Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1927-02-24
ANCIENT TOMB NEAR
ALG ERS AYES ARABS
Antedatcs Christianity by
at Least Two Centuries.


with awe ny the lowly Arabs of the
region. stands on the crest of lofty
hill. about fifty miles from Algiers.
II Is known as lie Tombeau de la
Chretienne. the tomb of the Christian
woman. although french scholars re
gard It, without proof, as Punic
structure antedating the Christian. era
by at least TWO centuries.
SO little is actually known Of this
mausoleum that small wonder is occa-
stoned by the fantastic legend handed
down about it in truly Oriental style
throughout the countryside. The
Arabs themselves call il Khour Err
Roumia. which means European or
Christian tombs, the use of the plural
suggesting that they regarded it as a
multiple tomb. Even their legend
throws little light on the origin of the
strange edifce
The mystery that hangs about it is-t
deepened by current Arab legends,
which imply the fixed belief that much
undiscovered treasure lies buried in
side.
At the top of the hill which rises a
thousand feet above the Mediter-
ranean. this extraordinary relic of an
tisuily rears itself an additional 100
feet. The structure is a circular mass
dia meter
SculPtured Columns.
Sixty engaged columns sculptured
liz relief aud resembling the Ionic in
style. decorate the lower circumfer
ence of the tambour, drum-shaped
edifiee. originally surmounted by a
lofty cone of rock At the four car
dinal points of the compass huge false
portals are sculptured. A design on
each OF them. resembling great cross,
is responsible for the present French
name Of the ruin
In an effort to discover the treasure
two small tunnels were long ago dug
through the center On one side near
the summit Is a considerable depres-
sion made by Bahia Mohammed Ben
Othman. pasha of Algeria. in 1776,
when he used cannon to demolish the
tomb The French government has
now put stop to the work OF treasure
hunters and other vandals. and some
years ago restored one Of the princi
pei facades.
Entrance Is possible through a low
and very narrow passage which earlier
excavations revealed in the substrHc-
ture beneath one of the false portals,
that facing the east. This entrance
leads to Il fairly spacious vaulted
chamber whose solid stone masoned
walls had apparently never borne dec
orations But The rght-hand wall has
small. relief sculptures OLA lion and
lioness.
Directly underneath these bas-re-
Iiefs another short. CONSTRUCTED pas
sage. which has TO be traversed on
hands and knees leads to seven as
cending steps and then into a spacious
and beautifully yaulted gallery built
Of large blocks Of neatly dressed
stone. This gallery, spiral in form. is
more than 400 feet long. At the end
third passage leads first into a small
chamber and then into larger one
This was supposed until recently, to
he tile exact center of the monu-
ment but it is now known that it is
fsomewhat off center, whether through
accident or design has not been deter
mined.
Place for Cinerary Urns.
The purpose OF the chambers is also
IN doubt. Nothing has been found in
them or in the spiral gallery 1t may
be supposed that the first was vesti-
bule to the second, in which three
inches are sunk in the bare walls. 1t
is further guess shat the inches were
intended to hold cinerary urns 1t Is
possible that these supposed mortuary
chambers are blinds. like the four por-
tails, and that the real vaults are deep
In the foundations, approached by
vertical shafts with horizontal pas
sages at the bottom.
This manner of entombing the dead,
| filing up and Disgusting the shafts.
after each interment. corresponds with
thy Phoenician and Punic practices of
antiquity. If this supposition be true.
the tomb still guards its secret, and
the local Arabic tradition of the NUT
tiple tomb is not without meaning
The builder. whoever he may have
been. chose well the site of his last
! resting place 70 the north. thou
sand feet below. stretches the waters
Of the Mediterranean to the south,
long green slopes reach into the fruit
full valley of the Mitidia. Along the
! southern horizon the cedar bearing
Atlas mountains rear their purple
wall. from which clear streams de-
scend 70 make the valley prosperous.