Tunisia was annexed into the Roman Empire in approximately 46 BC, under Julius Caesar. Previously a Berber site, Bulla Regia flourished under the Romans who built a series of monuments and public buildings in the area, such as its amphitheatre.

Amongst the remains at Bulla Regia, there are its famous two-storey villas, with the lower storey located underground to protect its inhabitants from the elements. A further characteristic of these villas is the fact that many of them contain original Roman mosaics, still in situ.

Bulla Regia history

The Romans, led by the prestigious military strategist Scipio Africanus, won Bulla Regia in 203 BC during the Second Punic War. Although the territory was later recovered by the Numidian king Masinissa in 156 BC (making Bulla Regia his capital), the Romans assumed direct control in 46 BC when Julius Caesar made Bulla Regia a free city. Caesar’s decision was based on the city’s support or neutrality during the recent civil war.

Under Hadrian, Bulla Regia reached its peak as a Roman colony with full citizenship. However, the city lost its importance under the Byzantines. Local aristocrats extended their houses over public space, an example of which is the House of the Fisherman, adapted to link 2 homes and blocking off a street.

After an earthquake destroyed Bulla Regia, drifting sand protected the sites until they were excavated in 1906. The forum was dug out during the late 1940s, discovering the basilica with a Christian baptism font and a small amphitheatre.

Bulla Regia today

Today, Bulla Regia is an archaeological site with a small museum that provides a unique opportunity to walk into a Roman villa without using too much imagination. From above, the site does not look especially remarkable.

However, underground tours are available with experienced guides taking visitors around the restoration works, including mosaics and rooms that have been preserved beneath the surface for so long. Even the Roman drainage system has been restored to keep the house-remains from flooding.

Highlights of the site include the colossal Memmian Baths overlooking the entrance, as well as the Quartier des Maisons (villas quarter) and the impressive House of the Hunt, illustrating the lavish lifestyle of its former inhabitants.

Getting to Bulla Regia

From Tunis, the drive to Bulla Regia takes around 2 hours along the A3 and C59 and is the easiest way to get there (there is no public transport option). There is room for car parking at the site.

Byrsa Hill history

Once the site of Carthage’s powerful citadel, Byrsa Hill cast an unmissable silhouette over the city’s skyline, housing its central military installation and a temple dedicated to Eshmun, the Punic god of healing.

Byrsa’s name, meaning ‘oxhide’ in Greek, derives from a legendary origin story surrounding Carthage’s founder, Dido. When Dido’s party were camped as Byrsa, a local Berber chieftain told her she may keep as much land as could by covered by a single oxhide. Cleverly, Dido cut the oxhide into tiny pieces and lay them end-to-end until they encircled the entire Byrsa Hill.

In 146 BC the city was besieged and destroyed by the Romans during the Third Punic War, however when they rebuilt it Byrsa Hill remained central to their administration. A number of important public buildings were constructed at the site and it was installed as the seat of the proconsul of Africa within the Roman Empire.

In 1884, St Louis Cathedral was constructed on Byrsa Hill over the ruins of the ancient temple dedicated to Eshmun. Intended to honour Louis IX of France who had died in Carthage in 1270 during the Eighth Crusade, the Cathedral was constructed by the French consul-general with the permission of the Bey of Tunis, Al-Husayn II ibn Mahmud.

Byrsa Hill today

Today the ruins of the ancient Punic city may be viewed atop Byrsa Hill in an area now known as the Punic Quarter, or ‘Hannibal‘s neighbourhood’. Here the remains of a Carthaginian residential neighbourhood may be explored, complete with street grids, houses, and a series of Punic tombs.

Also found on Byrsa Hill is the Carthage National Museum, which contains a wealth of exhibitions and information about the history of Carthage, as well as St Louis Cathedral which is now widely known as the Acropolium and is no longer used for worship but instead public events and concerts.

Byrsa Hill features as one of our Top Tunisian Attractions.

Getting to Byrsa Hill

Byrsa Hill is located in the centre of Tunis in Tunisia just off the N10 road, with parking available a 15-minute walk away next to Parc Montazah de Carthage. Carthage Hannibal train station is an 8-minute walk away, while Tunis-Carthage International Airport is an 18-minute taxi journey.

