Central West & the Tell

Central West History Tunisia’s most impressive in situ mosaics. After Rome defeated Carthage in the 2nd Photography is forbidden. century BC, the hinterlands of its new Afri- There’s a map of the site with a brief & the Tell can provinces were largely left to the Berber text in Arabic, English, French and Ital- tribes of the interior, most notably the Nu- ian between the tiny ticket booth and the midians, who accommodated Roman rule amphitheatre. even as they rebelled against it. The final Berber resistance to the Romans came at HISTORY The hills and mountains of the Tunisian Dorsale and the Tell – the high plains north of Jugurtha’s Table, the legendary stronghold The Roman historian Pliny mentions the the Dorsale that were the granary of ancient Rome – offer visitors a variety of enchanting where the Numidian king Jugurtha made town as a Berber settlement named Adys options far from the coastal crowds. his last stand at the end of the 2nd cen- and as one of the first Roman colonies in tury BC. In subsequent centuries, the area’s Africa. A major battle between Carthage The Romans bequeathed to this region a number of exceptional cities, now in ruins but Roman towns grew prosperous on the pro- and the Roman general Regulus took place rich in beguiling hints of their prosperous past. The undoubted highlight is Dougga, spread ceeds of agricultural production and served here during the first Punic War (255 BC). as staging posts along lucrative trade routes. Uthina, the centre of a fertile agricultural over an enchanting hillside overlooking grain fields and gentle hills. Also spectacular is After the departure of the Romans, the area region, was founded by the emperor Augus- Sufetula (Sbeitla), which has the feel of a Roman frontier town and is especially magical in slid into obscurity. tus at the beginning of the 1st century AD the early morning light. and settled with Roman army veterans. Like Climate many of Tunisia’s Roman towns, its pros- The Roman cities of Mactaris (Makthar) and Ammædara (Haidra) still evoke the sense of This region’s desolate terrain briefly comes perity peaked in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. luxury and isolation characteristic of more remote Roman outposts, and serve as poignant to life in spring with spectacular displays Christianity took a powerful hold here and symbols of western Tunisia’s lonely sense of having been left behind by history. of wildflowers. The summers are very hot, the town was home to many bishops but whereas the winters – particularly at higher declined after the Vandal conquest. Less than an hour from Tunis, the Roman cities of Thuburbo Majus and Uthina (Oudhna) elevations – can be cold and bleak. also present evocative ruins, though the majority of their most outstanding mosaics are SIGHTS Getting There & Around The best place to begin a visit is at Uthi- now in Tunis’ Bardo Museum. Jugurtha’s Table, almost on the Algerian frontier, is a remote, Even the smallest towns have at least one na’s highest point, the capitol, known locally hauntingly beautiful mesa where Berber resistance to Roman rule enjoyed its proudest hour daily bus, plus louages (shared taxis), to as Al-Kalaa (the fortress). Partly restored before being swept away. Tunis; Le Kef and Dougga (Teboursouk) stone steps lead up to five newly built, over- are especially easy to get to. Two trains a sized fluted columns. At the top, surpris- For fans of urban delights, the friendly city of Le Kef, guarded by a towering kasbah, day link Tunis with Kalaat Khasba, midway ingly, is an elegant – if run-down – French captures the Tell’s irrepressible spirit. With its cobbled streets, cafés that time forgot and between Le Kef and Kasserine and served colonial farmhouse. Constructed atop the panoramic hillside setting, it’s one of Tunisia’s best-kept secrets. Kasserine may not be by buses to both cities. capitol with supreme colonial arrogance, it CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL Every place in this chapter is accessible unintentionally juxtaposes two disappeared Tunisia’s most scintillating city but it’s a good base for exploring areas out near Algeria. both by private car and by public trans- empires – both speaking Latin or a Latin port of one form or another. Destinations derivative – that once ruled vast swathes of visitable on day trips from Tunis include North Africa. There are great views from Oudhna, Thuburbo Majus, Zaghouan and the farmhouse’s back terrace. HIGHLIGHTS Dougga. Le Kef is a convenient base for Below the colonial homestead are mag- Exploring glorious, golden Dougga ( p156 ), excursions to Dougga, Makthar, Hammam nificent vaulted chambers from the Roman perhaps Tunisia’s most enchanting Roman Dougga Mellegue, Jugurtha’s Table and Haidra, or Byzantine periods; underneath that there Hammam while Kasserine makes a good base for trips are more Roman chambers. site Mellegue Le Kef to Sbeitla, Haidra and Jugurtha’s Table. Vis- The former forum, to the southeast, is oc- Taking the waters like a Roman in remote CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL iting Haidra and Jugurtha’s Table by louage cupied by dilapidated colonial outbuildings Hammam Mellegue ( p164 ) on a day trip from either Le Kef or Kas- now used by the maintenance staff. Jugurtha's Wandering among the Roman temples of Table serine is one of Tunisia’s ultimate public South of the forum, at the end of an aq- Sufetula (Sbeitla; p182 ), magical in the transport challenges. ueduct that supplied water from springs at early-morning light nearby Jebel Rassas, are the remains of a res- Chilling in Le Kef (p160 ), an atmospheric SOUTH OF TUNIS ervoir. Most of the water was delivered to a network of enormous arched cisterns 200m أوذﻧﺔ (أوﺗﻴﻨﺎ) (hilltop town with a proud multicultural history Sbeitla (Sufetula) Oudhna (Uthina Fascinating but little-visited, the ruins of south of the reservoir. Some have collapsed Hiking up Jugurtha’s Table ( p177 ), a ancient Uthina (admission TD3; h9am-7pm Apr– although others remain in remarkably good spectacular natural fortress in the middle of mid-Sep, 8am-5pm mid-Sep–Mar), near the village condition – huge, dank watertight rooms. nowhere of Oudhna, are about 28km south of Tunis. The jumble of collapsed masonry chunks Still being excavated, the site has some of east of the capitol mark the site of the main CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL 152 CENTRAL WEST&THETELL A LGERI Tébessa CENTRALWEST&THETELL Central West&theTell es-Senan Kalaat Ghardimao Senan Ain Sakiet Sidi 5 Youssef To AinDraham(40km); Chemtou Tabarka (65km) 17 Haidra Jugurtha's (1271m) Tajerouine Table Hammam Mellegue 15 Melliz Oued Chebka Bou Khasba Amædara Kalaat 15 71 Jebel Chambi 85 Jebel Dyr (1084m) To Tozeur(85km) Chambi (1544m) 17

Kasserine (1419m) NP Bireno Jebel

Pass Fériana Le Kef Regia Bulla Dahmani Thala 12 5 Jendouba T eb ou rs Semmama

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(1314m) u Gafsa k Jebel

El-Ksour M Kasserine o 13 u n t a

Rouhia i 71

Jebel Selloum n

(1373m) s Dougga T el 3 To Gabès(140km) Makthar To Tunis(153km) Teboursouk Dougga Nouvelle Mactaris Sufetula Bir el-Hfey Sbeitla Jebel Mrhila Minor Zama Kalled Valley (1378m) T u n i s i a n D o r s a l e Siliana 14 3E Kesra Testour 20miles 30km 0 0 3 Ballouta (1200m) Sidi BouZid Jebel 13 (1268m) Bargou 12 Jebel Haffouz Meknassy ὄὄ ὄὄ 83 4 lonelyplanet.com (25km); Tunis(55km) To Oudhna(Uthina) To Zaghouan(30km); To Kairouan(80km); Hammamet (80km); Dam Sidi Saad Gabès (300km) Sousse (100km) Nabeul (98km); Sfax (240km); Thuburbo El-Fahs To Kairouan Majus (100km) (105km) To Sfax To Sfax (35km) celebrated artefactsChristian were discovered here. complex wasapottery workshop andmany Byzantine periodthenortheastpartof the one depictingfishers andfish. Duringthe are the wasdiscovered Museum, Bardo here. bust withaLibyanhairstyle, nowinthe good condition.Abeautifulblackmarble during WWII.Thesubterranean isin level asanarmsdepot sions whilebeingused tunnel) –which were damaged byexplo- public baths lonelyplanet.com north of rued’Italie. ablock ruedeCarthage just off Barcelone, the stopisabout 500msoutheastof place metres tothe archaeological site. InTunis hour), fromwhere it’safew walkable kilo- (TD0.8,45minutes, about twice an Baruta houette of hilltopruins. best betistoscanthehorizonfor thesil- fake Roman column.Ifyouget lost,your ofologique’ nexttotheenormous base a look forthesignto‘UthinaSite Archae- road. Fromthere thesite isafurther7.5km– aqueductbeginsfollowingaside Carthage get tothespotwhere theancientZaghouan- towards Kairouan forabout 20kmuntilyou If you’re drivingfromTunis,take thehighway THERE&AWAYGETTING where else? – at the Bardo Museum. where –attheBardo else? exquisite of which are nowondisplay– rooms were paved themost withmosaics, colonnade thatsurroundedagarden.Allthe theremains ofin town.Youcanstillsee the over 30roomsandprobably thebesthouse the kingof Attica),asumptuous villaof showing Ikariosgivingavineto ful mosaic ofthe House Ikarios(named after abeauti- fine mosaics There Museum. arein theBardo stillsome ofsaic Orpheuscharming theanimals,now name fromtheinscriptiononlovely mo- excavated whenwewenttoprint. cut short. Theamphitheatre wasstillbeing fame, infrontof roaringcrowds, were often 15minutes ofinals andwildbeastswhose town. Amongitsfeatures: cellsforthecrim- good indicationof thestature of theRoman hold more than10,000spectators andisa The baths besidetheremains stand of the To thenorth,justnorthof theaccessroad, From Tunis, bus 25 goes tothevillage ofFrom Tunis,bus25goes The amphitheatre Baths oftheLaberii –nicknamedTouirEllil(thebat House ofthe insitu, , near theentrance,could , near including a delightful including adelightful

Laberii , which take their , alsoknownas CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••SouthofTunis about TD40. back toTunis–thewholetripshould cost Thurburbo Majus andOudhnathen louage driver ortaxi totake youtoboth Tunis toEl-Fahs andnegotiatingwitha Majus’ (pronounced p50). (see latter are Museum ondisplayintheBardo manyoflic buildingsandfinemosaics; the tried tooutdoeach otherbydonatingpub- thewealthiestof10,000 inhabitants, whom its ruinousstate. Inthe2ndcenturyithad ing residential ruins isthe On aplatform dominating thesurround- SIGHTS struction attheend of the4thcentury. of there phase although con- wasasecond halfoffrom thesecond the2ndcentury, wheat andwine. Mostof thebuildingsdate centre forlocalagriculturalproduce–oil, trading intoanimportant soon developed the emperorHadrian inAD128.Thetown declared amunicipalityfollowingvisitby came somethingof abackwater untilit was Thuburbo Majus (146BC), Carthage be- bitter end atthehandsof theRomans. untilthatcity’s mained loyaltoCarthage drive tobuildanAfricanempire. Itre- aspartof Carthage’s in the5thcenturyBC one of thefirst tocomeunderPunic control was settlement arrived –thisancientBerber The townwashere longbefore theRomans HISTORY and French. background onthesite inArabic, English capital. situated north,southwestandeastof the by lookingforthethree citygates, extant ofget thesizeof asense theRomantown 40 hectares have excavated. been Youcan 8am-7pm Apr–mid-Sep), mid-Sep–Mar, (admission TD31,pluscameraTD1; its fortune,theRomancityof and olive groves justlike thatmade those Surrounded byshimmering wheatfields Majus Thuburbo of El-Fahs, hasaprosperousair west of Tunisneartheutterly skipable town Other options include taking a taxi from ataxi Other optionsincludetaking So far,about7hectares of Thuburbo Forced topaytribute after thefallof Wall panelsneartheticket provide office ma -yoose or -yoose capitol h ﻣﺎﺟﻮس ﻃﺒﺮﺑﻮ ﻣﺎﺟﻮس Thuburbo Majus Thuburbo 60km south- 8.30am-5.30pm , withfour ma – even in -juice) 153

CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL temple. temple. on three sides of thecourtyard belowthe gods. Themarket canbediscerned stalls the godof of tradeaswellmessenger the lar design,abuts the the catch oil. ofmaking use whatwasabathingpoolto ing toadaptanyavailable structure, cleverly Byzantine builders showedthemselves will- the spacebeneathcapitol.As elsewhere, reside Museum. intheBardo werestood 7.5mhigh, foundhere; theynow ofmous statue Jupiter, estimated tohave footandheadofgiant sandalled anenor- andJuno.trinity of Jupiter, The Minerva and wasundertheprotection of theancient perors, Marcus Aurelius andCommodus, which iscolonnadedonthree sides. leading upfromthe 168, itisreached of byawideflight stairs ing theentranceto giant pillars of veined pinklimestonemark- 154 House (150m) To Trifolium (3km); Tunis(60km) (100m); El-Fahs & CarPark Site Entrance To THUBURBO MAJUS On thesouthwestern sideof theforum, The ruinsof aByzantine The capitolwasdedicated totwoem- Temple ofMercury CENTRALWEST&THETELL••SouthofTunis To CityGate(100m) House of Animals Trussed House of Neptune the Capitol Baths of (beneath theCapitol) Olive Press Petronii Portico Byzantine of the Tuub Majus Thuburbo Temple of Mercury Residential , withanunusualcircu- Quarter Summer Baths market forum Capitol temple Aesclepius Temple of olive press olive Forum –Mercury was To CityGate(100m) (AD161–2), Sanctuary of (Agora) Market . BuiltinAD Caelestis Curia occupy the Chariot House of Driver Baths ofthe Labyrinth Winter Baths 0.1miles 100m 0 0 of Baal Sanctuary & Ariadne House of Bacchus mosaics. with someimpressive geometric-patterned isthespacious Beyond ously laidoutbefore theRomansarrived. ofRoman tangle residential streets, obvi- be seen be seen some canstill though Museum, the Bardo of –thefinestare mosaics nowondisplayin four veined marblecolumns.Bothwere full the east,feature agrandentrance flanked by 2800 sqmetres. The to thePorticoof thePetronii, which cover complexes wasthe –partof agame. carved In thesoutheastern cornersomeletters are played sportsbefore headingtothebaths. inscription.Thisiswhere peoplea Latin row remains stillholdingaloft standing, an unusualyellow-veined grey marble;one rounded byCorinthiancolumnsmadeof nasium complexinAD225.Itwassur- who paidfortheconstructionof thisgym- named after thefamilyof Petronius Felix, The imposing Directly behindthemarket isavery un- The biggest of ThuburboMajus’ five bath in situ Temple/ Church Temple the Stars Baths of East . To theCisterns(150m); Amphitheatre (200m) Portico ofthePetronii Portico Summer Baths Winter Baths Winter Roman Road Modern Path House ofNeptune Temple of lonelyplanet.com Saturn , 150mto , adjacent City Gate Footpath to Main Road (500m) is , Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com the fallof Carthage. form)longafter (inRomanised survived Hammon,dedicated toBaal cult whose veined grey pillars atopitssteps. Itwas that’s easilyidentifiedbythetwoyellow- the are justwestof thecapitol. The after theirmosaics. the Stars east of the lonelyplanet.com Hadrian, a132km-long aqueduct tosupply by road. Thetopisaccessible itself. than Zaghouan dusted inwinter –isavertical 1km higher summit–sometimes snow- (1295m), whose rugged, rocky,red-hued Jebel Zaghouan atthefootof townsnuggles This sleepy pop 15,800 Zaghouan at thesite. and TD7return, includinganhourorso Thuburbo Majus TD5 should costbetween fromEl-Fahs Ataxi ern busstation. outto (TD3.4)orabusfromthesouth- station Bonlouagether take alouage fromtheCap that you’re getting close. northern edge of thecity,isanindication the site. of Thesight acitygate, markingthe leavingthe turn-off, a15-minute walkto TunisandKairouantween candropyouat public transporttothesite butanybusbe- road, 3kmnorthof El-Fahs. There isno Tunis, isjustwestof theTunis-Kairouan Thuburbo Majus, aneasydaytripfrom THERE&AWAYGETTING of asmall mound beyondthecisterns marksthesite that oncesuppliedthetownwithwater. The into thehill,of themassive arched Sanctuary of towardstheruins,set Baal traces of which canstillbeseen. later converted intoaByzantinechurch, Roman version of Tanit. Thetemple was was foranotheradapted god–thistimethe afreestanding yellow-stone arch,through by theremains of a leads northfromhere toalowhilltopped The adjacent About 50msouthof theWinter Baths, The smaller During the reign of the Romanemperor To get toEl-Fahs fromTunis,youcanei- A rough pathleadssoutheastfromthe A rough Sanctuary ofBaal Sanctuary , northeastof thecapitol,are named amphitheatre agora Baths oftheLabyrinth Sanctuary ofCaelestis Sanctuary (market), andthe isasmallsquare temple Temple ofSaturn . Another rough path . Anotherrough Baths oftheCapitol , reached . , south- Baths of cisterns زﻏﻮان CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••SouthofTunis

Zaouia of Sidi Ali Azouz Zaouia ofSidiAliAzouz ing cartsandcarriages. protected themfrombeing scrapedbypass- ners of buildingsandthesidesof archways, Roman columns,incorporated intothecor- windows. outwithoutbeingseen) to see especially women–insidetheirhomes tional woodenscreens thatallowpeople– doors andoldwooden withdarkgreenmineral water, andhouses spouting the ridge, passingwallfountains church renovated isplanned. andamuseum parakeets. As wegotopress, thesite isbeing attractive depictingthemonths. once heldstatues The surrounded by24arches and12niches that to thespringthatkept inwater. Carthage It’s shrine–builtunderHadriana semi-circular – and beer. wine is theonly placeintown thatserves food andreasonablewith tasty prices,this vembre; meatmainsTD6-10) There are nohotels inZaghouan. SLEEPING &EATING is the rue SidiAliAzouz,onaforested hillside, along thewell-signposted continuationof expects atipof TD2. plaster ceilings.Theguardian cately carved glassandintri- tiled walls,colourfulstained a green fish-scaledomeand,inside,superb 10m downthehillfromarch, which has and green Sidi AliAzouz,stretches fromtheyellow decorated withtiles. to anumberof springs supplydeliciouslyrefreshing water Tunis–El-Fahs road.Today,thetown’s still strideacrossthecountrysidealong times), by theByzantinesandinmedieval good condition(thanks,inpart,torepairs (AD 120–31).Longstretches, inremarkably water wasbuiltinjust11years toCarthage h and Fridaymorning. are markets here onThursday afternoon paste andflavoured withrosewater. There warka The city’s architectural highlight isthe The city’sarchitectural highlight Zaghouan isknownforits Zaghouan Restaurant LaSource Restaurant About 2kmsouthwestof theoldtown The oldtown’scharming mainstreet, rue 24hrs) (nowaschool), southwardalong Temple desEaux , roundcakes withalmond stuffed . Also known as the Nymphaeum, it’s . AlsoknownastheNymphaeum,it’s garden café minaret public fountains , justwestof theold hasacage of chattering

(rue Sidi Ali Azouz; (rue SidiAliAzouz; (Water Temple; admissionfree;

Aproperrestaurant ( x mushrabiya 72 675661;ave7No- elaborately kaak al- h (tradi- French French daily) 155

, CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL Apr–mid-Sep, 8.30am-5.30pm mid-Sep–Mar) 8.30am-5.30pmmid-Sep–Mar) Apr–mid-Sep, 466 636;admissionTD3,pluscameraTD1; chicken andsandwichjoints chicken Roman arch, you’llfindlotsof cheap little ofshaded section thestreet justabove the ral springs – has been occupiedsince the ral springs –hasbeen This prime real estate–endowed withnatu- History ARomancitywithaview, DOUGGA (TD4.4). Fahs (TD1.4,),Nabeul(TD3.8)andSousse withEl- tion. Louages alsolinkZaghouan Bonsta- –departfromtheCap the capital 50 minutes) –thebestwaytoget here from alsostopintown. and Sousse, include Tunis,El-Fahs, Nabeul/Hammamet destinations Source. whose Buses, rant La down thehillandtoleftfromRestau- areThe busandlouage stations alittleway THERE&AWAYGETTING 156 Dougga is a magical setting forapicnic. isamagicalsetting Dougga day sun.There’s snacksbut acaféselling wantto avoidlishman youmight themid- so ifyou’re neitheramaddognoranEng- three hours. Youwon’tfindmuch shade morning orlate intheday;allowatleast try’s finestpre-Roman monument. Libyo-PunicMausoleum isthecoun- BC characteristically The2nd-century tangled. which explainswhythestreets are soun- of aNumidiansettlement, ancientThugga, identified). Thecitywasbuiltonthesite tre andvarious temples (21have been thea- the 3500-seat the imposingCapitole, (including thefineThermesdeCaracalla), Romans lived, thebaths flittingbetween of ing abeguilingglimpse howwell-heeled since 1997–are complete, startlingly giv- remains – aUnescoWorldHeritage site ancientmonuments inAfrica,Dougga’s souk Mountains. scape of theKalled Valley andtheTebour- anddark-greenwith thebrown,tan land- stone, itsmellowtonesmeldharmoniously forested hills beyond.Builtof yellowish-tan groves andoverlooking fieldsof grain,with an enchanting hillsidesurroundedbyolive About 100mupthehillside,onareed- Louages from Tunis to Zaghouan (TD3.5, Louages fromTunistoZaghouan The besttimetovisitisearly in the One of themostmagnificentRoman CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Dougga . Dougga h is set 8am-7pm ( x

