Dougga Tunisia. Excursion to Dougga in Tunisia

On the plateau of the central Tell lie the ruins of the ancient settlement of Dugga. The city was founded by the Berbers - in translation from their language Dugga (more precisely, "Tukka") means "pastures"; later Dugga was captured by the Numidians, from whom it passed to the Romans. You can order a tour to Tunisia with a visit to Duggi from us; the most convenient way to get here is from.

Why go to Dugga

Dougga is attracted by the fact that this ancient Roman city is considered one of the best-preserved archaeological parks. It will take at least three hours to inspect the ruins, but it is better to set aside a whole day for this excursion in Tunisia to also visit the Temple of Water and the pretty town of Zaguan along the way. We recommend going to Dugga in any months except summer - there is practically no shade here, and in 50-degree heat it is not safe to be under the scorching sun. By the way, there is nowhere to stay in Dugge for the night - people come here as part of a tour to Tunisia exclusively on excursions. But you can dine - there is a restaurant not far from the central entrance to the complex.

Dougga's antique ruins

To this day, twelve Roman temples have survived in Dugga, as well as an antique theater, baths with a colonnade and a mosaic floor, and several houses. The capitol, erected at Dugge in the second century, was dedicated to Jupiter, Minerva and Juno; the walls and columns of the building are practically intact, which cannot be said about the missing roof, and the statue of Jupiter, which previously adorned the Capitol, was moved to the Bardo Museum. In the center of Dugga are the Winds Square and Forum; from here, as a rule, go on a tour of the ancient park.

From the stage of the Roman theater, located on the hill, anyone can recite Virgil, Cato or Horace. The theater seats 3,500 spectators; these days, performances and concerts are often presented here, and at the end of July, the Douggie Festival is held. The unique acoustics of the building is achieved thanks to the fact that the upper part of the theater in Dugg is built ... from clay pots!

Another interesting building in Dougg is the Trifolium: this private residence once housed an elite brothel, and tourists often take pictures at the Bordel sign. We also advise you to visit the baths of Caracalla and the villas of the wealthy Romans with unusual mosaics, as well as the Latyrines - public toilets in the Cyclops baths, shaped like a semicircle and including seats»: This design allowed for philosophical conversations! In Dugga there are the houses of Ulysses (Odysseus) and Dionysus.

Finally, we advise you to visit the sanctuary of Juno Celeste (Juno Calestis) and walk under the arch of the first African emperor Septimius Severus, also built by the Romans. But among the Numidian (Punic, not Roman) buildings there are few preserved; the most magnificent of them is the three-tiered mausoleum of Ateban, erected in the 3rd century. he. e. By the way, the inscriptions that adorn the walls of the mausoleum are written in the same letters used by the Tuaregs in Central Sahara.

The former Numidian capital of Dugga is located, which survived Roman and Byzantine rule, raids by Vandals and destruction by time. However, the complex, located far from the big cities, managed to avoid restructuring, in contrast to Carthage, which was rebuilt many times. Dougga is listed by UNESCO as the best preserved Roman city c. Today, his arenas host the Summer Douggie Festival.

Myths and facts

Dugga was an important center of the Numidian kings until the 1st century. During the Punic War, the Romans destroyed Carthage and established a Roman province there in Africa. Two Roman generals - Pompey and Cato - rebelled against Julius Caesar, enlisted the support of the Numidian king Juba I. Caesar defeated the rebels, capturing most of the Numidian kingdom.

Dougga became a provincial town of the Roman colony, in which about 5000 inhabitants of the II-III centuries lived. It was a prosperous and wealthy region, with many buildings erected during Roman rule. Many of them have survived to this day.

In the 5th century, the present territories were seized by vandals, and a century later they were seized by the Byzantine Empire, which established its fortresses here. By this time, most of the residents had left Dugga. And when the Arab Caliphate came in 670, Dugga was already a deserted, abandoned region. Probably due to this, she managed to avoid Arab intervention and restructuring.

What to see

In Dugga, many Roman buildings are well preserved, including twelve temples, several houses, baths, and a theater.

The Capitol is a fine example of a 2nd century Roman temple dedicated to the Roman triad of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. The roof of the building has been destroyed, but the rest of the structure has remained practically unchanged. True, the giant statue of Jupiter, which was here before, is now in the Bardo Museum in Tunisia.

