The El Jem amphitheater was designed for 30,000 spectators, and since this was not enough, a little further they began to build a second, smaller theater. Both buildings were never completed, because in 238 a rebellion broke out in Phisdre: the large landowners rebelled against the new taxes of Rome. The imperial government reacted harshly, and much of the city was destroyed. But the amphitheater, completely untouched, now and then served as a refuge for the rebels and was damaged only in the 17th century, when Sultan Muhammad Bey ordered his troops to break through the walls with cannonballs in order to destroy the rebels who had settled there.
Although the arena of the amphitheater lies several meters below the current level of the streets of El Jem, its walls rise above all other houses in the city and are already visible from afar on the plain planted with olive trees. Inside it you can walk along the underground passages, where slaves and gladiators were waiting for their "exit", or climb the aisles and imagine how people and wild animals fought for their lives here for the amusement of the audience. In these performances, here, as in Rome, many Christians were killed.
On the Mediterranean coast with an unforgettable aroma of jasmine, warm sea and amazing beaches, there is a fabulous country - Tunisia.
But it would be wrong to think that they go to Tunisia only to lie on the golden sand and taste freshly caught fish. This is a country with an extraordinary culture and ancient history.
Once, the El Jem amphitheater could accommodate more than 300 thousand spectators, which is more than the entire population of the city. It was the third largest building after Capua and the Roman amphitheaters.
Around the El Jem amphitheater, there was a huge bazaar that flourished thanks to the sale of olive oil.
Today it is also full of people, but these are already crowds of tourists, and the counters are heaped mostly with souvenirs.
The amphitheater was built exclusively for chariot races and gladiatorial fights. By the way, the film with Russell Crowe "Gladiator" was filmed in the El Jem amphitheater.
The Tunisian Colosseum was built around 238 AD. e. and up to the VII century. remained almost untouched. Later, it was gradually dismantled for the construction of the Great Mosque in Kairouan, and in the 19th century. The amphitheater suffered even more from shelling.
The construction of the amphitheater was started by the proconsul of the province of Africa - Marcus Aurelius Gordian. Later he declared himself an independent emperor, but his independence lasted only 36 days, and the construction of the amphitheater was stopped due to the uprising, which was brutally suppressed by the Roman army.
The amphitheater was oval in shape with three above-ground floors. Inside there was a covered staircase, which could be used to climb to any spectator floor. Under the Tunisian Colosseum is an underground city with two passages. There were animals in cages, there were closets for gladiators, slaves - everyone was waiting for their hour to go on stage for bloody battles.
The dimensions of the amphitheater are striking even now. Its length is 148 m, width - 122 m and 36 m - height.
If you go up to the very top of the visual row, you can hear what wonderful acoustics are here - you can hear any rustle coming from the stage.
Today, the El Djem amphitheater is under the protection of UNESCO as a cultural heritage site.
There is a legend that the African warrior El - Kakhena spent her last days in the famous amphitheater. She is also called the Berber princess, as she led the Berber resistance against the Aglobit dynasty. Help to the besieged building came from Mahdia through underground passages. According to legend, these moves are so large that a loaded bishop can easily walk along them.
Locals believe that the untold treasures of the Berber princess are hidden somewhere in the underground tunnels.
It is also believed that the bricks of the amphitheater are spoken of by scorpions and therefore everyone who comes here tries to take a small pebble with them in order to protect their home from snakes.
Archaeologists think that next to the amphitheater there are still buildings dating from the Roman era, but so far they are all covered with a thick layer of sand.
It is best to visit El Jem amphitheater in the afternoon to see the sun illuminate every stone of this unique place at sunset.
You can get to the amphitheater by taxi (luage), bus or train from the cities of Sousse, Kairouan or Sfax.