دﻗﺔ on 78 (New Dougga). were moved tonearbyNouvelle Dougga until theearly1950s,wh century. that thesite wasstillinhabited inthe10th bathhouse asafort.TheruinsofDougga an rived aboutremodelling inAD533andset disappeared bythetimeByzantinesar- cupation andthepopulationhadallbut mated 5000people. 4th centuries,whenitwashometoanesti- ga’s prosperitypeaked the2ndand between slow processof began.Doug- Romanisation panded province of AfricaNova, andthe the RomanCivilWar. Juba I,backed thewrongside(Pompey)in whenthelastNumidianking, until 46BC, andremained aNumidiantown 146 BC, created after thedestructionof in Carthage first Romanprovince of Africa,which was PunicWar.of theSecond of theNumidiankingMassinissa attheend butbecamepartof thekingdom century BC the3rd controlthroughout Carthaginian under Thetownstayed the 4thcenturyBC. advancedintotheinteriortime Carthage in bythe was already settlement asubstantial men graves ontheridge above theruins.It judgingbythedol- 2nd millenniumBC, long ting forclassical dramaduring themonth- asasuperbset- Quadrutus. Today, itserves one of the city’swealthierresidents, Marcus an audienceof 3500,wasbuiltinAD188by theatre, 19tiers couldaccommodate whose Nestled intothehillside,outstanding THEATRE Teboursouk entrance. The route outlinedbelowbeginsatthe Sights Kef–TeboursoukLe road. from theNouvelle junctiononthe Dougga southwestern edge, is4kmuptheslope eastern edge of thesite; theother,at boursouk, 8kmtothenortheast,at hastwoentrances:onefacesTe-Dougga Orientation People continuedtolive among theruins The towndeclinedduringtheVandal oc- partof becameDougga, theex- Thugga layoutsidetheboundariesofThugga the Dougga Festival , southwestof show theCapitole, (running fromearlyJuly en the inhabitants en theinhabitants lonelyplanet.com Aghlabid Aghlabid lonelyplanet.com 4 6 1 3 2 5 DOUGGA 5 30 To Circus (175m) Dougga rho etmu eeu.D5 Arch ofSeptimiusSeverus. Arch ofAlexander Teboursouk Entrance& Café andShop...... Capitole ofDougga...... Byzantine Fortifications.... Baths ofAìnDoura...... Severus...... Aqueduct...... Agora...... Aghlabid Bathhouse...... TicketOffice...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION AC Aìn Doura Latrines of 6 To NouvelleDouggaEntrance (250m); Nouvelle Dougga 13 (4km); LeKef(64km) 10 2 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 C4 B4 B5 B6 A4 A4 B5 B5 D3 12 Temple of Carcalla's 32 Victory Venus Fountain of House 8 Terentius Church ofVictoria...... Numidian Wall...... Libyo-Punic Mausoleum.... House withStairs...... House oftheGorgon...... Grand Nymphaeum...... Fountain...... Forum...... Dar el-Echab...... Cyclops Baths...... Crypt...... Cisterns ofAinMizeb...... el-Hammam...... itrso i or ....B5 Cisterns ofAin Cisterns ofAinDoura...... of 14 9 17 B Fountain 3 18 24 House of Marsyas Buildings 10 Farm of Tellus Temple of Minerva Temple Sanctuary 31 27 4 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 Omnia Tibi 20 B3 C6 C5 D6 C6 C4 B4 B5 D5 D3 B3 A4 D3 House of Felicia Graves (50m) 28 22 & Ulysses To Dolmen Dionysos House of Mosque Trifolium House...... Baths)...... Theatre...... Temple ofSaturn...... Temple ofMinerva...... Temple ofMercury...... andLiberPater...... Piety...... Square oftheWinds...... Small Theatre...... Sanctuary ofNeptune..... Thermes deCaracalla(Licinian A4 Temple ofJuno-Caelestis.. Temple ofConcorde,Frugifer Temple ofAugustine 35 0.1miles 100m 0 0 Labyrinth Temple 29 Sun God Temple House of the of the 26 19 Administration Office 23 36 1 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 Temple C5 C5 D4 D2 B2 B4 C5 C4 B4 C5 D3 34 25 16 House ofthe 33 of Pluto Temple Seasons 15 21 DOUGGA D To Teboursouk 2 11 7

(8km)

157 CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL sons, as the past the building known, forobviousrea- If youheadsouth alongthepathrunning BATHS &LATRINES tiny 2nd-century east are foursquare pillars belongingtothe cury wall, facingtheSquare of theWinds. have ontheeastern height woundupatknee ple of Mercury nextparagraph),which (see stones bearingthededicationfromTem- from surroundingbuildings.Lookoutfor mon andconstructed usingstonesfilched forum fortifications and Minerva. cating thetemple tothegodsJupiter, Juno an eagle’sclaws,withinscriptiondedi- emperor AntoniusPiusbeingcarriedoff in frieze shows the Thecarved and Minerva. Jupiter flanked of bysmallerstatues Juno of agiantstatue north walloncehoused Thethreesanctum. large niches inthe built of smallstonesandrubble. largewhich uses stonestostrengthen walls struction technique called walls are thefinest knownexampleof acon- –supportingtheportico.high Themassive one-pieceflutedmighty, columns–each 8m wallsandsix able condition,ithas10m-high top The townisdominated bytheimposinghill- TEMPLES agora marketplace, inconjunctionwiththe used function isunclearbutitwasprobablya ing Africanus(thesirocco).TheSquare’s can make outsomeof thenames,including listingthenamesof the12winds. You and namedafter thelarge circularengrav- Square of theWinds,boundedbytemples a small passingtheruinsofwards theCapitole, the Romanroadthatleadsdownhillto- From thetheatre, headsouthandfollow SQUARE OFTHEWINDS excursions. and major resort areas organise festival to earlyAugust).Travel agencies inTunis 158 The meagre remains of the The Byzantineswere responsible forthe thetemple’s innerThe wallsenclose are tothenorthof thesquare. Tothe CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Dougga Capitole tothesouth. , builtontheorders of Solo- General fountain that enclose the capitole and the thecapitoleand thatenclose (Capitol; AD166).Inremark- (Capitol; House with Stairs . Theroademerges atthe Temple Piety ofAugustine opus africanum , youreach a Temple ofMer- . , dedicated to large butpoorlypreserved Gorgon path that windssouthpast the rican-born emperor. built inAD205to honourRome’sfirst Af- the ruinsof theArch Severus, of Septimius paved Romanroad thatleadsdownhillto From here youcanheadeastalongthe LIBYO-PUNIC MAUSOLEUM ARCH OFSEPTIMIUSSEVERUS& of AinDoura that windsdownhillpasttheruined south. Theroute path turnsintoarough onpastDarel-Echab, andthenhead Carry after thefamilywhoonceoccupiedsite. identified temple referred toas south. Itmarkstheentrancetoanun- an unusualsolidsquare doorframetothe the staggered crossroads,youcomeacross the Romanelite wasmaintained. a reminder of howthegood-life enjoyedby the slaves, whokept thebaths operating,is room) –remain largely Atunnelfor intact. surrounding thegrand of thisextensive complex–especiallythose dication of thetown’sprosperity.Thewalls (Licinian Baths) –theirsizeisafurtherin- the early3rd-century ley, isa facingsoutheasttowardstheval- Beyond, trines justinsidetheentrance. rowofsociably horseshoe-shaped 12la- themselves are indisrepair, exceptforthe Thebaths Museum). (now intheBardo after theremarkable foundhere mosaic the house. shaped roominthenorthwestcornerof name wasinspired bythesmallclover-leaf- have thetownbrothel–discreet been leading to descendingthesteps75m, thenturnright, Hammam (see opposite ), 300mnorthwest. ground conduitfromtheCisterns of Ain el- have suppliedwithwater byanunder- been huge, partlyrestored to isthought fountain pass the thesite, you’llthe dirtroadthatcrosses main summerbaths. Turn right beforeTurn right thearch andfollow the Heading aheadover east,andstraight Next doorare the Continue alongtheroadforanother If youheadbackuphillfromhere along totheLibyo-Punic Mausoleum. This small theatre grand nymphaeum Trifolium House Trifolium tothe Concorde Baths ofAinDoura , , next to which stand , nexttowhich stand Frugifer Cyclops Baths Thermes deCaracalla Thermes . This is believed to . Thisisbelieved frigidarium ontheleft.This temple lonelyplanet.com and Dar el-Echab House ofthe LiberPater , thecity’s complex , named Cisterns Cisterns (cold , . protected thecity in pre-Roman days. by French archaeologists in1910. wasrebuilt themonumentitself Museum); taken toEngland(it’snowintheBritish monument intheprocess.Thestonewas to Tunisin1842,whodestroyedthewhole wasremovedthe base, bytheBritish consul which once occupiedthevacantwindowat of sonof Ypmatat, Palu’. Theinscription, yan andPunic)inscription,to‘Ateban, son is dedicated, accordingtoabilingual(Lib- and at thebeginningof the2ndcentury BC It wasbuiltduringthereign of Massinissa lionatthepinnacle. pyramid withaseated iscrownedbyasmall amazing 21mhigh, triple-tiered, obelisk-shaped monument, an lonelyplanet.com north of the so-called of primitive the northeast,which is twohills. between a saddle circus it’s possibletodiscerntheoutline of the of Minerva and thencutacrossthefieldsto in excellentcondition. a springsome200mtothewestandremain city’s mainwater supply,theywere fed by front of thenine trees fromhere, emerging after 150min west. cisterns, fed bysprings12kmtothesouth- visible amongtheolive trees westof the plied viaan growing demandforwater. Theywere sup- thecity’smodius (AD180–192)tomeet Hammam are thecavernousSeverus Immediately westof theArch of Alexander CISTERNS, TEMPLES&ACHURCH portico, reached of viaaflight steps. retainssurrounded sanctuary animpressive as achurch inthe 5thcentury.Thepillar- Roman priest)inAD222,itwasadapted Funded byaresident madea version of godTanit. the Carthaginian of Juno-Caelestis trees contemporary totheroughly leads southwestfromhere olive through marks thecity’swestern entrance. Apath Severus The well-preserved The well-preserved Turn right andaimfortherockyridgeTurn right to Follow thedirtroadthatleadsnorthwest, the pathleadsnorththrough A rough , nowanelongated wheatfieldfilling , built between AD222and235,, builtbetween , addedduringthereign of Com- . Lookingnorthwestfromhere, aqueduct dolmen graves , dedicated totheRoman Cisterns ofAinMizeb Cisterns , sections of, sections which are Numidian Wall dotted withdozens Arch ofAlexander . These are. These just Cisterns ofAinel- Cisterns flamen , which Temple Temple . The (a CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Teboursouk to thetheatre. Neptune ple isallthatremains of the was thefavoured godof RomanAfrica. who becameSaturninRomantimesand Hammon,to Baal thechief Punicdeity, ture onthesite stands of anearliertemple ancient city’snorthernapproach. Thestruc- the valleyof OuedKalled, itdominated the remain. Builtonaplatformfacingeastover AD 195buttodayonlysixstunted columns after itscompletionin a magnificentsight Saturn acrossthehilltowards curve has relics fromthesaint. packed withlarge andstill stonesarcophagi ing temples. Thesmall tury usingstonetaken from thesurround- The church was builtintheearly5thcen- ofonly evidence ChristianityatDougga. on theslopeeastof are thesanctuary, the specific to see here.specific to see Market day isThursday. in pine-forested hillsbutthere’s nothing east of Kef, Le up high hasafinesetting suck –swallowall thevowels),68kmnorth- The smalltown of Teboursouk ( pop 12,700 TEBOURSOUK sible dangers. p311 forgeneral informationaboutpos- Hitching, locals butdon’tcountonit.See walk –you on themainroad.Fromhere it’sa4km thebusatNouvelleoff turn-off Dougga per-personmore anexorbitant orset rate. operators maydemandalot iffy though will return topickyouupatapre-set time), way orTD10toTD15return (thedriver shouldcostaboutTD7one toDougga taxi an entire yellow-stripedlouage orayellow transport. p160 ongetting fordetails there bypublic northeast of isTeboursouk Dougga, –see the twocities.Thenearest town,about8km Keffrom TunisorLe –orenroute between caneasilybevisitedDougga onadaytrip &Away There Getting From here, youcanfollowthepathsouth The ruinsof theVandal The reconstructed southof apse thetem- Cross thewallandfollowpaths that If you’re Kef, coming fromLe youcanget From Teboursouk’s louage hiring station, . Thisgreat temple musthave been . might beabletohitch aridewith crypt Church ofVictoria nextdooris Sanctuary of Sanctuary tuh ﺘﺒورﺴوق Temple of -burr- 159

, CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL TD30/44; more interesting as youwalkupthe hill. distinctly unpromisingbut thingsget much summer. city iscoldinwinter and oven-hot in the Haidra as well asJugurtha’sTable. The exploring theRomansites of and Dougga lots of for localpride,it’sanexcellentbase destinations. Particularly friendlyandwith one of Tunisia’smostunderrated tourist only 40kmfromtheAlgerian frontier, is Christian andJewish placesof worship. culture andMuslim, onBerber that focuses includeafinemuseum highlights whose and blue-shuttered buildings low-rise medina, amazeof narrowcobbled streets panoramic views.Ontheslopebelowis is toppedbyastorybookkasbahoffering KefLe (ElKef oral-Kaf, Arabicfor‘rock’) of inthehillsatanelevation 780m, High pop 46,000 KEF LE how toget toDougga. Le Kef. the street, louages leave forBéja,Tunisand whichoffice, isinthetowncentre. Across until 8.15pm)stopatTeboursouk’s SNTRI Kefand Le (TD3.5,onehour,almosthourly Tunis (TD5.5,1¾hours, hourlyuntil5pm) operatingbetween All SNTRIservices &Away There Getting room, two-star late,out totheruinsearlyorstaying the33- there. adjacenteateries), ifyoueatlunchseveral Adel, nexttotheSNTRIoffice(it’soneof L’ArrêtChezbags safely atRestaurant it However, were anditems rifledthrough were stolen. keeping of they unnamedlocalbusinesses, that whiletheirbackpackswere inthe types whotrytotake advantage of visitors. tohaveseems attracted afew unsavoury popularitywithtourists Nearby Dougga’s 160 comfortable andhasarestaurant.comfortable The onlyhostelry intown,it’scleanand isadecenttourist-classchoice.Dougga, the centre of Teboursouk and8kmfrom The area looks aroundthebus station Kef,Le 175km southwestof Tunisand See p159 about for informationondetails If you’ve ongetting gotyourheartset Readers have written touscomplain CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Le Kef a ) , about1kmdownthehillfrom may Hôtel Thugga Hôtel bepossibletoleave your

( x 78 466647;s/d اﻟﻜﺎف 78 201367; makeshift tourist offices. http://lekef-carte.postale.chez-alice.fr. cal informationandoldphotosof Kef Le is born here. dynastyofseinite beys(1705–1957),was benAli,whofoundedtheHus- Hussein ward spiralcontinuedunderthebeys. who rebuilt itsfortifications,andthisup- Cheriftribe.private fiefdom of theBeni 16th century,theregion hadbecomethe By thetimeOttomansarrived inthe but soonreturned toitsindependentways. town fell brieflytotheAlmohads in1159 Hilalian invasionsof the11thcentury.The nity before becoming autonomousafter the government atpretty much opportu- every Veneria). Localsrebelled againstthecentral calling itShakbanaria (acorruptionof Sicca captured thetowninAD688andtookto by theByzantinesandthenArabs,who Jugurtha duringhisrebellion againstRome. ofbecame astronghold theNumidianking Salammbô four-year battle(inspiringFlaubert’snovel tosortthingsout,triggering ahorrific sent revolt, whereupon more mercenarieswere cenaries, theywere here in sent androse the townbecameknownasSiccaVeneria. wasdedicated toVenussanctuary andso folio includedlove. InRomantimes,the tuary tothegoddessAstarte, port- whose temple prostitutes whohungoutatitssanc- was calledSiccaandknownforthe empire, thefirst townonthisstrategic site protect thewestern partsof itsnewlywon to byCarthage around500BC Established History de Sauvegarde delaMedina de Sauvegarde toric sites, thetwoofficesof the southwest of placedel’Indépendance. The busandlouage are stations about 600m thekasbah. on theslopesbelow(southof) the western halfof themedina,which is ther aroundplacedel’Indépendance orin Most thingsof interest totravellers are ei- &Information Orientation l’Indépendance) A website (inFrench) withlots of histori- Le KefLe prospered undertheOttomans, The Vandals cameandwent,followed couldn’tpayitsmer-When Carthage Charged withprotecting thecity’shis- h ). After Kef the fallof Le Carthage, is housed inthemausoleum of ishoused 8am-1pm &3-6pm)

ASM Bureau (ASM; also function as alsofunctionas lonelyplanet.com x Association Association 78 200476,

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INFORMATION Association de Sauvegarde de la Medina (Administration)..1 B3 1 Association de Sauvegarde de la 22 11 Medina (Bureau)...... 2 B3 Banque du Sud...... 3 C4 BNA Bank...... 4 B4 Centre Public d'Internet...... 5 A3 Post Office...... 6 A3 9 STB Bank...... 7 B3 Old French 17 Barracks Place Ben Aissa 16 Rue de Jendouba

Rue Bab SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES Rue Mouldi Khamessi ὈὈὈ Al-Ghriba Synagogue...... 8 C3 Bab Ghedive...... 9 E1 2 28 Rue el-Kasbah Charainne Basilique (Great Mosque)...10 C2 13 23 Christian Cemetery...... 11 F1 15 10 Governor's Residence Church of St Peter...... 12 C3 (former Presidential Palace) Grand Fort...... 13 C2 18 Place Boumakhlouf Jewish Cemetery...... 14 E2 14 Kasbah...... 15 C2 Rue de Soudan Kasbah Rue Assad ibn el-Fourat Musée des Arts et Traditions

Entrance CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Le Kef 21 26 ὈὈὈὈὈ Populaires...... 16 D2 Rue Rue Muslim Cemetery...... 17 E2 Rue de la Moncef Bey Medina Rue Petit Fort...... 18 B2 de Source 1 ddine Patrice Ras el-Ain...... 19 B3 Rue des Rue Khaire Lumumba Rue Hedi Chaker 20 8 Rue Ibn Khaldoun Rue Habib Boulaabi Roman Baths...... 20 B3 Tebessa Remparts Rue de la 3 19 Palestine Roman Cisterns...... 21 B3 6 Hached Roman Cisterns...... 22 E1 2 Farhat Place Carthage 24 Avenue Habib BourguibaRue Zaouia of Sidi Abdallah 31 30 Place de 25 Boumakhlouf...... 23 C2 l'Indépendance 5 Rue ὈὈὈ27 29Ὀ7 Amilcar To Hôtel Les SLEEPING 12 Rue Cipion Pins (1.5km); Town Hall Barbouch Jendouba (55km); Hôtel des Remparts...... 24 A3 ben Hassine Hôtel el-Medina...... 25 C3 4 Nouvelle Dougga (62km); Rue de Beyrouth Dougga (66km); Hôtel La Source...... 26 B3 33 Teboursouk (68km);

Rue Bahri Place Tahar Hôtel Ramzi...... 27 A3 Rue Slah Makthar (69km); Governorate ben Brahim Building el-Kaouach Tabarka (120km); Hôtel Résidence Venus...... 28 B2 Kairouan (160km); Hôtel Sicca Veneria...... 29 B3 Rue Ali Belhouane

Rue Salah Ayech Tunis (173km) 4 3 Rue Cheikh Ahmed

Ave Mongi Slim EATING To Hammam Mellegue (15km); Andalous...... 30 A3 ὈTajerouineὈὈὈ (35km); Kalaat Khasba (60km); Kalaat es-Senan (62km); Thala (76km); 32 Bou Maklouf...... 31 A3 Haidra (78); Kasserine (130km) Food Market...... 32 C4 161 To Bus & Louage Stations (300m); La Kheffoise...... 33 C4 Monoprix Supermarket (400m) ὈὈὈTELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL TD1; Apr–mid-Sep) Banque duSud cal backgroundonthecity’smonuments. Kef andwallcharts (inFrench) withhistori- thecourtyardhasoldphotosofroom off Le A and 19thcenturiesthat’sworthseeing. large, tile-decorated mansionfromthe18th for thelittlemarbleASM plaqueoutfront),a maniya Sufi leader Sidi Ali ben Aissa (1901 maniya SufileaderSidiAlibenAissa includingthetombof theRah- highlights, lish (asmall tipisappreciated). and may beable togive youatour inEng- a huge sombrero. kept themtoasty warm gressive –that’swhy,inwinter, theBerbers hate coldand,whenchilled, canget very ag- moon shape foraboy danglingattheend. khomsa woman hadwasindicated byachain witha protection againsttheEvil child a Eye).Each women(silver toprovide isbelieved Berber 1½ to2kgof it–traditionallyworndailyby activity). Plusthere’s heavy silver jewellery– flour andmakingcouscous(asummertime ‘women’s labours’ such asweaving, milling and aroomcovering bagpipes school foryoungboys,Berber include amock-upof a traditionalQuranic Kef inLe and used until1992.Otherfeatures old flourmillmadeinMarseilles in1860 nomads’tent andan 56), acomplete Berber et TraditionsPopulaires complex foundedin1784,the inasprawling,ornate SufireligiousHoused POPULAIRES MUSÉE DESARTS TRADITIONS ET Sights STB Bank Post office etTraditionsPopulaires desArts Musée Publicd’Internet Centre BNA Bank KefLe outfront); (look fortheorange ceramicwallmapof a 19th-c SidiHacineentury saint, bouKarma 162 post office, between rue Hedi Chaker andruedeBeyrouth. post office,betweenrueHediChaker On the2ndfloorinabuilding50mdownhillfrom provide tipsandinformationonthecity. staffcan Thefriendly 9am-1pm &4-7pmApr–mid-Sep) TD2, pluscameraTD1; la Source) The staff are extremelyThe staff knowledgeable Chances are youdidn’tknowthatcamels h CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Le Kef 9.30am-4.30pm mid-Sep–Mar, 9am-1pm & 4-7pm 9am-1pm&4-7pm 9.30am-4.30pm mid-Sep–Mar, islocated insideDarel-Kahia (look (Hand of Fatima) foragirlorfull- (placedel’Indépendance) (ruedeBeyrouth) (rue Hedi Chaker) HasanATM. (rueHediChaker) isworthastop.There are many (aveHabibBourguiba) h ASM Administration 9.30am-4.30pm mid-Sep–Mar, 9.30am-4.30pm mid-Sep–Mar, (perhrTD1.5;

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(rue de (rue de – – shaded square withacafé. Just outsideisabewitchingly pretty, tree- here inelaborate tombscloaked ingreen. who,alongwithhis family,isburied saint named after thetown’sFez-born patron at thebeginningof the17thcentury,it’s 19th-century Hanafite-style minaret. Built gleaming white cupolasandanoctagonal, walls of variousvintages. Dey of gates Algiers and in1705,several cells, abronzecannonleftbehind bythe of interest: theTurkishmosque,prison companying youaroundthemainpoints herethe Tunisianarmy,based until1992. occupantwas thelastmilitary century BC; some sorthasoccupiedthissite sincethe5th ofthe 18thand19thcenturies.Astronghold Mohammed Pasha in1679andenlarged in is the four towers, oneateach corner. Totheeast (small fort),builtin1601andprotected by fortresses. Tothewestissquare tion of the No oneisquite sure whattheoriginalfunc- BASILIQUE grand, crenellated old townandthegrainfieldsbeyond, stunningviewsof Eddir andaffording the atopJebelDominating thecityfromhigh KASBAH Al-Ghriba Synagogue Al-Ghriba KefLe longhada thrivingJewish community; AL-GHRIBA SYNAGOGUE ( chanting Just northeastof istheen- theBasilique BOUMAKHLOUF ZAOUIA OF SIDI ABDALLAH or later Mon-Fri, maybeclosed1-2pm) or laterMon-Fri, Mosque locals stillrefer tothestructure asthe in1966,many itwassecularised Although it didwhentheByzantineswere intown. after restorations, itlooksmore-or-less like the wake of the Arabinvasions,buttoday, verted intoamosqueinthe8thcentury, became achurch. Thestructure wascon- on,probably undertheByzantines,it Later for precious items such assilver andgrain. 4th centuryassomesortof storage depot tohave builtinthe itseems been though h The guardianappreciates atipforac- 10am-noon &3-6pm,alldayWedFri) (GrandMosquée). Grand Fort Zaouia of Sidi Abdallah Boumakhlouf Zaouia ofSidiAbdallah Basilique (large fort),begununder

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Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com Jewish cemetery Jewish Bourguiba’s Presidential Palace), isa large the formerGovernor’s Residence (formerly decorations. Down thehill,200mwestof cemetery Christian Source fromthebaths. cisterns, pastthe ofto collectwater fromthepump.East the walk downfromhere withtheirdonkeys form abackdroptothetown– villagers secret boozers after dark.Smallred cliffs spooky, gloomycavern that’spopularwith to fillthe tury church. Springwaters were alsoused agonal hallandtheremains of a 5th-cen- a tipof atleastTD2. there’s noentryfee butyoushould give him Thecaretakerto German). willletyouin; Judeo-Arabic, istoArabicwhatYiddish is brew characters language, (thisseldom-seen Arabictextpapers whose iswritten inHe- fashionable!); andfragmentsof oldnews- thatsuchhard tobelieve items where once their crotch; atrulyspookychandelier (it’s visitors, instinctively, tocuptheirhandsover circumcision chair somemale thatcauses Torah scroll,hand-written onparchment; a plaques; amarriage from1952;a invitation oldwoodenmemorial in 1994,youcansee of localculture. Insidethestructure, restored Hara, paystribute tothatnow-vanished part in theheartof theformerJewish quarter, the lonelyplanet.com side isahuge underground from thecitytocountryside. Justout- like thelooking glass, ajourneythrough one of thecity’sfive gates –is stillextant Stepping thiscitygate through –theonly BAB GHEDIVE (rue delaSource) Ain spring KefLe owesitsvery existence tothe RAS EL-AIN The remains of the4th-century CHURCH OFSTPETER (Dar el-Kous;rueAmilcar; whose waterswhose oncesuppliedthe tine times.It’soften locked. impressive thatwasaddedinByzan- apse narthex, alarge nave, twosideaislesandan built onthesite of apagantemple –hasa thestructureRemarkably – well-preserved, are twoblockssouthwestof thesynagogue.

