Chapter VI: Algeria (8)

=Festivals.= The _Courses de Biskra_, held for three days between 1st
and 20th Feb., comprise camel-races (courses sahariennes de mehara),
horse-races in the hippodrome of Beni-Mora (p. 283), ‘Fantasia Arabe’
(equestrian performances, p. 99), and processions of the natives.—The
‘grande prière’ on the Kasba Hill at the end of the fasting-month of
Ramadan attracts many spectators.—To join the _Falcon Hunts_ of an
agha (see below) special permission is required.

=Guides= (p. xxvi; 4–5 fr. a day; 2 fr. for an evening only), like
hawkers and beggars, are a local pest, but their services are entirely
superfluous, even for drives or rides in the environs, where the
drivers or attendants give information.

=Climate.= The season is Nov.–April. Lying at the S. base of the
Sahara Atlas and on the margin of the desert, Biskra has all the
characteristics of the Sahara climate (pp. 170, 171). The great
fluctuations of temperature (mean winter maximum 65° Fahr., mean
minimum 45°) are comparatively little felt, even by invalids, owing to
the remarkable dryness of the air. The rainfall is very slight and
sunless days are quite the exception. The dust, however, is sometimes
troublesome, even in winter, and sand-storms, especially during the
sirocco (S.E. wind), may occur at any season. When a cold N. or N.W.
wind blows from the Sahara Atlas, the palm-oasis alone affords some
shelter. As yet no special arrangements for invalids exist at Biskra.

=Sights=, when time is limited. On arrival, view from the belvedere of
the _Royal Hotel_ (p. 281). 1st Day. Visit to _Market_ (p. 281) early,
then _Villa de Bénévent_ and *_Old Biskra_ (p. 281); in the afternoon,
ride or drive to the _Col de Sfa_ (p. 282). 2nd Day. Excursion to
_Sidi-Okba_ (p. 283).

The little town of _Biskra_ (400 ft.; pop. 7400, of whom 6300 are Mohammedans, incl. Old Biskra) lies at the S. base of the low _Chaîne de Sfa_ (p. 282), on the right bank of the _Oued Biskra_, generally a very poor stream below the Barrage (p. 279). Owing to its convenient situation at the end of the E. Algerian Sahara railway, and to its fine climate, it has grown into great favour of late as a winter resort and the ‘Nice’ of Algeria. The present town, with streets regularly built as in all the modern Algerian towns, has sprung up only since the French occupation of 1844. The mediæval Biskra, named after the small Roman settlement of _Bescĕra_, lay in the midst of the palm-oasis (p. 281), on the top and on the slopes of a low hill, where, after the destruction of the town by Sala Reïs (1553), a Turkish fort (kasba) was built. The natives then settled anew in the still existing seven villages of the oasis.

Biskra is the capital and administrative centre of the _Zab_ (‘oasis’,
pl. _ziban_), the extensive girdle of oases on the S. fringes of the
_Monts du Zab_ (p. 170) and the _Aurès Mts._ In accordance with their
sites these oases are named _Zab Dahraoui_ (N. Zab), on the margin of
the Monts du Zab, _Zab Guebli_ (S. Zab), on the _Oued Djedi_ (p. 284),
and _Zab Chergui_ (E. Zab), between the Aurès Mts. and the _Chott
Melrir_ (p. 284). The natives of the Zab, who are under an ‘agha’ or
chief, are mostly Berbers with a large infusion of Arabian and in some
cases Turkish blood. Many of them, under the name of _Biskris_, are
met with in the coast-towns as small traders.

The only business street is the RUE BERTHE (Pl. B, C, 1–3), in the S. part of which there are a few small European shops. It intersects the whole town and connects the railway-station with the strangers’ quarter on the S. side.

Between the Rue Berthe and _Fort St. Germain_ (Pl. B, C, 1, 2), the nucleus of the town, built in 1849–51, runs the _Grande Allée_ past the _Jardin Public_, which, on its N.E. side, is adjoined by the _Jardins de la Garnison_.

The Rue Berthe leads to the AVENUE DELACROIX (Pl. C, 3), the favourite haunt of guides and hawkers, where, at its junction with the Square Dufourg, rises a bronze statue of _Card. Lavigerie_ (Pl. 2, C, 3; p. 346), the benefactor of Biskra.

The belvedere of the _Royal Hotel_ (p. 279), 92 ft. high, resembling a minaret (visitors kindly admitted), commands an excellent *Panorama of the town and its environs, finest in the early morning, or towards sunset, when the Ahmar-Khaddou (‘rosy cheek’; p. 284) is bathed in a ruddy glow.

The _Casino Dar-Diaf_ (Pl. B, C, 4; ‘house of the guests’), built by A. Ballu (p. 289) in the neo-Moorish style in 1892–3, is the fashionable evening resort.

The _Mairie_ (Pl. B, 2), the small _Mosque_ (Pl. B, 3), and other public buildings are situated between the Rue Berthe and the quiet Boul. Carnot (Pl. A, B, 2, 3), which joins the Avenue Delacroix at the Casino.

The MARCHÉ (Pl. B, 3) presents a busy and picturesque scene, especially in the early morning, which will interest new-comers. The motley throng of traders, many of them Mozabites (p. 216), offer the art-industrial products of the Berber tribes of the Aurès and the Sahara, besides Moroccan wares and ‘Oriental’ articles made in Europe, at unduly high prices. The fruit and vegetable market affords evidence of the fertility of the oases. The _Marché aux Bestiaux_ is held in the Boul. Carnot on Mondays.

Camel caravans from the Sahara may be seen at the _Fondouks_ (Pl. A,
3), the inns of the natives on the Route des Zibans.

The quite modern _Village-Nègre_ (Pl. C, 4; comp. p. 181) is very dirty and uninteresting.

A few hundred yards to the S. of the town, between the Route de Touggourt and the Route de Sidi-Okba, is the VILLA DE BÉNÉVENT or _Jardin Landon_ (Pl. C, 5; adm. 2 fr.), a creation of Count Landon (p. 305), the beautiful *Grounds of which are stocked with a marvellous profusion of tropical and subtropical plants, and afford a delightful shady retreat in hot weather.

