Tunisia, 22.09 - 29.09.2013
Carthage, 09/25/2013

Legend of Carthage begins with the Phoenician city of Tyre, the beautiful princess Dido, betrayal, greed, lust for power that destroyed the royal family.
Saving her life, Dido fled to an unknown country in northern Africa and there she persuaded the locals to sell her a piece of land that could be covered with the hide of a bull. Clever and cunning Dido cut the bull's skin into the thinnest strips, tied them and laid them out, separating a whole mountain. On the mountain, under the leadership of Dido, the Birsa fortress was built, which means skin, and around the fortress the city of Kart Hadasht - the New City - Carthage grew.
The founding date of Carthage is considered to be 814. BC e.

Over the next centuries Carthage strengthened his position by establishing colonies in Corsica, Ibiza and northern Africa and re-subordinating the former Phoenician colonies.
Thanks to numerous trade routes, Carthage by the 1st century. BC e. became one of the largest cities in the world and the capital of the largest state.

The Carthaginians surrounded their city with impregnable walls. The length of the massive city walls was 37 kilometers and the height was 12 meters. The city had temples, markets, administrative buildings, towers, a cemetery and a theater. There was a fortress in the center of the city, and a port on the coast.
Ancient builders built residential buildings from limestone that reached 6 floors in height. These houses had bathtubs, sinks and even showers. By 600 BC. e. In ancient Carthage, a unified water supply system appeared, consisting of cisterns, canals, pipes and a 132-meter aqueduct. Putting a bathtub and running water to it is half the battle. It was necessary to remove the used water and the ancient builders created a unified sewage system in Carthage.

Reconstruction of ancient Punic Carthage from the National Museum of Carthage.

My main pride Carthage was its harbor, built in the 2nd century. BC e. It had no analogue in the ancient world. The harbor contained two separate ports. The first is for merchant ships; merchant ships from all over the world came here. The second is a circular port with numerous docks in the center and hundreds of warships. Carthaginian warship - quinquereme. These are powerful and fast warships with five rows of oars. Quinquereme could pierce through an enemy ship at high speed. The Carthaginians put production of such ships on stream.

Excavations on Birsa Hill, remains of Phoenician buildings of the 2nd century BC. e.

The main opponent Carthage was Ancient Rome. The size of Carthage's army was smaller, but Carthage had the most powerful fleet of antiquity; for several centuries Carthage dominated the Mediterranean Sea.

History brings to us the names of the great commanders of Carthage: Hamilcar, Hasdrubal, Hannibal.

The wars between Carthage and Rome went down in history as the Punic. The Romans considered Carthage a constant threat to their empire. Only one winner could emerge from this mortal battle; the vanquished must be wiped off the face of the earth.

Remains of a Phoenician city on the hill of Byrsa.

The battles went on with varying degrees of success, but Carthage lost both the first and second Punic Wars.

In 202 BC. e. Roman senator Marcus Cato saw the wealth of Carthage, which had recovered from its defeats in the Punic Wars, and again felt threatened by it. Since then, the famous phrase “Carthage must be destroyed” became the leitmotif of all his speeches in the Senate.

In 149 BC. e. Rome began the third Punic War. Carthage held off the siege of Rome for 3 years, but in the spring of 146 BC. e. Carthage was destroyed to the ground and burned. Its area was forever cursed, the ground was sprinkled with salt as a sign that no one should ever settle here.

However, 100 years later Julius Caesar decided to establish a colony here. Roman engineers removed about 100,000 cubic meters. meters of land, destroying the top of Birsa Hill to level the surface and destroy traces of the past.

Over time Carthage became the second largest city in the West after Rome. Temples, a circus, an amphitheater, a theater, baths, and an aqueduct were built here.

At the top of the hill is the Cathedral of St. Louis (1897). Currently there is a concert hall here.

But the Roman Empire fell into decline and Carthage was captured by the Vandals, then by the Byzantines, and in 698 AD. e. Arabs. Its stones served to build the city of Tunis. In the following centuries, the marble and granite that once adorned the Roman city were plundered and taken out of the country.

Today it's a suburb Tunisia.
Present-day Carthage shows tourists three cultural layers - the very modest remains of a Phoenician city on the hill of Byrsa, numerous ancient Roman ruins and a modern suburb Tunisia with the presidential palace.