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parts; s/dTD10/20) parts; Salah Ayech. The entranceisaroundthecorneronrue rooms –somewithbalconiesare boring. equipped placeisvery centralbutthe colourful walltiles.Ithasarestaurant. rooms are cleananddecorated withlotsof central andvery 14 welcominghotel whose and fromtherooftop terrace. are fineviewsfromtheroomsatback side,there Onthebrighter lack toiletseats. reminiscent of andthehalltoilets ahospital pretty clean,this13-roomplacehasbeds TD25/50, withouttoiletorshowerTD20/40) per personTD6-15) s/d withshared bathroomTD6/12) port toHammam Mellegue (TD29). pool there. Themanager canarrange trans- the and ifyouasknicely they’llletyouuse management Pinsthe same as Hôtel Les are It’s under simple,cleanandpleasant. views fromtherooftop and20roomsthat twittering canariesinthecourtyard,great kasbah, thisespeciallyfriendlypension has Nestled beneaththeouter wallsof theold SiccaVeneria Hôtel MIDRANGE el-Medina Hôtel BUDGET accommodationoptions. fortable KefLe of hasagoodselection clean,com- Sleeping .com, inFrench; s/dTD30/42; genteel decline. of fortunesare abey,albeitonewhose in ornate Andalusian ceilingistolive thelife traordinary hotel roomintown–withits 18th-century ‘familyroom’–themostex- phere. tiled, inthespectacularly Tostay rickety –butyoucan’tbeatitforatmos- tiles andbedsthatare, shall abit wesay, floor plumbing,cracked andoff-kilter iffy paint,some tional courtyard,haspeeling nine-room place,arranged aroundatradi- -lespins.com, in French; rue Mouldi Khamessi; s/dTD28/40) -lespins.com, inFrench; rueMouldiKhamessi; bright rooms,somewithbigwindows. bright ragged attheedgesslightly –hassimple, l’Indépendance; s/dTD22/38) Hôtel Ramzi Hôtel Hôtel-Résidence Venus Hôtel-Résidence Hôtel LaSource Hôtel Hôtel Les Pins Hôtel Hôtel des Remparts desRemparts Hôtel CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL •• Le Kef CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Le Kef

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CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL TD3.5-7; From the BUS &Away There Getting onasmallinterior balcony. has seating La Kheffoise Eating bathrooms andsomecomewithviews. ourful tiling.Allroomshave nicelytiled is lovely, withlotsof cleanandbright, col- value hotel –surroundingacourtyardpool east of townontheroad toTunis,thisgood- 164 with olives) fishandcouscous. andtasty ofsian salad grilledpeppers andtomatoes, excellent clearly proudof serves herestablishment, ple place,runbyamotherlywomanwho’s Mellegue see right . bytaxi. to Dougga or inTeboursouk (TD3.5,1¼hours), linked hour), fromwhere youcanwalk toDougga, drop youinNouvelle (TD3.2,one Dougga hours, hourlyexceptaroundnoon) can twice daily). (TD9.4,(TD12.2, fourdaily);andSousse twice daily)viaHammamet (TD8.5);Sfax to Haidra bylouage); Nabeul(TD9.4, by twotrainsaday)andThala(linked by louage), Kalaat (linked Khasba toTunis via Tajerouine (linked toJugurtha’s Table Kasserine (TD5.6,twohours, five daily) hours, lastbusbackat3pmor3.30pm); (TD7.5, fourdaily)viaMakthar (TD3,1¼ (TD3.2, onehour,twicedaily);Kairouan (twicedaily);Jendoubatwice daily);Gafsa toBizerte (TD8.5, hasbusservices Kef) Transport duGouvernorat duKef (SRTG de l’Indépendance,theSociétéRégionale located about 600msouthwestof place tion ismore limited intheevening. town’s bestchicken andchips. Theselec- TD2) include couscous, is very popularforlunch, whenspecialities 250m right (east)–justfollowthesigns. 250m right walk50mupthehillandthen the busstation, Monoprix supermarket Monoprix from ave Habib Bourguiba. Toget tothe Bou Maklouf Bou Maklouf Edibles are soldatthe For details on transporttoHammamFor details toTunis(TD8.3,3¼ SNTRI services Andalous CENTRALWEST&THETELL••AroundLe Kef This spotlesslittlebakery andpizzeria h salade mechouia to midnight)

(rue Hedi Chaker; mainsTD7) (rue HediChaker; ( x bus station ( x 78 203887;aveHabibBourguiba;pizzas 98 285 211; rue Hedi Chaker; mains 98 285211;rueHediChaker; This good-value cheapie

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(traditionalTuni- food market (soup) andthe (ave MongiSlim) Thissim- , down , down from from , ble of wallsandarches, the complex islittlemore thanaroofless jum- electricity comesfromphotovoltaic cells. dotted withpinetrees.dish bluffs The only dramatic escarpmentsurroundedbyred- of ishiddenawayatthebase a bathhouse) green OuedMellegue, the of sweep looking thebroad,sandy themurky Over-stunningly beautifulnaturalsetting. where youcanhave areal Romanbathina Hammam Mellegue, 15kmwestof Kef, Le soak, headtothetiny,isolated hamletof relaxingFor anunbelievably hot-water Mellegue Hammam AROUND LEKEF (TD8.7) stopacrossthestreet. morning, Teboursouk (TD8.7)andTunis leavinglot. Louages earlyinthe toSousse, (TD6.5) leave parking fromthebusstation one hour),Béja,Makthar andKasserine Red-stripe louages toJendouba (TD3.1, LOUAGE part because it’ssohardtoget to.part because of Tunisians andvirtually noforeigners, in Hammam Mellegue attractsonlyahandful THERE&AWAYGETTING (TD2.5). ther camporrent avery room rudimentary intothecaldariumwithyou. your stuff plenty of bring drinkingwater; forsecurity problems of thedigestive tract. locals tobegoodforrheumatism andthe it direct by fromtheinflowpipe)andissaid for menandwomen. spring. There are twochambers, oneeach and refilled frompipesconnected tothe connected bygravity withOuedMellegue, ing wetragsfromtheancientdrainpipes, the groundat35°C.Itisemptiedbyremov- watersby hotspringswhose emerge from by ironelementsinthewater, which isfed feet of 40generations andturneddarkred lead downthepool,wornsmoothby barrel-vaulted ceiling.Ancientstonesteps intothe filled chamber set litbyaskylight more than 1800 years after itwasbuilt. place thatremains virtuallyunchanged room; admissionTD1; Although muchAlthough of the 2nd-centurybath If you’dlike outhere tostay youcanei- Bring abathingsuit,towel,flip-flops and (youcandrink saline The water is slightly A large woodendooropensontoasteam- Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com h all day) isanextraordinary hammam lonelyplanet.com caldarium ّﺎم ﻣﻼّق (public

(hot ﺣﻤ tion –around-tripby driver across thestreet fromthebussta- suss thingsoutwithayellow-stripedlouage Kef.with adriver inLe Oneoptionisto Mellegue butit’spossibletohire avehicle Rover.unless you’ve gotaLand during thewinter rains?Fugeddaboudit, able (butjustbarely) tonon-4WDvehicles; andwashedoutinplaces,ispass- track, steep descends toOuedMellegue. Insummerthe dition. Thefinal3kmget dodgyastheroad rolling wheatcountry,are inpretty goodcon- are about).The first 9km,which passthrough skull-and-crossbones markings what those may beoldordnancelyingaround(that’s as thearea andthere issensitive security-wise onthe road sostay sian armytrainingbases on, thesignless bysomeTuni- route passes look forasigntothe‘ForêtsduKef’. Further of – townatthefarendof base themilitary Hammam Mellegue isabout 3kmsouthwest KefLe theturn-offto toSakietSidiYoussef; ôe-éiec Vns (p163 ). Venus Hôtel-Résidence pickup withadriver the (TD29) through tohiresimpler, though, anancient Peugeot be along,hotsoak).Itmight for thedriver: truck) shouldcostaboutTD20 (a bonus lonelyplanet.com the east). Ifyoulike classicRoman public (69km northwest) andKairouan (114kmto dle of Kef nowhere Le ontheroad between The ruinsof ancient Mactaris are inthemid- pop 9000 (MACTARIS) MAKTHAR There isnopublic transporttoHammam If you’ve gotacar,followthesignsfrom an almost impassable dirt trackisallittakes! an almostimpassabledirt chalant inatogaordevelop ataste forlead-tainted wine. A45-minute tripfromLe along Kef transform To experiencetheluxurious,sensuallife oncelived bywealthyRomans –indeed,toactually BE AROMAN! per capita perdiem ad infinitum you mightremark toyourcompanion.‘Instead ofheadingbackto steaming springwater. ‘This is SMS messageswithrunners. reception outhere isnobetter thanitwouldhave beenbackwhenScipioAfricanus senthis fords thereal Romanbathexperience,absolutely genuineinevery detail.Even themobilephone grata annum Hammam Mellegue Of course,ifyourbrainisa Of To achieve maximumauthenticity,youmighttrychattinginLatinwhilelollingaboutthe fortherest ofthedayyou’llfindme ? Ifyoudare splashmethatwillbea yourselfintoaRoman,atleastforlittlewhile–youdon’thave tolearnlooknon- , thoughIwouldn’twanttodrinkthatsaltyspringwater fora ( opposite ), whosespafacilitieshave hardlychangedin1800years,af- camionnette bona fide ne plusultra tabula rasa Romanexperienceisn’tbad–Iwonderwhatitcostshere (small CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL •• Makthar (Mactaris) (Mactaris) CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Makthar ﻣﻜﺜﺮ , dude–it’sagoodthingnoonehere is youcanalwaysmutter ‘ in absentia casus belli louage Thedust-blown station. towncentre the Hôtel Maktaris, thebusshelter andthe in thecentre –fromthere it’s250m northto roundabout withaRomancolumn a second the middle. About 100m tothewestthere’s in is nexttoaroundabout withafountain roads toKairouan Kef; andLe the entrance ern edge of town,nearthejunctionof the The archaeological site ison the southeast- &Information Orientation Hilalian invasions. century, whenitwasdestroyedduringthe continued tobeoccupieduntilthe11th Byzantines bothlefttheirmark.Mactaris centuriestheVandalssequent andthe its prosperityinthe2ndcentury;sub- seriously. ofRome begantotake thesettlement Africa the beginningof the1stcentury AD,when War, itremained inNumidianhandsuntil ian kingMassinissa before theThirdPunic of itshinterlands. Captured bytheNumid- as partof push Carthage’s totake control Empire at theendof the5thcentury BC towns incorporated intotheCarthaginian Ancient Mactaris wasoneof manynative History unappealing. tion unbelievably is bleakandtheonlyaccommodationop- overnightplan tostay asthemoderntown toget outhereit’s worththeeffort butdon’t arch, aforumandsuperbbathcomplex– spaces –Mactaris boastsafinetriumphal The Romantownreached thepeakof –notonlywillyoubecomea untilyousay terra firma et cetera, etcetera mea culpa ad nauseum , I’d like tostayhere, I’dlike .’ in locoparentis . Paying TD1 persona non ’. per

