Sanctuary of Baal

The Sanctuary of Baal in Thuburbo Majus is a small square temple with two yellow veined grey pillars posing over pedestals. The sanctuary was dedicated to Baal Hammon, the chief deity of the Punic Pantheon adopted by the Nomadians. A Baalist or Baalite means a worshipper of Baal, whose cult survived (in Romanized form) long after the fall of Carthage. Baal-Hammon became Saturn in Roman times and the favored god of Roman Africa. The aeolic pillars are topped with partly damaged roofs that add to the holiness of the place.