The great attraction in the nearer environs is *=Old Biskra= (_Vieux-Biskra_; see inset Map, at p. 279), with its clay-built oasis-villages (_ksar_, pl. _ksûr_) inhabited by Biskris (p. 280), and its oasis 3 M. long by 110–550 yds. wide, with some 150,000 date-palms and 6000 fruit-trees (apricots, figs, oranges), besides corn-fields and small kitchen-gardens. The palms, being well watered from the Barrage (p. 279), are well grown and beautifully green; the dates, however, have less flavour than those of the Oued Rhir (p. 285), the Djerid (p. 386), and particularly those of the Souf (p. 285). The traveller may induce a native (20–30 c.) to show him one of the palm-gardens, or he may be satisfied with a glimpse at them over the low mud-walls or through gaps.

From the Villa de Bénévent (p. 281) walkers follow the right bank of the Oued Biskra, in the bed of which stands the kubba of _Sidi Zerzour_, to the (20 min.) village of _M’Cid_, the eastmost in the oasis, with its tall cypress, 130 ft. high, and its pertinacious beggars. The lofty minaret of the small mosque of _Sidi Moussa_ or _Sidi Malek_ (muezzin, 30–50 c.) affords a fine survey of the oasis, backed on the N.E. by the distant and usually snow-clad Jebel Chelia (p. 278), and extending to the S.E. to Sidi-Okba (p. 283).

About ¼ hr. to the S.W. of M’Cid is the picturesque village of _Bab el-Dharb_, infested by begging children, where, at the great lotus-tree near the two conduits, we enjoy a charming view of the palm-gardens. Close by is the mosque of _Sidi Abd el-Moumen_, whose minaret is another famous point of view (ascent toilsome).

Between Bab el-Dharb and the tramway-terminus (p. 279; Café Petit Robinson) rises the _Kasba Hill_, crowned with the old mud-built Turkish fort, now partly washed away by rain, where the first French garrison was massacred by the natives in 1844. View limited.

The village of _Bab-Fath_, to the S.W. of the Kasba Hill, has a picturesque shrine, the marabout of _Sidi Lahsen_.

We return to Biskra by tramway on the Route de Touggourt, passing the poor _Mohammedan Cemetery_ on the left and the _Hôpital Lavigerie_ on the right; or we may choose the road (½ hr.) through the village of _Ras el-Guéria_, noted for the gaily coloured costumes of its inhabitants.

For CARRIAGES (tariff, see p. 279) the route prescribed for avoiding
the narrow roads is viâ M’Cid to Bab el-Dharb, and back by the Route
de Touggourt or viâ Ras el-Guéria. With this excursion may be combined
a drive to the small oasis of _Cora_, with most characteristic Sahara
surroundings, and to (6¼ M. from Biskra) the _Dunes d’Oumache_, or
even to the (10 M.) _Oase Oumache_, where the ksar, defended by
ancient moats, contains many remains of Roman buildings. Fine view at
the marabout. The excursion to Oumache takes at least half a day.
Provisions should be taken.

The (5 M.) *=Col de Sfa=, which has long been famed for its view, is a depression in the _Chaîne de Sfa_, between _Jebel Bou Rezel_ (1322 ft.) and _Jebel el-Mlaga_ (1302 ft.), on the shadeless road to El-Kantara and Batna. We drive (by the hour, see p. 279), or (preferable) ride to the pass; in the latter case we may extend our trip from the pass to the (¼ hr.) ruinous Poste Optique, whence we survey the steppe of El-Outaya (p. 278) to the N., and to the S. the endless undulating expanse of the yellow Sahara, spotted like a panther’s hide, as Strabo has described it, with its green oases (Chetma, Biskra, Sidi-Okba, etc.). Finest light towards sunset.

The (5 M.) =Hammam es-Salahin= (443 ft.; ‘bath of the saints’) or _Fontaine-Chaude_, the Roman _Ad Piscinam_, is most conveniently reached by tramway (p. 279). The car runs through the whole of the Boul. Carnot (p. 281), turns to the W. past a hill crowned with a disused _Optic Telegraph_ (Pl. A, 3), and then passes the small oasis of _Beni-Mora_ and crosses the streamlet _Oued Zemour_.

The _Bath House_ (pens. with baths 10 fr.) attracts many visitors from Biskra, especially in summer. It lies in a most dreary region between _Jebel Bou Rezel_ (p. 282) and the sandy _Jebel Maouya Gorah_. The quadrangle, where the surprisingly copious salt and sulphur spring (115° Fahr.) bursts forth, is enclosed by cells for Europeans (1½ fr.) and men’s and women’s baths for the natives. The roof-terrace affords a good view of the environs. About 1 M. to the N. is a small mountain-lake of volcanic origin.

_Jebel Maouya Gorah_, the E. spur of Jebel Matraf, is a good
standpoint for surveying the girdle of oases formed by the Zab
Dahraoui and Zab Guebli (p. 280), stretching to the distant Oued Djedi
(p. 284). The S. base of this range, where the building and paving
stones of Biskra are now quarried, is skirted by the _Route des
Zibans_, much used by caravans.

The EXCURSION TO SIDI-OKBA (13 M.; diligence, see p. 279; carr. tariff, see p. 279, but 12–15 fr. is usually accepted) is the favourite among the longer trips from Biskra. The Route de Sidi-Okba (Pl. C, 4, 5) fords the Biskra (sometimes dangerous after winter rains) and skirts the small oases of _Lalia_ and _Filliache_. Between these is the _Nécropole_, once a Berber burial-ground.

For the long drive through the dreary steppe at the S. foot of the Aurès Mts., enlivened only by the begging children of the nomads, we are repaid by the verdant _Palm Oasis of Sidi-Okba_, the most fertile of the Zab Chergui group (p. 280), watered by a network of conduits from the Oued el-Abiod (p. 278).

The small town of =Sidi-Okba= (144 ft.; restaurant, at the entrance to the town; pop. 4900), the religious centre of the Zab, owes its origin and its fame as a resort of pilgrims to the tomb of Sidi Okba (p. 322), who ended his victorious career in the adjacent oasis of Thouda. The now poor town, with its mud-built fortifications and houses, and its beggars, lepers, and importunate guides, vividly recalls a mediæval Sahara town.

On alighting we walk straight on, then bear to the left, and soon reach a small square with the _Maison du Kaïd_ and other picturesque houses. Turning here to the left we come to a second place, where on the left, preceded by a colonnade, rises the plain _Mosque of Sidi-Okba_, the oldest in Algeria, containing the tomb of the saint, which is shown on Fridays only. The main entrance to the court of the mosque consists of a carved *Door in the so-called Berber style (10th cent.). The minaret should be ascended for the sake of the excellent survey it affords of the town and the oasis (custodian 50 c.). Adjoining the mosque is the _Zaouïa_, with a Mohammedan law-school.