165 ’, CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL mid-Sep–Mar) mid-Sep–Mar) camera TD1; racotta lamps. racotta relief inscriptionsand decorated withLatin teresting gravestones RomanandChristian menagerie, including peacocks,somein- portraying averitable amosaic houses The entranceto Ancient Mactaris rounding hillscanbebitterly cold. 1000m, thewindsthatblowoff thesur- ably dressed –atan altitude of more than area thetwominarets. between is about 400mnortheast of thehotel inthe 166 Louage Station(150m); Apollo (200m) To Templeof Town Centre(600m) MAKTHAR (MACTARIS) To HôtelMaktaris, If you’re visitinginthewinter comesuit- Bus Shelter& CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL •• Makthar (Mactaris) CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Makthar figures, ter- coinsand Christian-era Roman Column h Roundabout is through the is through 8am-7pm Apr–mid-Sep, 8.30am-5.30pm 8am-7pm Apr–mid-Sep, Triumphal (Numidian Tombs) Western Baths Arch Cemetery Mactaris Mkhr (Mactaris) Makthar Baths Roundabout Unidentified Building To LeKef(69km); Fountain Basilica Tunis (192km)

(admission TD3,plus museum Schola Juvenum Museum with Troughs Monument Temple/Basilica Amphitheatre , which Plan ofSite Unidentified Entrance toSite Numidian haut- Temple Forum To Kairouan(114km) Temple of Bacchus tre the remains of thetown’ssmall Miskar to thescanty remains of the belong toa6thcentury Byzantinetower. market of theforummarklocationof thetown’s The fourcolumnsatthenortheastern corner paved still readable. Thearch overlooks the stone- inscriptionis the southside,partof aLatin cated, naturally,totheemperorTrajan; on which hasanornate pedimentandisdedi- phitheatre towards Immediately southof are themuseum A pathleadsnortheast fromtheforum The mainpathrunssouthfromtheam- , builtinthe2ndcenturyAD. 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Houses Roman , dedicated to the Carthaginian godof, dedicated tothe Carthaginian . Thefoundations southof thearch Roman forum Roman Forum (Agora) Market Church Vandal Temple ofHotorMiskar Trajan's Arch Byzantine Tower Thermes Grandes Publics , built at the same time. , builtatthesame Roman Road Modern Path Trajan’s Arch lonelyplanet.com Temple ofHotor (AD116), House ofVenus amphithea- Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com to thetown. Roman aqueductthatoncesuppliedwater the site are thecrumbling remains of the cipal temple inRomantimes.Adjoining Hammon,Baal thiswasthetown’sprin- temple dedicatedearlier Carthaginian to Builtonthesite offrom themuseum). an 200m southwestof town(they’re signposted imposing arches. floorofsaic thecentral hall,withitsthree blue, jadegreen, darkred andorange mo- featureThe star istheextraordinarydeep Romanbaths inTunisia. the bestpreserved the 6thcenturybutare nonethelessamong verted intoafortress bytheByzantinesin Built inthe2ndcenturyAD,theywere con- Publics Thermes nated bythe massive wallsof the with schola wasthetown’s ant, shadyspot.Thearea justsouthof the church inthe3rdcenturyAD,it’sapleas- how tobegoodRomans.Converted intoa num was oncehometothetown’s ing atthesouthwestern cornerof thesite mosaics. eastern end,stillhastracesof theoriginal atthe font, hiddenbehind theroundedapse running downthemiddle. Thebaptismal century AD)withtworowsof columns Arch belongtoasmall there that’snowinthemuseum. ofnamed after themosaic Venus found a Romanvillaknownasthe name.the same Nearbyare theremains of lonelyplanet.com Hôtel Maktaris Hôtel Sleeping &Eating eateries inthetown centre. rants but you’llfindafew cafés andsmall theboot-camp-grade toilets. pervades tresses. Thegeneral air of dereliction also slats canbefelt theflimsymat- through ering lyingdownononeof thebeds,whose todrinkafairbitbeforeneed consid- even you’ll isfortuitous because juxtaposition ological site above theonly barintown.This room hotel, situated 400mfromthearchae- Makthar’s only hotel is the dilapidated, five- The ruinsof the The southernpartof thesite isdomi- The jumbleof arches andcolumnsstand- The groupof columnssouthof Trajan’s Makthar have doesn’t anyproperrestau- , ayouthclubwhere localboyslearned Numidian tombs

( x (Great Southeastern Baths). 22 204995;s,dortrwithsinkTD12) Temple ofApollo . cemetery Vandal church House ofVenus andisdotted schola juve- are about Grandes CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Haidra( Ammædara) (5th , became a prosperoustrading town. was repopulated withretired soldiers and After Tacfinares wasdefeated, Ammædara fromthisperiod. survives Severus Septimius Tacfinares. Onlyacemetery neartheArch of suppress arebellion bytheNumidianchief 1st centuryADduringtheircampaign to atthebeginningof tine ThirdLegion the bythetroopsof established base theAugus- Haidra tothesoutheastof the site. Hammonto thegodBaal overlooking Oued the foundationsof temple aCarthaginian ofonly evidence pre-Roman occupationis the name,although Ammædara isaBerber History down themaindragandacrossstreet. it’s100mdows. Fromthepolicestation, building withlight-blue bars onallthewin- could trytheHôtel Bouthelja, anondescript Thala, 54kmnorthof Kasserine, where you be foundinTajerouine (see p177 ) andin Kef,Le hotels 78kmtothenorth.Basic can is inKasserine, 69kmtothesoutheast,or fierce NorthAfricansun. groceries andtwotinyeateries fromthe a colonnadedarcadeshades shops,several west. Alongbothsidesof themainstreet, gerian townof 41kmtothesouth- Tébessa, customspostontheroadtoAl- sleepy bathing thesite inarich orange glow. ofbehind themountains Algeria tothewest, is especiallymagicalasthesunslowlysets bank of OuedHaidra, andtheatmosphere site,evocative spread alongthenorthern Roman townsinAfrica. It’sawonderfully site of ancient Ammædara, oneof the oldest The remote bordervillage of Haidra isthe (AMMÆDARA) HAIDRA 4pm). Stopsare nexttotheHôtel Maktaris. (TD8.5,untilabout afternoon) andSousse Tunis, Kairouan, Kef Le (untiltheearly hours) leave fromthetowncentre. toTunis(TD7.7,three SNTRIbuses taris. Kef;Le thestopisinfrontof theHôtel Mak- hours) andcanbevisited onadaytripfrom or 3.30pm)withKairouan (TD4.6,1¾ (TD3, 1¼hours, fourdaily;lastbusat3pm Makthar Kef isonthebuslinelinkingLe &Away There Getting The first Roman settlement hereThe first Romansettlement wasa The nearest midrange accommodation The moderntownislittlemore thana bylouage include Destinations served ﺣﻴﺪرة

167 CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL sarcophagi; it sarcophagi; inscribedgravestonesmosaics, andstone a small rise overlookinga smallrise the leum wall. About 300msouthof here, the for centuriesby a surroundingByzantine itwasprotectedin goodcondition because the site. ItwasbuiltinAD195andremains Severus extremely wellpreserved the southwestern corner. earlier Romantemple are incorporated into the banksof OuedHaidra. Theruinsof an the oldRomanroadandextends downto Byzantine fort dominated bythewallsof anenormous road, intoan French (1886),onthemain customs house a tip.There are planstoturntheformer free buttheamiable custodianappreciates and canbevisited atanytime. Admission is the middleof thesite, which isnotenclosed through The roadfromKalaat passes Khasba Ancient Ammædara 168 to Theveste (Tébessa) Roman Road Office HAIDRA (AMMÆDARA) Mausoleum Algeria (41km) (100m); Tébessa; To HaidraTownCentre Post Hexagonal The principalRomanmonument isthe The site, strewn with stoneblocks,is CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Haidra( Ammædara) , with its portico, stands silhouetted, withits portico,stands on , which ontheeastern stands edge of , builtinAD550.Itstraddles archaeological museum archaeological may ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆὆ Church ofMelleus openin2007or2008. Fortified Building Haidra Mosaics House of the Citadel Chapel of Arch of Septimius Arch ofSeptimius Capitol oued Church Baths (river). ὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆ ὆὆὆὆὆὆ featuring Forum Museum (Planned) Byzantine Market Cemetery Archaeological Fort Temple mauso- Cemetery Five Windows Building with Small Arch Old Railway the Byzantines. the 4thcentury,itwaslater expandedby the nave fromtheaisles.Originallybuiltin andtworowsof apse columnsseparating west of theforum,which hasarounded tially reconstructed inspectionisthepar-that warrantsserious of numeroussmallchurches, theonlyone the old the site of thegreat temple thatoncestoodat forum. Asinglegiantcolumnmarksthe very earlyinthemorning. day tripifyoucatch yourfirst busorlouage visit bothHaidra andJugurtha’s Table ona Kef,From Kasserine orLe it’spossible to or louages outof townafter mid-afternoon. don’tcountonfinding anybuses though a bitof achallenge buteminentlydoable, toHaidraGetting bypublictransportis &Away There Getting Vandal Chapel Building Fortified with Troughs Monument

