Timgad, the Pompeii of Africa

 Timgad, the Pompeii of Africa 

We had a two hour drive from Constantine. There are extensive wheat fields on the road out of Constantine with hills in the distance with just a few green firlds where there was irrigation water. We had a brief stop at Les Lacs where there are two salt pans at the lowest point of the country at 30 metres below sea level. One of the pans is shallow and dries out in summer due to evaporation. It only refills with the winter rains. 

The other salt pan is much larger and is permanent. Along its edge are rectangular evaporation ponds to harvest the salt. It is collected and sold at the side of the road or to merchants.

The scenery changed again. The hills where still there but there were fewer fields interspersed with large brown areas of stunted growth claiming to be rough pasture but due to the sparsity of vegetation, it would be hard to maintain anything other than a small herd other a large area.  

Our next stop of the day was at the Mausoleum of Madracen. He was a Berber Numidian king and the mausoleum was built in the 3rd century BC.  It sits surrunded by fields with hills rising in all directions. It has been excavated but no sarcophagus or grave goods were found. 

This is probably the best view of the mausoleum...

as the other sde has soe temporary reapirs to maintain the integrity of the structure but when there are so many ancient monuments and only a limited budget, money is allocated sparingly. 

The base was suttounded by column, not for any functional architectural reason but just for esthics. 

Some columns are in reasonable condition...

...but some sections and sections of walls show erosion and are in urgent need of repair...

                                      

...just as the east facing door also needs attention. It was an hour's drive on to Timgad where we had lunch before visiting the Roman ruins. 

The city was founded by Emperor Trajan around 100 AD. It ia nick named the 'Pompeii of North Africa' due to its excellent state of preservation although no bodies were found. 

First through the gates of the ruins was the museum. We could take photos of the mosaics but not any of the exhibits. There were statues, lamps, pottery and household items.

Just one of the mosaics showing a geometric pattern...

...and another depicting Jupiter in the centre with a wide surround of more geometric patterns. 

Outside were the stone donative inscriptions, stones recording a donation from the named donor and recording the god to whom the donation is dedicated. 

A view through the northern gate up the main north-south road to the forum at the end. At the top is a cross roads with the man east-west main road.

A detail of a hypocaust, the underfloor heating of Roman baths. There was also a library, homes and public latrines.

A view across the landscape of some of the ruins. 

A side street and the surface was of a lower quality construction and stone used than the main road. 

The Arch of Trajan viewed from the crossroads of the main two roads going north-south and east-west in front of the forum. 

A view across the forum. 

Behind the forum was the well preserved ampitheatre which was so much better preserved than the theatre we saw in Djemila. Near the top of the site were some public baths. These were quite striking as some of the areas where the slaves worked to tend the fires to produce the heat for the baths were preserved. 

We passed the market with its stome stalls, basically a slab of rock resting on two vertical slabs, just visible behind the three columns to the left.  

The Arch of Trajan in the evening sun, although it was built nearly 80 years after his death.