The Roman theater is located on a high hillside, offering beautiful views of the city and its surroundings. The theater was built in 166-169 and has a capacity of 3500 spectators. An interesting feature is that the upper part of the structure was built of clay pots built into the walls, which probably should have increased the acoustics of the theater. At the end of July, it hosts the Douggie Theater Festival.

Below are residential buildings from the Roman period. One of the notable buildings is the Trifolium, a private residence that housed a high-class brothel.

The only fully preserved Numidian structure is the mausoleum of Ateban, built around 200 BC. e. The three-tiered mausoleum is 21 m long and is crowned with a pyramidal roof.

In Tunisia, in addition to Dougga and the famous Roman ones, you can see prints of the Romans in many Islamic buildings, the construction of which used columns and other fragments of Roman structures, such as in

A real Ancient Roman City - this is how you can characterize Dougga, whose majestic ruins earned her fame as one of the best preserved archaeological parks not only in Tunisia, but throughout Proconsular Africa, the ancient province of Rome. Douggie's uniqueness was recognized by UNESCO, and in 1997 the site was included in the list of World Cultural Heritage. Located in the central part of the country, on the plateau of central Tell, the ruins of Duggi, despite their remoteness from the coast, invariably attract groups of tourists, and there really is something to see here.

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How to get to Douggie

• the best way is as part of an organized excursion. Russian tour operators offer a day trip to Dugga, sometimes with a passing stop in the town of Zaguan and a visit to the Temple of Water. The cost of the excursion is about 145 TND, this amount includes lunch at Duggy's tourist restaurant. The time for a tour of the archaeological park under the guidance of a guide is about 3 hours.
• by renting a car. Focus on the cost of 85-90 TND per day for an economy class car plus the cost of gasoline. The road is not very good, but no obvious potholes. The nearest resort to Dougga is Hammamet, which is also easily accessible from Tunis.
• it is not recommended to rely on public transport: buses and minibuses do not come directly to Dugga, their nearest stop is the city of Teburuk, 8 km to the north, from where you can get to Dugga by an ordinary yellow taxi. To Tebursuk itself there are fixed-route taxis from Tunisia, Le Kefa and Beja, which, in turn, still need to be reached from the coastal resort towns.

The prices on the page are for March 2019.

Search for flights to Tunisia (closest airport to Dougge)

Weather forecast for Dugg

It is better to leave at least a three-hour walk in the archaeological park for one of the cooler days. At the peak of the summer heat, it is better not to go here: in Dugga there is absolutely no saving shadow, and in July-August it is easy to fall into prostration here not so much from imperial grandeur as from the mind-blowing heat. Alternatively, arrive in a rented car at about 8 am so that you can see everything before noon.

Douggie Hotels

Directly in Dugge and the surrounding area, there are no accommodation options - people come here on an excursion, and not on vacation. The nearest hotels of acceptable quality are located in Hammamet and Tunis.

Where to dine in Dougg

The only option is in a tourist restaurant near the main entrance. For a fixed fee, you will be offered an unlimited number of approaches to the buffet, drinks are paid separately. Please note that the restaurant is closed early in the morning and during low season. Another option is to buy a sandwich on the way to Dougga, or take your food with you on check-out.

3 things to do in Dougga

1. To recite something from William our Shakespeare on the stage of the magnificent Roman amphitheater.
2. Visit latrinia - an ancient toilet with 12 seats.
3. Take a picture next to the eloquent sign to the city brothel.

Douggie's entertainment and attractions

Dugg has an abundance of ruins of ancient buildings of all times, purposes and layouts. At the very beginning of the excursion route is the Duggi Amphitheater, built in 199 AD. e. one of the wealthiest people in the city. With a capacity of 3.5 thousand spectators, it still serves as the site of the annual theater festival.

The center of the archaeological park is the forum and the Square of the Winds (the names of the twelve winds can be read on a rosette carved in marble, among them - Africanus, known to us as sirocco). There is also the famous temple - the Capitol, the "face" of Dugga, - a massive portico, 8-meter solid columns and three niches for the statues of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva.

Below are the baths of Caracalla and the remains of numerous villas of wealthy citizens (some of them feature wonderful mosaics). The undisputed hit is the latrinias, public toilets with 12 seats arranged in a semicircle to facilitate philosophical conversations, and the trifolium, a city brothel.

The undisputed masterpieces include the ancient Punic mausoleum (2nd century BC), the only monument of this kind on the territory of Tunisia, and at the same time perfectly preserved.

