Tag: Tunisia

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El Jem's a Gem

October 17, 2006 at 10:15 AM | by | Comments (0)



Over in Ireland the Belfast Telegraph published their Complete Guide to Tunisia this week, reminding us what a gem of a place it is to visit. There's a pun there, but you probably won't recognize it until we tell you about El Jem.

You know the Colosseum in Rome, right? Move it to the middle of the desert, shrink it just a touch (you won't notice the size difference, though, because in the desert there's nothing to compare it to) and build in particularly claustrophobic underground chambers for those ferocious animals and bold-hearted gladiators. Oh, and sell cous-cous at the restaurant next door instead of spaghetti. Now you have El Jem's colosseum, a few hours by train south of Tunisia's capital Tunis. So next time you're craving a fill of impressive Roman ruins, flick the tourist crowds and try our favorite gem of a colosseum instead.

[Photo: alanaplin]

Related stories:
· Complete Guide to Tunisia [Belfast Telegraph]
· Hannibal's Hometown Fest [Jaunted]
· Bardo Museum Worth Roman to Find [Jaunted]

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Hannibal's Hometown Hosts Fest

Where: Tunisia
August 2, 2006 at 8:50 AM | by | Comments (0)


If you were listening in school when the teacher droned on about Roman history maybe Carthage rings a bell. It's not just a chapter to memorize for a test, but a fairly impressive travel destination as well. The huge multi-site collection of Roman ruins in northern Tunisia is a short train ride north of the capital Tunis, and attractions include the Antonine Thermal Bath ruins, where you can still imagine the opulent surroundings where emperors might have bathed many centuries ago, and of course a typical Roman amphitheater.

This theater is still used today for the Carthage Festival, a music and arts fest that's taken place for 42 years and counting. Running from mid-July to mid-August, in 2006 there will be theater pieces, dance, concerts and even poetry readings from Tunisia and as far afield as the USA, France and Korea. Nobody super-famous reached the playlist this year, but previous performers have included Ray Charles, Youssou Ndour, Joe Cocker and Louis Armstrong. After Mariah Carey's mixed reception in Tunisia last week, (can you believe some commentators thought she was too sexy?) she might not make the bill next year either, but keep the Carthage Festival on your list of possibilities when you're roaming the world.

[Image via lil/Flickr]

Related stories:
Art as a Commodity [Alarab Online]
Bardo Museum Worth Roman For [Jaunted]

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