Mausoleum of Beni-Rhénane

The Mausoleum of Beni Rhénane is a monument from the Numidian era, located in Algeria, 12 km southwest of Béni Saf on the banks of the Oued Tafna, in the wilaya of Aïn Témouchent, formerly Siga. The name of the mausoleum was adopted by the French archaeologist Gustave Vuillemot, according to the toponym of the nearest farm located below, now the village of Beni-ghanem in the commune of El Emir Abdelkader.

The royal mausoleum of Numidia has been on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2002 under the title “Royal Mausoleums of Numidia, Mauretania, and pre-Islamic funerary monuments” for criteria (ii)(iii)(iv).

The monument is located near the ancient capital of the Numidian king Syphax, standing on a prominence in the Tafna valley. It was uncovered and partially excavated by Gustave Vuillemot in the early 1960s. Later, it was excavated by an Algerian-German mission in the summer of 1976 led by Mounir Bouchenaki and Friedrich Rakob. It consists of the remains of a large turriform mausoleum with a hexagonal plan, which must have reached a height of 17 meters. The building was decorated with half-columns and Ionic capitals; the vaulted funerary chambers are located under the monument and carved into the rock. Dated to the 3rd century BC – 2nd century BC, attributed to Vermina, the son of Syphax, this mausoleum was deliberately demolished, perhaps during the annexation of Siga to the Kingdom of Mauretania by Bocchus the Younger.

Before this date, it was buried under a large pile of stone blocks that the local inhabitants called Kerkour L’Arayïs, which can be translated as (the Dome of Brides), a local tradition where future brides would circle the pile of stones several times to ensure prosperity and longevity in their marriage.

The mausoleum consists of two distinct structures: an above-ground structure made of dressed stone and an underground structure (hypogeum).

• The above-ground structure, whose surrounding ground is covered with paving, forms a series of steps surmounted by a rocky massif with eight courses. This 5-meter elevation forms an irregular polyhedron with alternating concave and flat faces. The stones and architectural elements lying around the monument suggest that the mausoleum was an imposing 17-meter tower topped with a pyramidal edicule. Decorative elements borrowed from ancient Greek architecture (half-columns, capitals, cornice, and acroteria) adorned the facades of the monument.

• The underground structure is a long 45-meter gallery winding along the external boundary of the paving, according to the scheme suggested by the above-ground structure. Originally, this gallery was divided into three separate compartments. Access to each compartment was separate, via a well leading to a portcullis door. Today, it is possible to traverse the gallery from one end to the other, due to openings made in the partition walls by looters. It consists of 10 chambers, indicating the collective nature of the tomb. It is likely a dynastic tomb of the kings and aguellids of the Massaesyles, who ruled the region and of whom King Syphax was the most prominent.

The Mausoleum of Beni Rhénane is a monument from the Numidian era, located in Algeria, 12 km southwest of Béni Saf on the banks of the Oued Tafna, in the wilaya of Aïn Témouchent, formerly Siga. The name of the mausoleum was adopted by the French archaeologist Gustave Vuillemot, according to the toponym of the nearest farm located below, now the village of Beni-ghanem in the commune of El Emir Abdelkader.

The royal mausoleum of Numidia has been on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list since 2002 under the title “Royal Mausoleums of Numidia, Mauretania, and pre-Islamic funerary monuments” for criteria (ii)(iii)(iv).

The monument is located near the ancient capital of the Numidian king Syphax, standing on a prominence in the Tafna valley. It was uncovered and partially excavated by Gustave Vuillemot in the early 1960s. Later, it was excavated by an Algerian-German mission in the summer of 1976 led by Mounir Bouchenaki and Friedrich Rakob. It consists of the remains of a large turriform mausoleum with a hexagonal plan, which must have reached a height of 17 meters. The building was decorated with half-columns and Ionic capitals; the vaulted funerary chambers are located under the monument and carved into the rock. Dated to the 3rd century BC – 2nd century BC, attributed to Vermina, the son of Syphax, this mausoleum was deliberately demolished, perhaps during the annexation of Siga to the Kingdom of Mauretania by Bocchus the Younger.

Before this date, it was buried under a large pile of stone blocks that the local inhabitants called Kerkour L’Arayïs, which can be translated as (the Dome of Brides), a local tradition where future brides would circle the pile of stones several times to ensure prosperity and longevity in their marriage.

The mausoleum consists of two distinct structures: an above-ground structure made of dressed stone and an underground structure (hypogeum).

• The above-ground structure, whose surrounding ground is covered with paving, forms a series of steps surmounted by a rocky massif with eight courses. This 5-meter elevation forms an irregular polyhedron with alternating concave and flat faces. The stones and architectural elements lying around the monument suggest that the mausoleum was an imposing 17-meter tower topped with a pyramidal edicule. Decorative elements borrowed from ancient Greek architecture (half-columns, capitals, cornice, and acroteria) adorned the facades of the monument.

• The underground structure is a long 45-meter gallery winding along the external boundary of the paving, according to the scheme suggested by the above-ground structure. Originally, this gallery was divided into three separate compartments. Access to each compartment was separate, via a well leading to a portcullis door. Today, it is possible to traverse the gallery from one end to the other, due to openings made in the partition walls by looters. It consists of 10 chambers, indicating the collective nature of the tomb. It is likely a dynastic tomb of the kings and aguellids of the Massaesyles, who ruled the region and of whom King Syphax was the most prominent.