it became a municipium called Colonia Aelia Tipasensis, that reached a population of 20,000 inhabitants in the fourth century according to Stéphane Gsell.

The city served as an important Christian hub during the last centuries of Roman governorship, with three basilicas.

Tipasa was destroyed by the Vandals in 430 CE, but was reconstructed by the Byzantines one century later. At the end of the seventh century the city was demolished by Umayyad forces and reduced to ruins.[5]

In the nineteenth century, the place was settled again. Now it is a town of nearly 30,000 inhabitants. The city is an important tourist place in modern Algeria, mainly because of the Tipasa ruins.

Modern era

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Near Tipaza, the Tipaza longwave transmitter broadcasts French language Channel 3 radio programs from the Algerian Broadcasting Company. The longwave frequency 252 kHz can be well received in many parts of Europe.

The town and its surroundings are home to the largest Berber-speaking group of western Algeria, the Chenoua people.

The Tipaza station in 252 kHz had previously been out of service since March 17, 2014, but is broadcasting again at 252 kHz.[6]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tipaza". Office Nationale de Signalisation Maritime. Ministere des Travaux Publics. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  2. ^ List of Lights, Pub. 113: The West Coasts of Europe and Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Azovskoye More (Sea of Azov) (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2015.
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Western Algeria". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  4. ^ Unesco-page
  5. ^ Toutain, Jules (1891). "Fouilles de M. Gsell à Tipasa : Basilique de Sainte Salsa". Mélanges d'archéologie et d'histoire. 11 (1): 179–185. doi:10.3406/mefr.1891.6684.
  6. ^ see [1] - tuned to 252khz, as of 2015 Sept. 22
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