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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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Algeria

Tuareg man with his traditional tagelmust face and head covering in the mountains of Hoggar, Algeria.	 Source: Sahara Nature / Adobe Stock

The Ancient Tuareg: “Free Men” of the Sahara Desert

In the heart of the Sahara Desert, an ancient people known as the Tuareg have thrived for centuries. The enigmatic history, which can be traced back thousands of years, unfolds as a testament to...
Trajan Arch, Timgad, Algeria. Source: Leonid Andronov / Adobe Stock.

Algeria's Treasures: From Constantine to the Roman Ruins of Timgad (Videos)

Algeria's history unfolds from the ancient city of Constantine to the remarkably preserved Roman ruins of Timgad . Constantine, perched dramatically on cliffs, boasts historic bridges and a history...
‘The Bitter Draught of Slavery.’ Image depicting a Barbary slave caught by pirates from North Africa.

Remembering the Barbary Slaves: White Slaves and North African Pirates

Much attention and condemnation has been directed towards the tragedy of the African slave trade , which took place between the 16th and the 19th centuries. However, another equally despicable trade...
The Great Berber Kingdom of Numidia in the Shadow of Rome

The Great Berber Kingdom of Numidia in the Shadow of Rome

The ancient Romans placed a lot of the world under their heel and into their sphere of influence. Numerous cultures, nations, and civilizations fell in their wake. Centuries of blossoming was...
The Berbers, lords of the desert.

The Rich Mythology and Megalithic Culture of the Ancient Berbers, Lords of the Desert

The Barbary Coast of North Africa was named after the Berbers, the nomadic people who inhabited the region west of the Nile Valley in north Africa. Called the Amazigh or Imazighen in antiquity (...
An Oldowan stone tool core freshly excavated at Ain Boucherit, Algeria.

Stone Tools Found in Algeria Provide Evidence Human Origins Were Spread Throughout Africa

A collection of prehistoric stone tools and butchered animal bones was discovered in 1992 at the Ain Boucherit archaeological site on the north-eastern high Algerian plateau have now been dated to 2...
Tiddis, Constantine Algeria

Ruined City of Tiddis Attests to The Power of Rome In North Africa

There are many important Roman ruins in Algeria. One of the least well-known is Tiddis, which is located in the northwest of the country, in the province of Constantine. It is situated on a mountain...
Ruins of Madauros

Madauros: A Testament to the Vanished Glory of Rome in Algeria

The ruins of the ancient city of Madauros is one of Algeria’s most important archaeological sites and yet it is virtually unknown because of its remote location, which has helped to preserve the city...
The ruins of Timgad.

Timgad: The Wonderfully Preserved Algerian Pompeii

One of the best-preserved Roman ruins in Algeria, Timgad can thank the sands of the Sahara for its survival. It is such a remarkable site to behold that some travelers have even gone so far as to dub...
The ruins of Beni Hammad Fort.

Beni Hammad Fort: Ruins Attest the Dreams of a Medieval Algerian Islamic Dynasty

Today, only the ruins of the city attest to the important status Beni Hammad Fort once enjoyed in the history of Algeria. It saw glory as a Medieval stronghold and as the capital of a local dynasty...
Tombeau de la chretienne, Tipasa. (tomb of the Christian Woman – an alternate name of the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania).

The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania: Deadly Wasps Once Prevented its Destruction

In almost any culture, an ancient royal couple would have been expected to have provided themselves with a superior, monumental, or otherwise unique final resting place. Such was the case with Juba...
Deriv; Left, Roman legionnaire reenactor in period gear. Right, Jabbaren rock painting (Via author)

The Giant of Algeria: Iconographic Evidence of Roman Expeditions in the Sahara

There are thousands of rock engravings at the dramatic rocky landscape of Jabbaren, Algeria. Jabbaren is an archaeological site in the Tassili N'ajjer National Park in Algeria with some of the most...
Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin.

Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, The Father of Modern Magic Who Stopped a Revolt with His Abilities

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin was a French magician who lived during the 19th century. Amongst other things, Robert-Houdin is commonly regarded today as the originator of the modern style of conjuring (...
A traditional imzad instrument, made by local craftswomen and played only by women.

Reviving the Music of their Foremothers: A Traditional Tuareg Instrument for Women Makes a Comeback

A traditional stringed gourd instrument of the Tuareg people in Africa, played only by women because of the threat of a curse upon men who play it, is making a comeback. Only two women were known to...
‘Visione di sant' agostino’ (vision of Saint Augustine) (1502) by Vittore Carpaccio.

Saint Augustine of Hippo and His Detours on the Long and Winding Path to Christianity

Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important Christian theologians, and his works have exerted a great influence not only on the development of Western Christianity, but also on Western...
An oil painting of Queen Tin Hinan.

The Monumental Tomb of Queen Tin Hinan, Ancient Ancestress of the Tuaregs

Queen Tin Hinan is renowned in Tuareg history as a fourth century matriarch of great prestige – named “Mother of Us All”. Her monumental tomb was located in 1925 in the Sahara desert, but dramatic...
Tassili n'Ajjer  Rock Art

15,000 artworks over ten millennia reveal the evolution of human life on the edge of the Sahara

Tassili n'Ajjer has been described as the finest prehistoric open-air museum in the world. Set in a vast plateau in the south-east of the Algerian Sahara at the borders of Libya, Niger and Mali, and...