Dougga

About

Settled since 2000 BC, Dougga was the capital of an important Libyco-Punic state before being conquered by the Romans. While the town was exceptionally wealthy, it also experienced an early decline. Historians at first thought Dougga was a major religious site for the disproportionate number of temples, but it turns out the wealthy residents erected them as thanks for their good fortune. The most impressive is the 2nd century Capitol, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, which is preserved within a Byzantine-era fort. Along with the twenty temples, the cobbled streets lead visitors to a circus for chariot racing, a large villa, several baths, two triumphal arches, and a theatre that could seat practically the entire town. Near the theatre is Douga’s only Christian monument - a 5th century church with a small, sarcophagi-packed crypt. South of the main town you’ll find Tunisia’s finest pre-Roman monument - the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, dating from the 2nd century BC.