Passing through the gateway we now follow the first street on the right to the _Market_, with its quaint and busy crowd.

The steppe adjoining _Aïn-Naga_, 14½ M. to the E. of Sidi-Okba, on the
caravan route to _Négrine_, which in late-Roman times was an important
military road, is a favourite resort in winter of gazelle-stalkers
from Biskra. Mirages (Fata Morgana) are often witnessed here.

The *EXCURSION TO M’CHOUNECH, which is much grander than the last-named, is very fatiguing, but will be greatly facilitated by the opening of the new road through the Aurès Mts. (p. 278). We ride to the E., across the Biskra ford, to (5 M.) _Chetma_, a small palm-oasis on the outskirts of the Aurès, where the road at present ends. After a short rest in the village (ksar), with its mud-built houses, or beside the adjoining springs, we proceed viâ (10½ M.) _Droh_ to (14 M.) _El-Habel_ (778 ft.), where we reach the deep-set valley of the _Oued el-Abiod_ (p. 278). We then ascend on the right bank of the stream to (19 M.) =M’chounech= (1083 ft.; quarters at the sheikh’s), a beautiful palm-oasis with 1300 inhab., at the foot of the _Ahmar-Khaddou_ (6315 ft.).

The hill on which the ksar stands affords a very curious and striking view of the neighbouring *Ravines (accessible in dry weather only) and the upper course of the stream with its oases, as far as Baniane; but we may obtain a still grander view by riding to the (24 M.) _Poste Optique_ (3691 ft.), on the S. margin of the Ahmar-Khaddou, whence the most impressive desert panorama stretches as far as the Chott Melrir (see below). The summit of the mountain may be gained in 4–5 hrs. more, but few travellers will care to face the toilsome ascent.

From Biskra to Branis, Djemmorah, Beni-Ferah, and _El-Kantara_, see p.
278; to the _Gorges de Tilatou_, see p. 277.

Hardy and well-equipped (pp. 173, 174) travellers will be repaid by
the interesting SAHARA ROUTE TO TOUGGOURT (127 M.; ‘courrier postal’,
open omnibus with awning, on Mon., Wed., and Frid. at 3 a.m., in 28
hrs., excl. 10 hrs.’ halt for the night at M’raïer; fare 40 fr.; carr.
from the hirers Viallard or Tourenq, 300–400 fr.; a driver that speaks
French should be asked for). A railway from Biskra to Touggourt is now
under construction.—The Route de Touggourt leads to the S.E. from Old
Biskra (p. 281) through the steppe to (19 M.) _Bordj Saâda_ (85 ft.),
in the plain of the _Oued Djedi_ (comp. p. 215), and thence to the S.
to (32½ M.) _Bordj Chegga_, to the W. of the _Chott Melrir_ (95 ft.
below the sea-level), the largest salt-lake in Algeria. 45½ M. _Bir
Sethil_, on the _Oued Itel_, across the bed of which, generally dry,
the road is carried by an embankment over 100 yds. long, built of
blocks of gypsum. 50 M. _Kef ed-Door_ (374 ft.), a plateau affording
fine views, with a Poste Optique communicating with Ahmar-Khaddou (see
above), and said to be the southmost point reached by Sidi Okba (p.
322) in the course of his campaigns. 63½ M. _Ourir_, a small oasis
near the _Chott Merouan_, the S. arm of Chott Melrir, contains the
kubba of _Sidi Makfi_, a favourite resort of pilgrims.

69 M. =M’raïer= or _Merayer_ (13 ft. below sea-level; Caravansérail,
R. 2–3, B. ½, D. 3½ fr.; pop. 1700), a thriving but fever-haunted
village, with a luxuriant palm-oasis watered by artesian wells.

We next come to the region of the =Oued Rhir=, also malarious, with
the largest girdle of oases in Algeria. These oases, artificially
irrigated under the French régime by the sinking of numerous very
costly artesian wells, have gained immensely in fertility, and their
palms (about 950,000) supply the European markets with dates of the
clear or pale variety (deglet en-nûr). Passing the posting-stations of
_Sidi-Khelil_ and _El-Berd_ we come to _Ourlana_ (69 ft.; pop. 4000),
on the so-called _Sea of Ourlana_, a chain of lakes where the water of
the Oued Rhir comes to the surface. 109½ M. _Djemaâ_ (Caravansérail,
R. 3, B. ¾, D. 3 fr., quite good), lies near the oasis of
_Tiguedidin_, with its pretty lake in a palm-grove. Then _Tamerna_,
with 1600 inhab., and _Sidi-Rached_. The swarthy complexion of the
natives, mostly _Rouaras_, akin to the Harrâtin (p. 94), now indicates
that we are nearing the Sudan.

127 M. =Touggourt= or _Tougourt_ (259 ft.; Hôt. de l’Oasis, Grande
Place, near the Bureau Arabe, R. 3, D. 3, pens. 12½ fr.; mule and
attendant 5 fr. per day; pop. 7100), a rapidly increasing little town,
with a great Friday market, is important as the junction of the
caravan-routes to the Mzab (p. 216), Ouargla (or Wargla), and the Souf
(see below). New Touggourt (_T. el-Djedida_) lies at the foot of a
hill crowned with the ruins of Old Touggourt (_T. el-Khedima_). The
distinguishing features of the town are two tall square towers, a
minaret, and the clock-tower of the Kasba. The new gypsum-built
houses, some of them in several stories, produce a striking effect.
The inhabitants—Rouaras, many Mozabites (p. 216), and Jews and negroes
who have embraced Islam—live in separate quarters (_zgag_) and in
large suburbs. Their home-industries, especially weaving and
carpet-making, are thriving. It is very interesting to ride through
the *_Oasis_, or to make an excursion to the S. to the little oasis
town of (8 M.) _Temacin_ and the (9½ M.) _Zaouïa of Tamelhat_, one of
the most influential monasteries in the Sahara, with a superb *Mosque.

In order to avoid the long route back to Biskra, and at the same time
to see more of the Sahara, we may ride from Touggourt viâ _El-Oued_,
to the N.E., in 4–5 days direct to _Nefta_ (p. 387; trotting-camel to
El-Oued 10, and for the ‘Saharien’ a fee of 3 fr. per day; comp. also
p. 174). The caravan-route, marked only by pyramidal signals, crosses
the great dunes of the =Souf=, where ‘desert-roses’ (p. 270) abound,
one of the N. offshoots of the _Erg Oriental_, as the great E. desert
of the Sahara is called. The only houses of call are (12½ M.) _Bordj
Mguitla_, (24 M.) _Bordj Mouiat Ferdjana_, and (44½ M.) _Bordj Mouiat
el-Kaïd_. The first village in the Souf is (53 M.) _Ourmes_.