The Roman era is represented by numerous mosaics, sculptures and bas-reliefs.

Next to the cathedral is the entrance to the National Museum Carthage, located in the building of a former monastery, whose monks laid the foundation for the collection.

On the outer walls there are paintings with Roman mosaics.

On the ground floor of the museum there is a huge panel of Roman mosaics.

Roman statues and bas-reliefs dedicated mainly to the god of wine, Bacchus.

Marble sarcophagi of the Punic era (15th century BC) Priest...

...and the priestess.

Copy of the giant head of Princess Antonina found in Carthage (original in the Louvre).

Punic masks.

Punic pottery.

Phoenician glass.

Entrance to the Archaeological Park of the Baths of Antonia Pius.

This is the most picturesque of all the surviving sites of Carthage. The park area is more than 4 hectares, it is lined with rectangular alleys. During excavations, remains of various eras were also discovered here - Punic burials, Roman buildings, Byzantine churches.

On the sides of the entrance alley there are small sarcophagi for the burial of children sacrificed to the god Baal.
This is an infamous fact from history Carthage. Archaeologists have discovered a site where urns containing the charred remains of animals and small children were found. 20,000 children were sacrificed over 200 years. Although, perhaps, it was a children's cemetery, and the terrible rumors were black PR for the ancient Romans.

The entrance alley divides the park into two parts. On the left side are ancient underground cisterns, which now contain fragments of statues, mosaics, and ruins of houses with swimming pools. On the right are the ruins of the thermal baths.

Byzantine church with interesting mosaics.

An ancient dwelling where a collection of statues was found.

Mosaic floors in Roman houses.

Near the sea - the baths of Anthony Pius.

The baths were built in 147-162. n. e. under the Roman Emperor Antoninus.

Visiting baths in the Roman Empire was a way of life. Here they communicated, conducted business negotiations, made deals, relaxed, had fun, and made important decisions. “The patrician went to the bathhouse and washed himself at the same time” - an ancient Roman proverb.

What we see now is only the first floor of the baths. There were three in total.
On an area of ​​approximately 2 hectares there were gardens surrounded by a colonnade, huge halls with hot baths, steam rooms, halls for gymnastic exercises, for relaxation and conversation, and public toilets. The baths had open pools by the sea and terraces - solariums, a marble staircase led to the seashore.

The floors of all rooms were covered with mosaics, the walls were lined with marble, and the halls were decorated with marble statues.

The baths were destroyed by vandals in 439. All that remained of the huge complex was the lower utility floor, where the water was heated and from where hot air was supplied to the steam rooms.

Archaeologists installed individual surviving 20-meter columns to show the height of the structure.

Behind the white fence is the presidential palace.

To be continued...

For the average modern person ancient Carthage, most likely, is associated with Hannibal, Rome and the fact that it certainly had to be destroyed. Someone might remember where was Carthage and that it was the Carthaginians who began to use elephants on the battlefield. At this point, the stock of knowledge about this ancient city will most likely be exhausted.

In fact Carthage was one of the most powerful states of antiquity, and not only in military terms. In its heyday, this state, located in the north of what is now Tunisia, controlled vast territories in northern Africa and Europe. The Carthaginians monopolized shipping in the western Mediterranean. This monopoly was an inexhaustible source of replenishment of the treasury, allowing it to maintain a powerful army and an excellent navy. Agriculture provided great income in an almost ideal climate.

Carthage - stages of the history of the ancient city

As often happens in history, it was power that destroyed Carthage. Rome could not tolerate such a strong neighbor at hand. As a result of the three Punic Wars, Carthage suffered an unconditional defeat.

The hatred of Senator Cato Sr., who mentioned the destruction of Carthage even in speeches dedicated to the budget of Rome, materialized. The city was wiped off the face of the earth, and the ruins were also covered with salt. But the strategic location of Carthage was so advantageous that the Romans soon came to their senses and built a new beautiful and modern city for those times on the site of ancient Carthage. After the Romans, the city was ruled by Vandals and Arabs. History of Carthage tells about at least four eras of prosperity and decline.

