The UNESCO World Heritage site of Djémila, meaning “beautiful” in Arabic and also known by its Berber name Cuicul, is located near the northern coast of Algeria, east of Algiers. Nestled between two deep ravines at an elevation of 900 meters above sea level, Djémila features streets with wheel ruts that are lined with elaborate houses, a forum, temples, markets, and triumphal arches. The site exemplifies Roman town planning adapted to its mountainous location.

Coordinates: 36°19’00.0″N 5°44’00.0″E

Cuicul was a veteran colony founded under Nerva (r. AD 96-98). It was a prosperous commercial city during the 2nd and early part of the 3rd centuries AD, outgrowing its original defensive wall and reaching a population of over 12,000. Under the Antonine Dynasty (AD 96-192), the town had a forum, a capitol, several temples, a curia (town hall), a market, and a theatre. Under the Severan dynasty (AD 193-235), new districts were laid out around a new forum. Cuicul became a city where retired soldiers enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.

Latin inscription mentioning the Numen Caesaris of Cuicul and the name of the colony. ILAlg II.3

Christianity came to Cuicul early, with the first bishop recorded in AD 255. Religious buildings appeared by the end of the 4th century AD as the southern extension of the city, known today as the Christian quarter, with its baptistery, chapels, and basilicas. The city fell to the Vandals and had a brief renaissance under the Byzantines during the first half of the 6th century AD, only to be abandoned after the Arab invasion of North Africa.

The Museum of Djémila is located within the site and contains beautiful Roman mosaic pavements found on the site. They cover around 1700 m², almost the whole of the wall space of the museum. Highlights include a hunting scene mosaic – the 10-metre-long so-called Mosaic of the Ass and the Toilet of Venus.

PORTFOLIO

The Roman theatre, constructed into the side of the hill overlooking the valley, was built in AD 161 at the initiative of Caius Julius Crescens and Caius Julius Didius Crescentianus, who decorated it with statues of Fortuna and Mars, patrons of Cuicul. Its two tiers of seats could have accommodated 3,000 spectators.

The Old City/Forum

The Cardo Maximus leading to the North Gate. This street, which averaged 5 m wide, was bordered on both sides by a 3.50 m wide pavement sheltered by porticoes and a Tuscan Doric colonnade.

The Tuscan Doric colonnade of the Cardo Maximus.

An arch on the Cardo Maximus next to the Temple of Genetrix. Crowned by an elaborately carved cornice, this monument features a single archway flanked on either side by two engaged Corinthian columns.

The Temple of Genetrix. This sanctuary is enclosed within a trapezoidal courtyard surrounded by porticoes on three sides.

The Temple of Genetrix stands on top of a podium approached by twelve steps.

The Forum was located at the heart of the original settlement. It was a paved square measuring 48×44 m with porticoes on two sides. It included the curia, judicial basilica and Capitoline Temple.

Dedications in the Forum dedicated to Hercules (AE 1914, 0236) and the Genius of Cuicul (AE 1908, 0241).

Purification altar in the Old Forum decorated with carving in relief. One side shows the requirements for a sacrifice, the other a winged genius from whom sprouts vine tendrils and ears of corn.

Dedication set up and paid for by the city of Cuicul to the Pietas of Antoninus Pius. AE 1916, 0017

Building dedication to Hadrian. ILAlg-02-03, 07777

The Market of Cosinius was put up by the brothers C. and L. Cosinius, who spent 30,000 sesterces for its construction during the reign of Antoninus Pius (AD 138-161).

The Market of Cosinius was a square building with a portico on all sides and a circular tholos in the middle of its central courtyard. There was a circular kiosk in the courtyard’s centre and eighteen shops around the market perimeter fronted with stone counters adorned with animal heads and garlands.

Torso of a statue of Jupiter from the Capitolium. This temple was dedicated to the Capitoline Triad: Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva. Due to the slope’s decline, the temple was built on arches and piers of a massive basement, which is the only part that remains today. The Capitolium was probably built in the second half of the 2nd century.

The New Severan City/Forum

View of the New Severan Forum from above.

The back side of the Temple of the Gens Septimia *in the Severan Forum and the western colonnade*.

The Severan Forum was located in the heart of the new city of the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The new Forum was a large quadrilateral square covering 3,200 sq.m, dominated by the Temple of the Gens Septimia.

The square had porticoes on its two long sides. It was paved throughout; in front of the basilica, a dedication records that the god Mars was the natural protector of this city founded by military veterans.

The dedicatory inscription recording that the god Mars was the protector of the city founded by military veterans. AE 1912, 0026

The Temple of the Gens Septimia was dedicated in AD 229, during the reign of Alexander Severus, to the gens Septimia (the imperial family of the Severii).

The Temple of the Gens Septimia stood on top of a podium approached by a second flight of 13 steps, the uppermost of which passed between the four columns of the pronaos. The interior of the building was adorned with marble. Inside, colossal heads of Septimius Severus and his wife, Julia Domna, were discovered.