61½ M. =El-Oued= (263 ft.; good quarters at the house of the merchant
Sagnier, R. 3, déj. or D. 4¼ fr.; pop. 7400), the interesting capital
of the Souf, with windowless houses covered with barrel-vaulting and
small domes, is best viewed from the minaret or from the dune on the
N. side. El-Oued and particularly the neighbouring oasis of _Guémar_
are famed for their weaving; their wares are sent by the caravan-route
to the S.E. viâ Bir er-Ressof (Beresof) to Ghadâmes in Tripolitania.

The *_Oases_ of the Souf, containing about 180,000 palm-trees, have
quite a different system of cultivation from all others in Barbary.
The remarkably thick and long-leaved palms stand in funnel-shaped
hollows (entonnoirs, Arabic ritan), and are protected against
sand-drift by palisades of palm-twigs. The irrigation is provided by
surface-water collected in wells, from which the water is raised by
means of long draw-beams. The dates, owing to the peculiar mode of
culture and the great heat of the sun, are noted for their sweetness
and fine flavour. They are usually exported to Europe by way of S.
Tunis.

Beyond (74½ M.) _Debila_, where the high dunes end, we ride to the
Tunisian frontier across the pastures of the nomadic tribes, watered
by artesian wells. A delightful scene is presented by the watering of
the cattle, driven in from every direction, and indefatigably supplied
by the swarthy herdsmen.

Beyond _Choucht el-Ihoudi_ and _Bir el-Asli_, the first stages in
Tunisia, we traverse the dreary steppe to the N.W. end of the _Chott
Djerid_ (p. 386), through which we ride for a short way on the _Trik
Douaria_. 137 M. _Nefta_ (p. 387), where we must announce our arrival
at the custom-house.—From Nefta viâ _Tozeur_ to _Metlaoui_ (and
_Gafsa_), see pp. 387, 386.

45. From Batna viâ Lambèse to Timgad.

ROAD, to Lambèse 7 M. (diligence four times daily, in 1 hr.), to
Timgad 23½ M.—The diligence from Batna to (67 M.) Khenchela (p. 273),
starting at 4 a.m., reaches at 8 a.m., beyond the 35th kilomètre-stone
(22 M.), the point where the Timgad road diverges. One may therefore
alight there and walk in less than ½ hr. to Timgad. Returning from
Khenchela the diligence passes this point about noon. During the
season motor-omnibuses of the Hôt. des Etrangers run from Batna to
Lambèse and Timgad (75 fr. for the whole vehicle; single seat 25 fr.).
A motor-omnibus of the Hôt. Meille at Timgad also conveys travellers
from the station at Batna to Timgad and back (20 fr. each person; best
to order beforehand). Carriages (for one day 20–30, for two days 30–40
fr.) may be had at the hotels or through the Rail. Restaurant. The
fares are rather lower when arranged with the drivers direct. Bicycles
in the Square at Batna, 5 fr. per day.

If pressed for time we may take the evening train from Constantine to
Batna, visit Lambèse and Timgad next day, and go on to Biskra in the
afternoon by train. Those who reach Batna from Biskra or El-Kantara
about noon may take lunch at the station, go on to Lambèse, staying
there for 1½–2 hrs., and thence to Timgad, whence they may return next
morning to Batna in time for the afternoon train to Constantine.

_Batna_, see p. 275. The road leaves the town by the _Quartier Militaire_ and ascends slightly, to the S.E., through the dreary upland plain, where it is sometimes bitterly cold in winter, and along the N. margin of the _Aurès Mts._ (p. 278). As we near the hill-region of Lambèse we sight the ‘Prætorium’ in the distance.

7 M. =Lambèse= or _Lambessa_ (3875 ft.; quarters at the poor cafés only), a village with a large _Pénitencier_, or Maison Centrale de Correction, was founded in 1848 as a prison for political offenders and partly built out of the ruins of the Roman _Lambaesis_.

Lambæsis was the headquarters of the famous Third Legion, the nucleus
of the Roman forces in Numidia, transferred hither about 100 A. D.
from Tebessa (p. 315) for the defence of the chief Aurès passes, those
to the Oued Abdi and the Oued el-Abiod (p. 278). Their oldest camp,
recently discovered, lay 1¼ M. to the W. of Lambèse; the newer camp,
mentioned as early as 146 A. D., is now partly built over by the
penitentiary and its garden. On a hill rising steeply from the plain,
1¼ M. to the S. of the later camp, lay a civilian settlement
(_canăbae_), occupied at first by traders, artisans, and the soldiers’
families, but erected into a municipium under Marcus Aurelius
(161–180). This became the seat of the governor of Numidia and for a
short time prospered. But the punishment of the Third Legion by
Gordian III. (238), who removed it to the Rhine for twenty-five years,
the earthquake of 268, the extension of the military frontier under
Diocletian (284–305) to the S. border of the Sahara Atlas, and the
transference, under Constantine the Great, of the governor’s seat to
Cirta (p. 298) were disasters from which Lambæsis never recovered, so
that by the 5th cent. it was completely abandoned.

The Roman *CAMP, one of the best-preserved in existence, ‘the classic ruin of military occupation’ as it has been called, forms a rectangle of 547 by 460 yds., with the usual rounded corners, and four gates, between which ran the two main streets, the _Cardo_ and the _Decumanus_.

We alight at the ancient _Porta Sinistra_, the W. gate. Between this and the ‘Prætorium’ (see below) recent excavations have unearthed remains of the Decumanus and its three N. side-streets, all once flanked with colonnades, and the foundations of the barracks built of concrete (p. 290). The _Porta Praetoria_, the N. gate, at the end of the well-paved Cardo, with its two passages and the substructures of its two towers, is particularly well preserved. Near it, adjoining the relics of the camp-wall, are the ruins of several other towers.

