Djémila

In this site is where some of the best preserved Roman ruins in North Africa can be found

Djémila

This postcard was sent by Boris

The site of Djémila is located 50 km north-east of the town of Sétif. Known under its antique name Cuicul, Djémila is an establishment of an ancient Roman colony founded during the reign of Nerva (96 - 98 A.D.). The Roman town occupied a singular defensive position. Cuicul is one of the flowers of Roman architecture in North Africa.  Remarkably adapted to the  constraints of the mountainous site, on a rocky spur which spreads at an altitude of 900 m, between the wadi Guergour and the wadi Betame, two mountain torrents, the town has its own Senate and Forum. Around the beginning of the 3rd century, it expanded beyond its ramparts with the creation of the Septimius Severus Temple, the Arch of Caracalla, the market and the civil basilica. The site has also been marked by Christianity in the form of several cult buildings: a cathedral, a church and its baptistry are considered among the biggest of the Paleochristian period. The site of Djémila comprises an impressive collection of mosaic pavings, illustrating mythological tales and scenes of daily life. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/191

Tipasa

Tipasa looks very similar with some of the sites I visited last year in Tunisia, which is normal, since it was also part of the Roman Empire

Tipasa

This postcard was sent by Boris

Tipasa is located 70 km west of Algiers. It is a serial property comprising three sites: two archaeological parks located in the vicinity of the present urban complex and the Royal Mauritanian Mausoleum, on the west Sahel plateau of Algiers, at 11 km south-east of Tipasa.

This coastal city was first a Carthaginian trading centre, whose necropolis is one of the oldest and one of the most extensive of the Punic world (6th to 2nd century B.C.). During this period, Tipasa played the role of a maritime port of call, a place for commercial exchanges with the indigenous population.  Numerous necropolis testify to the very varied types of burial and funerary practices that bear witness to the multicultural exchange of influences dating back to protohistoric times.

The Roman period is marked by a prestigious ensemble of buildings, comprising very diversified architectural typologies. From the 3rd to the 4th centuries A.D. a striking increase in Christianity is demonstrated by the multitude of religious buildings. Some are decorated with high quality mosaic pavings, illustrating scenes from daily life, or geometric patterns. The Vandal invasion of the 430's did not mark the definitive end of prosperity of Tipasa, but the town, reconquered by the Byzantines in 531, gradually fell into decline from the 6th century. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/193/

Timgad

Until a few weeks ago I had almost all the Algerians sites in my missing list and I was already considering a trip to Algeria to reduce the list, but I received 4 new sites at once and now my attention turned other countries

Timgad

This postcard was sent by Boris

Timgad, located to the north of the massif of the Aurès in a mountainous site of great beauty, 480 km south-east of Algiers and 110 km to the south of Constantine, is a consummate example of a Roman military colony created ex nihilo. The Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi was founded in 100 A.D. by Trajan, probably as an encampment for the 3rd Augustan Legion which, thereafter, was quartered at Lambaesis. Its plan, laid out with great precision, illustrates Roman urban planning at its height. By the middle of the 2nd century, the rapid growth of the city had ruptured the narrow confines of its original foundation. Timgad spread beyond the perimeters of its ramparts and several major public buildings are built in the new quarters: Capitolium, temples, markets and baths. Most of these buildings date from the Severan period when the city enjoyed its Golden Age, also attested by immense private residences.

A strong and prosperous colony, Timgad must have served as a compelling image of the grandeur of Rome on Numidian soil. Buildings, constructed entirely of stone, were frequently restored during the course of the Empire: the Trajan Arch in the middle of the 2nd century, the Eastern gate in 146, and the Western gate under Marcus-Aurelius. The streets were paved with large rectangular limestone slabs and, as attested by the 14 baths which still may be seen today, particular attention was paid to the disposition of public conveniences. The houses, of varying sizes, dazzle by their sumptuous mosaics, which were intended to offset the absence of precious marbles. During the Christian period, Timgad was a renowned bishopric. After the Vandal invasion of 430, Timgad was destroyed at the end of the 5th century by montagnards of the Aurès. The Byzantine Reconquest revived some activities in the city, defended by a fortress built to the south, in 539, reusing blocks removed from Roman monuments. The Arab invasion brought about the final ruin of Thamugadi which ceased to be inhabited after the 8th century. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/194

Kasbah of Algiers

This site reminds me the punk song "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash

Kasbah and the Fishing Port

This postcard was sent by Boris

The Kasbah of Algiers is an outstanding example of a historic Maghreb city having had extensive influence on town-planning in the western part of the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa.

Indeed, located on the Mediterranean coast, the site was inhabited at least from the 6th century BC when a Phoenician trading post was established there.

In this living environment where nearly 50,000 people reside, very interesting traditional houses, palaces, hammams, mosques and various souks are still conserved, the urban form of which bears witness to an effect of stratification of several styles in a complex and original system that has adapted remarkably well to a very hilly and uneven site. - in: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/565/

Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí

There are nine Romanesque churches inscribed in this site and they look very beautiful

Sant Joan de Boí Church

This postcard was sent by Javier

Sant Joan de Boí is a Romanesque church situated in the territory of Vall de Boí, a commune in the valley of the same name, in the Province of Lleida in the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain.

