Makthar is located in the mountainous West of Tunisia. We can see there remains of an ancient city called Mactaris.
The Roman remains of Makthar
Mactaris was formerly a Numidian city, it preserves considerable evidence of the Roman period.
The Schola de Juvenes was the meeting place of a youth organization, which played a significant role in the city.
The Forum, a large 1500-sq.m. paved place and the triumphal Arch were built during the reign of the emperor Trajan.
The Great Baths included a palaestra (an area for physical exercise) surrounded by arcades.
Many other monuments can be seen in Makthar: the Amphitheatre, a Mausoleum, a Christian church, a Monument with troughs…
Later, during the Byzantine era, the Baths and Trajan’s Arch were converted into fortifications.
The museum of Makthar
Makthar’s museum exhibits many funerary steles and Christian mosaics.
The carving style shows the survival of Numidian traditions during the Roman era.
The Numidians, ancestors of the Berbers, ruled over a part of Tunisia until 46 B.C.
Makthar is located 160 km south-west from Tunis and 70 km south-east from El Kef.
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