Timgad - Algeria

Timgad was a Roman colonial town, located in the city of Batna, Algeria, North Africa.

It was first found by Emperor Trajan around 100 A.D. He named the town Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi in memory of his mother Marcia, father Marcus Ulpius Traianus and his eldest sister Ulpia Marciana.
In the 3rd Century Timgad was served as a Christian centre while in the 4th Century became a Donatist centre.

In the 5th Century the town was pillaged by Vandals and fell into oblivion. When the Byzantine general Solomon came to take possession of it in 535 A.D., the town was revived again. This lasted up to 7th Century when it was again pillaged by the Berbers and totally abandoned.

There wasn’t any historical evidence for the existence of the Timgad until 1881 when its remains were excavated.

The reason that the town has preserved so well over the years was that it was buried under the sands of the Sahara.

The excavated ruins of the Timgad are a really great example of the use in the Roman city planning grid plan. The existence of the grid plan can best be seen in the orthogonal design, represented by the decumanus maximus and the cardo lined by a Corinthian colonnade.

At the west end of the decumanus standing at a height of 12 metres is the triumphal arch Trajan’s Arch also known as Timgad Arch. It was made of sandstone and has three openings, the central of which is 11 feet wide. Four fluted columns, made of fine white limestone and marble, are located in each of the facades of the arch, rising to a height of 19 feet.

Just outside the Arch is situated the Temple of Capitoline Jupiter. It was built as a dedication to the Optimus Maximus Jupiter and dimensions approaching those of the Pantheon in Rome.

Other significant monuments of Timgad are the 3,500-seat theatre, which is in very good condition and can till be used, also a large Byzantine citadel, a seventh century church, a library and some thermal baths.

Since 1982 Timgad has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.