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Oued Haidra ; right nearbyare; right theremains of Septimius Severus andthe Theatre Arch of Mausoleum Church ofMelleus 200m 0.1miles 0 0 market Square (Continued on page 177) Roman Road Roman Road Modern Road (Excavated) (Not Intact) Mausoleum withPortico . To KalaatKhasba(18km); Cemetery lonelyplanet.com Thala (34km);Tajerouine Roman RoadtoCarthage (43km); LeKef(78km); Church of Candidus Cemetery ofthe 3rd Legion Kasserine (88km) Baal Hammon To Templeof (500m) , just Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com Kalaat es-Senan (TD1.4),afurther27km. Kalaat es-Senan about 25km;andfinallyathirdlouage to one toTajerouine of (TD1.2),adistance Kef–Kasserinebout ontheLe road;then (TD1)–getKhasba offatthebigrounda- involves three taking louages: onetoKalaat at 3.30pm. and 9.30am;thelastbusbackleaves Haidra departures fromKasserine are at6.45am (TD3.6, 2¼hours, twicedailyviaThala)– in theearlyafternoon). in bothdirections are ataround6amand from Tunis(TD10,five hours; departures andbytwodailytrainsKasserine buses Kef– byallLe northeast, which isserved (TD1,15minutes), 18kmtotheKhasba (Continued from page 168) page from (Continued lonelyplanet.com Senan east of inthehamlet of Kalaat es-Senan (two hoursmesa return) 3km south- starts nearby Algeria. Thewalkingroute upthe gets from aliftfrom somesmuggling less-than-thrivinglocaleconomywhose town of low-rise sleepy, a local border inAlgeria. Thesmallshrine honours tothewestare off acrossyou cansee the over thesurrounding countryside;thehills view who climbtothetopisaspectacular by theByzantines.Thereward forthose wasadded ment; thesmallgate atthebase oftwisting set steps hewnintotheescarp- the farwestern horizon. Tajerouinebetween andKalaat on Khasba, Kef–Kasserine fromtheLe seen highway, some roadsigns, Jugurtha’s Table canbe (112–105 BC). campaignagainsttheRomansseven-year duringhis itasabase (p27), whoused of theruthlessNumidianking Jugurtha bears themountain thenameand, indeed, walls make itasuperbnaturalfortress west of Kasserine. Itssheer, impregnable from thesurroundingplains98kmnorth- almostvertically rises (1271m), ormesa, flat-toppedmountainThis spectacular TABLE JUGURTHA’S Getting fromHaidraGetting toJugurtha’sTable An SRTK buslinksHaidra withKasserine Haidra islinked bylouage withKalaat The gateway toJugurtha’sTable isthe The onlyaccesstothesummitisviaa Known asthePlateau deJugurthaon , onthewestern side of themountain. marabout (holyman). Kalaat es-Senan Kalaat ﻳﻮﻏﺮﻃﺔ ﻣﺎ+ﺪرة ﻳﻮﻏﺮﻃﺔ Ain CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL •• Jugurtha’s TableCENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Jugurtha’s , metres from thelouage station. andtaxi République, onthemainstreet afew hundred 35km southof Kef, Le attheHôtel dela doubles astheonlybarintown. aresheets available onrequest. Thisplace Arabic only.Receptionisinthegroceryand of theGardeNationaleoffice. Thesignisin exploring theremote western reaches of make for it does anexcellentbase ever, termine thedullesttownin Tunisia. How- be astrongcontender in anypolltode- raged justwestof here (see p178 ), would Kasserine, famousforaWWIIbattlethat pop 38,000 KASSERINE shebang). costs TD0.5perperson (TD2forthe whole a day)andHaidra bylouage, see p168 . Kalaat (linked Khasba toTunisby twotrains ongettingat about 4.45pm). Fordetails to (TD4,1½hours; lastbustoKasserineserine Keflinking Le (TD2,45minutes) withKas- and withTajerouine, astoponthebusline Keflouages withLe linkKalaat es-Senan Garde Nationale. Kef–Kasserineboth ontheLe road. east, andTajerouine, 27kmtothenortheast, with Kalaat 28kmtothesouth- Khasba, roadsconnectKalaatGood sealed es-Senan &Around There Getting Jugurtha dation isonoffer attheeight-room plenty Make sunrise. spectacular sure youbring Table, making itpossibletowake uptoa It ispermitted tocampatopJugurtha’s Sleeping www.kalaat.com. ontheareatails are www.jugurtha.com and out. they set on themainstreet of before Kalaat es-Senan – office friendly GardeNationale(NationalGuard) to befoundalongtheway. Take there’s water because sufficient none Another option is to stay inTajerouine,Another optionistostay A taxi from Kalaat es-Senan to Ain Senan toAinSenan fromKalaatA taxi es-Senan Red louages gotoTunis,whileblue Kef to/fromLe Buses stopinfrontof the extremelyOtherwise, basicaccommo- Two French-language websites withde- Tourists are toregister supposed atthe of water. of

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177 CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL the pizzeria on the 1st floor overlooking the inner courtyard. the innercourtyard. onthe1stflooroverlooking the pizzeria place del’IndépendanceintheComplexe Commercial,behind h station. tothepolice ofplacedel’Indépendance,next block north Publinet Publinet Post office ATMs. and STB –allchange moneyandhave del’Habitat, duSud,Banque Banque BNA and 1.5kmwestof thebusstation. Habib Bourguiba about4kmeastof Cillium Square)Train Station –issituated onave known asplacedel’AncienneGare (Old main square, placedel’Indépendance–also bus andlouage intheeast.The station, from theCilliumruins,inwest,to east–west-oriented ave Habib Bourguiba, Kasserine stretches forover 5kmalong &Information Orientation able (inFrench) atwww.kasserine.com. of town. belching factoryabitwestof thecentre atthesteam- andsmoke-to beprocessed, piledupwaiting ofa mountain thestuff, boxedgrass (see text, p180 ) –you’llsee tion of paperfromesparto high-quality bring warmclothing. public transport.Ifyoucomeinwinter Park (see opposite ) –eitherbycaror Jugurtha’s Table andChambiNational the country–includingSbeitla,Haidra, 178 The four banks at place de l’Indépendance – The fourbanksatplacedel’Indépendance– Online informationonKasserine isavail- Kasserine’s mainindustryistheproduc- History, go to www.army.mil and search for ‘Kasserine maps’. go towww.army.mil andsearchfor‘Kasserine History, the battlehave appeared. ately Pass. after theBattleofKasserine More recently, avariety of computer gamesbasedon Africa –threethe endofAxispowerinNorth monthslater. time, Britishforcesadvancedwestward fromLibya,settingthestageforfallofTunis –and andstrategic andimplemented structural from theirmistakes wide-ranging reforms. Inthemean- heavy casualtiesandwere pushedback some 80kmbutAmericancommandersquicklylearned eastward fromAlgeriaintoNazi-occupied Tunisia. The inexperiencedAmerican forces suffered Marshal ErwinRommel–triedtoblock theadvanceofUSArmy’sIICorps,whichwasmoving the site ofWWII’sfirstmajorconfrontationbetweenAmericanand German groundforces. towardstheAlgeriantownofTébessa,wereIn February ofKasserine, 1943,thehillsnorthwest THE BATTLE OFKASSERINE PASS 8am-2am) Convenientlysituatedabout300mwestof CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Kasserine To findoriginal ofthebattlepublishedby USArmy’sCenter mapsandsketches ofMilitary The openingsceneoftheAcademyAward–winningfilm Pass, byFieldIn theBattleofKasserine Korpsunits–commanded,inpart, GermanAfrika (aveHabibBourguiba;internetperhrTD1.5; (internetperhrTD1.5; (place del’Indépendance) h 8am-2am) One short 8am-2am) Oneshort bus station. held inthefieldacrossstreet fromthe scribed onthebottomtier. the110linesof in- poetry times highlight some- whenspotlights stunning atnight bytheroadside,looks his family,standing tiered and monumenttoFlavius Secundus tre, isthe ave Habib Bourguiba 3kmwestof thecen- about 250msouthof Hôtel Cillium. signposted totheeastof theroadtoGafsa, tifiable, asare themain ave HabibBourguiba;s/dwithbreakfast TD10/14) 7 Novembre; s/dTD25/50; Hôtel delaPaix Hôtel Sleeping perity. The ofwhen Cilliumwasattheheight itspros- the hillside. Bothdate fromthe3rdcentury, arch triumphal 4km westof placedel’Indépendance. on thesouthwestern edge of townabout overlooking thebroadbedof OuedDhrib, over awidearea butare centred onalowhill regionaltant centre. Theruinsare scattered was, like modern-dayKasserine, animpor- The minorRomansite of Sights turn onthegasheater. a warmshower asktheguyatreception to l’Indépendance, isabitnoisybutclean.For This friendlyplace,50meastof placede Every Tuesdayahuge Cillium’s mostfamousmonument,on The mainfeatures are awell-preserved Hôtel Amaïdra Hôtel Patton Mausoleum oftheFlavii Mausoleum Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com capitol andalarge

( (Nazalas-Salaam; (1970) takes placeimmedi- (1970)takes x and 77 470 750; fax 77 477 397; 232 ave 77 470750;fax477397;232ave a ) forum With its exuberant Withitsexuberant theatre Cillium baths open-air market lonelyplanet.com are alsoiden- x . This triple- . Thesite is

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Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com AKA theLittle Prince. Foodoptions in- café area, Petit isnamed after Le Prince, with red banquettes andaStarbucks-like ternational-style outfitted establishment, it,thismodern,in- people whocanafford lonelyplanet.com with halvahandcrushed pistachios (TD1). –forbreakfastsells porridge –semolina southeast cornerof placedel’Indépendance ens roastingoutfront.The there are several Along theeastsideof place de l’Indépendance Eating blocks northof ave Habib Bourguiba). de l’Indépendance(ave 7Novembre isfour ated aboutsixlongblocksduewestof place already decadesold.It’ssitu- feels several bathrooms. Openedin2001,thebuilding but tastelessly furnished roomswithall-tile after theruinsatHaidra –has30spacious –named establishment 30-room, two-star but awkwardneo-Andalusian façade,this wooden slide. blue, andslidingdownthenowcrumbling pool,meticulouslytiledinlong-disused period bathingsuitsloungingaroundthe FrenchIt’s easytoimaginejet-set touristsin in 1963,it’saclassicof itsarchitectural genre. kept inpristinecondition)sinceitwasbuilt central atrium.Virtuallyunchanged (though trapezium-shaped roomsarrayedarounda for somereason lacksasign–hasspacious, thiscompletely roundhotel –which Kef), Le near theCilliumruins(justoff theroadto Situated 4kmwestof placedel’Indépendance midnight) 236 999;aveHabibBourguiba;pizzasTD2.8-5; Pizzeria al-Amir al-Saghir Pizzeria Cillium Hôtel boy scouts shortly after independence.boy scoutsshortly a trailleadstothesummit(twohours),where you’llfindametalcrescent erected byTunisian in French) hasseenaregeneration ofplantlife sinceitreceived protected status. out forperegrine falcons,Egyptian vultures, Bonelli’seaglesandEurasian sparrowhawks. the recently reintroduced Barbarysheep.Hares andothersmallrodentshave asharpeye tokeep endangered mountaingazelles (Cuvier’s gazelles), stripedhyenas,foxes, and Barbarypartridges oaks thatflourishabove 1000m,orthepark’srich wildlife, whichincludesplentifulwildboars, The extreme weatherdoesn’tseemtobotherthePhoenician juniper,AleppopinesorHolm mountain, – thatis,abouthalfwaytotheAlgerianborder–isTunisia’sAbout 15kmwestofKasserine highest CHAMBI NATIONAL PARK A roughtrack,suitablefor4WDvehicles, youupthemountainto1300m.Fromthere takes A biosphere reserve since1977,the Hugely popularwithlocalyoung Jebel Chambi

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a 20 )

CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL •• Kasserine CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Kasserine afternoon). rections are ataround6amand intheearly (TD10, five hours; departures inbothdi- 65km northof Kasserine, withTunis Table). (Jugurtha’s laat es-Senan with Haidra and,viaTajerouine, withKa- and Thala;thelatter islinked bylouage at Gafsa.Bluelouages gotoSbeitla(TD1.7) get toGabèsyou’llprobably have tochange (TD10) andTunis(TD13.5,fourhours). To (TD6.6), Kairouan (TD6.5),Sfax, Sousse four daily). twice daily)andThala(TD2.3,1¼hours, Sfax (TD8.8, (TD8.2,four daily),Sousse Kef (TD5.6,twohours, five daily),Sbeitla, 3.30pm), Kairouan (TD6.6,three daily),Le daily at6.45amand9.30am;lastbusback daily), Haidra (TD3.6,2¼hours, twice (TD4.5,five(TD10.2, twicedaily),Gafsa Kasserine toGabès (SRTK) hasservices Thuburbo Majus. daily) passbyEl-Fahs,hours, seven near 1.5km fromplacedel’Indépendance. ern outskirtsof town(towardsSbeitla)about The busandlouage are stations ontheeast- &Away There Getting just off themainroad. dred metres eastof placedel’Indépendance, cial building. l’Indépendance intheComplexe Commer- TD1.8). It’ssituated 300mwestof placede (TD0.8 toTD1.8)and clude hamburgers (TD1.5toTD2),crepes Passenger trainslinkKalaat Khasba, KefRed louages (TD5.8),Le gotoGafsa The SociétéRégionaledeTransport toTunis(TD12.9,fiveSNTRI buses The outdoorfoodmarket isafew hun- (astheparkisknown paninis (TD1.5to

