Castra Nova (Mauretania)

Only a few Roman ruins, dating from the 1st century AD, testified to an era when Castra Nova was once flourishing.

Crossroads of roads coming from Albulae (Ain Temouchent) and Portus Magnus (Saint-Leu), it occupied, at the foot of the mountains of Tell and on the right bank of the Oued el Hammam river, a strategic place.

Probably Castra Nova reached a population of 5000 inhabitants under Septimius Severus, when enjoyed the best development.

The actual remains of Castra Nova show the substructures of a wall, those of some houses and a large cistern.

The city of was important enough to become the seat of one of the many suffragan ancient Christian dioceses in the Roman province of Mauretania Caesariensis, [1][2] in the papal sway.