Tunisia > Punic and Roman Ruins, Ancient Medinas and Mosques

A collection of Instagram posts on a trip that we did in December, 2014.

NOTE: Some posts below may have multiple pictures embedded – please scroll to the right to see all such photos.

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Tunisia. The Medina of Tunis, the old quarter of the city, founded in the 7th century around the Al-Zaytuna Mosque. At that time, Tunis was one of the richest and most prosperous cities in the world. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #medina #unescoworldheritagesite

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The world famous Bardo Museum in Tunis houses one of the world's largest collections of original Roman mosaics, excavated from various sites around Tunisia. These 2000-year-old mosaics are so fine, they look like paintings. #tunisia #tunis #bardo #museum #roman #mosaic

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The world famous Bardo Museum in Tunis houses one of the world's largest collections of original Roman mosaics, excavated from various sites around Tunisia. Just imagine that impressive huge display on the floor of a rich man's villa some 2000 years ago. #tunisia #tunis #bardo #museum #roman #mosaic

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These four pics are my favourite Roman mosaics at Bardo National Museum in Tunis. From 3rd century CE, excavated at Roman city of Douga in northern Tunisia. #tunisia #tunis #bardo #museum #roman #mosaic

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That's not a mural on the wall, but a huge mosaic built with very small squarish tiles which are like pixels. Another fascinating display at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis. An original Roman 1st century CE mosaic from a bathhouse in northern Tunisia. #tunisia #tunis #roman #mosaic #bardo #museum

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Also on display at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis are the traditional ornamental tiles popularised by the Maghreb people. During the Andalusian period, these tiles were introduced into Iberia by the Arabs, to be known as azulejo tiles. To this day you can still see these beautiful azulejos being used in Spain and Portugal. #tunisia #tunis #bardo #museum #tiles #mosaic

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Completed early 8th century CE, the Mosque of Olive, or Al-Zaytuna Mosque, was built on the site of a Christian basilica. It was also the site of Al-Zaytuna University, now no more, whose best known product was the scholar Ibn Khaldun. The design is typically Maghreb – large rectangular courtyard with a single square minaret – a design used later for the Grand Mosque of Cordoba in Andalusia. It's a bit tricky looking for this mosque, it's sort of embedded inside a huge souk in old Tunis. 😁 #tunisia #tunis #alzaytunamosque #mosque

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When I entered the courtyard of Al-Zaytuna Mosque, in the old quarter of Tunis, it was full of pigeons loitering on the floor. Suddenly an elderly man appeared with a bag full of seeds which he scattered among the grateful birds. I guess the birds knew it was feeding time. This early 8th century mosque was built according the classic Maghreb design – a huge rectangular open-air courtyard, with a single square minaret. #tunisia #tunis #alzaytunamosque #mosque

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The interior of Al-Zaytuna Mosque in old Tunis is worth peeking into. The marble pillars are especially interesting, probably cannibalised from the nearby ancient city of Carthage (Punic then Roman, destroyed by the Umayyads in the late 7th century!). Mediterranean ancient history is indeed interesting. 😜 #tunisia #tunis #alzaytunamosque #mosque

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When you are in Tunis, you have to visit the famous Carthage ruins, founded almost 3000 years ago. Then it became the capital of the Phoenician Empire before conquest by the Romans. To get to Carthage (and beautiful Sidi Bou Saïd), catch this TGM train at the main station of Tunis. The pleasant ride takes less than 30min. #tunisia #tunis #carthage #train

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The ancient city of Carthage was founded almost 3000 years ago by the Phoenicians. It became capital of the powerful Carthiginian/Punic Empire before falling to the Romans in the 2nd century BC. At its height, Carthage was the most important trading hub in ancient Mediterranean and possibly the richest city in the world. Hannibal, the famous general, was born here in the 3rd century BC. Currently the ruins are scattered over a wide area, mainly from the Roman era. It's only 30min by train, northeast of Tunis – stop at Carthage-Dermech Station for uphill walk to see the fascinating Roman amphitheater first. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #carthage #roman #amphitheater

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Carthage, Tunisia. Some 30min walk from the Roman amphitheater we arrived at the most impressive group of ruins near the sea. This was the core of the Roman Carthage, which was destroyed by the Umayyads in the 7th century. Materials were pillaged from here to be used to construct buildings in old Tunis, such as the Al-Zaytuna Mosque. The Romans occupied Carthage for almost 900 years. There were some pre-Roman Punic ruins in the area but you have to really look for them. To fully explore the ruin complex, you need at least a full day, just make sure you have a map of the scattered sites. #tunisia #tunis #carthage #punic #phoenician #roman