At the intersection of the Decumanus and the Cardo, 156 yds. from the N. gate, rises the so-called **_Praetorium_, probably rebuilt in 268, the monumental entrance-gateway of the residence of the legate (prætorium or principia), the only intact Roman building of the kind and the grandest Roman ruin in Algeria. This great rectangular pile of solid masonry in two stories, 33½ by 25 yds. in area and 49 ft. in height, is adorned outside with Corinthian columns on high pedestals and with Corinthian pilasters. The four great round-arched passages, of which the side and end ones are flanked, respectively, by three and two smaller archways, open into a central space, which, to judge from the four large bases of pillars, was once probably furnished with a roof and lighted by the four round-arched windows in the upper story.

Of the so-called _Forum_, the chief court of the Prætorium, there
still exist remains of the colonnade and a number of side-chambers,
once armouries. (In the so-called arsenal at the N.W. angle many
cannon-balls and other missiles have been found.) To the S. of the
forum is the _Posticum_, with its offices and _Scholae_, the
club-rooms of the officers and sergeants (now ticketed), and the
_Chapel_ for the flags and insignia of the Legion, recognizable by its
large niche. The cellars served as the _Treasury_.

The _Thermes du Camp_, the ancient baths, to the S.E. of the Prætorium, show remains of the heating apparatus (comp. p. 294).

From the E. gate, once the _Porta Dextra_, ran the road to Verecunda (p. 289) and Timgad and the Via Septimiana to the town-hill, 1¼ M. distant. In the open ground outside of it rises the ruinous single _Arch of Commodus_. Near this is the _Amphitheatre_, whose stones were used in building the penitentiary (p. 286).

We now drive to the S. from the S.E. angle of the camp, where carriages usually wait, to the VILLAGE. At the _Mairie_, mainly built with the stones of the Septizonium, a nymphæum or fountain, we find the museum attendant (fee ½ fr.), who if desired will show also the town-hill (fee).

The small _Musée Municipal_, near the church, comprises, under a shed, some mediocre statues from the temple of Æsculapius and splendid *Mosaics found in 1905 (one with an inscription by a Greek artist), missiles, etc. The garden contains architectural fragments, inscriptions, etc.

A road leads from the S. end of the village to the TOWN HILL, where excavators have not as yet discovered even the forum.

Near the (¼ hr.) _Aïn-Drinn_, which now supplies the village with drinking-water, are the almost unrecognizable remains of the _Temple of Neptune_. From this point we walk to the N.E. past the ruins of the _Aqueduct_ and the foundations of four _Dwelling Houses_ to (10 min.) the chief temples.

The *_Temple of Æsculapius_, at the W. end of the temple area, a curiously planned edifice dating from the time of Marcus Aurelius, consists of a cella, well-preserved in its foundations, with a large semicircular niche for the statues of Æsculapius and Salus (or Hygiea), and of a semicircular terrace (concave inwards), where a square basement in front bore a Doric portico, which collapsed in 1852. In front of the flight of six steps lie remains of the architrave, bearing the dedicatory inscription of the temple. Colonnades connected the temple with two semicircular projections, flanking the terrace, on which stood the ædiculæ or chapels of Jupiter Valens and Silvanus. Behind the cella are vestiges of the _Thermae_ connected with the temple.

A straight ancient road leads to the S.E. from the temple of Æsculapius to the capitol, the distinctive feature of every Roman colony. On the left lie the substructures of _Chapels_ dedicated to eight different gods (about 200 A. D.), all rectangular and each with its niche, usually rounded.

The *_Capitol_, the largest temple of Lambæsis, dedicated to the cult of Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, adjoins the W. wall of the ancient temple-court, a quadrangle of 66 by 60 yds., of whose colonnades eight columns only survive. A flight of twenty steps, most of which also have disappeared, ascended to the temple portico, with eight Corinthian columns in front and four at the back. The cella, still fairly preserved, 22½ by 12¼ yds., consists, exceptionally, of only two chambers, separated by a partition, with square niches for the sacred images. On the temple steps lie fragments of the dedicatory inscription of the ‘Respublica Lambæsis’.

The capitol is adjoined on the E. by the court of a third _Temple_, 82 by 38 yds.

We now follow the road on the hill to the E., leaving on the left the so-called _Bains des Chasseurs_, and in 3 min. reach the ruins of a _Triumphal Arch_ with three gateways, on the old road to Verecunda (p. 289), and 3 min. farther a smaller _Archway_, to which point carriages should be ordered. We then drive back to the plain, to the N.W., by the Bertouli road, skirting the town-hill.

About halfway between this road and the highroad we pass the ruins of a building once erroneously called the _Palais du Légat_, and those of _Latrinae_. On the ancient Via Septimiana (p. 287), about a hundred yards farther, rises the *_Arch of Septimius Severus_, with its three passages, bereft of its columns and attica.

The HIGH ROAD ascends past the remains (on the left) of a _Roman Burial Ground_, with the substructures of an _Early Christian Chapel_, under the ciborium altar of which are two martyrs’ tombs. After a long bend to the N. it reaches (9 M. from Batna) =Markouna= (about 4260 ft.), a country-house surrounded by fruit-trees, cypresses, and pines, not far from the site of the little Roman town of _Verecunda_.

Beyond Markouna, just before the new road to Medina (and Biskra; see p. 278) diverges, rises the _Arch of Marcus Aurelius_ (172 A. D.). A little way to the S.W., on the old Roman road coming from the town-hill of Lambæsis, stands another _Archway_, dedicated to the same emperor in 162.

As the road now descends to the N.E. into the dreary valley of the _Oued Mérien_, we obtain on the right, beyond the 16th kilomètre-stone (10 M.), a fine view of the crest of the Kef Mahmel (p. 278), which is snow-clad in winter. Beyond the 24th kilomètre-stone (15 M.) we overlook a great part of the Aurès Mts. with Jebel Chelia (p. 278). On the left is _Jebel Taguertine_ (4511 ft.).

After the 27th kilomètre-stone (17 M.) we sight, far to the S.E., at the foot of the spurs of the Aurès, the ruins of _Timgad_, where the two tall columns of the capitol gradually grow more conspicuous. The road to (23½ M. from Batna) Timgad, which diverges to the right beyond the 35th kilomètre-stone (21½ M.), crosses the Oued Mérien and ends on the N. side of the ruins.

* * * * *

=Timgad.=—HOTEL. _Hôtel Meille_, 4 min. to the N. of the ruins,
opposite the Berber market (Thurs.), with a fine view of the Aurès
Mts., R. 3–4, B. 1–1½, déj. 3½, D. 4 fr., plain but well spoken of.

