Old Forum

The Old Forum is the heart of the ancient city — the civic square where the original Roman colonists gathered, conducted business, and participated in public life. It is substantially intact: the paving stones are in place, the Temple of the Septimian family at the northern end still has its columns standing, and the layout of the surrounding buildings is legible.

Walking through the forum, you pass the curia (senate house), the basilica (law court, not a church), and various honorific columns. The Temple of the Septimian family is an imposing structure dedicated to the imperial dynasty in the early third century. The columns of the temple, still standing against the mountain backdrop, make one of the most photogenic scenes on the site.

The forum connects via the main cardo (north-south street) to the theatre to the north and the Arch of Caracalla to the south. Walk this spine of the city from end to end for the best sense of Roman urbanism in North Africa.

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A story
The Old Forum at Cuicul dates from the founding of the city in the first century AD and was the original civic heart of the Roman colony. The Temple of the Septimian family — dedicated by the city to the dynasty of Septimius Severus around 200 AD — stands at its northern end. Septimius Severus himself was from Leptis Magna in modern Libya, and his dynasty lavished attention and money on North African cities. Djemila's prosperity during the Severan period is written in stone throughout the site.

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