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Carthage, Tunisia. A Carthiginian feline, if I ever saw one, and of a proud heritage too, I hope. 😂 #tunisia #tunis #carthage #cat

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Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia. We finally made it to the much-mentioned township of Sidi Bou Saïd, and we were not disappointed! This 13th century town is located some 30km northeast of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. This scenic Mediterranean town is famous for its extensive use of blue and while colours. The best way to get here from downtown Tunis is by an interesting train ride across Lake Tunis. You can also visit the ruins of Carthage, which are nearby. It's an uphill walk from the Sidi Bou Saïd train station before sighting the glorious Mediterranean. But it's all worth it! 🤩 #Tunisia #tunis #carthage #sidibousaid #mediterranean

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Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia. This is the main cobblestone street in Sidi Bou Saïd, which ends at a spectacular cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. 'Sidi' is the honorific 'Mr', while Bou Saïd was a religious guy who set up a sanctuary here in 12th century. Finally the glorious Mediterranean (Gulf of Tunis, really) at our feet at the end of the lane. 🤩 #tunisia #tunis #sidibousaid #mediterranean

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Sidi Bou Saïd, Tunisia. When travelling, door-spotting is also a hobby of mine. Like Marrakech in Morocco, Sidi Bou Saïd also has its fair share of cool doors. I guess it's a culture of the Maghreb people – to have such prominent doors. #tunisia #tunis #carthage #sidibousaid #doors

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Tunis. We picked up a rental car, the zippy Opel Corsa from Sixt, to explore the nice places outside Tunis, such as Sousse, El-Jem, Kairouan, Hammamet, Kerkouane, Dougga and Lake Ichkeul. This is the best part of the journey, the total freedom of desert driving, exploring at our own pace. The special blue plate number 8928-TUNIS-174 denotes a rental car, and I love blue! 😁 #tunisia #tunis

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El Jem, Tunisia. With the rental car, we drove more than 200km from Tunis, straight to the south along fine desert roads, to reach the small town of El Jem, where its main attraction stared straight at us as we approached. This is the early 3rd century Amphitheater of Thysdrus (the Roman name for El Jem), the 3rd largest in the Roman Empire, with seating for 35k people. (It was used to make 'Life of Brian' movie.) Quite an overwhelming sight, with a virtually intact structure, a must visit. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #eljem #amphitheater #roman

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El Jem (Thysdrus), Tunisia. The Amphitheater of Thysdrus was built in the early 3rd century by the awesome Romans. It was the 3rd largest coliseum in the Roman Empire, able to accommodate 35,000 people. It was intact till the 17th century, before its stones were cannibalised for buildings in El Jem and the Grand Mosque of Kairouan. Most Roman structures suffered similar fates it seem. 😢 The movie 'Life of Brian' was shot here. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #eljem #amphitheater #roman

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El Jem, Tunisia. The Archaeological Museum of El Jem. Sabar with the nine Muses of ancient Greek religion eternalised as a huge mosaic excavated from a 3rd century Roman villa in the area. The Muses are sources of knowledge – goddesses of history, astronomy, tragedy, comedy, dancing, poetry, love, songs, and music. I guess the wise Greeks got everything covered. 😀 #tunisia #tunis #eljem #museum #mosaic #roman #greek #mythology #muses

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El Jem, Tunisia. The Archaeological Museum of El Jem. This museum is a gem (pun unintended), full of gorgeous Roman mosaics from the 2nd and 3rd centuries. There is even an active archaeological site around it, where more mosaics are being uncovered, which you can stroll through. This mosaic of wild animals feasting on a boar is most fascinating. Look at the colours used and the size of the tiles (pixels). 🤩 #tunisia #tunis #eljem #museum #mosaic #roman

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The Archaeological Museum of El Jem, Tunisia. Interesting Roman mosaic from the 2nd century. Note the reverse swastika at the bottom – it's called the sauwastika. A sacred symbol, it was used by Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism for many thousands of years, before Mr Adolf Hitler co-opted it, turned it the other way round, and called it 'swastika'. Apparently the sauwastika was also used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, as shown by this mosaic spotted at the Archaeological Museum of El Jem. #tunisia #tunis #eljem #archaeological #museum #swastika #mosaic #roman

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The Archaeological Museum of El Jem, Tunisia. Near the museum, Roman homes from the 2nd and 3rd centuries (with extensive mosaics still intact) are still being excavated. You can take a walk among the ruins and observe the actual placements of the mosaics on the ground. Fascinating stuff, and you wonder how advanced the Romans were two thousand years ago! 🤔 #tunisia #tunis #eljem #archaeological #museum #mosaic #roman