The RUINS may be visited at any time. The chief sights, named in the
text in heavy type, may be cursorily seen within 2–3 hrs. For closer
study _A. Ballu’s_ Guide Illustré de Timgad (at book-shops 2½, 3½ fr.
at the Agence, p. 291, where photographs and picture post-cards also
are sold) is valuable. Information as to recent excavations may be
obtained from the inspector _M. Barry_.—Comp, also ‘Carthage, Timgad,
Tébessa’, by _R. Cagnat_ (Paris, 1909).

_Timgad_ (3520 ft.), known by the Berber name of _Thamugadi_ in the late-Roman period and one of the most thriving towns in the E. Algerian highlands, dates from 100 A. D., when the legate P. Munatius Gallus, commander of the Third Legion (p. 286), was ordered by Trajan to found the _Colonia Marciana Trajana Thamugadi_, probably about the same time as Lambæsis, as the key of the Fount Ksantina (p. 296). The town saw its prime in the second half of the 2nd and in the 3rd cent., but in the 4th cent., like Bagai (p. 273), it was a centre of the Donatist movement and suffered severely in the wars of the period. After fruitless attempts by the Vandals to revive it, Thamugadi was destroyed by the hostile Berber tribes of the Aurès Mts. in 535. Having been finally abandoned at the close of the Byzantine domination, the ruins of the town, with the exception of Trajan’s Arch, were gradually buried under the deposits of torrents, and for twelve centuries the place was consigned to complete oblivion.

The excavations begun by the French government in 1880, and recently conducted by the architect A. Ballu, have brought to light the most important parts of the town, including the Forum, two Markets, the Capitol, and no less than eleven Thermæ. While the private houses are mostly unpretending and very inferior to those of Pompeii, the public buildings afford most striking evidence of the ancient prosperity of this remote Roman provincial town.

The oldest town, laid out as a square camp (comp. p. 286) of 384 yds.
each way, in conformity with its original destination as a
frontier-fortress, has four central gates, between which ran the two
main streets, the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus Maximus,
intersecting each other at right angles. The ‘Cardo Maximus Nord’
opens into the Decumanus at the Forum, where it stops owing to the
unevenness of the soil. Some 90 yds. farther to the W., however, the
‘Cardo Maximus Sud’ leads out of the Decumanus. The rapid increase of
the population, especially on the E. and W. sides, on the busy roads
to Tebessa (p. 315) and Lambæsis, led as early as the 2nd cent. to the
construction or extensive new streets on a less regular plan. By the
5th cent. the population, which had greatly declined, withdrew from
the suburbs into the ancient walled precincts, which by this time had
been much built over at places.

The main streets are bordered with Doric colonnades and paved with
bluish limestone slabs; the smaller streets have sandstone pavement.
The waggon-ruts are deep, especially in the Decumanus Maximus, and are
slightly farther apart than at Pompeii (4 ft. 3 in. and 4 ft. 1 in.).
The excellent drainage-system is now utilized anew, as may be seen
from the gutters at the street-corners.

The usual building material was concrete (_opus incertum_, small
stones mixed with mortar), often faced with brick, or stone-framework
(the interstices being filled with brick or rubble-work). The private
houses usually occupy an _Insula_, as the square block enclosed by
four streets was called. The shops (_tabernae_) in the main streets
were all entered from the street, except when the trader lived in the
same house. As a rule the houses, like modern Moorish houses, have
their backs turned to the street, looking into an arcaded court
(peristyle) in Oriental fashion, instead of opening into a roofed
atrium in the ancient Roman style.

We begin our walk at the N. end of the town. On the right, just outside the old town-wall, lie the—

*=Grands Thermes du Nord= (Pl. D, 1), the largest Roman baths in N. Africa. They form a rectangle of 88½ by 70½ yds., and contain thirty-five different chambers, all symmetrically constructed like others of the later Roman period. Parts of the walls are still 23 ft. in height.

A flight of ten steps on the E. side of the building leads to the
_Vestibulum_, the main entrance to the baths. The adjoining chamber on
the left opens on to a suite of three spacious halls. The two outer
ones were probably the _Palaestra_ for gymnastics and games. In the
corner, obliquely opposite the entrance-wall, is a kind of shaft or
passage leading to the _Apodyterium_ (undressing and dressing room).
The central hall is the largest _Frigidarium_, containing three basins
(_piscinae_). The chamber on the S. side, between the two smaller
basins, served as a passage to the _Tepidarium_, for hot-air baths and
massage. Adjoining the tepidarium on the S. is the largest
_Caldarium_, with three hot-water basins (_alvei_). Two side-rooms
were the _Laconica_ or sweating-baths. Adjacent to them were two
smaller _Caldaria_, to the N. of which, next to the palæstra, were two
other _Tepidaria_. The two rooms at the S.E. and S.W. corners of the
baths, each with an ante-room (apodyterium?) and large semicircular
niche, are supposed to have been _Frigidaria_.—As to _Heating
Apparatus_, comp. p. 294.

A little to the left of the main entrance to these Thermæ is the quaint _Mannikin Fountain_ (Pl. D, 1), restored from ancient fragments.

The insignificant building on the E. side of the road is the =Agence-Musée= (Pl. D, E, 1), containing the offices of the directors of the excavations and a collection of objects found at Timgad. These, however, with the exception of some mosaics, the chief adornment of the African-Roman dwelling, show a provincial and mechanical style of art.

Along the outside walls are ranged the larger sculptures, a great
stone vase, fragments of buildings, and Saturn stelæ.

The Entrance Room (I) contains pottery, including numerous lamps.—Room
II. Smaller fragments of sculpture, bronze implements, etc.—Rooms III
& IV. Desk-cases containing the most valuable finds, notably glass,
clay-vases, small implements in bronze and bone. Under the cases are
water-pines, etc.—Against the walls are placed mosaics: in R. III,
Diana and Actæon, with the name of the artist (Selius), and Neptune in
a quadriga; in R. IV, Jupiter and Antiope (inscription, ‘Filadelfis
vita’), and Amphitrite on a marine centaur.

We now enter the oldest part of the town by the central _Porte du Nord_ (Pl. D, 1), 13¼ by 5¾ yds., preserved only in its lower parts. Between the pillars of the gateway, once enriched with Corinthian half-columns and pilasters, are the ancient guard-rooms. On the floor are relics of an inscription of 149 A.D., which names Antoninus Pius as the restorer (or finisher) of the gateway.

