Carthage Tunisia: Carthage Tourism, Tours, Hotels, Travel Info.

Who has not heard of Hannibal and this city who dared brave the might of Rome? Now the ruins of both these great empires lay open to the sun and wildflowers. Declared a national monument the town of Carthage and nearby Salammbo abound in vestiges of the Punic and Roman empires, baths, dwellings, temples, shrines and the fabulous naval port of the Carthaginians.

The hill of Byrsa, where in the 8th century BC, Carthage was founded by the legendary Princess Elissa-Dido, is a storehouse of history .Newly restaured, the former cathedral of Saint Louis, which crowns the hill is now a cultural center and the nearby nationalmuseum of Carthage holds an impressive collection of Punic statues, steles and urns . How strange that this breathtakingly beautiful site should have been the theater of such violence, as a Roman historian wrote of the fall of Carthage "the city was then razed and burnt to the ground and the accursed land covered with salt to ensure its barrenness."

For a thousand years, Phoenicians were masters of the Mediterranean and over 200 war ships and innumerable merchant vessels were sheltered in the nearby port of Salammbo. At its center the Admirals island still exists and archeologists are reconstituting the pavilion with its shrine and docks. Next to the ports the ancient sanctuary of the goddess Tanit (Tophet) a quiet, shady square of hundreds of funeral steles.

The Romans returned to Carthage and built on its ruins a new Carthage resplendent with great buildings, theaters, villas and baths. Carthage became the administrative capital for Africa and its importance can be seen in the Antoinine Thermal baths, one of the largest built under the Roman empire with the "cool room" an amazing 47 meters long and 15 meters high. The Roman theater is still used today for the summer festival of Carthage.

Source: tourismtunisia.com

Things To Do in Carthage

Carthaginian Ruins, Carthage
An enormous amphitheater and a cave are among the attractions at these famous

ruins. Admission to the ruins includes the excellent Carthage Museum.
Attraction type: Ancient ruins

Carthage Museum, Carthage
This museum presents artifacts from two thousand years ago, when Carthage

competed with Rome for military and cultural dominance. The Romans burned and

pillaged the Phoenician city in 146 BC.
Attraction type: Museum; History museum

Source: tripadvisor.com