Trajan's Forum

The grandest of the Imperial Fora, designed by Apollodorus of Damascus and inaugurated in 112 AD, funded by the spoils of Trajan's Dacian Wars. The complex once included a colossal equestrian statue of Trajan (now lost), the vast Basilica Ulpia, two libraries (Greek and Latin), and his famous column. Beside it, the Markets of Trajan are often called the world's first multi-level shopping centre — six storeys of brick housing 150 shops and offices, remarkably preserved.