24 THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH · 10-16 MAY 2010

I am looking out across the Bay of Tunis, a landscapebarely changed since the fated queen of ancientCarthage flung herself on the sword of her lost loverAeneas, the Trojan warrior and founder of ancientRome.

Of course, the myth of Dido and Aeneas’s torridlove story is only a tale, told by the poet Virgil topropagate the idea of an all-conquering Rome. But thepowerful story is easy to believe amidst the grandioseruins of Carthage. The imposing pillars sweep into ablue sky, framed by a sea pounding against massivedefences. Carthage’s Phoenician founders had a prettyimpressive sense of location – had they defeated theRomans, North Africa would have become the centreof classical civilisation and the grandeur of theEternal City a mere footnote in European history.

The Phoenicians, a sophisticated seafaring peopleinfluenced by the Greeks, emigrated to Tunisia in1000BC and founded Carthage on the site of what isnow the Tunisian capital, Tunis, in 814BC. But theirempire threatened the might of Rome. TheCarthaginian commander Hannibal travelled acrossthe Alps with a fleet of elephants and thousands ofmen to defeat the Italians on their home turf. Whenthe Romans got to exact their revenge, it was swiftand brutal. Carthage and other Punic cities wererazed to the ground and rebuilt in the image of Rome.

Helen Clifton takes an archaeological tour of Tunisia,centre of the ancient Carthaginian civilisation, site of200 Roman cities – and some even older

See the sites

Little remains of the original Punic civilisation butnor, it seems, is there a hurry to uncover any traces.Tunisia is the site of 200 Roman cities but a lack offunds and the sheer size of the sites mean only afraction have been uncovered – even in key areas.

But what does remain overground is as impressiveas anything in Rome or Athens, with thankfully fewertourists. Tunisians’ lack of a certain archaeologicalthoroughness is more than made up for by thecreativity with which they have incorporated sitesinto modern life. Carthage doubles up as one ofTunis’s poshest suburbs. In between ruins, andindeed on top of them, were built the grand post-colonial residences of the French ruling classes.Tunisians have even created a brash amusement fair –Carthageland – in honour of their ancestors.

A modern country about the size of England,Tunisia has a population of over ten million. Tunis’sstreets are jammed with new cars blaring out thelatest in fusion pop music, and teenageschoolchildren stroll round in branded jeans, trainers,and rucksacks. Much about it suggests a relativelyprogressive country but Amnesty warned in 2008 thatTunisia paid only lip service to human rights, itscounter-terrorism policies leading to abuses.

Images of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the country’spresident for the past 23 years, stare blankly fromevery street corner. Although he has publiclypronounced his commitment to promotingdemocracy, in 2002 he sought constitutionalamendments to pursue re-election, and in 2004 and2009 was duly elected on landslides.

Yet Tunisia seems prosperous. Foreign investmentis thriving, links with the European Union are strong

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TUNISIA

2510-16 MAY 2010 · THE BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH

site, and the only remaining pre-Roman settlement inTunisia. Located on the Cap Bon peninsula, a shortdrive from the dazzling beaches of Hammamet andKélibia, Kerkouane literally clings to the coastline. Itsbucolic location, coupled with a lack ofadministrative and civil buildings, has led historiansto liken it to a Club Med for the ancients. Each househas a perfectly preserved terracotta glazed sit-in bathwith views over the coastline, and houses are styledwith simple black and white mosaics.

Sidi Bou Said offers a more mainstream peek intothe Tunisian tourism offer. The admittedlycaptivating Arab town was left undeveloped by theFrench colonisers, and clung on to its original blueand whitewashed buildings and windy streets. Afavourite among artists and writers including PaulKlee, Cervantes and Simone de Beauvoir, it offers apredictable mix of over-priced restaurants and stalls.

I eat in the oddly named Au Bon Vieux Tempsrestaurant (the Good Old Days), where you get theimpression you’re paying for the seats, whichoverlook picturesque views of the bay. My driver,Khalid, attempts to take me to one of his friend’sshops – Lilia protests. More archaeology beckons.

