The El Jem Amphitheatre

The amphitheatre of El Jem is one of the most impressive Roman monuments in Africa, a colossal colosseum that rises astonishingly from the streets of a modest Tunisian town in the interior plains. One of the largest and best-preserved amphitheatres in the entire Roman world, able to hold some 35,000 spectators, its towering, honey-coloured stone arches and tiers, and its atmospheric underground passages where gladiators and animals once waited, make it a UNESCO wonder rivalling the Colosseum of Rome.

History

Built around 238 AD in Thysdrus, in the Roman province of Africa, it is the third amphitheatre on the site, with room for some 35,000 spectators and axes of 148 and 122 metres. Tradition credits the local proconsul Gordian, later Gordian II, but his reign lasted only weeks, and it seems more likely that Gordian III, perhaps born at Thysdrus, meant it to adorn his home town; after his death it was left unfinished. In the Middle Ages it served as a fortress where people sheltered from the Vandals in 430 and the Arabs in 647, in 1695 Mohamed Bey El Mouradi made an opening in one of its walls, and since 1979 it has been a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Amphitheatre of El Jem).

What's there

• The great arena - the towering tiers and arches of the amphitheatre.
• The underground passages - the tunnels where gladiators waited.
• The upper tiers - the climb for views over the arena and town.
• The setting - the colossal ruin rising from a small town.

When to go

Spring and autumn for the mildest weather, as the interior plains are fiercely hot in summer; go early or late to avoid the heat and enjoy the golden stone in soft light. It hosts a classical music festival in summer within the arena.

Good to know

It is remote in the interior, so reaching it means a trip from the coastal resorts of Sousse or Sfax, often as a day tour. It is a single monument, seen in a couple of hours, though a genuinely awe-inspiring one, remarkably complete and far less crowded than Rome's Colosseum. The summer heat on the exposed stone is intense.

Nearby

The coastal cities of Sousse and Sfax and the town of Kairouan are within reach.

Key facts