Sousse, Medina, El Jem - Tunisia - October 2023

 Sousse: or Soussa is a city in Tunisia, less than 100 miles south of Tunis. It's in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammament, which is part of the Mediterranean Sea. We took the train from Tunis to Sousse and stayed two nights in the Medina of Sousse. While in Sousse, we took day trip to visit El Jem and Kairouan.

Arriving at Sousse station.

Arriving at Sousse Medina. 

Medina of Sousse: an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is surrounded by its city walls and fortifications. It has open and covered bazaars/souks. Our hotel is the "Medina", a few short blocks to the ribat castle and the Grand Mosque.

The Grand Mosque wall.

Our hotel in Sousse - Hotel Medina.  

The hotel entrance.

The hotel courtyard.

After checking in the hotel, we headed out to visit El Jem. From the medina, we took taxi to Louage station (share rides in mini van) to go to El Jem.

El Jem :  is famous for its amphitheater, an UNESCO World Heritage Site . The Amphitheater of El Jem is one of the largest Roman amphitheaters ever built, found in a small town of El Jem. It is one of the rare monuments of its kind and unique in Africa. It was built around 238 AD of stone blocks, located on flat ground and supported by a system of arches. 

The Amphitheater of El Jem.

The wall of the podium, the arena and the underground passages are practically intact.

The monument has conserved most of its architectual components without alteration.

Ruins of the majestic stone blocks peeking through the blue sky. 

In the arena.

Paul made it to the top.

The complex and intricate system of arches.

The amphitheater just before sunset.

Markets and residences surround the amphitheater.

Delivering the bread.

The bread counter/cart.

El Jem - City Center Park 

We made it to the Louage station in El Jem city center a little before 5:00pm for the 5:00 van back to Sousse. However, we were too late to catch the share ride from Louage station. We tried to take the bus or the train from the city center, but to no avail. The train was not scheduled to go to Sousse that day...and the bus never came.  After one hour waiting for the bus, we took private taxi back to our hotel in Sousse. It confirms that Tunisian public transportation is unreliable!.

North Africa American Cemetery, Sidi Bou Said - Tunisia - October 2023.

 North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial: The cemetery lies between the Mediterranean and the Bay of Tunis, closed to the site of the ancient City of Carthage, Tunisia. It is a Second World War grave cemetery, the only American one in North Africa and administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. 

North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial - Main entrance.

The flagpole and the cemetery to the left from the entrance.

The visitor center on the right.

Graves area has over 2,800 headstones.

Headstones in the graves area are arranged in rectangular lines.

 "Court of Honor" with the statue called "Honor"(by the flagpole) in the background.   

Four fountains and pools with well manicured ground provide shade, refreshment and tranquility for us in the hot African afternoon. 

Paying respect.

Sidi Bou Said :  is a short taxi ride from the cemetery. Known for its historic streets and beautiful blue-and-white houses, Sidi Bou Said is a charming village on a promontory overlooking the Mediterranean. It's a popular tourist town filled with cafes, eateries, art galleries, picturesque corners and building rooftops.     

Sidi Bou Said post office.

A tradition blue-and-white house on a main street.

A beautiful (tradition) blue door .

A typical cobbled street in the village.

In front of an art gallery.

At the corner of  "Dar el Fell" Hotel.

A residential rooftop ovelooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Making Bambalouni, a sweet Tunisian donut. Bambalouni is eaten sprinkled with sugar or soak in honey. It is very popular in Sidi Bou Said as a snack served with coffee.

Enjoying a bambalouni on a street corner.

Sunset over Lake Tunis by La Goulette on our way back to Tunis.

Entering Tunis...to conclude an enjoyable day visiting Carthage archaelogical site, the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial and Sidi Bou Said.

Carthage - Tunisia - October 2023.

 Per our hotel concierge in Tunis, we can visit the Carthage archaeological site, the North Africa American Cemetery and Sidi Bou Said in one day. He also told us to take the direct train to get to Carthage and take taxi to the cemetery and Sidi Bou Said to save time. It's going to be a long day, but we're excited to take on these sight-seeing adventure while in Tunis.

It's about an half hour walk to get to the train station from our hotel. When we got there, we're told that the train had a problem and did not run that day. Fortunately, we could catch the bus just outside the station to go to Carthage. Even though the bus made stops after getting out of Tunis, we were still be able to reach Carthage in less than an hour.

Carthage :  The city of Carthage was one of a number of Phoenician settlements in the western Mediterranean. It was a greaat city of antiquity on the north coast of Africa and was a signitficant trading empire throughout the Mediterranean. Carthage is now a residential suburb of Tunis. The archaeological site of Carthage, an UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the top tourist attractions in Tunisia. The major known components of the site are the necropolises, theater, amphitheater, residential area, basilicas, the acropolis of Byrsa, the Punic ports, cister and the archaelogical reserve. 

Carthage Municipality

Carthage Municipality overlooking the Mediterranean.

Map of Carthage archaeoligical site.

Street sign near the Roman Theater.

Roman Theater

Main entrance - The Roman Theater and Odeon of Carthage is a restored ancient Roman theater complex. It is now used to host variety of events.

Inside the Roman Theater.

Odeon Hill and Park is behind the theater.

Malik ibn Anas Mosque on the top of the Obedon hill from the Roman Theater.

Near Roman Theater, "Roman Villas" is another attraction in the ancient Roman City. The site holds the ruins of a number of Roman luxury houses and apartment blocks.

Some ruins in the Villas

In the "Villas" park, with Odeon Hill in the background.

A column capitol/head.

Large portion of the mosaic flooring remains in tact at one of the weathiest houses in the "Villas" park.

Beautiful intricate mosaic flooring.

Mosaic flooring found at the site known as "villa of the aviary", the best conserved house in the park.

The ruins of  ancient "columns" can be found in "L'Edifice a Colonnes"
park, across from the Roman Theater.

 

In the "Columns" park.

 "Columns" complex. 

The Acropolium, knonw as Saint Louis Cathedral of Carthage, sits on the peak of Byrsa Hill.

Sideview of the  Acropolium from Byrsa Hill.

The archaelogical site of Carthage, at the peak of  Byrsa Hill, once thriving Byrsa Acropolis.

Ancient site of Byrsa hill overlooking the Punic ports.

The ruins of Carthage on Byrsa hill overlooking the Mediterranean.

Ancient headless statue on the excavation of Carthage archaeological site.

Drawings of ancient horses on the wall of Carthage archaelogical museum.

In the Carthage National Museum park.

Carthage amphitheater was a Roman amphitheater constructed in the first century CE in the city of Carthage. The archaeological site only exists within the arena itself. It is one of three African amphitheaters built atop flat ground instead of on a hill. Other two was: El Jem and Thapsus.

The front "arch".

The arena looking toward the entrance.

Arch at the end of the arena.

The (outside) wall.

Amphitheater - By the column at center end of the arena.