Due to the concentration of archaeological artifacts in a relatively small area, modern archaeologists have to work hard to correctly date and classify their finds, so multi-layered are the excavations.

Bardo Museum

Research that began at the end of the 19th century immediately brought such a number of finds that it became clear that they would not fit into any existing museum. The French colonial authorities gave away an entire palace for the new museum. Now it is called the Bardo Museum. But a huge palace was not enough - many exhibits are located in the open air.

Despite the predominance of Roman and Muslim artifacts, a whole hall is dedicated to monuments of the Punic era (the Romans called the Carthaginians Punics) in the Bardo Museum. The main and most controversial exhibit in the hall is considered to be a stele depicting a scene of the sacrifice of a small child. A number of scientists and historians are confident that the Carthaginians sacrificed infants and the stela “priest with child” is convincing evidence of this. In addition to the heritage of the Carthaginians, the museum widely displays exhibits dating back to the times of the Roman possession of Carthage and the Muslim conquest.

In memory of the Romans, sculptures, weapons and coins remained. The Muslim period enriched the museum's treasury with beautiful mosaics.

The stela with the image of the unfortunate child was delivered to the Bardo Museum from Tophet. This place is believed to have served as both an altar and a cemetery. The remains of small burnt bodies found here spoke in favor of human sacrifice. But later studies showed that most of the buried children were either stillborn or died of natural causes at an early age. Most likely, very young children who died from illnesses were simply buried in Tophet. Nevertheless, the gloomy aura of the cemetery at this altar still remains - in later times, the first Christians buried their dead here.

National Museum of Carthage

A very impressive collection of antiquities is also collected in the National Museum of Carthage. It was originally located in the building from which the Romans began rebuilding Carthage at the beginning of our era. On Birsa Hill, strategically dominating the area, the ruins of the Carthaginian citadel still remained, and have survived to this day. Gradually, other buildings were added to the museum, and as a result, the National Museum has now become a gigantic complex, which is very difficult to get acquainted with without prior preparation in just one day.

The museum building itself is made of white marble. Inside there are several rooms of different sizes. They present works of art and folk art, sorted in chronological order: Punic Carthage, the era of Roman rule, the period of the Arab conquest. There are also exhibits brought from other places and associated with Carthage solely by the time of creation. The National Museum houses one of the largest collections of ancient and medieval coins.

Baths of Antoni Pius

Emperor Antony Pius is not very famous in history. No wonder - he did not wage major wars and did not annex new provinces to Rome. He paid primary attention to improving the well-being of the inhabitants of the empire. And his name is in city ​​of Carthage immortalized in the name of the baths. From the actual baths, only fragments of walls and several columns have been preserved, only one of which stands in its proper place.

It is not very convenient for a modern person to walk on the hewn stones with which the road is paved. But when you go to the Baths of Antonius Pius, you really get in touch with antiquity. The baths had direct access to the sea, but the marble staircase along which the Romans descended to the shore has not survived to this day.

Cathedral of Saint Louis

On Birsa Hill is located the relatively new, by the standards of Carthage, St. Louis Cathedral. A very beautiful building was built at the end of the 19th century on the site of the Crusader camp, in which the French king Louis IX died during the Eighth Crusade.

The cathedral dominates the area and is clearly visible from all sides. For some time, St. Louis Cathedral was considered the main Catholic church on the continent. After Tunisia became an independent state from a French colony in 1964, the relics of the holy king were taken to France, and Catholic services in the cathedral ceased. Since 1994, the temple has been used only as a concert hall and museum.

Hill of Jupiter

Somewhat north of Birsa Hill there is another noticeable hill - Jupiter Hill. Unlike the remains of buildings preserved on Birsa Hill, the ruins here have not been identified. Archaeologists have not yet figured out the purpose of the vast buildings and colonnades. There was once a Christian monastery on the hill, but the surviving fragments clearly do not belong to it.

Carthaginian aqueduct

After the recreated Carthage became the center of a large Roman province, the city became attractive to the nobility and the rich. The still preserved ruins of Roman villas eloquently indicate that, as in other centers of Ancient Rome, there was competition among the ruling elite in the size, beauty and functionality of the villas, the owners of which spent at most a couple of months a year in them. Some villas were as tall as today's six-story buildings.