In Dougga there are 21 temples of different periods - from the Roman Temple of Minerva to the Church of Victoria, built during the era of the Vandal invasion of North Africa. In a word, there will almost certainly be more sights than forces to see them all. When entering the park, it is recommended to purchase a map and decide on the optimal and, most importantly, feasible route.

If you are not visiting Dugga as part of an organized tour, you can use the services of local guides. One of them, Hedi bel Larbi, is a local attraction: a 70-year-old old man with youthful agility will lead you from building to building and recite La Fontaine's fables from the stage of the amphitheater.

Douggie landmarks

Festivals

At the end of July, in the ancient Roman amphitheater of Douggi, a theater festival is held interspersed with concert evenings, and the entourage here is more significant than the action itself.

Tunisia, which many of our compatriots associate with a budget option beach holiday and most often it goes under the motto: "There is no money for Egypt, so at least there ...", it turns out not so simple and there is also something to see! The Tula traveler continues to tell us about this amazing country and its hidden opportunities.

- The first time I visited Tunisia was in 2006. Traditionally visited the most famous places: the capital of the country, the fabulous Sidi Bou Said, ancient Carthage, the Bardo Museum, the cities of Monastir and Sousse. Of course, I went to the two-day Sahara with an excellent natural and historical excursion program.

10 years later, I again flew to Tunisia - this time the choice fell. I managed not only to get acquainted with the sights of the island, but also to travel beyond its borders to the southern part of mainland Tunisia.

After that, I was sure that I would definitely not have a third date with this African country. As it turned out, I was mistaken - in August 2018 I again arrived in the city of Sousse. I was vacationing with my family in one of his hotels.

For 11 days we have chosen two unpretentious excursions. The first is riding an ATV, the second is a boat trip on a catamaran. Everyone liked it. But, I think you understand that for a real traveler it is a torment when passive rest in a hotel and light entertainment.

I wanted new places and discoveries. To my delight, an excursion marked "for real gourmets" was on the list of the host operator of the tour.

It is called "Bizerte-Tabarka-Dugga". I knew about the first city and dreamed of getting there, I had heard about the other two earlier, but very little.

I paid the cost in the region of 100 euros. This is in 2 days. In addition to the program, this also includes meals and a night at the hotel. To my surprise, there were 15 people from all over the resort coast (from Monastir to Hammamet) who wanted to see the north of Tunisia and its main attractions.

Before continuing with my travel story, let me show you a map. On the left - the blue dots are the places where I was in Tunisia. A symbolic triangle is also highlighted there. These are just 3 main objects of this excursion.

On the right is an enlarged fragment of the northern part of the country. 1 - Bizerte, 2 - Tabarka, 5 - Dugga. I'll tell you about the rest of the numbers below.

The excursion is still extremely rare. It was amazing to see dozens of large sightseeing buses gathering hundreds of people to their hotels in the morning, and after we passed the capital (Tunisia) we did not meet a single tourist vehicle. There was only our minibus. On the left in the photo is a guide named Adnen.
A few words about him. A remarkable person is the decoration of our program. I called him Tunisian Celentano, especially since both names begin with the letters "Hell". By the way, hell is not only a place known to everyone, but also an Arab tribe mentioned in al-Quran.

But, the point here is not at all in the external appearance, it is just that Adnen is very fluent in the Russian language and knowledge, primarily historical. He had a dream to learn Russian in order to read books of great writers, watch documentaries about the difficult fate of our country. And he made this dream come true.

In short, if you come across this guide, you will be lucky to know another Tunisia. Often, those who come to this wonderful country communicate with souvenir sellers and hotel staff, and then make very wrong conclusions about the locals.

First of all, we went to Bizerte... It is the northernmost city in Tunisia and throughout Africa. Its population is about 140 thousand people. It is considered the oldest and most European city in Tunisia.

The city was founded around 1100 BC. Semitic Phoenicians from Sidon. During the Roman, Vandal and Byzantine periods, the city retained its names: Hippo Diarrhytus and Hippo Zarytus. Later the name was phonetically transformed into the Arabic word Banzart and further into Bizerte.

In the 16th century, Bizerte became the base of the pirates of the Mediterranean. With the occupation of Tunisia in 1881, France gained control of Bizerte and built a large sea harbor here.

Bizerte is known as the last city to remain under French control after the rest of the country gained independence from France.

In 1961, an armed conflict broke out between France and Tunisia over a naval base, known as the Bizerte crisis.

Bizerte is closely associated with Tsarist Russia.

In 1776, naval officer Matvey Kokovtsov became the first Russian to visit Tunisia. In October 1897, the first foreign visit to the new port of Bizerte was made by Russian sailors aboard the Imperial Russian cruiser Vestnik.