Colosseum in El Jem (Tunisia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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One of the most visited attractions in Tunisia, the Roman amphitheater in the city of El Jem boasts a steady tourist interest for three reasons. Firstly, this is a real colosseum, with its grandeur it is quite capable of competing with its Roman counterpart. Secondly, during the years of glory, it was considered the third largest in the Roman Empire after the Roman itself and the amphitheater in Capua. Finally, the Colosseum in El Jem is an honorary member of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here you can feel like a gladiator in the arena, a spectator on a podium or an emperor in a box, go down to underground rooms and inspect the chambers for gladiators and wild animals, and wander through numerous galleries, climbing higher and higher. And in July-August, you can also enjoy classical music performed by the best European orchestras.
A bit of history
The Colosseum at El Jem was built between 230 and 238. During the heyday of the Roman Empire, the authorities were more and more concerned about riots in the provinces, one of which was Tunisia. Following the wise principle of "bread and circuses", Proconsul of Africa Gordian I started the construction of a grandiose lease for gladiatorial battles in the center of the agricultural region of Tunisia - El Djeme. The Colosseum could accommodate up to 30 thousand spectators, many of whom came from afar specifically to enjoy the spectacle, often bloody. The Colosseum was erected on a flat surface (and not on a hillside, as often happened in those days), for its construction sandstone was delivered from the quarries of Salakta, 30 km from El-Jem, on the coast.
The Colosseum in El Jem is the third largest in the world and the best preserved.
What to see
Acquaintance with the Colosseum in El Jem inevitably begins at the entrance to the city - against the background of one-two-storey buildings in the Tunisian hinterland, its bulk literally props up the sky. All roads in El Jem, of course, lead to the amphitheater, so it is impossible to get lost here.
The entrance to the Colosseum is from its southern side; from here you have a better view of the structure as a whole, than we recommend using when holding the cameras at hand. Entering the territory of the amphitheater, go through the foundations of its galleries and go straight to the arena measuring 138 by 114 meters. From here, the Colosseum opens in all its glory: the tiers of the spectator stands, the imperial box opposite and the corridor covered with a lattice leading to the underground premises.
Pay attention to the square grill at the far end of the arena - once there was an elevator that lifted gladiators and wild animals, and figured holes - drains for blood.
Further, it is worth going down to the basements of the colosseum and looking into the cells where gladiators and animals were kept, waiting for their entrance to the arena, and also see a deep well - water was delivered here through a 15-kilometer underground aqueduct. Overhead vents allowed air to circulate.
The stairs on the south side of the colosseum lead to the tiers of the second, third and fourth floors. The top offers an excellent view of the plains of central Tunisia stretching beyond the horizon.
Address, opening hours and cost of visit
Address: El Jem, L'Amphiteater.
Opening hours: in summer from May 1 to September 15 from 7:30 to 19:00, in winter - from 8:00 to 17:30.
Entrance - 10 TND, children under 12 years old admission is free. The ticket is also valid for the El Jem Archaeological Museum. If you have a camera at the entrance, you must also pay for the right to shoot - 1 TND. Tablets, smartphones, etc. are free of charge.
The prices on the page are for September 2018.
It's been three years since our trip to North Africa, but the memories are still strong, as if the trip was yesterday. Of all my travels, it was from Tunisia that I got the most vivid impressions. And the most powerful of them, of course, were not even impressions from a jeep safari across the Sahara, but rather from a giant amphitheater of the Ancient Roman era (III century AD) in the tiny town of El Jem ( El Jem). Its size is only slightly inferior to the Roman Colosseum and the amphitheater in the Italian city of Capua (Italian. Capua). But, in terms of its safety, it confidently takes first place in the world!
It is difficult to describe those feelings when you do not look at any excavations, but enter, through the centuries, with your own feet, on a fully preserved gladiatorial arena that remembers thousands of human destinies. Here at great speeds rushed Roman chariots, and swords, crossing, knocked out sparks ... Each battle in this arena was at the limit of human capabilities, because the price was someone's life ...