Water supply to dense and fairly high-rise buildings was not a problem for the Romans. In Carthage, for this purpose, they built a giant aqueduct. Water was supplied to the city from a distance of 132 kilometers, from the foot of the Tunisian mountains.

The average height of the aqueduct was 20 meters. Now parts of the aqueduct are destroyed, but the surviving sections are enough to evoke admiration for ancient engineering and the amount of labor spent on the construction of the water pipeline. According to the calculations of modern experts, the carrying capacity of the Carthage Aqueduct was up to 400 liters per second.

Amphitheater and modern Carthage

An amphitheater was just as important an attribute of a large Roman city as an aqueduct. There was also an amphitheater in Carthage. The building was multi-purpose. Not only gladiator fights took place there, but also naval battles (the arena could be turned into a lake), and the executions of the first Christians. It is estimated that in the Roman era the amphitheater could accommodate up to 50,000 spectators.

It has now been restored on a much smaller scale, with only minor fragments remaining of the Roman structure.

The modern name of Carthage is Carthage. This is a suburb of the capital of Tunisia - the city of Tunis, in which, in addition to historical buildings, there is also the residence of the president and a university.

The baths (public baths) of Antony Pius were intended for the elite of the Roman province. Once upon a time, their terraces offered a picturesque view of the sea. Today, here lie the ruins of the once mighty Roman city of Carthage. In order to ensure that the water in the baths always remained hot, the unfortunate slaves were forced to spend twenty hours a day in the heat of a hot stove. The baths building itself was a very large-scale structure - it was supported on powerful columns, and the dome rose thirty meters above the frigidarium.

All the aristocrats and the cream of society sought to build their villas closer to the baths of Antonius Pius. This place was considered some kind of unofficial forum - here they discussed the most important political issues, concluded major trade deals and simply exchanged various types of information.

Ancient Christian burial

The Asterius Chapel was built in the 7th century over a Christian burial ground. The chapel contains a mosaic with Christian symbols. The ornament is reminiscent of the mosaic in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. On the walls of the chapel there are tiles with images of animals.

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Villa of a rich Roman

The villa is located on a high hill. It was a rich house for several families with state rooms, terraces, a swimming pool and private baths.

Columns from Phoenician Carthage of various shapes were used in the construction of the house.

The villa's courtyard area is richly decorated with thematic mosaics, which are about three centuries old.

The National Museum of Carthage is one of the oldest in Tunisia, located on Rue Colline de Boursa in the eastern part of the city. Models of Carthage in various periods of its existence are presented here, and the museum itself stands on the spot where construction of the city began in the first century BC. The building itself is not very large, but it offers a magnificent view of modern Tunisia. Its exhibition includes ancient sarcophagi and sculptures that date back to the Roman and Punic periods. The halls of the museum contain evidence that the Phoenicians were the first to reach the shores of Australia and America more than twenty centuries ago, long before Tasman and Columbus.

Near the museum itself are the ruins of the old city; here are statues of the goddess Tanit and the god Baal. Also near it is a place where sacrifices were previously made. In our time, urns with remains of animal ashes have been found here. On the steles under the urns are carved the prayers that accompanied each sacrificial ceremony. Near the steles, archaeologists found ceremonial clay masks and remains of dishes, which were soon included in the museum’s exhibition. Most of the finds are of great historical value.

Cathedral of Saint Louis in Carthage

St. Louis Cathedral was built not so long ago - in 1890. The architecture of the cathedral contains such styles as Moorish, Gothic, Byzantine. The construction of the cathedral was carried out with the permission of Hussein II Bey. This became possible thanks to Cardinal Lavigerie, who supervised the construction.

The cathedral was built in honor of Saint Louis IX, who died on this land in the 12th century during the siege of Tunisia. His statue is located in a small garden on the cathedral grounds, not far from the archeology museum.

Until 1965, the cathedral was considered the residence of the Archbishop of Carthage. Today, the Cathedral of St. Louis is not active. Music festivals of traditional Tunisian and classical music are held here.

Excavations on Birsa Hill

Once upon a time, in the center of ancient Carthage, the Byrsa fortress towered. According to legend, it was on this land that there were scraps of bull skin, on which the Gods allowed mere mortals to build one of the most majestic cities of antiquity. The name "Birsa" itself translates as "skinned".