In June 1900, on the roadstead of Bizerte, the Russian battleship Alexander II anchored under the flag of Rear Admiral Alexei Birilyov.

And in 1920-1924 Bizerte became the place of the last stay of the Russian Squadron. I wrote about this in detail in the gulbar about . If you haven't seen it, be sure to take a look, because this is our story, about which we know little.

The main purpose in Bizerte was just the museum and cemetery, where Russian officers of the Black Sea Fleet rest. The cemetery is a bit run down, but definitely worth a visit. In addition to our soldiers, there are graves of Serbian warriors (World War I) and many French and Italian noble crypts.

I remember this one, because he immediately reminded me of his healthy wife. I did not know that there was such a name, or rather never met.

In general, Bizerte is interesting. True, if a superficial examination is not enough for you, then I recommend coming here on your own for the whole day. As part of the group, you will get enough information, but you will not take many pictures. For example, I am the only one who managed to run that day (in 35 degrees of shade heat) and quickly walk through the city's Medina.

Let me summarize. The main attractions of Bizerte not to be missed are the Old Port (Le Vieux Port), the Christian Cemetery (Le cimetière chrétien), Medina and the Fort (Le Fort), built by the Spanish in the 15th-16th centuries.

We stayed in Bizerte for several hours, had lunch and went to a place called Les Grottes. It is located on the outskirts of the Corniche area. All cars stop here to admire the beautiful view. Someone swims and inspects small grottoes in the coastal rocks. Not knowledgeable tourists it is presented as Cape Blanco - the northernmost point of Africa.

In fact, this point is located 5 km to the west and is called Cape Angela. As I understood, there was no time at all for the entire group of different ages to go there on foot. I asked our guide to take the bus a little closer and give me personally at least 30 minutes of free time.

As soon as the bus stopped, I ran at full speed to the outskirts of a nearby gentle cape (number 2 on the map). As luck would have it, in those moments the navigator in the phone was stupid and I didn't know exactly where I was.

I decided not to stop and no longer ran, but climbed further up the steep western hill. At the same time I photographed a little. There was no path ahead of me, only loose, dangerous slopes.

Ten minutes later I climbed into such a place that I did not even know how to get out of there. It was evident that no human foot had ever set foot there. Lumps of limestone and other geological sediments fell in layers from under my first ascending feet. I couldn't even get my phone out of my pocket there. A rare island of solid rocky rock surface.

Unfortunately, the time was almost over and I had to run back. I was upset that I did not capture myself on a geographically steep object. But, I liked the adventure walk. Sometimes, I like to find myself in completely deserted places.

Well, and besides, we can safely say that in a broad sense, I certainly visited the northern tip of my beloved Africa.

Then we returned to the main road and drove west. Pretty soon we drove by ishkol lakes (number 6). It is part of the eponymous National park, which in 1977 was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO, in 1980 it was included in the World Heritage List.

In the 13th century, the park was home to the hunting grounds of the Hafsid dynasty (the ruling dynasty in Ifrikia from 1229 to 1574).

The park is home to one of the most important bird reserves in North Africa, with a rich diversity of fauna and flora. There are rare species such as sultanka and marble teal, as well as widespread ones - geese, ducks, swans and flamingos.

The roads in Tunisia are good and asphalt, but once I came across a small section that I could not help but photograph through the rear window of the bus. This road landscape reminded me of real Africa, which I had not been in for almost a year. I miss ...

Outside the window there were many interesting pictures, and you cannot tell about all of them in one note. I dwell only on the most memorable and for those moments where there are pictures.

I remember a small sajanan town (number 7 on the map). Sculpture at the entrance.

I have already seen a similar settlement called Storks or a city where happiness lives. But Tunisian has surpassed him at times. Over a couple of kilometers, maybe more, on the roofs of residential buildings and even technical buildings, we observed hundreds of storks.

An incredible amount. In this city, people believe that storks bring happiness and prosperity to the family, so there are dozens of nests in many houses. There are almost no tourists here, so we didn't even stop and rushed on. Otherwise, I would definitely take a lot of photos here.

I was sitting in the back and therefore it was inconvenient for me to shoot through the side window - many shots in motion were blurred. Of course we managed to shoot something. This Tunisia, I think, has not seen everyone. Real Mediterranean landscapes.

Here in the north there is already a completely different fertile land on which olive trees grow.