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The Amphitheater of El-Jem, Tunisia. Graffitis from hundreds of years ago chiselled into the hard stones of this 3rd century Roman amphitheater can still be clearly seen. This vandalism is commonly found in ancient ruins elsewhere in the world. Of course these precious sites are now protected from such acts, but it still does happen. #tunisia #tunis #eljem #amphitheater #roman

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The Great Mosque of Sousse, Tunisia. We were at the Great Mosque of Sousse, when we bumped into a nice couple from Algeria who were very excited to learn we were from Malaisie. I really want to visit Malaisie, the lady kept saying. We will visit Algeria soon, since Morocco has already been done too. Anyway the Great Mosque of Sousse, built mid-9th century, used to be located close to the shoreline (back then), and it doubled as a military fort. It is unique that it doesn't have a minaret. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #sousse #mosque

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The Great Mosque of Sousse, Tunisia. Next to the Great Mosque of Sousse, there is this 'Ribat', a sort of monastery to train Muslim warriors. It was built at the end of 8th century, thus making it older than the Great Mosque itself. It is thought the minaret-less mosque used this ribat watch tower to say the azan. That's cool resource-sharing, I must say. #tunisia #tunis #sousse #mosque #ribat

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Sousse, Tunisia. Loitering in the lively market of old Sousse, near the ancient great mosque, with a bit of people-watching. 😉 #tunisia #tunis #sousse

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Kairouan, Tunisia. From the seaside town of Sousse, we drove westwards inland, into the desert, to arrive at another ancient place, Kairouan. It was a pleasant one hour drive along nice roads passing through several villages with the usual interesting local traffic. 😁 Kairouan was founded by the invading Umayyads in 670 AD, and soon became an important centre for Sunni religious education, next in importance only to Mecca and Medina. The walled old town is a Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #kairouan #unescoworldheritagesite

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The Medina of Kairouan, Tunisia. People come to Kairouan in the desert of Tunisia specifically for this – the first mosque in the continent of Africa, the Great Mosque of Kairouan, founded 670 AD. We parked our car outside the walled old quarter, and approached the gate, with a neat white cemetery to the left and the world's oldest minaret jutting out beyond the ancient wall. Nice setting! 🤩 A university was also founded here, which was usual for the Arabs to do at that time – to found a new settlement, then to build the main mosque and learning institution first. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #kairouan #medina #mosque #unescoworldheritagesite

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The Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia. Walking past the thick defence wall of the medina (on the left), we sighted the wall and minaret of the Great Mosque of Kairouan in full glory. Built in 670 AD, it is the oldest mosque in the African continent, said to be the 4th holiest in Islam, after the great mosques of Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Built as a fortress, hence it has a solid defence structure. The minaret is the oldest surviving in the world. #tunisia #tunis #kairouan #medina #mosque #unescoworldheritagesite

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The Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia. The courtyard of the Great Mosque, with the oldest minaret in the world, and a sundial on the ground. This is the oldest mosque in Africa, founded 670 AD, just 38 years after Prophet Muhammad died. We arrived in time for Friday prayer said to be at 1.00pm, but were told that since a distinguished imam was coming, the prayer would instead start at 2.30pm. Asar time was 2.50pm, so it was gonna be back-to-back prayers of Jumaat and Asar. Unfortunately we had to skip it since we had to drive to Hammamet on the Mediterranean coast before sundown. 🤷🏻‍♂️ #tunisia #tunis #kairouan #medina #mosque #unescoworldheritagesite

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The Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia. This is the main prayer hall of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, with one of the oldest mosque domes in the world atop it. It was full of very helpful people around the mosque, welcoming us, 'pilgrims' from Malaisie. (A bit of French and Arabic helps.) 😀 Note the modest reed mats on the floor and around the pillars. Of course, busy with marble pillars as usual, possibly pillaged from some unfortunate Roman buildings. 😆 #tunisia #tunis #kairouan #medina #mosque #unescoworldheritagesite

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Hammamet, Tunisia. In Hammamet we indulged a bit. A famous seaside resort, Hammamet is a prime tourist area. December is off-peak, so we virtually had the whole place to ourselves. But the place was really nice, and we enjoyed the brief stay. The cool soft breeze from the Mediterranean was most refreshing and revitalising. Excellent therapy for a long desert roadtrip. 🤩 #tunisia #tunis #hammamet #mediterranean #resort

