Djemila

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**Djémila**¹
**UNESCO World Heritage Site**

State Party	Algeria
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iii, iv
Identification	#191
Region²	Arab States
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	1982 6th WH Committee Session
WH link:	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/191
1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List 2 As classified officially by UNESCO

Djemila (Arabic: جميلة [ʒæmɪələ] lit. the Beautiful one, Latin: Cuicul or Curculum) is a mountain village in Algeria, near the northern coast east of Algiers, where some of the best preserved Roman ruins in North Africa are found. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was inscribed as such in 1981. It was recognized because of its unique adaptation of Roman architecture to a mountain environment. Buildings present in Djemila include a theatre, two fora, temples, basilicas, arches, streets, and houses.

Djemila is situated in the region bordering the Constantinois and Petite Kabylie. This is an exceptional antique site in Algeria which inherited significant historic value. The Roman ruins, particularly well preserved, organize themselves around the forum of the Harsh, a large paved square of which the entry is marked by a majestic arch. Under the name of Cuicul, the city was built during the first century A.D. The city was initially resided by a colony of soldiers, and eventually grew to become a large trading market. The resources that contributed to the prosperity of the city were essentially agricultural (cereals, olive trees and farm). The city was slowly abandoned after the fall of the Roman Empire around the V and VI century. The Muslims later dominated the region but did not reoccupy the site of Cuicul, that they renamed under the name of Djemila, meaning "beautiful" in Arabic.