Today, the extensive ruins of this famed city can be found on the outskirts of modern day Tunis.

Carthage history

Carthage itself was central to the history of the ancient world. Legend states that the city was founded by the Phoenician Queen Dido in the 9th Century BC and the ancient metropolis certainly rose to prominence over the next 500 years.

However, three long and brutal wars with Rome, known as the Punic Wars, eventually led to the downfall and destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. It is even said the Romans salted the earth so nothing more could live on the site of the once-dominant city.

Having destroyed the Carthaginian Empire, the Romans later realised the potential in the strategic location of the site. In the 1st Century AD they re-founded Carthage and it grew to become one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire.

As Rome’s power waned, Carthage was briefly captured by the Vandals in the 5th Century AD before Byzantine forces re-took the city. In 698 AD, after many years of hard fighting the city was finally captured by the forces of the Umayyad Caliphate who founded the new city of Tunis nearby, leaving the ancient metropolis to fade into history.

Carthage today

Time has significantly taken its toll on the site and little remains of ancient Carthage today are spread over quite a broad area. The best way to begin exploring these ruins is probably by visiting Byrsa Hill and the Carthage Museum. The museum hosts a collection of Carthaginian (Punic) and Roman artefacts including marble sarcophagi and an impressive model of Punic Carthage which helps you envisage the ancient city.

Other key points of interest include the impressive Antonine Baths, the Roman Amphitheater, Roman villas and reconstructed Roman theatre of Carthage. Among the best preserved Punic remains are the Magon Quarter, Punic Port and unnerving Sanctuary of Tophet. After exploring the remains, be sure to pause and admire the stunning coastal views across the Mediterranean.

Additionally, you can explore all the sites of Carthage on our Carthage Sites Map feature.

Getting to Carthage

Along the N9 road towards the coast from Tunis, Carthage is reached by car in around 20 minutes. Although an easy alternative of reaching Carthage from central Tunis is via local transport. The TMG light railway Carthage-Byrsa station is within the ancient site, and there is a daily service running from the early morning until midnight.

History of the Carthage National Museum

Founded in 1875 by Cardinal Charles Martial Lavigerie after European archaeological excavations in the area, it was originally known as the Museum Levigerie and housed in an old monastery.

In 1956, the museum was renamed and re-opened in 1963 as a national museum. During the 1990s it underwent major restructuring and now has enough space to accommodate ongoing discoveries from the site of Carthage itself.

Carthage National Museum today

Amongst the many exhibits are displays examining life in ancient Carthage, the conflicts with the Roman Republic and the eventual destruction of the Punic city by Rome.

Also examined is the new Roman city and the Roman period itself as well as the story of Byzantine rule and the Arab conquest.

The museum includes a range of interesting finds, from jewellery, weaponry, tombs and funeral masks to Roman mosaics and day-to-day household items. Additionally, there is an interesting model of the Punic city. Look out for the 3rd century BC marble sarcophagus of a priest and priestess, discovered in Carthage’s necropolis.

Carthage National Museum is an excellent jumping off point for your exploration of the other sites of ancient Carthage, and provides stunning views over the ruins and the modern city.

Getting to Carthage National Museum

Carthage Museum is on the fringe of Carthage archaeological site, not far from Tunis. It’s about a 20 minute drive from the centre of Tunis to the site itself.

Carthage Punic Port and Museum history

This ancient superpower built its reputation on its mastery of the seas and the ancient Port of Carthage would have once held over two hundred of the most powerful warships of the time.

Originally destroyed after the Roman capture of the city in 146BC, it was later revived by the Romans themselves to serve the growing commercial needs of the now-Roman city of Carthage.

According to ancient sources, the commercial harbour was in the shape of a rectangle measuring 456 meters by 356 meters, linked with the sea by a channel 20 meters wide. The naval harbour to the north, which was surrounded by a high wall, had a diameter of 325 meters. A channel giving it direct access to the sea was constructed only during the Third Punic War. The naval harbour alone had moorings for some 220 vessels, both along the landward side and around the island.