Like Sant Climent, Taüll, Sant Feliu de Barruera, Santa Eulàlia d'Erill la Vall or Santa Maria de Taüll, the date of construction of Sant Joan de Boí is believed to be in the 11th century. in: wikipedia

Eglésia de Sant Climant de Taüll

This postcard was sent by Meli

Sant Climent de Taüll, also known as the Church of St. Clement of Tahull, is a Roman Catholic church in Catalonia, Spain. It is a form of Romanesque architecture that contains magnificent Romanesque art. Other influences include the Lombard and Byzantine styles, which can be seen throughout the exterior and interior of the building. The church is a basilica plan structure with three naves, each of them with a terminal apse, and large columns separating the side naves. Connecting to the church is a slim bell tower that has six floors plus a base. The artwork inside the church include the famous mural paintings by the Master of Taüll (contained in the different apses and the keys of the arches), as well as the wooden altar frontal. These works of art represent different aspects of Christianity that can also be found in many other works of art. - in: wikipedia

The nine churches (in red what I have):

• Eglésia de Sant Feliu de Barruera
• Eglésia de Sant Joan de Boí
• Eglésia de Santa Maria de Taül
• Eglésia de Sant Climent de Taül
• Eglésia de Santa Maria de l'Assumpció de Cóll
• Eglésia de Santa Maria de Cardet
• Eglésia de la Nativitat de Durro
• Ermitage de Sant Quirc de Durro
• Eglésia de Santa Eulàlia de Vall

Mudejar Architecture of Aragon

This site is a group of monuments influenced by Islamic tradition but that also reflects European styles

Teruel Cathedral

This postcard was sent by Javier

Teruel Cathedral or Catedral de Santa María de Mediavilla de Teruel is a Roman Catholic church in Teruel (Province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain). Dedicated to St. Mary, it is a notable example of Mudéjar architecture.

The Cathedral of Teruel has its origins in the church of Santa María de Mediavilla, upon which work started in Romanesque style in 1171 and ended with the erection of the Mudéjar tower in 1257. In the second half of the 13th century, the Morisco alarife Juzaff restructured the old Romanesque work and endowed the building with three Mudéjar naves of masonry and brick.

The Mudejar tower began to be erected in 1257; its lower part is a barrel vault that passers-by can walk through. It is one of the oldest Mudéjar towers in Spain. It is square in shape with three sides profusely decorated with azulejos and ceramic glaze. The top is an octagonal roof lantern from the 17th century. - in: wikipedia

Church of San Pedro, Teruel

This postcard was sent by Boris

San Pedro Church (Spanish: Iglesia de San Pedro) is a 14th-century church and 13th century bell tower in Teruel, located in the Province of Teruel in the Aragon region of northeastern Spain.

They are examples of Aragonese Romanesque and Mudéjar architecture.

The brick bell tower is incrusted with glazed ceramic tiles.

The exterior of the church is also decorated with tiles, and has a polygonal apse reinforced with tower structures. The interior comprises a single nave with an ogive vaulted ceiling, and side chapels. - in: wikipedia

Tower of San Martín, Teruel

This postcard was sent by Boris

The Torre de San Martín (English: St. Martin's Tower) is a medieval structure in Teruel, Aragon, northern Spain. Built in Aragonese Mudéjar style in 1316 and renovated in the 16th century, it was added to the UNESCO Heritage List in 1986 together with other Mudéjar structures in Teruel.

The tower was built between in 1315 and 1316. In 1550 its lower section was restored due to the erosion caused by humidity. Like other structures in Teruel, it is a gate-tower decorated with ceramic glaze. The road passes through an ogival arch. The tower takes its names from the annexed church of St. Martin, dating to the Baroque period. - in: wikipedia

La Seo

The Cathedral of the Savior (Spanish: Catedral del Salvador) or La Seo de Zaragoza is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Zaragoza, in Aragon, Spain.

La Seo was built on the site of the ancient Roman forum of Augustus and of the main mosque of the Moorish city of Saraqusta, elements of whose minaret form part of the current tower. The construction began in the 12th century in the Romanesque style, and underwent many alterations and expansions until 1704, when the Baroque spire completed the tower.

The cathedral is a mixture of styles, from the Romanesque apse (12th century) to the Baroque tower and Neo-Classical main door (18th century), passing through Mudéjar and Gothic. - in: wikipedia

Dome of La Seo

This postcard was sent by Alfonso

In 1346 a Mudéjar dome was started to provide light at the altar, with the participation of the masters Juan de Barbastro and Domingo Serrano. The work was finished in 1376, when Don Lope Fernández de Luna was already archbishop, creating a spacious, well-lit Gothic cathedral.

In 1403 the old dome fell down. The Antipope Benedict XIII (Papa Luna), Aragonese by birth, initiated a reconstruction of the building. The Romanesque apses were elevated, two towers buttressing the sides of the apses were added, and a new dome was built in the shape of a Papal Tiara. Decorated in 1409 by the master Mohammed Rami, it may have been viewed by Benedict XIII on his visit to the city in 1410. - in: wikipedia

The Aragonese Mudejar monuments (in red what I have):

• Tower, roof and dome of the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Mediavilla, Teruel
• Tower and church of San Pedro, Teruel
• Tower and church of San Martín, Teruel
• Tower and church of The Savior, Teruel
• Apse, cloister and tower of Colegiata de Santa María, Calatayud
• Parish church of Santa Tecla, Cervera de la Cañada
• Church of Saint Mary, Tobed
• Mudéjar remains of the Palace of Aljafería, Zaragoza
• Tower and Parish church of San Pablo, Zaragoza
• Apse, parish and dome of La Seo, Zaragoza