A superb overlook for travellers Photo

Photographer’s Note

A superb overlook for travellers

Dougga or Thugga (Arabic: دقة‎) is a Roman ruin in northern Tunisia located on a 65 hectare site.

Theatre

Theatres were a fundamental element of the monumental make-up of a city from the reign of Augustus.
The theatre, which was built in 168 or 169 CE, is one of the best preserved examples in Roman Africa. It could seat 3500 spectators, even though Dougga only had 5000 inhabitants. It was one of a series of imperial buildings constructed over the course of two centuries at Dougga which deviate from the classic “blueprints” only inasmuch as they have been adapted to take account of the local terrain. Some minor adjustments have been made and the local architects had a certain freedom with regard to the ornamentation of the buildings.

A dedication engraved into the pediment of the stage and on the portico the dominates the city, recalls the building’s commissioner, P. Marcius Quadratus, who “built [it] for his homeland with his own denarii”; the dedication was celebrated with “scenic representations, distributions of life, a festival and athletic games”.

The theatre is still used for performances of classic theatre, particularly during the festival of Dougga, and conservation work has been carried out on it.

Dougga

UNESCO qualified Dougga as a World Heritage Site in 1997, believing that it represents “the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa”. The site, which lies in the middle of the countryside, has been protected from the encroachment of modern urbanisation, in contrast, for example, to Carthage, which has been pillaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions.

Dougga, or Thugga, is undoubtedly the most prestigious of Tunisia’s archaeological sites. Several factors contribute to its standing on the Tunisian archaeological scene: its location on a spur dominating the rich Mejerdah valley (Thugga, in the Libyc language means green), the size of the site extending over several dozen hectares and covering several historical eras, the vegetation – in particular the many centuries old olive grove surrounding it - and of course, the excellent state of conservation of most of its monuments, some of which, such as the capitol or the theatre, were “restored to their upright position” during a campaign undertaken just after the first world war by prisoners of war.Therefore, from the “dolmens” to the Byzantine fortifications, all the stages in the history of ancient Africa are illustrated on the site by outstanding monuments, buildings that figure amongst the most elegant and elaborate of the Mediterranean basin, such as the capitol, the theatre, the Lybico-Punic mausoleum, or the superb patrician villas. (Source: patrimoinedetunisie.com & wikipedia )

jlbrthnn, jlbrthnn, holmertz, ChrisJ, jhm, pauloog, amaryllis, paura, Cretense, asajernigan, vasilpro, dareco, bostankorkulugu, Royaldevon, sandpiper, jjcordier, leonorkuhn, pablominto, BeBeHooker trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (30927) 2009-08-06 0:54

Hello George! Wonderful old architecture, excellent ruins, amazing scene. Good POV, specacular view. Perfect exposure. Well done!

chawax (6142) 2009-08-06 2:01

Hi George,
Very nice view on this old theatre. The exposure is good and the woman in the foreground invites us to admirate this scenery with her.
Regards,
Olivier

jlbrthnn (38667) 2009-08-06 3:07

Hello George,
The point of view is brilliantly selected according to the configuration of the monument and the light. Clearness is excellent, the sight of the texture of the stones and the marks of shaping is pleasant and interesting. Good and captivating note. Superb image. Cheer.
Have a nice day.
Cordially
Joël

holmertz (9881) 2009-08-06 3:13

Hello George,
A fine composition. The tourist is perfectly placed for the balance and depth of the picture, although I would perhaps have preferred a local guy. Very interesting ruins and surroundings.
Regards,
Gert

ophelcia (5498) 2009-08-06 3:51

Empty space, only one backpacker, you've created a lovely atmosphere here, as if it was unexplored place:)
Well done,
Gosia

lousat (15866) 2009-08-06 4:07

Hi George,this is one of the few tunisian's corners that i never seen....what a beautiful romains ruins! A beautiful point of view,bes lights and colors and nice clouds in background.Another very nice postcard from this country that i like a lot.Have a nice day,Luciano

ChrisJ (70393) 2009-08-06 4:12

Hi George

A superb overview of the intriguing Roman ruins, from this superb vantage point. Good sharpness, & the tourist in the fg adds scale, & a welcome human element. Tfs!

jhm (83131) 2009-08-06 4:30

Hello George,

Ruin out of the old time.
Excellent panorama view, splendid point view about the old theatre.
Perspective and depth are very well, colour and presentation are nice for look at.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

pauloog (6789) 2009-08-06 4:35

Hello George,
You seem to persisit to travel in Tunesia under the scoring midday sun...
Despite the harsh and flat light you succeeded in bringing contrast and depth into the interesting view.
Well done.
regards,
Paul

amaryllis (17671) 2009-08-06 4:47

Bonjour Georg
certes le point de vue plongeant sur ces colonnes, architecture et arène, c'est fabuleux
les couleurs des pierres sont magnifiques et c'est un superbe endroit que les touristes doivent apprécier, dans mon cas oui
tres belle composition
juliette

paura (39002) 2009-08-06 5:17

George,
Excellent photo composition, freidn. Nice the guy add in order to input scale. Well done!