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Hammamet, Tunisia. And of course the sunset over the Mediterranean in Hammamet is to die for! 🤩 #tunisia #tunis #hammamet #sunset #mediterranean

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Hammamet, Tunisia. And of course a Mediterranean sunrise couldn't be outdone too. 🤩 #tunisia #hammamet #mediterranean #sunrise

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Kerkouane, Tunisia. From Hammamet, it was a 2-hour drive along the coastline of Cape Bon to get to our next destination, Kerkouane. From the main road, there was a poorly-signaged, narrow 2-km access road to get to the amazing ruins of a Punic town from the 6th century BC. That's 2600 years ago! These ruins are testament to the ingenuity of the pre-Roman Punic people in designing a well-planned functional coastal town at the Mediterranean sea. It was invaded by the Romans in the 3rd century BC, and what you see here are structures from that period at least. See the model in the fourth photo to appreciate its design. A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #kerkouane #punic #phoenician #roman #ruins #unescoworldheritagesite

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Testour, Tunisia. It was a long 4-hour drive from Kerkouane to our next destination, Dougga. It was virtually a straight 240km east-to-west drive via Tunis, which was right in the middle. Past Tunis, the landscape to the west was undulating and the road soon entered hilly areas with trees. Here we spotted roadside fruit stalls among the scattered villages. So we stocked up on some sweet pomegranates, at about MYR1.40 each. Citrus fruits were all over the place, and piles of olives too. 🤩 #tunisia #tunis #citrus #olives #testour

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Dougga, Tunisia. Why do we drive all the way here to Dougga, in the mountains 120km west of Tunis? Because Dougga is the most prestigious archaeological site in Tunisia, first settled in the 6th century BC. The city of 6 empires, but the 2nd century Roman ruins are the most spectacular, said to be the best-preserved Roman town in northern Africa. Go see Ephesus and Hierapolis in Turkey, Heliopolis in Baalbek (Lebanon), Merida in Spain, Nimes and Orange in France, etc., and you get what I mean. 😊 A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #dougga #thugga #roman #ruins #unescoworldheritagesite

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Dougga, Tunisia. Extensive well-preserved Roman town, with ruins from 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Fell into decline in the 4th and 5th centuries before the Moslem invasion. In the 6th century BC it possibly started as a Berber outpost. Then others came including the Phoenicians. Dougga is one of the most interesting Roman ruins I have ever visited (and I have been to at least 9 major ones around the Mediterranean). A must-visit for Roman fans. 😆 A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #dougga #thugga #roman #ruins #unescoworldheritagesite

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Dougga, Tunisia. Rush hour at the Roman ruins. 😆 #tunisia #tunis #dougga #thugga #roman #ruins

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Dougga, Tunisia. A fascinating extensive Roman ruins on a hilltop surrounded by olive groves, the most complete I have ever seen, and of course there's an amphitheater from the 2nd century to boot – Sabar is down there with our guide. When you visit Dougga do consider engaging a local guide who would give a better appreciation of the place. These part-timers could be found around the carpark, and they could be graduates in history and archaeology. Interview them first. 😀 #tunisia #tunis #dougga #thugga #roman #ruins

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Dougga, Tunisia. In the 2nd century, the Romans already had the sitting loo (on the left). This is in a communal bath in Dougga, so the guys were probably chatting about politics in Rome while doing their stuff. To the right, that looks like a fountain, and the floor is covered with mosaic, still looking good 1800 years later. Advanced race, these Romans were! #tunisia #tunis #dougga #thugga #roman #ruins #baths

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Dougga, Tunisia. The hilltop 2nd century Roman ruins of Dougga in northern Tunisia is surrounded by olive groves and cacti. The cactus grown here is opuntia, commonly known as 'prickly pear', a species from the Americas. The fruit is sweet, said to be good for health. And of course the tasty olives! #tunisia #tunis #dougga #thugga #cactus #olive #roman #ruins #pricklypear #opuntia

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Lake Ichkeul, Tunisia. (Final instalment on this Tunisia series.) Our final stop in Tunisia before returning to Tunis was the scenic Lake Ichkeul, 160km northeast of Dougga. Almost at the northern tip of Tunisia, the lake and surrounding wetlands are a major rest area for thousands of migrating birds. The salinity of the water is influenced by rivers and sea water from a canal. Legend says there lives here a magical freshwater turtle which can help women to conceive, so people still come here to pray to it. 😁 A Unesco World Heritage Site. #tunisia #tunis #lake #ichkeul #unescoworldheritagesite #ramsar

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> THE END

#tunisia