The hand slowly touches the ancient stones of the walls of the amphitheater, the atmospheric soundtrack by Hans Zimmer from the famous film "Gladiator" by Ridley Scott sounds in the headphones and, at the same moment, the modern world around you ceases to exist. A few tourists seem to dissolve in the air, and their place on the stands of the amphitheater is taken by the Roman nobility in light festive snow-white robes. Women try to hide from the hot African sun in the shade of the columns, the roar of voices hangs in the air ... From time to time, the tension in the air is bursting with the sounds of horns - kornu, everyone is waiting for the start of the bloody performance ...
Images and feelings are mixed into a single whole, forcing you to be completely transported to that distant era. At this moment there is only you and the surrounding space of the majestic El Jem amphitheater!
Modern El Jem stands on the site of an ancient Phoenician settlement, whose age, in contrast to the capital of the Phoenician kingdom - Carthage (founded in 814 BC), even scientists find it difficult to name. After a series of Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage, the latter was destroyed in 146 BC. and turned into a colony. Moving south, the Roman Empire, presumably in 46 BC. founds the city of Tizdr (lat. Thysdrus), the future El Jem.
The economic dawn of the settlement falls on the II - early. III century, when around the city, thanks to the favorable climate, olive plantations grow. Olive oil, in those days, was valued in Rome for its weight in gold. In addition, the city was located at the crossroads of trade routes from Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea. All this led to the fact that Tizdr quickly became one of the most important cities in North Africa, the second most important after Carthage, and its population reached 30 thousand people.
As in any prosperous city, the wealthy clamored for a spectacle in which to invest their money. So, in 230 AD, by order of the proconsul Mark Antony Gordian (lat. Marcus Antonius Gordianus), the future emperor, the construction of the amphitheater began, which, after 8 years, was stopped.
08. Start of construction.
10. Plan of the amphitheater.
To understand why the amphitheater was never completed, I propose to take a look at what was happening in those years in the Roman Empire.
11. Presumably, this is how he should have become.
And there everything was extremely sad ... In 235 AD. internecine wars for the imperial throne begin. The conspirators kill the emperor Alexandra Severa together with his mother, after which the Empire begins to burst at the seams. Legions proclaim "their own man" as emperor - Gaya Julia Maximina Thracian, who became the first emperor to emerge from ordinary soldiers.
A couple of years later, the newly-minted emperor had an adversary in the person of the proconsul Gordian, who was nominated to the imperial throne by his loyal legions. Gordian agreed to this adventure on the condition that his son would be co-regent. Gordian II, for which he received the go-ahead from the Senate of Rome.
In the outbreak of war, in a battle with the legions of Maximinus, Gordian the Younger perishes near Carthage. Upon learning of this, Gordian I commits suicide by hanging himself from his belt ... The Roman Senate appoints its own man - a senator as a new emperor Mark Claudius Pupienawho continued the war against Maximinus.
The deposed Maximinus the Thrace himself lived not much longer. Having advanced with an army to Italy, he dies along with his son, in the battle near the city of Aquileia, a couple of months after the suicide of Gordian I.
The life of Mark Pupien, who did not deserve the confidence of the people, also ended sadly and was killed by praetorians in his own palace during the next uprising. Roman throne passes Mark Antony Gordian III, grandson of Gordian I.
I will not continue the story about the fate of the future emperors, I will only say that the III century became a real nightmare for Rome. Over a 50-year period, more than 26 people become contenders for the imperial box and almost all of them die a violent death.
But back to our "Tunisian Colosseum" and the reign of Gordian I.
The three-story amphitheater, 138 meters long and 114 meters wide, turned out to be a real majestic handsome man. Tall arched galleries with many passages surrounded the sandy arena, 65 meters long and 39 meters wide, and the walls were decorated with multicolored mosaics depicting galloping horsemen, hunters and animals pursued by them. An imperial box was set up over the eastern entrance.