Birsa fortress was surrounded by two walls. Thanks to excavations, it became known that inside the fortress there was a temple to Eshmun, and on the outskirts there were Phoenician houses, some of which could reach five floors in height. Surprisingly, the ancient Romans themselves helped preserve these buildings. The fact is that when the Romans built new Carthage, they tore down the top of the hill in order to subsequently expand it. And they poured earth and cobblestones onto ancient buildings that had no value for the Romans. Thus, the Romans helped to “protect” a fragment of the Birsa fortress from further plunder by the Arabs. These buildings can still be seen today.

Working residence of the President of Tunisia

There are many modern buildings on the territory of Carthage. Among such buildings, next to the baths of Antonius Pius, is the working residence of the President of Tunisia.

Roman theater in Carthage

On the slope of a mountain near the sea there was a grandiose Roman theater. The ruins of several stone tiers—the spectator rows—have survived to this day. The theater seated about 5,000 people. Massive columns have also been preserved - about one and a half meters in diameter. They are made of pink granite. Here you can see fragments of marble slabs and statues. The scene has practically not been preserved. The Roman theater is today used as a venue for exhibitions and various performances.

Tophet Salambo

In 1921, near the settlement of Salambo in Carthage, archaeologists found a place that resembled a cemetery. The scientists saw urns buried in several rows with the charred remains of both animals and small children. This cemetery was called Tophet: it was believed that sacrificed children and animals were buried here.

The biblical word "Tophet" means an open-air altar. This was the name of the ritual place in Jerusalem where pagans sacrificed their children to the supreme deity Moloch. There is also a legend about the Carthaginians sacrificing children to Baal. In order for the deity to be favorable to the inhabitants, the family had to sacrifice their firstborn to him.

Further research, however, showed that the legends about the sacrifices were greatly exaggerated. Perhaps such a ritual really existed - however, a child who had already died was brought to the altar. The deity was asked for new, healthy offspring. And Tophet is a cemetery for children who died from illnesses.

The road from Carthage to the Baths of Antoni Pius

Along this paved road, the ancient ordinary inhabitants of Carthage walked to the baths, and wealthy citizens traveled in stretchers. Modern travelers, having passed this path, feel the scale of the ancient city-state.

Brazilian Embassy

On the street leading to the excavations of ancient Carthage, the building of the Brazilian Embassy is located. The small modern building is surrounded by greenery and flowers.

The most popular attractions in Carthage with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Carthage on our website.

Carthage, a quiet suburb of the capital Tunisia built up with prestigious villas, is basking in the rays of its former glory. Most come here for the sole purpose of seeing the ruins of an ancient city, the very name of which terrified the entire Mediterranean.

The history of Carthage, the powerful capital of the Phoenician Empire, is a continuous series of wars with its eternal rival Rome. The Romans burned the hated city, plowed it up and covered its territory with salt. But just 25 years later, a new settlement grew from the ashes, which later became the capital of the Roman African province. In 1270, the leader of the 8th Crusade, the French king Louis IX, died in a crusader military camp on the ruins of ancient Carthage. In the 19th century, the French built the Basilica of St. Louis on the site of his death. This pompous church is used today as a concert hall.

The archaeological zone of Carthage occupies quite a lot. The attractions are located in scattered areas and will take at least half a day to explore.

How to get to Carthage

The closest airport to Carthage, which is called Tunis-Carthage, is located only 10 km away. You can fly there with Air France or Alitalia flights from Moscow Sheremetyevo in 6.5 hours, including a transfer in Paris or Rome. A flight from St. Petersburg on Lufthansa planes with a transfer in Frankfurt am Main takes 6 hours 40 minutes.

From airport to city

The best way is to get to the center of Carthage by taxi (travel time 20 minutes, cost 10 TND; from 21:00 to 6:00 - 1.5 times more expensive). The driver must name “Carthage” as the destination of the trip - the word “Carthage” is unfamiliar to local residents. Prices on the page are as of November 2018.