Colossal head of Septimius Severus found inside the Temple of the Gens Septimia.

The double eastern entrance to the Severan Forum along the road leading to the theatre and eventually to Cirta.

The western side of the Severan Forum with the Arch of Caracalla.

The Arch of Caracalla. The monument was erected in AD 216 by the people of Cuicul in honour of the reigning emperor Caracalla, his mother Julia Domna and his deceased father, Septimius Severus.

The north portico of the Severan Forum that separated the old and new city.

The Christian Quarter

The entrance to the Basilica of Cresconius.

The Basilica of Cresconius, a huge church (40x28m) with a central nave flanked on either side by two aisles.

The North Basilica. Measuring 30x15m, it has a nave with two aisles separated by reused columns.

The Baptistery, a circular pavilion built of bricks and surmonted by a dome.

The interior of the Baptistery, an annular corridor with a square basin surmounted by a ciborium of stone, provided for baptism.

The seating recesses inside the Baptistery. Originally rendered with stucco, recesses (36 in total) provided the neophytes with seats and space for clothing.

The Western Quarter

The Western Quarter with the House of Bacchus. The lavish middle-fifth-century House of Bacchus included a peristyle court embellished with four basins and mosaics, a huge banqueting hall paved with a mosaic of hunting in the amphitheatre, two gardens, and a fish pond.

View of the Western Quarter with the House of Bacchus (left) and the Great Baths (right).

A conical fountain on the Cardo Maximus. This monument takes the form of a 5 m high cone. A lead pipe delivered water into a circular basin adorned with pinecone finials on its rim.

The Djemila Museum

The courtyard of the museum housing the colossal head of Septimius Severus, geometric mosaics, architectural fragments, votive stelai dedicated to Saturn and other inscriptions.

The interior of the museum with mosaic pavements covering almost the whole of the wall space, from floor to ceiling.

Mosaic depicting the Toilet of Venus from the House of the Ass. Crowned with a diadem and sitting in a shell supported by two tritons, Venus gazes at her reflection in a mirror. At the four corners, nereids riding marine creatures escort the goddess. Dated to the late 4th or beginning of the 5th century AD.

The Rape of Europa, mosaic from the House of Europa. Dated to the late 4th century or 5th century AD. Above a sea inhabited by dolphins, fishes and other marine creatures, Jupiter, disguised as a bull, is carrying off Europa on his back.

Great Hunt Mosaic, from the banqueting hall in the House of Bacchus. Dated to the mid-4th century AD.

References & links:

The Splendours of Roman Algeria
Blas de Roblès, Jean-Marie; Sintes, Claude; Kenrick, Philip. Classical Antiquities of Algeria: A Selective Guide (p. 127). Society for Libyan Studies. pp. 100-137

March 26, 2025March 26, 2025 by followinghadrian Categories: AlgeriaTags: Algeria, Cuicul, Djemila, Nerva, Roman Colony, Septimius Severus, UNESCO Leave a comment

Shushtar is one of the oldest cities in Iran, well known for its many historical and architectural wonders. It is located in the Khuzestan Province, approximately 92 kilometres of Ahvaz, and crosses the large river Karun (the ancient Pasitigris), Iran’s most effluent river. Known as Šurkutir in the Achaemenid period, the old city was situated on the Persian Royal Road which connected Susa, the capital of Elam, and Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenids. Its modern name is connected to the city of Shush (the ancient Susa) and means “greater than Shush”.

During the Sassanid era, Shushar was a fortified island town formed by the river Karun. The Sassanids, whose economy depended largely on agriculture, developed large irrigation systems in the region. They diverted the river Karun through large-scale civil engineering structures such as water canals, watermills and dam-bridges. One of these structures, known as the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, was registered in UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritage Sites in 2009, referred to “as a masterpiece of creative genius”. It comprises of fourteen mills and waterfalls flowing downstream from tunnels and cascading over rock cliffs.

In its present form, the Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System dates back to the 3rd century AD, but it was probably originally undertaken by Darius the Great, the Achaemenid king in the early 5th century BC.

After the defeat of Emperor Valerian who was captured with his entire army by the Sassanid ruler Shapur I in AD 260, numerous Roman soldiers were brought in to build and expand the irrigation system of Shushtar. They were also ordered to build a 500m-long dam-bridge, known today as Band-e Kaisar (“Caesar’s bridge”). The dam-bridge was used to control the powerful river Karun which raised and stabilised the water level by forming an impounding reservoir. Modelled on the Roman example, the arched superstructure was repaired in the Islamic period and remained in use until the late 19th century. It is considered today as being the easternmost Roman bridge.

Bridge-dam of Shâdorvân in 1880s, (Dieu la Foie and from the nomination file, SP of Iran)

For many centuries, the Shushtar multifunctional hydraulic system provided water supply to the city, operated a series of mills, irrigated vast farming zones, provided facilities for fish farming, river transport, and served as the town’s defence system. Several of these hydraulic functions are still in use.

Coordinates: 32° 2′ 44″ N, 48° 51′ 24″ E