TunisiaTourismTV – The ancient city of Thuburbo Majus was founded on a hillside, surrounded by the amazing landscape of a fertile valley, a long time before North Africa became part of the Roman empire.
However, it is one of the finest archaeological sites in Tunisia mostly thanks to its beautiful remains from the Roman era.
Its Capitol – the most important temple in Roman cities – is among the best preserved in Tunisia.
Its façade was made of six elegant Corinthian columns, with four of them still intact, overlooking a large staircase and the Forum.
An original feature of Thuburbo Majus is that it had two bathing establishments: one for the winter and one for the summer. The Summer Baths were supplemented by a sports ground, surrounded by a nice covered gallery named “Palaestra of the Petronii” after the Roman family who built the monument.
Another feature of the site is that it kept remains reminiscent of its pre-Roman past.
Thus, a “Temple of Caelestis” and a “Temple of Baalat” can be found side by side.
In fact, Caelestis was a Roman goddess who took the place of
Tanit, the main goddess of
Carthage. And Baalat is a word of Phoenician origin that means “mistress, lady”. It is the feminine form of
Baal which qualified the great god of Carthage.
Located in the surroundings of
Zaghouan, only about 60km from
Tunis or 80km from
Hammamet, Thuburbo Majus offers a rare insight into the rich ancient heritage of Tunisia.
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