The downfall of Carthage

Ancient cities come and go. Empires rise and fall like the ocean tide. The remnants of these great civilizations are scattered about the Earth in various forms of decay. One such empire rose to challenge even the mighty Rome. Only to fall to the Roman superiority. The remains of this empire can be found in Northern Tunisia. The city? Carthage.

Founded around 800 B.C. by the Phoenicians of Lebanon, Carthage stood in an excellent strategic position. Ideally placed on a narrow, hilly outcrop surrounded on 3 sides by water, the city grew to dominate the Mediterranean by ship. Credited with inventing trade, masters of warfare and prevalent in the arts Carthage grew into a force to be reckoned with in the region. With such powerful neighbours as Rome, it was only a matter of time until the mini-empire was to fall. They managed to ward of the Romans in a couple of great battles, but around 100 BC, the final 3rd battle saw Rome victorious. Although they simply left the city to rot for almost a hundred years until eventually making it's regional capital, and 3rd largest in the entire empire.

But, again, all empires fall. And after the demise of the Roman empire a few other came and went through Carthage. The Vandals, Byzantines and the Arabs all used it in some way or another. Heck even the French were in the area. But time was cruel to the city. Few of the ancient buildings remained. Nowadays, the area around the ancient site is the location for posh villas. Even the president has his palace here. Seeing the sites is a bit of a pain. They are few and very far between. While there's always the option of hiring a taxi for the day, it's expensive. Choosing to walk has always been more my style.

But the walk between the sights is not really a pleasant one. Generally, the only way from A to B is via a busy, noisy road. And frankly, most of the sites a rather sub-standard. These are the type of ruins that require a lot of imagination and romanticism. Many, including the Roman theatre and the Roman villas, have even been rebuilt. At least the Musee de Carthage is reasonably well displayed, with at least half of the labels in English and the rest in French and Arabic. In fact, it is the Bursa Hill that is likely the highlight of the day. Although my personal favourite is the Antoine Baths (title picture) located right on the sea, and next to the presidential palace, it is the single most impressive ruin.

Getting to Carthage is easy. Taking the TGM train from Tunis, it costs .65 TD and around 30 minutes. An all day ticket good for all the sites is 9 TD, plus one for a camera. The day could even be combined with a trip to Sidi Bou Said, but it would be a crazy long day. I walked around the majority of the sights in around 2 1/2 hours. But it was a cloudy winter day. I can't imagine it in summer. Of course any visit to Tunisia should include a visit to Carthage. But don't expect too much.