Djémila

Djémila is a Roman town in the mountains of eastern Algeria, laid out on a narrow spur between two ravines at nearly 900 metres. Founded as Cuicul for veteran soldiers, it grew into a provincial centre and was abandoned rather than built over, so its streets, forums, temples and Christian quarter survive largely as they stood. The Severan temple, the arch of Caracalla and the great basilica dominate the upper town, while the site museum holds some of the finest Roman mosaics in North Africa. Its highland setting gives it cold winters, green spring hillsides and a stillness the coastal sites lack.