Integrate an archaeological site inside an urban environment. The case of the excavated forum area of Cherchell, Algeria

Abstract

The first surveys of the company building a cinema hall, in Cherchell, on the site located between Rue du Théâtre Romain and Rue Aberrezak, in 1977 led to the discovery of the north-eastern corner of the Caesarea Forum. The excavations carried out by the Algerian-British missions brought to light important remains. Despite its cultural importance and strategic location on the axis connecting the north of the city to its south, this monumental and idyllic central part of the capital of Caesarian Mauretania, although closed, is today in an advanced state of degradation, meaningless, isolated, and abandoned. This paper proposes key actions aimed at the knowledge and documentation, conservation, and enhancement of these important testimonies of Cherchell’s history, which only if properly safeguarded and integrated into its contemporary urban environment, would become the hub of a sustainable, accessible, and attractive tourism system for the general public.