5½ M. Castellum du Nador, a late-Roman fortified country-seat (3rd or 4th cent.), was originally a quadrangular walled enclosure of 55 by 47 yds.; immediately to the left of the road there now remain the ruins of two round corner-towers and of a handsome gateway flanked with two square towers.
The road leads on to the watershed, from which one has a view of the Atlas of Blida behind and the Dahra mountain spurs (p. [208]) in front. Thence it dips into the valley of the Oued el-Hachem.
9½ M. Marabout Sidi-Ameur (164 ft.), on the left bank of the stream, at the junction of the Marengo road (p. [244]).
About ¾ M. farther on we observe, on the left, the *Cherchell Aqueduct, coming from the village of Marceau, the largest Roman work of the kind in Algeria, which, rising in three tiers to a height of over 100 ft., here bridges a side-valley.
Passing several hill-farms, owned by French families, the road next turns to the N.W. into the valley of the Oued Bellah. Beyond the (14 M.) Café de l’Oasis we pass under the aqueduct, of which twenty pillars and five arches, built of great blocks of limestone, are still standing here at the foot of the beautiful pine-wood.
Beyond the aqueduct begins the finest part of the road. At first it skirts a pine-clad slope and then, leaving Cap Blanc to the N. E., leads to the W., up and down hill, along the coast. Lastly it passes the fissured Cape Zizerin and two saints’ tombs.
17 M. Cherchell, see p. [244].
b. Viâ El-Affroun and Marengo.
Railway (Algiers and Oran Line, R. 33) viâ (31½ M.) Blida (p. [213]) to (43 M.) El-Affroun, six trains daily, in l–3/4–2¾ hrs. (7 fr. 75, 5 fr. 80, 4 fr. 25 c.).—Steam Tramway from El-Affroun viâ (12½ M.) Marengo to (30½ M.) Cherchell, two (as far as Marengo three) trains daily, in ca. 2¾ hrs.; fare 3 fr. 70 or 2 fr. 70 c.—For the combined visit to Tipaza and Cherchell, comp. also the diary on pp. [236], 237.
From Algiers to (43 M.) El-Affroun, see pp. [217]–213. From the railway-station at El-Affroun the Steam Tramway runs to the W., at the foot of a range of low hills, through the plain of Mitidja, which is here very monotonous. To the right, on the crest of the Sahel, is the Tombeau de la Chrétienne (p. [238]); in front of us rises Jebel Chenoua (p. [242]). We pass the two poor villages of (3½ M.) Ameur-el-Aïn, and (8½ M.) Bourkika (345 ft.), where the road from Miliana and Hammam Rhira (p. [212]) joins ours.