Kairouan & El Djem: Day Tour from Tunis

Culture and History tour in Tunis, Kairouan, El Djem, Hammamet, Sousse

Tour Price : $180 Duration : 9-10 hours Languages: English, French, German, Italian, Arabic

KAIROUAN & EL DJEM: Late Rome & the Advent of Islam  

Duration: Approximately 7:30 - 17:30 beginning and ending in Tunis. This tour can begin and end in Tunis, Sidi Bou Said, Hammamet, Monastir, Sousse & Mahdia. 

A 2 hour drive takes us to the historic city of Kairouan, the 4th city established outside of Arabia by Muslim conquerors and where Islam gained its first foothold in the Maghreb in the late 7th century.. We visit the Great Mosque, North Africa’s oldest and most historically important mosque, grand in the simplicity and harmony of its design as an expression of the faith. From here, we will visit the Zaouia of Sidi Sahab, also known as “The Mosque of the Barber”; originally built in the 7th century, it houses the mausoleum of the venerated Sidi Sahab, a companion of the Prophet Mohammed. The interior is richly decorated with ornamental stucco ceilings and stunning tile work. We also visit the Aghlabid basins, enormous cisterns which were built in the 9th century under the Aghlabids – the first Islamic dynasty under which the finest Islamic monuments in Tunisia were constructed. We have a brief walking tour of the old medina* of Kairouan, stopping to admire the traditional architecture, the decorative iron grills and brightly-colored shutters and doors. We see weaving workshops on the way, where local textiles are still hand-woven on traditional looms, and the bakeries were a vast array of local sweets are made.

*Film Location: important scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark were filmed here

After lunch, we continue to El Djem (ancient Thysdrus) to see its magnificent Roman Amphitheater, used to stage the wild beast and gladiator fights. The amphitheater is one of the best preserved of its kind, far surpassing the ruins of the Colosseum of Rome. Built by the short-lived Emperor Gordion in the 3rd century CE, it was second in size to that of Carthage, with an estimated maximum capacity of 39,300. From the upper tiers, we can view the elaborate underground system of tunnels and chambers where wild animals and prisoners were kept before entering the arena. We will also see the opulent Roman villas discovered nearby, paved with fine mosaics and of palatial proportions. We will spend some time exploring the villas, and in particular, the mansion of “The House of Africa” before seeing the splendid mosaics on display in the Archaeological Museum.

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