Tunisia-Med-Sahara Day 5

Day 11-06 - Friday, March 20, 2009 - Optional tour to El Djem/Roman Amphitheater/Museum/Mosaic Workshop

We managed to jury-rig the shower so we could use it more easily this morning and were down to the breakfast buffet by 7:15. Twelve of us chose to take the optional excursion to El Djem

I went out to check on the weather; it was 58 degrees and the humidity was 67% by the sea.

Riadh was waiting for us at 8:30. Rick had found a wireless internet café that had more access than that of our hotel and showed us where it was on our way out of the city. The business center at our hotel is only open from 10 am to 10 pm and our early mornings and late nights do not match their times.

As we left the city, we drove by the old walled medina. In ancient times there was a signaling system from the top of these towers and minarets.

It was said that by using fire and smoke signals, it only took one day to get a message from the sea at Alexandria in Egypt to Marrakech in Morocco in one night.

We traveled almost directly south from Sousse through groves and groves of olives trees. Even during Roman times, El Djem was a center of olive and olive oil production.

It is said that the Carthaginians were not paying tribute to Julius Caesar for all of the olive oil revenue. Their excuse was that they did not have any way to get the taxes to Rome.

Caesar’s reply was to “leave it there and we will come to get it.” This led to the Roman occupation of this section of North Africa.

The amphitheater at El Djem was built in 230 AD and is the third largest in the Roman Empire. It could seat over 30,000 spectators. The site is now a UNESCO Word Heritage Site.

We made a brief stop at the Café Venus to use the facilities and to get a coffee before we began our exploration of the site. It was much drier here, the temperature was 65º and it was 57% humidity.

We began our tour with an explanation of the north side of the building which was bombed in1695 by the Turks and then again in 1859.

We walked to the main entrance where Khamis bought our tickets and then we purchased our 1 Dinar photo passes as we went through the gate.

Khamis gave us a detailed explanation of the construction of the amphitheater. He explained the decorations and functions of the structure of this Roman “entertainment center”.

Every summer this is now the site of the International Symphonic Festival. The acoustics are very precise. Voices from other guides were easily heard speaking their many different languages.

Our next discoveries were the tunnels under the arena. We went down into the lion’s dens. In the dark passages we could see the ramps where they brought the animals and slaves up to be killed.

Myth has it that there was a tunnel leading all the way to the sea. Khamis told us this was not true; he was here during the excavation, 12 years ago and there is not a long tunnel.

Actually tunnels did lead to another smaller amphitheater in a near-by village. It was through these tunnels they transported the prisoners/slaves as well as the animals used for the arts.

At 11:30 we left the site to visit the museum. We walked a short distance back to the bus and then drove to the sea and the area of the former town of Thysdrus.

The museum was small but well done. Mosaic floors have been retrieved from several of the excavated homes in the surrounding areas.

There is an example of a complete home where we could see the layout of the rooms, the unique tile mosaics, and the private well and water system. Khamis also explained how they made the mosaic and how they retrieved them in large blocks to take to the museums.

Our tour of the museum was completed at 12:45. We left El Djem and headed back to Sousse. When we saw a mosaic workshop by the road side, we made a brief stop.

The local women were reproducing the classic designs of the Romans that we have been seeing in the museums. We were invited to take photographs and Gennie even tried her hand at shaping some of the tiny tesseri or pieces of tile or rock.

We returned to the hotel at 2:15 and then waited for the plumber to come to fix our shower. It did not take him long once he got here, went back for a few parts, and then quickly finished the job.

We quickly went out for a light lunch and found a shop selling pizza, sandwiches, and chawarma . We ate a turkey Tunesian sandwich and had a soda. We hurried back to the hotel as it was already 3:45.

Khamis had said we would have a tour of the Sousse medina for those who wanted to go at 4:00. We waited in the lobby until 4:15 and then started out on our own to explore.

We wandered down the street and then decided to go to the beach. The air was cool so there were no swimmers but many people were walking and many more were sitting in the beachside cafes enjoying the end of the day.

We had seen an ice cream shop just two doors from our hotel so we stopped and had a treat. Back at the hotel at 5:00 we finished the journal and started to sort pictures from our day.

Accommodations: Sousse Palace Hotel - - - Meals: B

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Ice Cream? Just what is your hang up w/ice cream parlors? You will find them every where.

The Roman ruins you are seeing are very impressive. The fact they were not destroyed in the military excursions is fortunate.

Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

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Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

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Continue Reading Day 13