The first building on the left side of the CARDO MAXIMUS NORD, a street ascending steeply for 185 yds., is that of the Petits _Thermes du Nord_ (Pl. E, 1). On the left, beyond the fourth side-street, is the—

*=Library= (Pl. E, 2), one of the most curious buildings in the town, resembling the library in the forum of Pompeii, which was once supposed to be a shrine of the Lares. The building is preceded by an open colonnade, with two small chambers on each side. Two side-doors lead into the rectangular book-rooms, while the central door, as in all antique libraries, opens into a kind of sanctuary, with a large central niche flanked by four recesses on each side (for the sacred images), and approached by a basement in three steps, with ornamental columns.

The Cardo Maximus Nord leads to the main entrance to the Forum (see below) in the DECUMANUS MAXIMUS, the chief thoroughfare of the town. To the right, at the W. end of the latter, rises Trajan’s Arch (p. 295). We descend to the left. On the left, near the old E. gate of the inner town, are the _Grands Thermes de l’Est_ (Pl. F, 2), whose tepidarium contains remains of mosaic pavement. We turn back here, and in the third S. street off the Decumanus Maximus we come to the _Petits Thermes de l’Est_ (Pl. F, 2), where two of the rooms contain restored marble benches.

Next, on the same side of the Decumanus, comes the *=Marché de l’Est= or _East Macellum_ (Pl. E, F, 2), the smaller town-market, very curiously planned.

A flight of eight steps ascends to a semicircular vestibule occupying
the middle of a platform 30 yds. wide and 2¼ yds. deep, on to the
right and on to the left sides of which open six small shops, three of
them facing the street and three the courtyard. The latter, really a
double court, consists of two segments of a circle with a triangular
fountain at their intersection. Adjacent, along the back-wall, right
and left, are five stalls with the old stone counters. In the centre
of each half-court is an open semicircular colonnade with
water-runlets.

Almost immediately to the W. of the market-hall, a later addition, is the =Maison aux Jardinières= (Pl. 4; E, 2), a private house with a fine garden-court, once adorned with flower-beds. These were enclosed by high segment-shaped stone balustrades.

Near the _Fountain_ at the next street-corner, at the N.E. angle of the Forum, are the =Latrinæ= (Pl. 3; E, 2), the finest ancient building of the kind, with a washing-basin and excellent cleansing arrangements. The double seats (originally 25) have marble arms adorned with dolphins.

A propylæum, with a vestibule (16 ft. wide) and twelve steps forms the main entrance to the *=Forum= (Pl. E, 2, 3), the focus of municipal life, to which foot-passengers only were admitted. It was completed in the reign of Trajan, and conforms pretty closely in plan to the rules laid down by Vitruvius. It forms a large rectangle, 110 by 65 yds.; the area or central space, 55 by 47 yds., is enclosed by Corinthian colonnades. The vestibule and area were once adorned by a crowd of equestrian statues of emperors and figures of distinguished governors of Numidia and eminent citizens. The so-called Marsyas, the symbol of civic liberty, marked Thamugadi as one of the most favoured colonies, whose inhabitants enjoyed the full rights of Roman citizenship. Besides the pedestals of thirty-two statues, we note also several representations of figures of a game (comp. p. 318) on the stone slabs of the pavement; among the inscriptions annexed is the light-hearted ‘venari lavari ludere ridere occ (hoc) est vivere’ (to hunt, bathe, play, and laugh is to live).

The chambers on the N. side of the Forum were perhaps _Club Rooms_. The two-storied _Shops_ on the S. side opened, on the upper floor, into the Theatre Street (p. 293).

The only building on the E. side of the Forum is the very dilapidated =Basilica= (Pl. E, 3), once the exchange and court of justice. Unlike most other ancient edifices of the kind, it is a single hall (31 by 16 yds.), with three niches at the N. end and five small chambers on the E. side. The large square niche at the S. end, at the foot of the theatre hill, served as a law-court.

Of the buildings on the W. side of the Forum the two in the middle are the =Curia= (Pl. E, 3), where the town-council (ordo decurionum) met, a rectangle of 17 by 12 yds., with a colonnade in front and platform behind, and a small _Temple_ (Pl. 8; E, 3), preceded by a speaker’s platform (_rostra_), 6¾ ft. high. The purpose of the other buildings is unknown.

Near the _Fountain_ at the N.W. angle of the Forum we turn to the S., out of the Decumanus into the Voie de la Curie, and thence to the left into the Voie du Théâtre (38 ft. wide), on the S. side of the Forum.

The =Theatre= (Pl. E, 3), dating from 167, lies on the W. slope of an isolated hill. It held about 4000 spectators, but little of it is left, as the materials were used in building the Byzantine fortress (p. 296). The semicircular orchestra, with its three tiers for the places of honour (_bisellia_), allotted to the decuriones and other persons of distinction, is well preserved. The _Cavea_, or auditorium, 69½ yds. wide, rising on the hill-side, once had twenty-six tiers of seats, but of these the seven lowest only remain. The stage (_pulpitum_) has been destroyed with the exception of the front-wall, with its niches and steps, and the hyposcenium, consisting of brick pillars (29½ in. high), which supported the floor of the stage. The large colonnaded hall behind the former back-wall of the stage served as a promenade (‘foyer’).

The hill behind the cavea of the theatre, where the remains of a
_Temple Court_ have been unearthed, affords a splendid *Survey of the
ruins. The view extends to the W. to the distant hills near Batna; to
the S.E., beyond the great débris-strewn slopes of the lower hills,
rise the Aurès Mts.

From the centre of the theatre colonnade we may walk to the W. to the _Petits Thermes du Centre_ (Pl. E, 3), with admirably preserved heating apparatus in the caldarium and laconicum (p. 291) on the W. side.

On the W. side of these baths runs the CARDO MAXIMUS SUD, the finely paved main street of the S. quarter of the town, leading past the entirely ruined S. Gate (Pl. E, 4) and the house of the Sertii (on the right; p. 294), and ending at a _Fountain_ in the Voie des Thermes.

The *=Thermes du Sud= (Pl. E, 4), of the 2nd cent., extended in 198 and restored about the end of the 3rd cent., are the finest in the town next to the N. Thermæ.

A peculiarity of this building consists in the three great Exedræ,
semicircular projections on the N.E. and S. sides. The semicircle near
the S. entrance contained the Latrinæ, now almost entirely destroyed.
The great colonnaded hall near the N. entrance served as a promenade.
From the Palæstra, 26 by 10 yds., the largest hall in the baths,
bathers could enter the Apodyterium as well as the Frigidarium,
flanked by its two piscinæ. The small ante-rooms behind the
Frigidarium opened into the heated rooms: on the right the Tepidarium,
on the left the large Caldarium with its three hot-water basins, and,
straight in front, a smaller Caldarium with two basins. The
quadrangular space between the caldaria was the Laconicum.