Search for air tickets to Tunis (the nearest airport to Carthage)

Excursion bus

Popular resorts in Tunisia organize bus excursions to Carthage. The cost of such a trip, for example, from Sousse for adults/children is 140/70 TND. At the same time, the tour program allows only 1-2 hours to visit Carthage - barely enough to explore 2 of the 8 sites of the archaeological zone. In addition, there is a high probability that they will be crowded with people who arrived on other excursion buses.

Independent trip

You can explore the ancient city in detail and avoid crowds of tourists on an independent trip, best with a guide in a rented car. Or first take a train or intercity bus to Tunisia and from there get to Carthage. The most affordable option is to take the TGM light metro train, departing from the Tunise Marine starting station (Avenue Habib Bourguiba). The service interval is 5-15 minutes, travel time is 25 minutes, the cost of a ticket in a 1st class carriage is 1.15 TND. Exit at Carthage Dermech (near Birsa Hill) or Carthage Hannibal (Antonian Baths) stations. A taxi ride will take the same time and cost 12 TND.

Any taxi driver at the capital's railway station or bus station is ready not only to take the client to Carthage, but also to take him from one object to another, and then return him to the same place from where he picked him up. The service fee is negotiable, usually 90-100 TND.

Transport

The main mode of transport in Carthage is the TGM light metro line running through it with 6 stops. Trains run from 4:00 to 0:00, frequency - 4-10 times per hour. The metro is convenient for reaching not only the capital, but also the beautiful resort suburbs of Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth.

On the main street La Goulette Rd you can take a bus or minibus going to Tunis. Unfortunately, they run quite rarely, there are no timetables at the stops, and on the buses themselves the route numbers are only the name of the final destination in Arabic.

You can stop the bus anywhere with a wave of your hand. Entrance is through the back door, fare payment is made to the conductor or driver. Men are not recommended to take a seat next to an unfamiliar woman.

Small Carthage does not have its own public transport. In order not to suffer from the heat and to fully taste the local exoticism, you can hire a horse-drawn carriage right at the TGM light metro station and use it to travel around all areas of the archaeological zone. Payment is time-based - from 10 TND per circle. The main competitors of cab drivers are taxi drivers who are ready to drive all day, but for a “negotiable” 80 TND.

One-time taxi ride within Carthage - 5 TND.

Bicycles for rent

This service is available at an additional cost to residents of the Carthage Hill and Villa Carthage hotels. The greatest demand is in April-May and September-October, when the weather is comfortable for cycling.

Maps of Carthage

Carthage Hotels

There are not many hotels in Carthage. The best among them is the Villa Didon Carthage 5* spa hotel. Among its advantages are an excellent location next to the archaeological zone, a French restaurant, panoramic windows, a spa and hammam. True, for a double room you will have to pay 570 TND - a lot even by European standards.

Each of the hotels - Carthrage Hill and Villa Carthage - in the northern part of Carthage, is good in its own way. The first attracts with its excellent cuisine, well-kept garden and ample opportunities for active recreation. The second has spacious rooms, a swimming pool and amazing breakfasts. Room rates start from 250 TND.

All hotels have free Wi-Fi and parking.

For those looking for a homely atmosphere, the Logement Entier Pieds Dans l'Eau apartment sleeps 6 people and has a well-equipped kitchen. It costs little - 225 TND per day plus 120 TND for final cleaning. A good choice of housing is in the neighboring town of Sidi Bou Said, in Gammarth, which lies a little further on the same metro line, and, of course, in the capital Tunis.

Shopping

Numerous souvenir shops are concentrated mainly near the fenced areas of the archaeological zone of Carthage. In almost every one you can see “sand roses” - natural crystalline formations that resemble a stone flower. Tunisia is famous for ceramics, the traditions of which go back to the Roman era. Some products copy antique forms and combine yellow, blue, white and green colors. In addition to things in the Punic-Roman style, ceramics with Andalusian and Arabic motifs are magnificent. When buying inexpensive Tunisian leather - handbags, belts, jackets, you need to carefully check the quality of the workmanship - it often suffers. It is better to take a closer look at silver and coral jewelry, copper dishes, wooden dolls in national clothes, and traditional embroidery with gold and silver thread.

