On a low hill west of Algiers, above the farmland of the Mitidja plain and within sight of the sea, stands a great round tomb of pale stone that the French called the Tombeau de la Chrétienne and the Algerians call Kbor er Roumia, the tomb of the Christian woman. The name is a folk memory rather than a fact, since the monument was built in the first century BC for the Berber king Juba II of Mauretania and his wife Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt. A royal couple with that parentage, ruling a Roman client kingdom from the coast of Africa, is a story that sounds invented but is simply true.
The tomb is a drum about sixty metres across, topped by a stepped cone, and it once stood much higher than it does today. Its walls are lined with false Ionic columns, and four false doors mark the cardinal points, a mixture of Numidian, Egyptian and Greek styles that reflects the cosmopolitan taste of the kingdom. Inside, a long spiral corridor leads to the burial chamber, which was robbed in antiquity, and legends of hidden treasure have sent explorers into it for centuries. UNESCO listed it in 1982 together with the nearby ruins of Tipasa, which lies a short way along the coast.
Riding in this part of Algeria is a matter of attention. The roads in the Sahel hills and Mitidja are busy with trucks, minibuses and farm vehicles, the surfaces vary from good to broken, and drivers can be unpredictable, so expect to ride defensively. Police and gendarmerie checkpoints are common on the main routes; keep your passport, licence and vehicle papers to hand, and stay patient and polite. The scenery rewards the effort, with orange groves, vineyards on the slopes and, on a clear day, the blue of the Mediterranean to the north.
The nearest towns are Tipasa, about ten kilometres away, and Hadjout and El Affroun, both bigger, so go there for fuel and food. Fuel in Algeria is inexpensive and widely available in towns, though on country roads it is wise to top up when you see a station. The best time of year is spring or autumn, when the days are warm but not harsh, and the hills are green. In the summer heat the stone glows white and the smell of dry grass and wild thyme fills the air. Stand at the foot of the tomb at dusk and the scale of it begins to sink in.