Further down the road from Tipasa is the small town of Cherchell or like the Romans said Iol Caesarea. We went on Friday, which we realized was not such a good idea. Fridays in Algeria are like Sundays in the US. The weekend day when most things are closed! Also, mosques hold services on Fridays from 1:15pm until about 2pm. During this time most transportation stops and shops close. So we had to speed through our visit in order to catch the last bus back to Algiers! There are two museums in Cherchell with Roman artifacts. We were able to see one of those museums. However, we were not allowed to take pictures inside!

Inside the museum we saw small statues of Venus, Hercules, Satyr, Hermes and Janis. There were cups from the 3^rd century BCE with rounded lips for drinking and narrow lips for water storage and protection. There were many mosaics with images of battles, hunting, pressing grapes, and peacocks. We saw coins from eras of various Emperors: Claudius, Hadrian, Dominion, and Constantine.

We also came across an olive press, which they allowed us to take a picture of. The olives are squeezed between two large wheels and the basin underneath catches the juice that will then get turned into oil.

After the museum we walked down the road to the town center. We came across a large square looking over the sea. At every step we bumped into a Roman column! In the middle of the square sits a majestic Roman fountain. Since it was Friday there were a lot of older men sitting and chatting. At the far end of the square the Romans built a large temple that has now been turned into a mosque. I have never seen so much ancient history incorporated into a small simple town!