Regards

Paulo

Cretense (56844) 2009-08-06 5:25

Hi George!

Very impressive capture of this fantastic ancient theatre! Perfect composition and framing, perfect positioning of the lady, great depth of field! Flawless light managment and brilliant colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

asajernigan (14246) 2009-08-06 5:50

George,
This is a great overview of this ancient theatre. The angle of the shot is great giving the scene a nice sense of depth and direction. The woman adds a sense of scale to the shot as well as adding life to the scene.
The lighting and colors are great with excellent sharpness and detail.
TFS,
Asa

John_F_Kennedy (31865) 2009-08-06 7:01

Hello George
Wonderful view of the theatre. Perfect composition and angle of the shot.
Best wishes,
Achim

jurek1951 (26026) 2009-08-06 8:49

Hi George,
Very interesting architecture. Original POV and composition. Very good shot. Well done
Georg

TopGeo (22089) 2009-08-06 8:58

Hello George! Wonderful old architecture,They is so much beautiful the place that impresses Interest the theatre presents Perspective and depth are very well, colour and frame excellent
Compliments
Georgios

vasilpro (9230) 2009-08-06 10:41

Hello George,
Very nice POV, an excellent historical place, ideal travelers informations, beautiful composition.
Have a nice evening, Vasilis.

dareco (17104) 2009-08-06 18:31

I would love to visit this place, so beautiful!!! I also love theatre. An excellent picture, excellent detail, pov and color. TFS

bostankorkulugu (33876) 2009-08-06 21:20

a well preserved nd restored theatre indeed... and the point of view seems to be the best to show more than the theatre itself... good job george...

hay_kes (28562) 2009-08-06 23:54

Hi George,
What a superb old architecture vith excellent POV and perspective.TFS.
Cheers,
Have a good WE.

hAyAti

Royaldevon (5938) 2009-08-07 1:35

Hello George,

I never cease to be amazed at the influence Roman exerised over the ancient world. This really is amazing!
Your pov gives a clear, detailed view of the theatre and also locates its position in the countryside from the good dof.
I like your inclusion of the person; it adds human interest and we feel to be sharing her sense of awe from the view.

Kind regards,
Bev :-)
This is what this site is all about!

sacavem (8421) 2009-08-07 3:48

Olá George,

An amazing photo of pov and sharpness. The composition is excellent in my view.Great DOF, provided by the 1st of women tourists.
Filipe

Graal (58515) 2009-08-07 5:28

Jó napot George,
an interesting historic place, good presentation and well quality of photo. Good note about Dougga also.
Have a nice weekend.
Aleksander

danyy (69279) 2009-08-07 14:45

Bonjour George,
tu nous place bien par rapport à cette scène, on voit bien l'amphothéatre tout en profitant de l'arrière plan qui dnne vraiment beaucoup de profondeur.
Des couleurs magnifiques et un ciel teè élégant.
My best regards.
Daniel.

sandpiper (1635) 2009-08-07 17:32

Hi George

Wow, great landscape scene, the background surprises me, very Mediterranean. Great theatre, obviously well preserved. Great note to.

Chris

leonorkuhn (13945) 2009-08-10 8:35

Hi George,

Yesterday I saw a documentary showing these magnificent ruins. It is good to know how they survived during all this time. Great POV, excellent colors and details.

Greetings
Leonor

pablominto (41122) 2009-08-11 1:05

Hello George,

This is a fine composition!
Wise to include the sightseer for balance, and the point of view is effective in producing the illusion we are there during the performance...
Excellent details & colours!

Greetings,
Pablo -

BeBeHooker (5966) 2009-08-12 4:04

Hi George!
Very interesting traveller, mysterious traveller. Excellent place. Wonderful composition.
Good work.
Cheers!

COSTANTINO (23071) 2009-08-12 14:59

Hello
thanks for sharing with us all those useful notes
about the Dougga theatre in the Nothern Tunisia.
All these photos make a very interesting historical book ,nice presentation,nice view,wonderful
execution,great lightness and sharpness
regards
Cstantino