As in most other amphitheaters, gladiator fights were also the main sight here. In addition, the large size of the arena made it possible to organize battles on war chariots.
The Tizdrus amphitheater had its own peculiarity. Unlike Italy, in the African "Colosseum" fights with wild predatory animals were common. Both gladiators fought with them, and exclusively animal fights between various types of predators were arranged. The wild beasts that were released into the arena were dedicated to the gods: the lion and the bull to Saturn and Juno, the panther to Dionysus, the bear to Diana.
As an additional bloody entertainment, unarmed slaves were often released into the arena, who were literally torn to pieces by hungry animals ...
Gladiators, wild animals, and slaves were kept in special cells and cages. For these purposes, a whole underground city was built under the arena of the amphitheater. Separate rooms were intended for dying gladiators, as well as for storing corpses.
Today this underground city, almost completely preserved and having no analogues in the world, is accessible to visitors. In the cells and passages, once filled with the groans of the dying and the cries of battle, there is deathly silence.
23. Gladiator's chamber.
Special feelings arise when you go through the "corridor of death" through which gladiators entered the arena. Of all the illumination previously, there were only a few torches, as well as a bright white light at the end of the long corridor where the arena exit was. Maybe this is where the expression "light at the end of the tunnel" came from, meaning the border between life and death?
After the death of Gordian I, in 238 AD, Tizdre, seriously destroyed by the opposition forces, was no longer able to recover. Nevertheless, the amphitheater itself survived and remained intact until the 7th century.
In 699, Tizdr becomes the center of the uprising of the queen of the united Berber state, Dahiyaal-Kahin bint-Tabitha ( Al-Kahin) against the Arab conquest. After the defeat of the uprising, the settlement was abandoned by the inhabitants.
A city with a modern name El Jem (translated from Arabic - "crossroads") appears here only at the beginning of the 17th century. It was during this period that the destruction of the amphitheater began. The stones of its walls are used as free building materials for the construction of city houses, as well as for construction Great Cathedral Mosque in Kairouan. So the northern wall of the amphitheater was practically destroyed. Finally, the amphitheater, which was used as a fortress, was destroyed in 1850 as a result of cannon fire by the Ottoman Empire.
Today, like many centuries ago, El Jem is crowded, but mainly due to the many tourists. The trade in souvenirs, clothes and other goods is briskly boiling here. There is even a small market equipped for these purposes. At the same time, in comparison with Rome, the percentage of tourists here is just tiny, which allows you to enjoy all the beauty of the amphitheater in full, as well as make beautiful deserted shots.
It will not be superfluous to add that the price for the "Tunis Coliseum" is only 10 TND (300 rubles), plus 1 TND - permission to shoot. This is against € 12 at the Roman Colosseum. For 10 dinars, you can walk unlimitedly throughout the amphitheater space, visit the underground galleries and upper tiers, which offer a panoramic view of the modern El Jem.
Surprisingly, the general view of the amphitheater and the modern music scene does not spoil at all. The fact is that in August, thanks to the amazing acoustics, the annual International Open Air Classical Music Festival is held here.
33. Musical stage in the arena of the amphitheater.
One way or another, the El Jem amphitheater leaves an indelible mark on the memory of any person, even if he is not particularly interested in Ancient Rome. And for connoisseurs of history, there is even a small Archaeological Museum (one kilometer from the amphitheater), where you can see fragments of preserved mosaics from the walls.
At the end of my story, I want to dispel one modern legend associated with El Jem. The fact is that almost all travel catalogs say that the amphitheater is also famous for the fact that certain scenes of the famous film were filmed within its walls " Gladiator"directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It is understandable that this is being done to lure tourists and increase tourist traffic.
In reality, "Gladiator" has never been filmed in El Jem. First, film companies would simply not be allowed to shoot a feature film in such a historic location. Secondly, Ridley Scott himself said that the size of the Roman Colosseum is too small for his ideas, what can we say about El Jem then?