By the time I arrive in Carthage, my antiquity-addled mind can barely take in another site. ButCarthage’s beauty wakes me from my historicalstupor. The gigantic pillars that supported the coldrooms of the baths complex remain intact, perfectlyframing my first view of the city. In the bowels of theoperation, slaves beavered away to ensure inhabitantswere clean. The intricate maze of terracotta pipingused for underfloor heating is still visible.

At its height in 100BC, Carthage was home to half amillion people and the centre of the Roman colony ofAfrica. But the city soon fell to the Vandals, as didRome, before being taken by the Byzantines, and thenIslamic armies in the 7th century.

Visiting Carthage, it seems easy to understand thepower this mesmerising natural harbour held forsuccessive waves of ambitious conquerors, keen to geta toe grip in the vast African continent. For travellerstoo, Tunisia represents a fantastic first opportunity toexperience Africa – and a surprising glimpse into arichly preserved shared history.

The Big Issue in the North travelled to Tunis withTunis Air. We stayed at the Regency Tunis Hotel.

and literacy is high. The climate is warm, offering awelcome winter escape for sun-starved Brits.

My guide, Lilia Maknoune, tells me that althougheveryone calls themselves Muslim, Tunisians are notgenerally strict. Girls stroll round with their hairuncovered and alcohol is freely available. Celtia beeris a refreshing drop after a hard day pounding theroutes of the ancients. Tagines and kebabs aredelicious. Every meal starts with a plate of spicyharissa sauce, fresh tuna, olives and bread, andspecialities like the brik a l’oeuf – tuna and egg inthin pastry – are very popular. Yolk runs down mychin. Lilia tells me it’s the sign of a good brik.

First stop on the archaeological roundabout is BullaRegia. Dating from 400BC, the city overlooks asurprisingly lush, rolling landscape, dubbed thebreadbasket of Rome. Barely a fifth of the sprawlingsite has been excavated, with the only previous signof its existence the city gates jutting from the earth.

Its sophisticated design features subterraneanchambers that shielded inhabitants from therelentless summer temperatures. But the keyattraction is the incredibly well preserved mosaicsthat unceremoniously litter basements. I come acrossa portrait of a Roman woman, Amphitrite, in whatwas her home. The face of antiquity stares back at me,her piercing eyes once garnished with diamonds.

A couple of hours drive away is sprawling Dougga,a 600BC town inhabited by four civilisations and nowa UNESCO World Heritage site. The city’s aqueductwas still in operation as late as 2003 and, until 1963,Dougga was home to a small community thatworshipped at an 18th century mosque facing thetemple. But the mosque now lies derelict and thecommunity was moved when the authorities realisedthe significance of the ruins. Ambivalent shepherdsgraze their sheep around the ruins.

My guide explains that the main temple – its ornatefronting and pillars so well preserved – was, until the2nd century, a Punic site, which was thensystematically destroyed by the Italian conquerors.“The treachery of the Romans,” she mutters. I giggle,posing for a picture while placing my head on theshoulders of the decapitated stone emperors liningthe main square. The Romans had the same idea –they made their statues with removable heads toensure new leaders were swiftly venerated.

Kerkouane is a 600BC Punic city, also a UNESCO

Tunisia timelineCarthage was founded as aPhoenician colony nearmodern Tunis. After the fall ofits mother city Tyre in 575BC,Carthage became the leader ofthe Phoenician colonies.

The Romans sacked Carthagein 146BC.

After being taken over by theVandals, Byzantines andIslamic armies, Tunisia becameknown as Regency of Tunisunder the Ottoman Empire.

Rivalry between French andItalian interests resulted inthe French invasion of Tunisiaand the creation of aprotectorate in 1881.

The country achievedindependence in 1956 and itsfirst president, HabibBourguiba, established a strictone-party state, dominatingthe country for 31 years,repressing Islamicfundamentalism andestablishing rights for women.

Facing page: Carthage washome to half a millionpeople at its height. Thispage: the mosaics of BullaRegia, and a poster ofPresident Ben Ali

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