The ports were filled in by Scipio after Carthage’s destruction in 146 BC, but in the 2nd century AD the Romans reinvented the islet as a circular forum, with two temples, and used the port to house their merchant fleet, which shipped wheat to Rome. Rises in the sea level meant the quay walls had to be raised several times. By the end of the 6th century, the harbour had fallen into disuse.

Carthage Punic Port and Museum today

Today, only the shape of these legendary ports, the coveted basis of Carthage’s power and prosperity, remains.

There are a handful of remains and ruins on the site as well as the small Punic Port Museum which has a number of models that reconstruct what the Punic Port would have looked like in its prime.

Getting to Carthage Punic Port and Museum

The port is a 30 minute drive from Tunis Carthage International Airport. Carthage Hannibal train station is a 20 minute walk away.

Carthage Roman Theatre and Odeon history

Originally built during the time of Roman control of Carthage, the theatre is believed to have been destroyed during the Vandal invasions of the 5th century AD. Able to seat at least 5,000 spectators, the Roman theatre of Carthage would have been a central meeting place in the ancient city.

The Odeon would have been viewed for musical entertainment and was a more intimate setting than its close neighbour.

Carthage Roman Theatre and Odeon today

Now restored, it is no longer clear how much of the structure is original but it is fair to say the Roman theatre can be viewed as more of a reconstruction than an ancient ruin. The same cannot be said however for the Odeon of Carthage, which stands across the way from Carthage Roman theatre. The Odeon has not been restored and its ruins can still be seen today.

Standard admission to the ruins (which also include the Antonine baths) is 32 DT or £8. A number of statues found at the site of the Carthage Roman Theatre and Odeon are now on display in the Bardo Museum.

Getting to Carthage Roman Theatre and Odeon

Along the N9 road towards the coast from Tunis, Carthage is reached by car in around 20 minutes. An easy alternative from central Tunis is via local transport: the TMG light railway Carthage-Byrsa station is within the ancient site and a daily service runs from the early morning until midnight.

History of Carthage Roman Villas and Kobba Bent el Rey

Tunisia is home to a collection of stunning Roman ruins. It was the stage for the first Roman siege on African soil between 149-146BC. The Romans hugely changed the landscapes of the places where they settled in Tunisia, building structures such as great amphitheatres and villas which were richly decorated with mosaics and paintings.

By the turn of the first century AD, Carthage was the second largest city in the western half of Rome’s empire. It was eventually destroyed in 698AD; however, the remains which still stand there are a testament to its rulers.

The Carthage Roman Villa and Kobba Bent el Rey site is believed to have housed some of the wealthier inhabitants of Roman Carthage. Though the site is thought to have suffered during the Vandal invasions, the Kobba Bent el Rey is particularly well-preserved, being a residential ruin which dates back to the 4th century.

Carthage Roman Villas and Kobba Bent el Rey Today

While many of these houses have little left to see today, the notable exceptions are the ’House of the Aviary’ (Villa de la volièr) which contains an intricate mosaic showing birds nesting among the tress.

Another highlight is the structure known as Kobba Bent el Rey, or Baths of Dido, a vaulted underground building dating from the early fourth century. The Kobba Bent el Rey is considered to be among the best preserved residential ruins in Carthage.

Other sites in the area include the Antonine Baths. Originally built from 145 to 165 AD, mostly during the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius, the Antonine Baths were among the largest baths to be built in the Roman world and were the largest such complex in North Africa.

The site is popular amongst tourists and locals alike. Entry is free for Tunisians on the first Sunday of every month and on public holidays. For tourists, access to all of the historical sites of Carthage costs 10dt. The strategically-positioned site is also particularly beautiful, with a panoramic view of the surrounding area crowning what is a fascinating day out.

Getting to Carthage Roman Villas and Kobba Bent el Rey

The Roman Villas and Kobba Bent el Rey are reachable in around 10 minutes by foot and 2 minutes by car via Route de La Goulette. From the centre of Tunis, the site is reachable in 20-30 minutes via the N9, or Avenue Habib Bourguiba/R23/Route de La Goulette/RR23 and R23/RR23.