Dougga / Thugga

High above a fertile plain in northern Tunisia spread the ruins of Dougga, ancient Thugga — once the seat of a Libyco-Punic state before Rome annexed Numidia, later a prosperous provincial town under Roman and Byzantine rule. Its capitol, theatre and streets make this among the best-preserved Roman-era small towns in North Africa. UNESCO granted Dougga World Heritage status in 1997.