About Tunisia | History

Tunisia has a wide variety of historical settlements, Punic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic, many of which are in excellent condition.

Legend tells how Phoenecian Queen Didon founded the city of Carthage in 814BC. The Carthaginians grew in power until they became major rivals with the Romans for dominance of the Mediterranean.

Led by Hannibal, the Carthaginians finally lost the last Punic war defeated by the Roman army that conquered Carthage in 146BC. They razed and ploughed it into the ground. Later they rebuilt the city, making it their provincial capital of North Africa.

After 700 years of rule, Roman influence was replaced by that of the Vandals and later the Byzantines.

In 670AD, Muslims invading the Byzantine kingdom founded the city of Kairouan, which became the Arab capital of Tunisia as well as its political and religious center. Kairouan is the fourth most holy city in the Islamic world – after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

According to legend, seven visits to Kairouan equal one to Mecca. The courtyard in front of its Great Mosque (which can be visited by non-Muslims) is said to be able to hold 200,000 pilgrims on holy days.

In the following centuries, five Arab and Ottoman dynasties enriched the Islamic heritage of Tunisia until it became a French protectorate in 1880. Tunisia gained its independence in 1956.

Historic Sites

Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians in 814 BC, Carthage thrived as a maritime centre and later became the third largest city in the Roman Empire before being destroyed by the Arabs in AD 692. Although it is Tunisia’s best-known archaeological site, it is not particularly easy to navigate. The ruins are scattered over quite a large area in what is now an upmarket commuter suburb of Tunis.

Since a complete tour requires a whole day, it is probably more rewarding to make two shorter trips.

The best view of the whole site is from Byrsa Hill which was the heart of the city in Punic times.

Carthage’s key attractions include the Antonine Baths which – outside of Rome – were once the largest baths in the Roman Empire. Visitors are not allowed to enter the Baths but can study them from a viewing platform. Heat was provided by an underground system of furnaces and – very much like a modern day spa – there were a series of hot rooms, a cold plunge pool and the Roman equivalent of a Jacuzzi.

The Punic Ports, now little more than ponds, once provided berths for more than 200 naval vessels. Similarly, little is left of the Theatre of Hadrian which was built in the second century.

Tophet was used for child sacrifices. Urns have been unearthed containing the ashes of more than 20,000 boys aged between two and 12 sacrificed by the Carthaginians in the eighth century BC.

 

El Jem, a small town south of Sousse would be like dozens of others in Tunisia were it not for its giant amphitheatre – one of the country’s truly remarkable sights. Only slightly smaller than the Colosseum in Rome, it is better preserved and seems much more imposing, partly because it is situated at the end of a street of modern houses.

Built between 230 and 238 in what was then the busy market town of Thysdrus, the amphitheatre could seat crowds of more than 30,000. Even if being built today it would be considered an impressive achievement but without modern construction equipment, the task must have been gargantuan. Blocks of sandstone were transported from quarries 32km (20 miles) away while water was carried 16km (10 miles) through an underground aqueduct.

The amphitheatre was used both for festivals and for dawn to dusk gladiatorial contests when petty criminals were pitted against wild animals in fights to the death.

 

Dougga is Tunisia’s best-preserved Roman ruins enjoy a lofty setting 60 miles southwest of Tunis. Formerly known as Thugga under the Numidian king Massinissa in the second century BC, under Roman rule Dougga had a population of up to 10,000. The site’s main attraction is its well-preserved Capitol built in 166 BC which is dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva. Its theatre, which could seat up to 3500, is still used by a summer touring company. Visitors with an earthy sense of humour may be amused by the rather cosy, horseshoe-shaped arrangement of 12 latrines in the Baths of Cyclops while the House of Trifolium is thought to have been the town’s brothel.

 

Bulla Regia is situated 45 miles south of Tabarka, and is another impressive Roman site. Its most notable feature is its underground dwellings which were used by wealthy residents to escape the summer heat. The villas were paved with beautiful mosaic floors, some of which remain exactly where they were created, undisturbed for centuries.

 

Kerkouane is some 5 miles north of Kelibia and holds the remarkable remains of a Punic town. Destroyed in 236 BC, it was unearthed in 1952 and is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. There is an adjoining museum housing pottery, jewellery, wooden carvings and funerary statues.

 

Utica is close to Tunis, and once an important Roman port but now lies 7 miles inland. Its ruins include part of a once-massive public baths complex and the House of the Waterfall which belonged to a wealthy private citizen.

 

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