The cellars on the S. side were partly occupied by the _Praefurnium_
(furnace room). Huge stoves (_furnaces_) heated the water in
cylindrical boilers (_testudines_, no longer existing) and also the
air, both for the _Hypocaustum_, or hollow floor resting on low brick
pillars, and for the hollow tiles (_tubuli_) or nipple tiles (_tegulae
mammatae_) with which the hollow walls of the hot rooms were lined.

To the S.W. of the thermæ is an _Artisan Quarter_ with a pottery and a
bronze-foundry.

We may now visit the Byzantine Fortress (p. 296) or else go direct to the =House of the Sertii= (Pl. D, E, 4), one of the richest families in the town (comp. p. 295). This building, a great rectangle of 68 by 35½ yds., comprising no fewer than three insulæ or blocks, was built on the site of the ancient town-wall, and extends as far as the Voie du Capitole.

The colonnade in the Cardo Maximus Sud opens on a square _Vestibulum_.
Adjacent, on the right, were a shop of the owner’s, the lodge of the
porter (_ostiarius_), and the stairs ascending to the bath-rooms
(_balineum_). Next to the vestibule came the _Peristyle_, a colonnaded
court in the Doric style, off which opened the owner’s reception-room
(_tablinum_), the dining-room (_triclinium_), and several bedrooms
(_cubicula_). On the left there was a staircase to the upper story. A
second peristyle, with a fountain-basin and a fish-pond (_vivarium_)
was flanked by the offices. The large room at the back was the
banqueting-room (_oecus_). On the W. side of the building were several
shops for letting.

On the W. side of the inner town, outside the town-wall, which has here been built over, runs the broad VOIE DU CAPITOLE, at the upper end of which rises the—

*=Capitol= (Pl. C, D, 4; comp. p. 288), originally one of the grandest temples in the whole country. A flight of four steps ascends to the propylæum, a portico of twelve columns lately re-erected. The vast temple-court is an irregular quadrangle of about 98 by 68–73 yds.; the peribolos or enclosing wall was restored, according to an inscription, under Valentinian I. in 365. Still later the S. colonnade was converted into a closed corridor with shops. In the middle of the court is the basement of the ancient altar.

A lofty flight of steps, originally 38, broken halfway up by a platform, formed the approach to the temple (58 by 25 yds.). The cella, now destroyed, had three niches, a portico of six columns, and lateral colonnades, while the back-wall was closed. Two of the gigantic columns of the portico, 44 ft. high, have been re-erected, while the huge drums and capitals of others lie around, notably on the S. side of the temple.

We now walk down the Voie du Capitole to the =Marché de l’Ouest= (Pl. D, 3), or _West Macellum_, the largest covered market in the town, probably built by one of the Sertii (p. 294) early in the 3rd century.

The entrance is in the small Place du Marché, on the S. side of the
Decumanus Maximus. The entrance colonnade (_chalcidicum_) leads into
the quadrangle, 37 by 27 yds., paved with large slabs of limestone and
surrounded by colonnades. In the centre originally stood a square
fountain (_tholos_). At the N. end, near the entrance, were two shops
on each side and the stairs to the upper floor. The most curious
feature of the building is the raised *_Exedra_, once roofed, on the
S. side of the court, with seven deep recesses, closed, like those of
the E. Market (p. 292), by the stone counters of the sellers. Remains
of the entablature are exhibited on the outer wall.

The rectangular ‘_Marché aux Vêtements_’ (Pl. C, D, 3), on the W. side of the Place du Marché, was probably a minor market.

Close by, on the N. side of the Decumanus Maximus, rises the small _Temple du Génie de Timgad_ (Pl. C, D, 3, 4), ‘a miniature capitol’, dedicated in 151 to the genius of the colony. Three flights of steps ascend to the temple-court with relics of the altar. The temple, with its four Corinthian columns in front, is a mere ruin.

We next visit *=Trajan’s Arch= (Pl. D, 3), the best-known triumphal arch in Algeria, an extremely massive structure, 40 ft. high, much restored in 1900. This was once the W. gate of the inner town (comp. p. 296). Instead of the usual corner-columns of the earlier triumphal arches, it has on each side four projecting Corinthian columns, whose entablature is relieved with rounded pediments in front of the attica. The two middle columns on the E. side terminate in eagles holding thunderbolts in their talons, instead of in volutes as in the usual capital. Of its three passages, which could be closed by means of portcullises, the central one was for vehicles, the two side-arches for foot-passengers. The square niches over the side-gateways, each crowned with an ædicula, were originally adorned with statues.

We now return to the inner part of the town. Between the first and the second S. side-street of the Decumanus Maximus is the _Maison de la Piscina_ (Pl. D, 3), a large dwelling-house occupying two insulæ, so named from the granite basin in the peristyle, adorned with nine little columns of red marble. The œcus, or festal hall, at the S. end, has a tasteful mosaic pavement.

Between the second and third S. side-streets of the Decumanus Maximus lies the open quadrangle of a _Granary_ (horreum), containing numerous grindstones (pilons à blé; Pl. 7, D 3). The house beyond the third side-street contains a _Cellar_ (hypogæum) resting on pillars and lighted by small windows.

The fourth N. side-street of the Decumanus Maximus, in a line with the
Voie de la Curie, leads to the ruins of a =Monastery= of the Byzantine
age, containing a balineum or bathroom. The _Basilica_ (Pl. 2, D, 2)
is a complete ruin. To the N.W. of it is the _Baptistery_ (Pl. 1; D,
2), with relics of the font and its colonnade.

The _House of Januarius_ (Pl. 5; D, E 2), to the N.E. of the church,
still has its balineum.

* * * * *

Time permitting, we may visit the ruins outside the town.

From the great N. Thermæ (p. 290) we may walk past the _Dépôt des Tapis Indigènes_, where the carpets made by the Berbers of the Aurès are sold (adm. free), to other remains of _Thermes_ (Pl. C, 1).

To the S. of this point lies the early-Christian =Cathedral= (Pl. C, 2), separated by a low hill from the outer Decumanus Maximus. This was a basilica with nave and two aisles, 42 by 18½ yds., with clustered columns and traces of the choirscreen and altar-basement. The sacristies (prothesis and diaconicon), adjoining the raised apse, seem to have been entered from the aisles only.