CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL © & the Tell West Central 154 and panoramichillsidesetting,it’soneofTunisia’s best-kept secrets. captures theTell’s(fort), irrepressible spirit.Withitscobbledstreets, cafes thattime forgot before beingsweptaway. hauntingly beautifulmesawhere Berberresistance toRomanruleenjoyeditsproudesthour now inTunis’ Table, BardoMuseum.Jugurtha’s almostontheAlgerianfrontier,isaremote, also present evocative ruins,thoughthemajorityoftheirmostoutstandingmosaics are symbols ofwestern Tunisia’s lonely sense ofhavingbeenleftbehindbyhistory. luxury andisolationcharacteristic ofmore remote aspoignant Romanoutposts,andserve the early-morninglight. Sufetula (Sbeitla),whichhasthefeel ofaRomanfrontiertownandisespeciallymagical in over anenchantinghillsideoverlooking grainfieldsandgentlehills. is Alsospectacular rich inbeguilinghintsoftheirprosperouspast.The undoubted highlightisDougga,spread options farfromthecoastalcrowds. the Dorsalethatwere thegranaryofancientRome–offer visitorsavarietyofcaptivating The hillsandmountainsoftheTunisian DorsaleandtheTell of –thehighplainsnorth

L      HIGHLIGHTS o For fans of urban delights, the friendly city of Le Kef, guarded by a towering kasbah For fansofurbandelights,thefriendlycityLe guardedbyatoweringkasbah Kef, Less thananhourfromTunis, theRomancitiesofThuburbo MajusandUthina(Oudhna) thesenseof The (Makthar)andAmmædara(Haidra)stillevoke RomancitiesofMactaris The Romansbequeathedtothisregion anumberofexceptionalcities,nowinruinsbut n      e nowhere inthemiddleoftacular naturalfortress Table upJugurtha’s Hiking ( p173 ), aspec- top townwithaproudmulticulturalhistory Chilling inLe Kef sunlight Sufetula (Sbeitla; p176 ), litupbymorning Wandering amongtheRomantemples of (p169) Hammam Mellegue Taking thewaters aRoman inremote like Exploring glorious,golden site perhaps Tunisia’s mostenchantingRoman l y

P l a n e t ( p164 ), anatmospherichill- (p160), Dougga Mellegue Hammam Table Jugurtha's Le Kef Dougga (Sufetula) Sbeitla CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL 155 (35km) To Sfax To Sfax (105km) (100km) Majus To Kairouan El-Fahs Thuburbo Sfax (240km); Nabeul (98km); Sousse (100km) Gabès (300km) Sidi Saad Dam Hammamet (80km); To Kairouan (80km); To Zaghouan (30km); To Oudhna (Uthina) To Oudhna (Uthina) (25km); Tunis (55km) (25km); Tunis (55km) 4 83 ὄὄ ὄὄ Meknassy Haffouz Jebel 12 Bargou (1268m) 13 Jebel Sidi Bou Zid (1200m) Ballouta 3 00 30 km 20 miles Testour Kesra 3E CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL TELL & THE WEST CENTRAL

14

Siliana

T u n i s i a n D o r s a l e l a s r o D n a i s i n u T

(1378m) Kalled Valley Kalled Zama Minor Jebel Mrhila Sbeitla Bir el-Hfey Sufetula Mactaris Nouvelle Dougga Teboursouk To Tunis (153km) Makthar To Gabès (140km)

3

T e l l Dougga s

Jebel Selloum (1373m)

n 71

i Rouhia

a

t

n

u 13 o

Kasserine

M El-Ksour

Jebel

k Gafsa

u (1314m)

o Cillium Semmama s

r

u

o

b e

T

Pass Kasserine Jendouba 5 12 Thala Dahmani Bulla Regia Le Kef Fériana Jebel Bireno Park (1419m) 17 (1544m) Chambi To Tozeur (85km) (1084m) National Jebel Dyr 85 Jebel Chambi 71 15 Kalaat Ammædara Khasba Bou Chebka Oued Melliz 15 Mellegue Hammam Tajerouine Tabarka (65km) Jugurtha's Table (1271m) Haidra 17 Chemtou To Ain Draham (40km); To Ain Draham Youssef 5 Sakiet Sidi Ain Senan Ghardimao Kalaat es-Senan Tébessa A L G E R I A CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL & THE WEST CENTRAL lonelyplanet.com