Ancient Tunisia - Colony and Empire
Tour Factbox
- The well-preserved Roman city of Dougga
- Magnificent amphitheatre of El Djem
- The Holy city of Kairouan
2014 dates and costs to be confirmed.
Throughout its eventful history Tunisia has had many guises; as the Phoenician colony of Carthage, as the ‘Granary of the Roman Empire’ and then as the medieval Muslim province of Ifriqiyah. Its development as an important trade centre ensured its centre stage role, leaving a richly decorated chronicle amply illustrated by Tunisia’s many fine museums, sites and monuments.
Day 1 London/ Tunis – Fly to Tunis.
Day 2 Carthage -Travel to ancient Carthage and explore the Roman amphitheatre, the Park of the Roman villas, the vast Antonine Baths, the National Museum, Punic Ports and the ruins of the Tophet. Continue to the picturesque village of Sidi Bou Said overlooking the Gulf of Tunis.
Day 3 Thuburbo Majus, Zaghouan, Tunis –Explore the Roman city of Thuburbo Majus with its impressive forum, Capitol Temple, towering Corinthian columns, Colonnade of Petronius and Winter and Summer Baths. Drive to Zaghouan where Hadrian’s Fountain marks the source of the water conveyed over 70 miles by aqueduct to Carthage.
Day 4 Oudna –Discover Oudna, site of the ancient Roman colony of Uthina, then drive into the Cap Bon Peninsula to explore the town of Kerkouane, the best preserved example of Punic urban architecture. Visit Nabeul for the archaeology museum and the Roman ruins at Neapolis.
Day 5 Tunis –Enjoy the spectacular collection of Roman mosaics at the Bardo Museum. Visit Utica, originally a Punic port, and Bizerte old port and kasbah.
Day 6 Bulla Regia, Chemtou, Tabarka –Explore Bulla Regia with its extraordinary underground Roman villas and the marble quarries at Chemtou. Continue to Tabarka, a small harbour town overlooked by a Genoese Fort.
Day 7 Dougga -Discover the Roman city of Dougga, one of the best preserved in North Africa. Explore its impressive theatre, dominating capitol, Square of the Winds, Temple of Juno Caelestis and the Numidian Mausoleum. Drive south to Sbeitla.
Day 8 Sbeitla, Makhtar, Kairouan -Visit Sufetula to see the Byzantine basilica of St Vitalis with its beautifully decorated baptistery. On to Maktar for its impressive Great Baths and triumphal Arch of Trajan. Continue to Kairouan.
Day 9 Kairouan -One of the holiest cities in the Muslim world, see Kairouan’s Great Mosque, the shrines of Sidi el-Ghariani and Sidi Sahab and the Aghlabite Pools. At El-Djem discover the most splendid amphitheatre in the Roman world and the fine collection of mosaics in the archaeological museum.
Day 10 Monastir -At coastal Monastir visit the impressive Islamic fortified monastery of Ribat built by Harthama. At Sousse visit the archaeology museum located in the Kasbah.
Day 11 Tunis/ London –Morning visit to Tunis’ Great Souk and the courtyard of the Great Mosque. Time at leisure in the afternoon beforeflight back to London.
George Hart
George Hart was for over thirty years a staff lecturer in the Education Department of the British Museum, specialising in ancient Egypt, the Bronze Age and Classical civilisations of the Mediterranean.
A frequent visitor to the Nile Valley, he has written books on Egyptian myths and religion, the Pyramid Age and, most recently, on the Pharaohs. He is currently on the Board of Trustees of the Egypt Exploration Society.
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