Tunisia boasts a very long history, and the earliest stories date back to as early as the 9th century BC when the city of Carthage was founded by Phoenicians in modern-day Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia. It is easy to notice that Tunisia is proud of being the descendant of Carthage, as the international airport and many train stations have the name “Carthage” in them. Unfortunately, many of the buildings by Carthage were later demolished by the Roman empire, and as far as I understand, the archaeological site of Carthage in Tunis is the biggest one that still remains.

As I don’t have much time left in Tunisia, I decided to visit the site of Carthage ruins once again today, because it is one of the things that you can experience only in the country.

The archeological site is quite spacious with numerous sites of ancient buildings, but most of the visitors were strolling around the Baths of Antoninus, probably because it is the most well-preserved one, and also being next to the sea thus more photogenic.

It was a memorable experience to walk around an intricate network of ancient stone walls while imagining how things were like when they were in “full operation” back then. Having built the city right next to the sea must have been a strategic or practical choice – in any case, seeing the ruins against the deep blue sea was aesthetically exciting.

I was a bit surprised though because the whole site seems to be physically accessible by the public. Visitors not only could touch the remains but also sit and step on them if they wish. In fact, Tunisia has inherited numerous sites from the ancient world – perhaps it’s challenging to take good care of all the remains.

@ Baths of Antoninus, Carthage ruins, Tunis, Tunisia, January 1, 2023