Dougga

Dougga/Thugga

دڨة (in Arabic)
Dougga
Shown within Tunisia
Location	Béja Governorate, Tunisia
Coordinates	36°25′20″N 9°13′6″E / 36.42222°N 9.21833°E / 36.42222; 9.21833
Type	Settlement
History
Founded	6th century BC
Periods	Numidian to Roman Empire
Cultures	Numidian-Berber, Punic, Roman Africans, Byzantine
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Dougga/Thugga
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iii
Designated	1997 (21st session)
Reference no.	794
Region	Arab States

Dougga or Thugga or TBGG was a Berber, Punic and Roman settlement near present-day Téboursouk in northern Tunisia. The current archaeological site covers 65 hectares (160 acres).^[1] UNESCO qualified Dougga as a World Heritage Site in 1997, believing that it represents "the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa". The site, which lies in the middle of the countryside, has been protected from the encroachment of modern urbanization, in contrast, for example, to Carthage, which has been pillaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions. Dougga's size, its well-preserved monuments and its rich Numidian-Berber, Punic, ancient Roman, and Byzantine history make it exceptional. Amongst the most famous monuments at the site are a Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, the Capitol, the Roman theatre, and the temples of Saturn and of Juno Caelestis.