Fun in the Tunisian Sun (Part 2)

In the first piece, I promised to share more moments of my fun trip to Tunisia in May, where I spent two weeks with my dad and younger sister. Well, here it goes. 

These pictures focus on our day spent at the historical ruins of Carthage, Tunis. 

Carthage was founded in 814 B.C. by a Phoenician queen named Elyssa. Elyssa came from Tyre, Lebanon. If any of this sounds Biblical to you, it's because it is. Carthage was once the center of the Mediterranean empire, a powerful city inhabited by the Punics (a term derived from Western Phoenicians). The Punics acquired their power through trade, culture, and diplomacy. Enter the Romans in 241 to 264 B.C., who waged three disastrous wars against the Punics and left the city of Carthage in ruins. Those wars are historically known as the Punic Wars. The city of Carthage was later rebuilt by the Romans, during the rules of Caesar and Augustus.

But aside from what I got to see of this ancient and historic city, it was its relation to early Christianity that left me most captivated with Carthage. After the takeover of the city by the Romans and the rebuilding of the city, Christianity was born and Carthage became one of the early Christian cities and the birthplace of the two fathers of the church - Saint Augustine and Saint Cyprian.

The first three pictures are what remains today of the Amphitheater Arena. It was said to be one of the largest amphitheaters in the city with the capacity to seat 40,000 people. It played host to the circus games. What remains today is its perimeter. Everything else is gone. There's Dad in the 3rd picture.

Here I am, standing in the ruins.

This is the entrance to the Amphitheater Arena. It was a humbling, reflective moment and I was glad to have seen it with my own eyes. After visiting Carthage, I started thinking of the day I'd get to visit the city of Jerusalem and other ancient Christian sites.

This is the former cathedral facade, now known as the National Museum of Carthage. The museum contains all the more valuable finds from the archaeological site - mosaics, inscriptions, statues, funeral steles, and more. As was typical of most days, the museum was closed when we got there so we were only allowed to walk through the compound and take pictures. 

This is an underground cave. I can't remember its history. Our tour guide who didn't speak English very well, tried his hardest to educate us on the history of this place but I was too distracted taking pictures and trying to read his lips that I missed the whole lecture. Oh well, I'm sure whatever its history, this was a significant part of the history of Carthage. It was also our last stop before we headed to LaGoulette, a seaside resort just a few miles away.

The last three pictures are all parts of the ancient caves that were part of our last stop in Carthage.

This wraps up the end of week one. Week two (visit to Yasmine Hammamet) will wrap up my Tunisia album. I hope you've enjoyed the pictures.