Gafsa Roman Pools

In the middle of Gafsa two rectangular pools lined in dressed stone sit below street level, fed by warm springs and built in the Roman period when the town was Capsa, and they are still used: local boys dive into them from the walls for coins. A Latin inscription survives on the stonework. The town gave its name to the Capsian culture, a prehistoric North African tradition identified from shell middens in the surrounding country.

What you actually see

• The two pools - Roman stone-lined basins fed by warm springs.
• The Latin inscription - the surviving Roman text on the pool wall.
• The divers - local boys diving from the walls for coins.
• The Capsian connection - the town that named a prehistoric North African culture.

When to go

October to April is comfortable. Afternoons are when the divers are usually there. The site is in the middle of town and always accessible.

Honest expectations

The pools are small and the visit takes fifteen minutes. The divers expect payment and the arrangement is pushy. The surroundings are urban and unremarkable.

Nearby

Selja Gorge is west, and Tozeur is southwest.