At the center of Timgad's original grid plan stands the forum, the civic heart of the Roman city. Surrounding it are the remains of the basilica (used for legal proceedings), the curia (the town council chamber), temples, and market halls. The Capitol temple, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, occupied the northern end of the forum — the column stumps still convey something of its scale.
This is the place to stand and read Timgad as a working Roman city rather than a landscape of picturesque stones. The standard Roman urban layout is all present and legible: the streets converge here, and from the forum steps you can sight down the main street toward Trajan's Arch.