This was to be a very busy day with our first tourist location being the Bardo Museum located on the outskirts of Tunis.
This museum occupies a former palace belonging to the Hussenite beys (provincial governors). The museum has an unrivalled collection of Roman mosaics dating from the 2nd to the 4th centuries AD. These mosaics once adorned the homes of some of Roman Africa’s wealthiest citizens.
Mosaic in entrance foyer, National Museum of Bardo
As well as priceless mosaics, the Bardo contains a large number of items from other historical times. The collection includes Punic funeral masks, Punic pottery, Greek bronze statuary, Islamic tiles, ancient gold coins and a vast number of other treasures we found to be incredibly beautiful and overawing in their intricacy and style. Within the three floors of the Bardo we visited rooms with glorious mosaics depicting scenes involving farming, fishing, military and naval conquests and most interestingly, Greek and Roman mythology. The Dougga room has an intricately decorated ceiling with floral and arabesque motifs. In the nearby Sousse room is a spectacular floor mosaic depicting the Triumph of Neptune.
Our guide Samir pointing out a mirror with reflections on a mosaic from 5th Century AD, National Museum of Bardo
Ceiling decoration, National Museum of Bardo
Mosaic depicting finish of a race, National Museum of Bardo
Small mosaic tiles of ducks, National Museum of Bardo
Mosaic of referee between rich and poor gamblers, National Museum of Bardo
Mosaic of fish, National Museum of Bardo
Amongst the many hundreds of impressive visual images from the day’s visit was one that stands out as being special is the marble statue of Apollo, the god of music, song and male beauty.
Calendar with zodiac signs and days of the week from 3rd Century, National Museum of Bardo
Statue of Apollo, National Museum of Bardo
In 1907, sponge divers came across the wreck of a ship near Mahdia that sank during the 1st century BC. It contained an incredible collection of treasures including marble columns, reliefs, statues, sculptures, bronze vases and very large pottery jars.
Artefacts from shipwreck discovered by sponge divers off the coast of Mahdia in 1907, National Museum of Bardo
When we finally left the Bardo Museum after three hours, having been exposed to so much splendour, beauty and ancient history, we felt mentally exhausted with the capacity to absorb so much marvellous history and visual delights was beyond normality.
We then drove to Carthage, about half an hour’s travel north of Tunis and expectations of seeing a Carthogenian archaeological site were quickly put aside. The scattered ruins of Carthage are now to be found in most instances, with Roman structures and ruins above them.
View of Twin Peaks from Carthage
Carthage was founded in 814 BC by the Phoenician colonisers and by the 4th century BC it had become one of the most powerful cities in the ancient world and a major force in the Mediterranean.
The Punic wars against Rome led to its destruction and then the site rose again and became a significant Roman city. It was subsequently conquered by the Vandals, who were replaced by the Byzantines in the 6th century. Following its capture by the Arabs in 695 AD Carthage gradually fell into ruins.
Roman ruins on top of the Punic structure of Carthage
Jak at ruins at Carthage
We spent most of the afternoon visiting two of the most significant sites where Carthaginian structures could still be seen. However, for most of our visit we were observing the remnants of the Roman buildings erected over the top of the vanquished Carthaginians.
There was so much to take in it was hard to reconcile the complexity of the period from the time of the Phoenicians to the Romans.
We spent time at Byrsa Hill where the original Carthaginian city existed and was regarded as the heart of the city with a temple dedicated to the Carthaginian god Eschmoun. Nearby is the relatively recent St. Lois Cathedral dedicated in 1890 to the French King Louis IX who died of the plague while laying siege to Carthage in 1270.
Ruins at Carthage
Amongst the many sites of interest we visited was the Antonine Baths. These 2nd century Roman baths were once the largest in Africa. Much is now destroyed and yet we could see from the soaring vaults and the few remaining lofty columns that it was a place of immense beauty and was of great public significance as a bathing location. The cleansing area called the ‘frigidarium’ was enormous and could accommodate thousands of bathers. The site was effectively destroyed by the Vandals in 439 AD.
Antonine Baths, Carthage
Antonine Baths, Carthage
Antonine Baths, Carthage
At one point while wandering through the Antonine Baths we came upon a collection of thirty or so marble spheres about the size of a soccer ball. We were informed that they had a duel usage, either as objects to be catapulted against an enemy or for weight lifting and strength training.
Marble spheres near Antonine Baths, Carthage
On our way home we visited the Punic Ports which were once the powerhouse of Carthage’s prosperity and the envy of Rome. In its heyday, there were two ports that could accommodate 220 vessels and the Carthaginian ships were amongst the best equipped and strongest fighting vessels whenever conflict occurred.
Punic Port, Carthage
The Punic Port incorporated a southern square shaped basin for commercial shipping and a circular northern naval harbour. The complexity of this marine region is now difficult to envisage as changes have occurred in recent times and the area is no longer used as a maritime harbour.
We then spent time in the hillside town of Sidi Bou Said which has a commanding view over the Gulf of Tunis. It is named after the Sufi holy man who in the early 13th century settled here after returning from Mecca. He established the religious practice of Sufism which is a mystic religious sect characterised by its focus on Islamic purification and asceticism.
The township today is a tourist mecca famous for its blue doors and white houses. Many of the blue doors have black nailed studded ornamentation surmounted by archways involving alternately black and white stones.
Blue door, Sidi Bou Said
Blue door and window boxes, Sidi Bou Said
Alleyway, Sidi Bou Said
Our final tourist stopping point for the day was at the Roman aqueduct and cisterns. This aqueduct is the longest known aqueduct in the world being 132 km long. It used to bring water down from the mountain at a gentle gradient of less than half a degree from horizontal. On reaching Carthage, the aqueduct spills water into a vast collection of storage cisterns hidden under numerous rows of semicircular tunnels. This incredible engineering feat from two millennia ago defies comprehension in terms of the extent and complexity of its construction.
Roman aqueduct and cisterns
We headed back into Tunis and entered the city centre via the so-called ‘Champs Élysées’ and once again passed the impressive Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul before winding our way through narrow streets to our hotel Palais Bayram.
It was now well after 18:00 and we were ready for rest, dinner and relaxation after nine hours of pretty much non-stop activity.
Tomorrow we move on to visit the hillside town of Dougga and spend the evening at Kairouan.