Tunisia, Part 4 of 5

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In the previous post we drove back North in Tunisia and explored the medina of Sousse, a city of great wealth during ancient times. Today we will explore the area South of Sousse and our first stop is the amphitheater near El Jem.

Thysdrus, present day El Jem, became the centre of olive oil production and export, and rivalled Sousse as the second city of Roman North Africa after Carthage, present day Tunis. The amphitheatre was built around 240 AD and was entirely financed by the Elite of the town.

The El Jem amphitheater is one of the last of its kind to be build in the Roman empire. With a seating capacity of 30,000 it is one of the largest in the world and unique in Africa. For comparison, the colosseum in Rome can seat 43,000 spectators.
1-Porticus, 2-Poles to support sun-shades, 3-The cavea or seating sections, traditionally organised in horizontal sections, intended for the specific social class of the spectators, 4-Entry and exit points, 5-Facade, 6-Elevator, 7-Ventilation for basement, 8-Rainwater collection system, piped to cisterns, 9-Wall around arena, 10-Stairs to seating sections, 11-Ramps into basement, 12-Entrance to the major axis used for parades preceding the games, 13-Sand covered arena, 14-Barrel vaults for human traffic, 15-Exit from main axis.
Shows took place in the arena built over a wide underground basement intended to shelter animals, gladiators and convicts. Two elevators facilitated the passage from the basement to the stage and added a touch of surprise to the shows. The spectacle consisted of fights between gladiators, hunting scenes, fights with wild animals and capital punishments (Christian prisoners. Early Christians were prosecuted in the Roman empire and although Constantine the Great was the first Roman Emperor to be baptised in 312, it would take until 380 before Christianity became the state religion).
The basements under the arena incl. sewer system.
Around 650 AD the amphitheater was transformed into a fortress to protect the population against the Arab invasion, albeit to no avail. In 670 the Arabs founded Kairouan, and made it the capital of the country. This fact, associated with the arrival of Arab nomadic tribes, led to the abandonment of farming, and caused the decline of Thysdrus. In the 19th century the French colonisers found only a small settlement with a few hundred inhabitants living around the ruins.

Down town El Jem is a small museum, known as the African House, built on the ruins of a Roman house, restoring its spatial organisation. As in Sousse, most of the archaeological remains are mosaics.

Peacock patio.
Amphitheater patio.
The nine Muses with their attributes: Look at the stool for comparison to get a feel of how large this mosaic is.
Dionysus riding a lion. Around him, a Bacchanta dancing and playing the tambourine, two Satyrs, Silenus perching on a camel, a panther and Mystis his nurse. Middle 2nd century AD.
The practice of mortuary masks and mummification, shows the affection of the people for their ancestors and their belief in survival. A moulding shop in Thysdrus revealed two mortuary masks, the first reproducing the face of a berber autochthon, deceased probably towards the middle of the 3rd century, the second mould is a woman's mortuary mask.

There is not much else to see in El Jem (B in the map) besides the amphitheater and the museum, so we move on to the coastal town of Mahdia.

Mahdia was established around 920 AD by the newly created Shia Fatimid Caliphate, and made the capital of the area. Previously the Sunni city of Kairouan was the capital. When the Almohads came to power the capital moved to Tunis in the 12th century. In 1550 the Spaniards captured the city but it turned out too expensive to keep under Spanish control so it was abandoned 3 years later. The Ottomans then took over until Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881.

Only few monuments of the Muslim city remain. Note the three! parallel walls that protected the peninsula from the mainland. Skifa El Khala was the only entry point coming from land.

A) Skifa El Khala, B) Great Fatimid Mosque, C) Borj El Kebir, D) Port Fatimide.
We enter Mahdia's medina (old town) through the mighty Skifa el Kahla (Black Gate), sometimes also called Bab Zouila (A). It is the only notable remain of the mighty defensive walls that once surrounded the city.
Once through the gate you enter a 40 meter long vaulted passageway that was sparsely lit 1100 years ago, hence the nickname "Black Gate". The present day tunnel is lined with market stalls, like a souk.
This is all we could see from the Great Mosque (B). Access only for Muslims.
So we took a photo from internet to give you a first impression.

You can click the image above. We quickly moved on toward the fortress of which half of the original remains standing today. The fort is built on the location of a previous palace of the Fatimid Caliphs.

Because of the strategic location and its importance as one of the major towns in the area, Mahdia became a stage of confrontations between Muslims and Christians. Continuous skirmishes, linked most of the time to the development of piracy in the Mediterranean, were periodically engulfing the town, hence the requirement for a continuous upgrade of the fortifications. When Borj Al Kebir was build is unknown but it was finished and functional during the siege by the Spaniards in 1550.

The Fort of Mahdia: Al Borj Al Kebir
The courtyard of the fortress.

Inside the building is a small museum with photo’s and artist impressions about the history of the town. The displays about female dress code was interesting. Photo’s are clickable.

Mourning dress.
Mourning dress.
Seventh wedding day dress.
Seventh wedding day dress.
Bridal dress.
Bridal dress.
Daily dress.
Daily dress.
The old harbour (D), probably used as far back as the Punic era, as seen from the fort.
During Mahdia's heyday in the Fatimid period, two watchtowers (incorporated into the town walls and later linked by an arch) protected the narrow entrance channel.
Time to leave Mahdia and we go further North to Monastir.
We were interested in the marina since Marina Monastir is a favourite wintering hole amongst cruisers. When following the route we came across some interesting monuments. The monument in the foreground is one of the two tombs of the martyrs, who fought for Tunisia's freedom. The monument in the background left is not a mosque but the Mausoleum of former president Habib Bourguiba, the father of Tunisian independence from France in 1956. To the left and the right of the paved lane is the city's main cemetery.
Adjacent to that cemetery and also adjacent to the marina stands the Ribat, one of the Islamic defensive structures built during the Muslim conquest of the Magreb in the 7th century AD.
The courtyard of the ribat.
The marina, seen from the ribat.
The marina in a very attractive setting, surrounded by restaurants, shops and apartments. The facilities look well maintained and the medina is in walking distance. It is indeed the most attractive marina that we have seen in Tunisia. We concluded the day with a dinner at the Captain's Restaurant.
When we returned to the car later that night, the ribat looked more like a Disney attraction than a fortress. (And why not?).

The following morning we will drive further North towards Tunis, but that is for another blog.

Thank you for reading our stories, Liza and Frits.