Tunisia - 25 September 2010 (1)

Carthage

Horloge Obelisque

We had a basic breakfast of croissant and hot chocolate and met Kim and Sue, who were from Australia and had already been travelling for several weeks in Egypt and Uganda to make the most of their long flight.

Sanctuary of Tophet - Stelae

We set off at 08.00 and walked along the Avenue Habib Bourguiba under a blue sky, but avoiding the puddles from the rain the previous day.  We passed the “horloge obelisque”, which I had admired on the bus ride from the airport, when it had been illuminated.  Eventually we reached the TGM station and headed for the first site of ancient Carthage.

Sanctuary of Tophet - detail on a Stela

While we waited for Salah, our local guide, we went into a café where I tried a citronade.  The lemon was very refreshing and this became my drink of choice on the tour.  It was normally not that expensive a drink.  This one cost just D0.500. 

Sanctuary of Tophet

Salah appeared to be quite a character.  He arrived in the growing heat wearing a brown suit and white shoes.  His hair was either very greasy or had been seriously subjected to some Tunisian version of bryl-cream.  But, like all our guides on the tour, he was very interesting and seemed to know his stuff.  History is written by the victors and the Romans, who finally conquered and laid waste to Carthage after some close calls in the three Punic wars, had a vested interest in discrediting the Phoenicians.  Salah went to great lengths to contradict the common held view that they practiced child sacrifice and worshipped a god of the underworld.

Carthage Harbour - Slipway

Carthage Harbour

The archaeological sites of ancient Carthage are scattered over a wide area.  We walked miles from the Sanctuary of Tophet, to the harbour, to the Antonine Baths and then to the museum, all in ever increasing temperatures.  When I was exploring the ruins in the harbour site, carefully picking a route which avoided the flooding and mud, I looked up and saw what looked like a cathedral, far off in the distance on the side of a hill.  Little did I think that I would end up walking there – all before lunch!

View of ex-Cathedral of St Louis from Carthage Harbour

Detail from Antonine Baths

Antonine Baths by the Sea

Of all the sites, my favourite was the Antonine baths, apparently the second largest in the Roman Empire.  The site was right next to the sea, which made the setting all the more attractive.  Salah was keen to point out the different types of stone and marble which were used in their construction and which, he said, came from as far away as Brittany.  We were able to wander around the site for a while and I took lots of photos.

Antonine Baths

At one point in our long trek, we came to a wide busy crossroads with its traffic being directed by a policeman.  Salah had a quiet word with him and the policeman kindly stopped all the traffic for us to cross.

Salah in front of ex-Cathedral of St Louis

Eventually we reached the top of Byrsa Hill which once was the centre of Punic Carthage.  It is now home to the decommissioned cathedral of St Louis, used for concerts and similar cultural events, and the Carthage museum.  There are also a few remains of ancient Carthage.  We met Salah’s father by the entrance to the museum area.  He was obviously very proud of his son and seemed a very nice man.

View from the Museum

The ruins were inside the museum area.  From there, you could see the coast and I took some photos of the harbour area to show how far we had come.  After a brief visit to the museum, we said goodbye to Salah and then walked down the hill to a TGM station.