Good and useful souvenirs in every sense are olive oil, dates, spices and hot thick harissa sauce - a mixture of crushed red pepper, garlic with the addition of coriander and cumin. Essential oils of rose, jasmine and amber are sold in beautiful glass bottles.

Tiny, wax-like pieces of precious ambergris are inserted into massive silver jewelry. When they come into contact with the skin, they emit a sweetish aroma that acts as a natural pheromone.

Cuisine and restaurants of Carthage

The culinary palette of Carthaginian catering establishments is extensive and multi-layered. Here, as in France, you can have breakfast with coffee and croissants in a pastry shop, have a Maghreb-style couscous lunch and end the day in a luxurious gourmet restaurant.

In small taverns where Tunisians themselves eat, it is worth ordering a bowl of spicy soup “shorba” or “harira” - a thick lentil stew with meat and vegetables. Such a lunch will cost only 10-15 TND. The menus of mid-price cafes and restaurants include more refined dishes - quail stewed with apricots or chicken baked with pumpkin and dried fruits. The combination of meat dishes with sweet fruits, honey or sugar is typical of Tunisian cuisine. Such a lunch with a bottle of local beer will cost from 40 TND per person.

Traditional Tunisian fast food is briki puff pastries stuffed with tuna or meat mixed with eggs, herbs and potatoes. On the street stall next to them there may well be a sandwich with chicken seasoned with tomatoes or tomato sauce (5 TND).

The best restaurant in Carthage is Le Resto at the Villa Didon Carthage Hotel & Spa, with transparent walls, an open kitchen and unusual designer lighting. The menu includes exquisite dishes of French and Italian cuisine. The wine list includes a wide selection of excellent wines, including Tunisian ones. Dinner with a glass or two of wine will cost a tidy sum here - from 100 TND.

Entertainment and attractions

Marcus Porcius Cato did not waste words; the Romans really destroyed Carthage. When archaeologists cleared away its ruins, they found on the site of the former Phoenician capital a typical Roman city with baths, aristocratic villas, an amphitheater and arrow-straight streets. Most of the sights of the once prosperous Carthage that have come down to us date back to that period.

Next to the archaeological zone is the palace of the President of Tunisia, which is prohibited from photographing.

The Antonine Baths (TGM Carthage Hannibal station) is one of the largest resort complexes of that time, second in size only to the Roman baths of Caracalla, Diocletian and Nero. Little remains of its former grandeur - mainly underground rooms, load-bearing structures and ceilings. You can imagine the scale of the building by looking at the model of the thermal baths installed on the observation deck. The only column that once supported the vault of the cold hall, the frigidarium, was restored to life-size in order to give an idea of ​​the height of the building.

The most controversial site among the ruins of Carthage is Tophet, an open-air burial altar. According to the generally accepted version, here the Phoenicians sacrificed their firstborns to appease the formidable gods - Baal-Ammon and Tanit. Urns with ashes were placed in several rows, and above them were funeral steles, which can still be seen today. The most famous stele, which is believed to depict a priest holding a prepared infant sacrifice, is today in the National Bardo Museum. There are also justifying versions: on the site of Tophet there could be a children’s cemetery, where already dead children were burned before burial, or premature or dead babies were sacrificed to the gods.

The ruins of Carthage are located in several scattered places, and the most important excavation sites extend over 6 km.

In addition, it is worth visiting the Roman amphitheater for 36 thousand spectators, the Maalga water tanks and the remains of the aqueduct that went to the city from the Water Temple in Zaguan (132 km). You can get an idea of ​​the residential development of Carthage by visiting the quarter of Roman villas and the Punic quarter of Mago.

The ruins of the ancient theater are again, like 2000 years ago, filled with spectators at the Carthage Music Festival, held annually in July-August.

Birsa Hill, where the city once began, is interesting. At the top of the hill stands a cathedral in honor of St. Louis, who died here in the 13th century from the plague during the Eighth Crusade. The Carthage Museum, with its magnificent collection of artefacts, is located next to the cathedral (Colline de Byrsa, Carthage).

