PERHAPS it is thanks to Star Wars that Tunisia is thought of as a desolate, dry and barren desert country in which people live in strange white domes.
While this may be true in some parts of Tunisia, it is fair to say that the majority of the country does not look like Mos Eisley.
Northern Tunisia’s landscape is one of green hills and olive groves, and it is only the occasional herd of camels that serves to remind the casual traveller that they are not in Italy.
Dotted about this landscape are some of the most fascinating Roman ruins the Mediterranean has to offer.
Bulla Regia houses the world’s only surviving underground Roman villas, each adorned with colourful Roman and Byzantine mosaics.
From Bulla Regia it is a short drive to Dougga, the remnants of a beautifully preserved Roman city.
So intact are Dougga’s streets and buildings that it is easy to imagine it teeming with life; toga-clad citizens milling about the forum and horse-drawn carts clattering through its narrow rutted streets.
The most impressive archaeological site of all, however, is at El Jem, where the small town is dwarfed by the largest gladiatorial arena in Africa.
Known in Roman times as Thysdrus, it is one of the most exciting surviving ruins of the entire empire. Capable of seating 35,000 bloodthirsty spectators, this was the place to be in third century Africa for anyone who wanted to see a bit of man-on-lion action.
Much of the seating is intact, and so too are the sunken passages used to bring fighters and animals into the arena.
El Jem isn’t too far from Kairouan, the fourth holiest city in Islam and is well worth a visit to see the grand mosque and the busy market.
Tunisia’s capital city, Tunis, is a good base from which to visit the north of the country, despite being a good three hour drive from most of these ruins.
Its plushest hotel, The Residence, is the epitome of five-star luxury, with its grand entrance hall and vast herb-scented bedrooms.
The French influence is visible across the whole country, and it is the language of choice for most people that visitors will encounter.
Tunis is the site of the ancient Phonecian city of Carthage, founded, rumour has it, by Queen Dido, 800 years before Jesus walked the earth.
Thanks to the Romans, there is little left of the Phonecian civilisation. After the three Punic Wars, the Romans decided they’d had enough of the pesky Phoenicians and wiped all trace of them off the face of the planet.
To compound this, modern day Tunis is built on top of Carthage, which means there is little hope of uncovering the rest of one of the most important cities in the ancient world, unless large swathes of the capital are demolished. This would include Sidi Bou Said, Tunis’ most desirable district, where strict planning laws mean that all buildings must be painted only in blue and white Sidi Bou Said, with its quaint narrow streets and upmarket restaurants, is a wonderful place to while away an evening after a day looking at ancient ruins or Star Wars film locations.
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