Tunis: Punic Kerkouane

Kerkouane is not a photogenic site, but was inscribed by UNESCO in 1985. Since it was abandoned after the First Punic War, it is the only Phoenician/Punic site remaining today that is unadulterated by the Romans.

The site is well preserved enough to make out what could have been the prototypes of later Roman houses; center courtyard and finished floor. Furthermore each house has a bathtub and basin; an obviously prosperous sophisticated civilization, destroyed by Rome.

It was not a waste of time as I had half expected. I even had an epiphany - Roman won the Punic Wars over the Semitic speaking people, but in the end adopted Judeo Christianity, a Semitic religion. Maybe that's the reason Christianity never seemed congruent with Europe to me, because it is really Roman at its core: conquest, subjugation, and hierarchy, as the new Punic War wages on.

The first stage of our visit to Kerkouane is a 2-hour louage (long-distance shared taxi/van) ride from the Bab Aliwa Louage Station in Tunis to El Haouaria. Below is the busy Bab Aliwa Station.


We passed Rades Olympic Stadium.


In El Haouaria, we took a brief look around town, before taking a taxi to the Kerkouane site turnoff. I was surprised to see an old cinema with a mural of Charlie Chapline as "The Tramp". And we walked towards the famous caves for a look at the Mediterranean Sea.




A glimpse of the old ways from the taxi.


From the turnoff, it was a 3km walk to the site.


The compact site museum (below). Check out the downspout ornament (2nd below) and Aerial Photo (3rd)






As one enters the site, there is an excellent map with a marked route and a legend.


Our first stop is the "Sign of the Tanit House". Check out the terraza-like floors and the "Tanit Sign" (close up is 2nd below)




The house also has a distinctive, and very cool IMO, red "hip bath" that seems to be in every house throughout the site.


House Doorway.


The so-called "House with a Courtyard and Peristyle" located right at the water's edge, and its hip bath.




One of the two Public Squares in Kerkouane.


"House of the Priest" signage and another hip bath. ;-}




Remnants of the City Wall.




And we taxi to the Kelibia Louage Station, and take a louage back to Tunis; 2 hours on bumpy roads.






Video: Our Louage Hits Some Traffic Returning to Tunis.


360 video of the Kerkouane site.

Tunisia: Day Tripping From Tunis on the Train

After visiting Dougga and Bulla Regia as stopovers, we found ourselves with an extra day. We went joy riding on the suburban train, though it was operating at a reduced schedule for Ramadan. We first had a short walk in the Boukernine National Park, happened upon millions of wildflowers on the hill, and great views back north to Tunis, and below to Hamman-Lif







We then looked around in Hamman-Lif, which had been a settlement since Punic times, and was the "Saint Tropez" of Tunisia during colonial time, still evidenced by the Casino on the waterfront. Next, we stopped in Rades, another ancient settlement, home of a large number of colonial villas. There is even a church. At the time of independence, 10% of the population were European. Now I see they weren't all living in Tunis proper.

Hamman-Lif Casino, Beach, and Outdoor Market








Video: Our train from Hammam-Lif to Rades pulls into the Station.


Rades City Hall


Abandoned Catholic Church in Rades.


Colonial Villa in Rades


The Scene at Rades Train Station.

Tunisia: Bardo Museum

The last time we came to Tunisia, the Bardo Museum was closed because of political tension. Though the overall political situation may now be worse, Tunisia is open for tourists and so is the Bardo, home of the largest and finest Roman mosaic collection in the world. It was the first thing on our Tunis agenda.

While there is no doubt as to the size of the Bardo collection, we both thought the museum at El Jem may have an even finer collection. Nevertheless Tunisia certainly has the finest Roman mosaics in the world.

On our first full day in Tunis we headed straight to the Bardo Museum by suburban train.






The Islands Mosaic is a Roman mosaic found in the ancient city of Ammaedara, Tunisia. It represents islands and cities of the Mediterranean Sea of the 3rd or 4th century CE.


Typical room in the museum = mosaics from floor to ceiling, on all four sides.


Marine Mosaics Room.




Roman Mosaic showing the personification of the "Days of the Week" with Saturn (Saturday) in the middle.


Roman Mosaic of "Virgil and the Muses". It is the most famous piece in the Bardo; that is, the Mona Lisa of the Bardo. ;-)


Previously, the Bardo building was a sumptuous palace, thus many of the exhibition rooms are exquisite themselves.






This mosaic of a typical country farm villa caught our attention.


Portion of a Roman Mosaic of Three Cyclopes: Brontes, Steropes and Pyracmon Forging Lightning. Found at the Dougga Archaeological Site.


Birds.


More Maritime Scenes including Ulysses Tied to the Mast of his Ship to Resist the Sirens.




The Triumph of Dionysus of Acholla


Video: Roman Mosaic of Many Fish in the Sea