Tunisia
El Jem

 

 

Right in the middle of a not very pretty little town is this vast and domineering Roman Colosseum, El Jem, nearly as big as its brother in Rome but in much better condition.
Built around AD 230, it seated 30,000 spectators - more than the population of the town - and was originally used for sporting theatre including gladiator contests against men or animals. The construction is particularly impressive considering the lack of modern tools and that the huge stone blocks were mined 30kms away, and the mosaics uncovered here are some of the finest in Tunisia.
In later years El Jem became a defensive strongpoint against invaders and suffered its worst damage when Byzantine (Turkish) troops blew chunks out of it to flush out local tribesmen who were rebelling against the taxes imposed on them by the Turks.
El Jem is conveniently situated en route from Tunisian beach resorts in the north east of the country to North Africa's great desert, the Sahara, so an endless stream of buses flowing down south stop here, disgorging clumps of guided tourists all day long. If you are an individual traveller try to visit early or late to get a little solitude in this massive, evocative relic.

 

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