This place is one of the best preserved archaeological sites in Tunisia, it extends over 65 hectares. It is located near the modern city of Tebersouk, about a hundred kilometers from its capital city.
UNESCO classified it as a World Heritage Site in 1997, as it represents «the best preserved small Roman city in North Africa».
And it is an almost exclusive example of the birth, development and history of an indigenous city since the second millennium BC; providing a greater approach to the layout of a foundation adapted to urbanism according to the Roman model.
Thanks to the vestiges that have remained to this day we can see the various civilizations that have passed through these lands, such as the Punic, the Numidian, the Roman and the Byzantine.
The state of conservation of its monuments is exceptional. The level of authenticity of the archaeological remains is very high, among the most famous monuments of the site are a Libyan-Punic mausoleum, the Capitol, the Roman theater, the baths, public baths, an amphitheater and a Libyan-Berber mausoleum.
Dennis Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Another temple that we can contemplate is the one dedicated to the Roman goddess Juno Caelestis, who took the witness from the Punic goddess Tanit, wife of Baal (Saturn). It was built in 250 AD, during the city’s “golden age”.
In the city you can also see bunkers, the main one being the one below the forum, which were built by the Romans to take refuge in case of invasion.
Even today, it is believed that more than half of this magnificent place is still waiting to be unearthed, thus, Dougga is an important and interesting city that keeps the memory of the presence of the Roman Empire in Tunisian lands. Without a doubt a trip to the past that is worthwhile.