At sunset of the first day, we arrived at Tabarka - a coastal town in northwestern Tunisia near the Algerian border (number 3). The population is over 40 thousand people.

Tabarka is an important fishing port. The city is famous for its coral mining, the Coralis underwater photography festival and the annual jazz festival. I didn't see any photos, but I photographed the sculpture of coral and double bass.

It is a historic city that preserves memories of the Phoenician, Roman, Arab and Ottoman civilizations. Opposite the main embankment in the sea is the island of the same name Tabarka, where from 1540 to 1742 the Genoese Lomellini family kept their garrison.

They acquired from the Ottoman throne the right to hunt coral here. A fortress, a pit on the site of a church and the ruins of several other Genoese buildings have survived from this era.

Tabarca was the last Numidian city on the way to Zeugitana and was a Roman colony. It was connected by road with Simittus, for which it served as a port for the export of the famous marble. In Tabarka, the rebellious Roman governor Gildon, brother of Firma, committed suicide.

In 1741 the Genoese surrendered the city to the bey of Tunisia. Part of the population moved to an islet near Sardinia, San Pietro, and its population retained the Genoese Ligurian dialect, which is called Tabarkino.

Tabarca is also known for the fact that the Tunisian national leader Habib Bourguiba, who became president of Tunisia after independence, was exiled here in 1952.

I don't know if the good weather or a busy day is to blame, but I really liked Tabarka. Small, atmospheric and unlike other cities. The main feature is the protruding rocks along which the locals walk.

You can even walk through one of the rocks. It's great that this natural miracle has survived and has not collapsed to this day.

I am attracted to places where people live in harmony with nature. The stone embankment is beautiful, it's a pity we were here for only one hour.

We only had to get to the hotel, which surprised everyone later. It is called El Mouradi Hammam Bourguiba. Located on a hill less than a kilometer from the border with Algeria (number 4 on the map). I don't remember exactly, but it seems to have been built for people who come here to be treated for various skin diseases.

Judging by the beautiful football fields and numerous cups in the corridors, professional football players train and relax here. Just at dinner, we saw one team. The food is excellent, better than even the hotel where I was on vacation with my family :) Personally, I did not expect that we would be accommodated in such a place. The views around are unreal. It is me who greets the sunrise from the shared balcony.

On the second day, we had to get to know only one attraction, then lunch and drive back to Sousse (and other places) a little over 300 kilometers.

If on the eve, we saw the UNESCO site from the side (Ishkel National Park), now we had the opportunity to properly touch another object with our feet and hands.

In northern Tunisia there is a Roman dugga town (number 5 on the map). Its area is 65 hectares. The scale impressed me greatly. This is just a fragment.

Many monuments here are well preserved, since Dougga stood in the countryside away from the outside world and therefore was not plundered, such as Carthage.

Dugga's history has been known since the Roman conquest, although archaeological excavations have unearthed numerous pre-Roman monuments, including a necropolis, mausoleum and temples, which testify to the importance of the site before the arrival of the Romans.

The theater, built around 168 BC, is still used today during the "Festival of Douggie" every summer.

I took a lot of shots here, so I will tell you more about the Roman city and its attractions in a separate article. Historically very worthy place.

On the way back, already a completely different road, I took new pictures of landscapes and small towns through which we passed. I understood that this excursion allowed me to understand even more this small state, which was much larger before the French.

Despite the transience of the northern journey, it was great, for which thanks to the tour operator, guide and fellow travelers!

P.S. Without the third trip to Tunisia, I would not be able to say now that I have seen and know this country properly. At the same time, there are still a few places that I would love to visit.

A big request to those who return from Tunisia and write in negative reviews that they did not like the country, first ask yourself the question: "Have you definitely been to Tunisia, and not just in a hotel?"

As a guideline, although this is not a hundred percent figure, count how many UNESCO sites you have seen. If 6-7, then you probably already have the right to a more or less objective opinion :)

Let me remind you that there are 8 UNESCO sites in Tunisia. This is a lot for a small country. Says that it is rich in significant monuments and heritage of mankind. For example, in the huge Sudan there are 3 of them, even in the neighboring grandiose in historical terms Egypt there are one less of them.

1. Medina of Tunis.
2. Ruins of Carthage.
3. Amphitheater in El Jem.
4. National park Ishkol.
5. Punic city of Kerkouan and its necropolis.
6. Medina of Sousse.
7. Kairouan city.
8. Dugga Ancient City.
plus 12 curious and significant objects are on the preliminary list.