179 CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL tion intoKasserine costsTD0.3. tary stronghold fromwhere stronghold tary they could transforming itinto amili- gional capital, the 4thcentury. centre Christian become animportant in towns slippedintodecline,helping itto tinued toprosperlongafter otherRoman its olive groves ensured thatSufetula con- ofthe height itsprosperity.Fortuitously, town –like allof RomanTunisia–was at finest temples inthe2ndcentury,when etula quicklywaxed wealthy,buildingits ideal forolive growing(itstillis)andSuf- (Makthar). such asAmmædara(Haidra) andMactaris that of otherRomantownsintheregion, pathsimilartofollowed anevolutionary tohave seems a Numidiansettlement, ning of the1stcenturyAD onthesite of Roman Sufetula, atthebegin- established History budget hotel. going foritexceptonereally first-rate Roman temples. markably preserved ancient townof Sufetula, famousforitsre- of Kasserine, Sbeitla ishometotheevocative 107km southwestof Kairouan and38kmeast Out inthemiddleof nowhere ontheplains pop 7500 (SUFETULA) SBEITLA 180 A localbusfromtheandlouage sta- The Byzantinesmade Sufetula theirre- The surroundingcountrysideproved The drabmoderntownhasvery little is bailed and trucked to a huge paper factory inKasserine. toahugepaperfactory is bailedandtrucked These days,though,thecutgrass–43,000tonnesofwhichwere producedinTunisia in2004– armedwithsmallsickles. theirwayacrossfieldsofesparto often seerowsofwomenworking and Sbeitlaareareas devoted ofthecountrysidearoundKasserine toitscultivation,andyou’ll tough, stiffleaves are exploited ofhigh-qualitybookpaper. primarilyfortheproduction Large harnesses andsaddlebags. andsandals.ing mats,baskets Itwaseven ropes,animal strongandflexibleenoughtomake water-saving oftheworld. gardenplantinsomeparts a heightofabout1mindenseclumpstoppedbygraceful,feathered seedheads. It’sapopular Wiry andnarrow-bladed, plants thatthrives intheharshconditionsofTunisian interior, hardlycallsattention toitself. Never heardofit?That’s hardlysurprising–thistenacious, grey-green grass,oneofthefew GRASS ESPARTO CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Sbeitla(Sufetula) In the past, raw esparto fibreEdinburgh toplaceslike forprocessingintopaper. wasexported In thepast,rawesparto intodecorative butcommerciallythe baskets esparto stillmake artisans These days,skilled wasgathered andwovenIn ancienttimes,esparto intoavarietyofhouseholditems, includ- Stipa tenacissima ﺳﺒﻴﻄﻠﺔ –asit’sknown,quite accurately, inLatin–growsto mer) mately 8am-noon&3-6pm,nomiddayclosure insum- access. discovered atthetheatre. ofa statue reclining Bacchus onapanther, and from thesite, hassomefine mosaics Orientation &Information Orientation July. Abdullahs Seven tory iscelebrated withthe destroyed much of Sufetula. TheArabvic- killed bytheArabs, whosimultaneously lasted onlyafew months before hewas tinople. hismomentof However, glory declared independentof himself Constan- was here inAD647thatPrefect Gregory thearea’stackle rebellious localtribes. It camera TD1; The Sufetula the new Complexe Touristique,which houses andthe across theroadfrom themuseum de laLibération. street isnorthwest–southeast-oriented ave regular asSufetula’s Romanone. Themain Frenchtown, whose street gridisalmostas (towards Kasserine) fromthemodern The Sufetula ruinsare about 1kmnorth orange. in themorning,whentemples glow mid-Sep–Mar) The entrancetothearchaeological site is The , acaféandPublinetcentre forinternet tourist officedesk tourist ruins museum

h are early especiallyspectacular ( x a- p ArmdSp 8am-5.30pm Apr–mid-Sep, 7am- 7pm

, held in the last week of, heldinthelastweek 77 465813;admissionTD2.1,plus ( h Tue-Sun)

( x 77 466506; , across theroad lonelyplanet.com Festival ofthe h approxi- lonelyplanet.com 4 6 1 3 2 5 SBEITLA (SUFETULA) Le Kef(112km) Kasserine (38km); To HôtelSufetula(200m); 0.1miles 0 0 SLEEPING INFORMATION Hôtel delaJeunesse...... Tourist OfficeDesk...... ôe aii...... C5 Hôtel Bakini...... Road Modern Path (Excavated) Paved Roman (Unexcavated) Roman Road AC Sbeitla To RomanRuins(1km); Hôtel Sufetula(2km); (See MainMap) Amphitheatre

200 m Rue de la Jeunesse la de Rue Rue Samam Rue 3 2 1 B6 C5 Rue d'Algérie Rue de Libye Basilica Courthouse TRANSPORT EATING u oaeSain..B6 Bus &LouageStations... Rue Farhat Hached Relais Erridha...... Central FoodMarket..... House ofthe National Guard

Ave de le Seasons 6 Taieb Rue Septimius Echouda

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4 4 Tanks Water Three (Rue Abadula) (Rue Temple of Temple ofJuno Jupiter Roman Bridge Baths Temple of (154km); (107km); Kairouan 2 (250km) Minerva Sousse Tunis ὈὈ ὈὈ Basilica of St Vitalis To Baths Baths Entrance Antonine Publinet, Café&Toilets Church Complexe Touristique, Gate Sbeitla TicketDesk, Museum Byzantine Olive Church Press Shops Forum Cistern Baptistry 200m 0.1miles 0 0 Bellator Basilica of 1 Jucundus Chapel of Great Baths Baths

Forts Byzantine Church of Oued St Servus (600m) (SeeInset); Shaded Baths Kairouan (107km)

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181 CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL and grander replacement forthe Basilica built in the 6thcentury ADasabigger unidentified pre-Roman temple. 4th centuryAD on thefoundationsof an Itwasbuiltatthebeginningof the Severus. northwest towardstheArch of Septimius of thetemples onthemainpathleading row of ruinedchurches about 100mnorth unidentified pre-Roman temple. 4th centuryADonthefoundations of an left of the ous-looking pillars of stone are allthat’s Just northof theGreat Baths, fourprecari- CHURCHES spring. Sbeitla, which isparticularlypicturesque in worth visitingfortheviewsalongOued tra pitandafew scattered columnsbutit’s not much remains except fortheorches- Oued Sbeitla. Builtinthe3rdcenturyAD, Baths, hasaprimepositionoverlooking The ancienttheatre, justeastof theGreat THEATRE collapsed. ible nowthatthefloors themselves have ing system inthehotrooms,easilydiscern- mainly fortheircomplexunder-floor heat- southeast of thetemples, are remarkable The ruinsof extensive these baths, tothe GREAT BATHS the Romanpantheon.The each dedicated tooneof themaingodsof lead uptothethree 2nd-centurytemples, by tworowsof chopped-off columnsthat The celebrated TEMPLES 182 and felt like. of whatthecentre of aRomancitylooked gives apalpablesense Theensemble erva. temples tohissister deitiesJunoandMin- in thecentre, isflanked smaller byslightly It opensontoalarge paved sons Marcus Aurelius andLuciusVerus. emperor AntoninusPiusandhisadopted Gate the magnificenttriple-arched the Byzantinesin6thcenturyAD. ruins. Thewallaroundthemwasbuiltby –toweroverhighlight thesurrounding The adjacent The The entrance to the complex is through The entrancetothecomplexisthrough CENTRALWEST&THETELL••Sbeitla(Sufetula) , builtinAD139anddedicated tothe Basilica ofBellator Church ofStServus temples Basilica ofStVitalis –Sufetula’s s tandout isthefirst of a Temple ofJupiter , builtinthe forum flanked Antonine was , uninspiring rooms. pooland39 utterly with anout-of-order is theair-con it’spretty – otherwise grim, placehasgoingforit ostensibly two-star 2 Mars 1934;s/dTD35/50; 2 Mars entrance are perfect forapicnic tree-shaded pathwayjustinsidethesite the site of thetown’s arch, pasttheruinsof asmallbasilica,to Museum. nowintheBardo for amosaic remains of the the west,before youreach thearch, are the remains of the vated streets before arrivingatthemeagre churches gridof aneat unexca- crosses The pathrunningnorthwestfromthe OTHER SITES columns,isallwhite.four full-height in brilliantreds andgreens. Athird,near fence,metal hasanintricate floralmosaic ofrounded bystonewallsandtwosections baptismalfont,sur-while thesecond bottom withafinefish-themed mosaic, surrounded byafence, isadornedatthe perb mosaic the site, are belowgroundlevel, three su- amount tomuch nowbuthiddenaround of Bellator. doesn’t Thebasilicaitself Hôtel de la Jeunesse delaJeunesse Hôtel Sleeping home toatortoise. ful, NorthAfrican–stylecentralcourtyard, The 12smallish roomsare adelight- off commodation dealsanywhere inTunisia. isoneofand, indeed, thebestbudget ac- absolutely spotless,isthebestdealintown– lovinglyrun establishment, and maintained shower TD30) Bourguiba; s/dwithwashbasinTD10/18,dtoilet& sprawling ruinsfromahillock 2kmnorth s/d TD64/92; grassy Diocletian thesuperblypreserved tions stands Sbeitla. down toarestored line. Anotherpathleadseastfromthearch that youhave tolookhardfindtheout- has yettobeexcavated andissoovergrown Hôtel Sufetula Hôtel A rough pathcontinuesnorthfromthe A rough Hôtel Bakini Hôtel At thefarsoutherntipof theexcava- gardens , withits7½columns.Thelovely as Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com This brightly painted,This brightly family-

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Arch of Septimius Severus Arch ofSeptimius House oftheSeasons ( ) x 77 465244;fax048;ruedu Overlooking Sufetula’s Overlooking a Roman bridge 77 465311;fax 582; ( x ) Theonlythingthis amphitheatre 77 466528;aveHabib . Thefirst one, lonelyplanet.com over Oued , named , which Arch of . To TD3-6; blue-and-white tiling–infact,ithascheer- sparkling, spotlessrestaurant hascheerful balconies. three-star hotel hasspotlessroomswith extremely pleasingly modern, comfortable, of thetowncentre (towardsKasserine), this lonelyplanet.com the above - ‘Do the right thingwith ourcontent.’ the above -‘Dotheright thetermsandconditions onoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow, orresell it. See everyone site,massemailitto only. Inotherwords, pleasedon’tuploadthischapterto apeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfair toaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse,accessthischapterisnotdigitally Tomake market Fruits andvegies are soldatthe Eating Libération. There are cafésalong ave several dela Relais Erridha Relais h

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food CENTRAL WEST&THETELL••Sbeitla(Sufetula) . utes), Sousse (TD9) andTunis(TD12). utes), Sousse ouan (TD6),Kasserine (TD1.7,25min- four daily).Frequent louages gotoKair- frequent) andTunis(TD12,fourhours, hours, twodaily),Kasserine (25minutes, (TD7, fourdaily),Kairouan (TD6,1½ Thameur. Kef BusdestinationsincludeLe the southernedge of rueHabib town,off andlouagesBuses leave fromaloton &Away There Getting eral kindsof cake. andsev- meat andfishmains,sandwiches ful blue-and-white Itserves everything. © LonelyPlanetPublications

183 CENTRAL WEST & THE TELL THE & WEST CENTRAL