The shooting of "Gladiator" was carried out in England, Morocco and Malta, where a model of a huge amphitheater was built, as well as all kinds of additional "street" decorations. Everything else, for example, the upper tiers, were completed using computer graphics. Malta has long been a mecca for this kind of cinema. The equally famous film "Troy" and the TV series "Game of Thrones" were also filmed here.
Since 1979, open to all African winds, the remains of the ancient Roman amphitheater have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Amphitheater in El Jem it is one of the most impressive buildings of the Roman Empire on the African continent.
The El Jem amphitheater could hold up to 35,000 spectators simultaneously and was the third largest amphitheater in the world after the Roman Colosseum and the Capua amphitheater. It was built on the site of a small colosseum for 8,000 people, which was demolished. The construction of such a stately and intricate building in a remote province is indicative of a certain type of propaganda that the empire waged to maintain peace on its borders.
Tisdrus (modern El Jem) today is a sprawling village 60 km from Sousse and 210 km from the city of Tunis. It was founded by the Romans in 46 BC on the site of an even more ancient Carthaginian settlement. The city grew rich quickly and reached its heyday under the Emperor Hadrian Publius Elia Trajan (ruled from 117 to 138), when it became one of the most important centers for the production of olive oil. Its population numbered up to 30,000 people, which was a huge figure for that time.
The El Jem amphitheater was built about about 238 AD (under the proconsul Gordius I) and was used mainly for gladiatorial battles and chariot races. It was built from large stone blocks brought here from the quarries of the city of Salakta 50 kilometers to the east; the colosseum was oval in shape, and three aboveground floors... Inside it had a covered staircase, which could be used to reach any level of the auditorium. Dimensions it is also impressive - 148 meters long, 122 meters wide and 36 meters high. There are two underground passages under the amphitheater, where animals, gladiators and slaves were waiting for their entrance to the arena (they were raised on special lifts). The passages were excavated in 1904 in perfect condition. A special feature of the El Jem amphitheater is that it is built on a flat surface, and does not adjoin a hill, like most amphitheaters of this kind, and therefore is supported by a complex system of arches.
The El Jem amphitheater has survived to this day in great condition - even better than the famous Roman Colosseum. Nevertheless, although until the 17th century it was practically intact, then part of its stone walls were dismantled for the construction of city buildings, part went to the Great Mosque in Kairouan, and part was destroyed by the Turks. Due to the fact that Tisdrus (El Jem) was the center of the revolt against the increase in taxes on olive oil, amphitheater so and was not fully completed and was operated as it was.
The restoration work carried out in recent years has had virtually no impact on the structural authenticity of the building, but new buildings erected around it are starting to spoil its appearance. The amphitheater is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is assumed that in addition to the amphitheater, in the vicinity of El Jem there are still many buildings from the Roman period, but, unfortunately, so far they rest under a thick layer of sand. In the vicinity of the amphitheater stands the museumwhich houses a collection of Roman mosaics and statues.
Useful information about El Jem amphitheater in Tunisia
The address:
Rue L Khaldoun, El-Djem, Tunisia
Tunisia, El Jem city, Rue L Khaldoun street
Name in Arabic:
قصر الجمّ
Location:
In the heart of El Jem
Coordinates:
35.296555,10.706754 (insert these coordinates into the search bar for google maps and you will see the real position of the amphitheater)
GPS: 35 ° 17'47.60 ″ N, 10 ° 42'24.31 ″ E
How to get there:
You can get to the city from Sousse or others by train, by bus (but the bus in the opposite direction may bypass the city and not stop) or by luage (taxi for several people).
Telephone:
Website:
E-mail:
Working hours:
Unknown
Entrance ticket price:
Unknown
Reviews:
It is best to come not in organized groups, but on a luazh. A must visit for anyone interested in Roman heritage.
