Visit to Tunisia (3): Testour and Dougga
The second day of our tour (Monday) involved a long drive to Roman ruins and our guide was keen to avoid crowds and heat, so we made an early start of 8 am. In fact, once we were there, we had the place almost to ourselves and the weather veeered between overcast, spitting and then bright sunshine.
First, though, we made a stop at a Berber villager called Testour where we had some time to explore the bustling main street. Then our main destination was the site of Dougga.
This was built in the 2nd & 3rd centuries on the foundations of a much earlier Numidian settlement which was once the seat of power for the Numidian king, Massinissa. Today it is the best preserved Roman monument in Northern Africa.
There are 12 Roman temples, three baths, numerous cisterns and fountains, two heavily restored theatres, a nymphaeum, an aqueduct, a market, a circus, several necropolises and a handful of mausoleums.
For us, highlights of this UNESCO World Heritage Site included the fabulously preserved amphitheatre seating 3,500 (in a town of just 5,000), a splendid Capitol dating to the time of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, The House of the Trifolium for the most honoured of citizens, and an early example of public toilets for all who needed them
Lunch was at the Hotel Thuggar at Teboursouk and then we made the two-hour ride back to Tunis.