Dougga

Yesterday, Paige and I drove to Dougga, an ancient Roman town located about an hour's drive northwest of Tunis. I say an hour's drive because that is a reasonable amount of time for a person to take to cover the 90 or so kilometres between the two points. Signage here is very poor, and traffic is ridiculous. It took us two hours to find our way out of Tunis. Once on the highway, it was a piece of cake, but having failed to navigate our way around the city, we were forced to go through it, and that is a rich experience indeed. I wish I could say we did better on the way home, but we hit the city at rush hour, and it turns out there are no signs at all saying "To Karen's House" when you try to go home.

It is, therefore, a very high recommendation of Dougga that the trip was worth every bit of the stress of getting there and back. I'll go again with my next visitors. Dougga is the best preserved example of an Afro-Roman town in existence. Covering 65 hectares, it would take at least three hours to walk the whole town.

Two of twelve seats on the communal toilet

The theatre has amazing acoustics. There is a classic theatre festival here every July.

A small part of the town. It really wouldn't take much to make this habitable

The settlement was built on a steep hillside, looking down over what is still very fertile farmland. There are numerous springs on site, making it ideal for both security and comfort. Walking around we saw temples, public baths, the amphitheatre, a market, public cisterns and fountains, houses, shops, andmuch we didn't understand.

Paige in front of the Capitol

If you are interested in learning more about Dougga, I would recommend the UNESCO site at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/794