This week we hired a car for a couple of
days and set off to do a bit of exploring with our friends Lauren and Olivier
from Hephaistos, along with Olivier’s
mum Marielle who was visiting from Paris. On Tuesday we headed south to the
town of El Jem, famous for its Roman amphitheatre, the largest in Africa and
third largest in the world. On either side of the road, vast groves of gnarled
old olive trees stretched for miles; and it was olives that provided the
original source of the wealth of this region, known as Thysdrus in Roman times.
The amphitheatre is quite astonishing, its
gold sandstone arches rising suddenly out of the flat plain and dwarfing the
ramshackle white buildings of the town. Its origins are uncertain, but
tradition has it that one Gordien I, Proconsul of Ifriqiya was responsible for
the construction of the colosseum. Apparently he was an ostentatious character,
devoted to the arts and the games. The building was supposed to raise his political
status, but it was considered a bit of a white elephant back in the day.
The colosseum was partly demolished by canon fire in 1850, finally ending its long history as a refuge for insurgents and rebels. Most memorable was the Berber heroine, "La Kahena" who used the amphitheatre as a fortress during the Muslim invasion.
The mosaics collected from Roman villas and
housed in the museums in Sousse, Tunis and here in El Jem show the kinds of
spectacles the crowds enjoyed 2000 years ago: fights by professional gladiators
(the equivalent of WWF but with hideous weapons); combat between wild animals
captured throughout Africa; and most popular of all, the feeding of Christians
and prisoners of war to lions, tigers and leopards. Standing in the middle of
the arena, I suddenly felt a new appreciation for TV and computer games as
forms of popular entertainment.
After a tour of the excellent museum
(included in the price of admission but about 500 meters away through the town)
we relaxed over a lunch of chicken kebabs and brik a l’oeuf at the CafĂ© Elhana opposite the amphitheatre. The
genial proprietor (who appeared to speak at least eight languages with some
fluency) entertained us with his insights into the characteristics of tourists
from different countries. The approaching tour group, he claimed, were Spanish:
the men had thick wavy hair and the woman were small but not as hairy as the
Portuguese (he was right, they were Spanish.) Germans always wear big expensive
hiking shoes or sandals; Americans are nervous, always looking around; if
someone has a gold tooth, he’s Russian. Australians? Apparently we have
orangish skin and carry enormous backpacks (which Terry did!)
On the way back, we stopped briefly at the
site of a pair of even older ruined amphitheatres, one built on top of the
other. Some excavation work had been done here, but sadly the site was
unprotected and covered in litter.
Wednesday saw an early start for the long
drive to Dougga, which is up towards the north-western part of Tunisia. More
olive groves, and frequent stops for small flocks of brown-faced sheep to be
herded across the road by shepherds in hooded cloaks. Then suddenly, the
ancient Roman city appears on a hilltop ahead, the columns of the Temple of
Saturn silhouetted against the sky and the paved roads, still showing the
grooves worn by chariot wheels, curving up the slope.
This is the best-preserved Roman site in
Africa, probably because it is in the middle of nowhere and hasn’t been looted
for building materials as elsewhere. Despite a bit of rain and wind, we had a
fascinating wander around the town: villas complete with some of their mosaic
floors, the impressive temples to Saturn and Juno, a Punic mausoleum and an
awesome theatre. Apparently the acoustics were so good that my feeble rendition
of Mark Antony’s speech from Julius Caesar
(Friends, Romans, countrymen etc) was clearly audible in the cheap seats up
the back.
It was incredible to be able to wander freely through the streets,
imagining life 2000+ years ago. I even sat at the communal latrine and tried to
picture what it would have been like to sit and have a friendly gossip with
your neighbours while having a collective crap. Dougga isn’t widely publicised
and it’s completely free of all the trappings of tourism, but don’t miss it if
you’re ever in this part of the world.
communal latrine
Finally the rain and cold got the better of
us and we headed back to a warm car and a long trip back to Monastir through
pretty countryside and rundown towns. Apparently you don’t have to pay tax on
homes and buildings until they are completed, so guess what? The country is
filled with half-built structures. Typically people build a ground floor to
live in, and have an incomplete second story. The result is profoundly
unattractive – raw brick and concrete, piles of rubble everywhere – but that’s
what you get. We had a quick stop for hot crepes with fresh cheese and harissa
(yum) for 42c each, then back to the boat to rest and reflect on an amazing
day.
The whole unfinished building thing is quite common, we encountered it in Egypt too. It does make an area look ugly. Great reading Carol, thanks.
ReplyDeleteCarol and Terry, this is Linda and Dave from the catamaran Purrrfect, friend from ARC Europe. Got the link to your blog spot from Wild Goose. Great to read about your Tunisia experiences and it is surprising to see all the great Roman ruins. We have our boat in Sicily (Licata) and are returning end of April, and are considering going to Tunisia to have the boat hauled out and bottom painted. Any comments on a good yard and whether or not this is a good idea? Our email is dlwitham@yahoo.com
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