Tunisia boasts many fine archaeological sites

Tunisia’s location beside the narrow straits of Sicily has kept it constantly at the centre of the turbulent history of the Mediterranean. For millennia, army after army has swept through the country: Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Spanish, Turks, and French, all leaving an imprint on the country’s landscape and spirit.

The history of the diverse and significant archaeological sites constructed by these peoples, and their varied cultures, is revealed, scattered around you as you traverse the country. Set in the beautiful scenery of North Africa are the charismatic and well-preserved sites of Dougga, Thuburbo Majus, Sbeitla and El Jem, and a host of smaller, less well-documented but still intriguing sites are almost at every turn.

The Phoenicians arrived in 1100BC and set up various settlements such as Bizerte, Utica and Sousse, which rapidly turned into the major trading posts (circa 950BC) of the entire Mediterranean. Many of these pooled resources to create Carthage (814BC), the most powerful hub in the Mediterranean, to combat the Greek traders that arrived in the 7th century. The Romans unfortunately destroyed much of this once-great city, but the more modern excavations of the 1990’s have found many genuine Carthaginian artefacts, living quarters etc. that visitors today flock to from all over the world.

At the height of their empire, the Romans had at least 200 cities in Tunisia, their first colony south of the Mediterranean. The legacy of this civilisation is over 26,000 listed sites. Most are yet to be excavated, but many are in a remarkable state of preservation, giving a rare insight into the life enjoyed by Rome’s ancient colony.