Day 9 Sbeitlia and Kairouan

Another day of leaving at 7 am! Today we made our way north from the fringes of the Sahara back to the more prosperous part of Tunisia. The landscape changed quite quickly from barren or scrub scrubvegetation to farms of olive trees. After about 3 hours we finally were at our main stop of the day was a city called Sbeitlia.

The destination in this small town was the site of a Roman City that had a population of around 10,000. It was built for retired Roman army personnel (a retirement community). Without a doubt the site was probably the best Roman ruins that we have seen. The area is only partially excavated but was massive in size. The detail of the ruins can't really be described. We have been to Pompey and Herculaneum near Naples and although the ruins are more detailed, they don't compare to the size of this place. If a soldier or a gladiator served the required number of years (25 and 15?) they retired here. The site was at a crossroads for trade in the area. It was also situated so that the Romans could control the Berber tribes from the south It spanned eons. There were 2 christian churches reconstructed complete with a priest houses and a baptistery. Large public and private baths, temples, wide roads, etc. Were on display. It would take years of work to reveal the entire site including a large amphitheatre that is still covered by sod. Truly an amazing site. Lunch and then a short ride later we were at our hotel which was an old fortress and a jail complete with the original prisoner cells. We did a walk through a very large Medina and were taken to a restored house which held the government certified carpet dealer.

After a short tour of the rooms, we sat through a demonstration of the carpets they had for sale starting with the most expensive ones working the way down in quality and price. Nobody purchased a carpet despite the hard sell. They were very good quality carpets. The most interesting thing was the sunset from the top of the building.

Dinner was an excellent buffet. Afterwards we were then treated to sweet mint tea and a chance to try a hookah. There were 3 flavours but I think that would have to be an acquired taste! The hotel is very modern and probably the best one we have stayed in on this trip. We move tomorrow to our next place and get to stay for 4 days in what they is an ocean resort. That will be a nice change!