Carthage and Sidi Bou Said

Last weekend I was able to check one site off of my personal list of "Things to do while in Tunisia": Carthage!

The ruins of the ancient city of Carthage are, in fact, a suburb of the sprawling city of Tunis. This made it convenient because I was able to hop in a taxi cab and twenty minutes late was standing in front of the tour buses waiting to enter the city of ruins. Cool fact: The city of Carthage is known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which makes it protected and easily accessible to tourists. I was finally able to be a tourist today, so my American companions didn't roll their eyes at me in embarrassment as I captured our experiences with my camera through many pictues. There are times when one must take a "mental picture" in order to remember it in the heart, but there are other times when the sheer magnitude of the scenery mustbe captured on film for future reflection.

A little history first. Carthage, pronounced "kar-TAJ" by Arabic, French and other non-English speakers, was once the center of the ancient world. The first civilization that developed within the area are referred to as "Punic" (Phoenician, or Carthaginian). According to Roman legend, the city was founded by Phoenician colonists from the city of Tyre under the command of Elissa, or Queen Dido, as referenced in Virgil's epic poem "The Aeneid". Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, the city of Carthage proved to be an advantagous position to control the trading routes and military expansion, which led to many conflicts between the Romans, Greeks, and Phoenicians over possession of the city. After several battles back and forth between the Romans and Phoenicians for supremecy, the Romans attacked Carthage and decimated the entire city. Houses were burned, buildings crumbled, and civilians were either killed or taken as slaves. All that remains now is the ruins of a once great city that was ruled by a once great civilization.

We visited the Antonine Baths near the sea and the ruins of several tombs and prayer sites. It was an amazing feeling walking amongst the ruins knowing that these fantastic events occured upon the same stone paths that I was walking on. The small scale model reconstructions created by archeaologists who were working on a dig site near the ruins gave me an idea of the vast expansion of the city and the fortification that once protected it's inhabitants from harm. Apparently it was not enough against the Roman army.

For more information on Carthage, visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage

After Carthage we visited the chic coastal town of Sidi Bou Said for a tour of the town and to enjoy the sunset over the Meditteranean. We walked up cobblestone paths through markets to the section of town that overlooked the sea for the best view. The area really reminded me of what I have always pictured Greece to look like with the white buildings and blue shutters and palm trees. The view from our cafe balcony was breathtaking, and I enjoyed my hot mint tea very much as the sea breeze cooled the evening air. I couldn't help but smile as I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the company of fellow Americans.