A single ticket for entry to all 8 sites of the archaeological zone costs 12 TND (children under 12 years old free) and is valid for one day. It can be bought at the box office at the Antonina Baths and on Birsa Hill. Permission for photo and video shooting (1 TND) is also sold there. Opening hours are from 8:30 to 17:00 from mid-September to the end of March and from 8:00 to 19:00 from April to mid-September. A visit to the Oceanographic Museum and St. Louis Cathedral is paid separately - 3 TND and 5 TND respectively.

5 things to do in Carthage

1. Visit the famous baths of Emperor Antoninus Pius.
2. Recite a couple of pages of Flaubert’s “Salammbô” while standing among the funerary steles of the Punic burial of Tophet.
3. Dine in style and with a view of Carthage in the Villa Didon's restaurant.
4. Take a photo with the marshmallow pink façade of the Cathedral in the background.
5. Ask the price for the “real Phoenician coin” at the souvenir stalls.

Weather

March, when jasmine and mimosa bloom, and April, carrying the scent of blossoming orange trees, are the best and most beautiful times to explore the ruins. In summer, the ancient stones of Carthage heat up in the sun, but the sea breeze helps tourists not melt from the heat. There is practically no rain, but an umbrella is still necessary to hide from the scorching sun.

Autumn delights with comfortable temperatures and the International Film Festival, which takes place in Carthage on odd-numbered years. In winter the weather is good, but sometimes a cold wind from the sea brings rain and makes you think seriously about warm clothes. However, in winter you should not forget about sunscreen.

The ruins of Carthage are located in the suburbs of the city of Tunis. You can get to them by high-speed tram, reaching the following stops:

Carthage-Hannibal- from this stop you can get to the Antonine Baths, the Roman Theater, and the top of the hill, the Museum of Carthage.

Carthage President- to the Basilica of St. Cyprien and to the presidential palace.

Carthage-Amilcar- to the American cemetery.

Carthage-Birsa- to the Oceanographic Museum, the Punic Tophet and the nearby hotel.

This is what the city of Carthage looked like in ancient times

Historical reference

The city of Carthage was founded at the end of the 9th century BC. e. Phoenicians. In the 3rd century BC. e. reached its greatest power and became the capital of the largest state in the Western Mediterranean. As a result of wars with Rome, he lost the conquered lands. In 146 BC. e. was captured by Roman legionnaires and destroyed.

100 years later, Julius Caesar planned to found a Roman colony on the site of the Carthaginian ruins. It was called the "Carthaginian colony of Julia". In the 1st century, the city, reborn from ruins, became one of the largest in the Roman Empire. 300 thousand citizens lived in it. A circus with 60 thousand seats, a theater, Roman baths, and an amphitheater were built for them.

The decline of the Roman Empire also affected Carthage. In 439 it was captured and plundered by the Vandals. Then came the period of Byzantine conquests, and the city began to revive again. At this time, Christians firmly established themselves in it. But at the end of the 7th century, the Arabs came and put an end to the once prosperous and powerful city. It fell into disrepair, and the stone buildings were dismantled for the construction of Tunisia.

List of interesting places

Antonine Baths are the ruins of the largest Roman baths, which in size competed even with the baths of Rome. Also of interest is the Punic Cemetery with its chapel and graves decorated with mosaics.

Museum of Carthage, located on a hill, is notable for stunning views of the city and coast. It includes the ruins of streets, a public library, a chapel, and a church. You can admire the elements of the magnificent mosaic.

Basilica of Saint Cyprien is a Christian temple. Previously, it was surrounded by a cemetery. Reopened in 1915. It offers breathtaking views of the sea. The temple, apparently, was dedicated to the safe voyage of sailors. It is located north of the main ruins of Carthage. There is a grocery store nearby where you can buy pastries and drinks.

Oceanographic Museum built in 1924 on the initiative of the head of state. It was erected on the site of a military Carthaginian harbor. Also of interest Presidential palace. It is well guarded. You should know that photographing the palace itself, the helicopter pad, and the boat pier is prohibited. You can only watch from afar.

American Cemetery and a memorial to soldiers who fell in World War II. 2,841 American military personnel killed in North Africa are buried here. The monument bears the names of 3,724 Americans whose remains have not been found or identified.

This is an incomplete list of everything that is included in the ruins of Carthage. To make the tour more pleasant, eateries are scattered near the tourist routes. You can eat there, relax and gain strength to continue the excursion.