Our next stop was at Dougga, considered to be the best preserved Roman town in Africa. It was actually founded around 600 BC, long before the Roman occupation,and there are indications that the site was inhabited as long ago as 2,000 BC. Located on a defensible plateau it functioned as the major point of contact between Punic and Berber cultures.
This is the mausoleum of Atban, a Numidian prince. It was constructed in the second century BC and is one of the few remaining examples of royal Numidian architecture. It incorporates both Greek and Egyptian architectural elements.
The Roman era ruins are many and varied. There are temples, triumphal arches, mosaics, villas, shops, and a magnificent amphitheater that is still used for performances. There's no space here to include examples of all there was to see, but these pictures will give some of the flavor of the site.
And we should also note, the surrounding landscape was equally spectacular. We spent most of the afternoon poking around the place, then it was back on the bus and back to Tunis for an evening "cultural connection" with some Tunisian professionals.
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