Ruins of Timgad
Timgad or Thamugadi (Marciana Traiana Thamugadi colony in Latin), nicknamed the “Pompeii of North Africa”1 is an ancient city located in the territory of the eponymous commune of Timgad, in the wilaya of Batna in the Aurès region, in the northeast of Algeria.
It was founded by the Roman emperor Trajan in 100 and given the status of a colony. This is the last “colony deduction” in Roman Africa, that is to say a colony essentially populated by Roman citizens (often former Roman soldiers). Built with its temples, its thermal baths, its forum and its theater, the city, initially with an area of 12 hectares, ended up occupying more than 90. In view of its excellent state of conservation and the fact that it was considered typical of a Roman city, Timgad was classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1982.
It was founded by the Roman emperor Trajan in 100 and given the status of a colony. This is the last “colony deduction” in Roman Africa, that is to say a colony essentially populated by Roman citizens (often former Roman soldiers). Built with its temples, its thermal baths, its forum and its theater, the city, initially with an area of 12 hectares, ended up occupying more than 90. In view of its excellent state of conservation and the fact that it was considered typical of a Roman city, Timgad was classified as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1982.