Two-tiered, it is probably the most prominent tourist attraction in the city which thrived in ancient Rome.

Built in 90 AD, the amphitheatre held over 20,000 spectators of chariot races and bloody hand-to-hand battles.

Nowadays, it draws smaller crowds for bullfighting during the Feria d'Arles,[1] as well as plays and concerts in summer.

This new residential role continued until the late 18th century, and in 1825 through the initiative of the writer Prosper Mérimée, the change to national historical monument began.

In 1826, expropriation began of the houses built within the building, which ended by 1830 when the first event was organized in the arena – a race of the bulls to celebrate the taking of Algiers.