Sousse Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

The Amphitheater of El Jem.

Visiting the Roman amphitheater in El Jem was a wonderful historical experience. The amphitheater was a majestic monument reflecting the grandeur of the ancient Roman Empire. I enjoyed wandering through its corridors, admiring the splendid architectural details, and the view from above captured my heart with its beauty and splendor. This visit was a journey through time to the past, leaving me in awe of the rich history and culture of the arena.

El Jem Amphitheatre in Tunisia

Visiting Tunisia, one must go to El Jem, a small town near the city of Sousse, which boasts one of the world's best-preserved Roman amphitheatres, a splendid architectural legacy of the Roman Empire in Africa. The amphitheatre's walls stand 36 meters high, with a major axis of 148 meters and a minor axis of 122 meters, forming an oval shape that can accommodate around 40,000 spectators at once, with private boxes included. There is a protective wall inside the arena to prevent spectators from getting injured. The front seats were reserved for nobility, the middle for respected citizens with status, and the rear area for the common people to watch. Today, the El Jem Amphitheatre becomes Tunisia's most important cultural venue once again as it hosts the summer arts festival. tip Tickets are 12 DT (approximately 28 RMB in Chinese currency). Come quickly, this is the least crowded ancient Roman amphitheatre in the world, without a doubt! El Jem Amphitheatre

The only ancient Roman amphitheater that can be visited underground

On March 22, 238 AD, the governor of the Roman Empire's African province (Africa, roughly in today's northern Tunisia and western Libya's Mediterranean coastal area) declared himself emperor in the newly built El Jem Amphitheater, known as Gordian I. Gordian I, who had served as the commander of the Syrian region, the governor of the British province, and the Roman city official, was famous and wealthy, and loved to watch beast performances. After being arranged by Emperor Alexander Severus to go to North Africa, Gordian I built the El Jem Amphitheater in imitation of the Roman Amphitheater. The city of Jem (then called Thysdrus) where the amphitheater is located is the second largest city after Carthage. The El Jem Amphitheater is the only ancient Roman amphitheater in the world that can be visited underground. The corridors on both sides of the underground palace are compartments for imprisoning slaves and beasts. Here, the rights of beasts are greater than human rights, 10 people are squeezed into a compartment, and beasts can enjoy single rooms. Like the Roman Amphitheater, the underground palace here is equipped with a winch-type lifting device that can send gladiators and beasts to the ground arena; the sewer system is responsible for discharging the dirty water that washes the corpses out of the field.

Amazing El Jem Tunisia

This piece of history is amazing, built after the rome theater, which looks like a mini version of it 🙏🙏🙏 when we arrived, the big theater looked empty, only us and a few others, so, we could enjoy ourselves completely 🙃 El Djem is used for gladiator movies a long time ago 😁😎😆 El Djem,is listed by UNESCO since 1979 as a World Heritage Site😆❤😆😁🙏💪👍😎😎#tunisie #eldjem

Tunisia｜The Land of Carpets - The Holy City of Kairouan

🇹🇳Driving 155 kilometers from the capital of Tunisia, the third stop is the fourth largest city, Kairouan. 🛕The ancient capital of Tunisia, Kairouan, is located in the central and eastern part of Tunisia. It was built in 670 and the Aghlabid Dynasty established its capital here from 800 to 909. Since then, it has become famous and one of the four holy places of Islam. In 1988, it was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, known for its unique architectural style and long history. 🏰There are more than 80 mosques, over 100 tombs, dozens of reservoirs and domed indoor markets in the ancient city. Famous buildings include the Great Mosque of Kairouan, the 'Three Gates' Mosque and the Great Reservoir of Aghlabid. Tunisian Muslims believe that making a pilgrimage to Kairouan seven times is equivalent to making a pilgrimage to Mecca once. 🕌The Great Mosque of Kairouan, built in 670 AD, is the first and largest mosque established by Islam in North Africa. It is one of the four major mosques in the world, along with Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem, attracting countless believers to visit every year. Its appearance is like a huge castle, with a unique and exquisite architectural style and layout. The courtyard is paved with marble, surrounded on three sides by a long arcade supported by 300 stone columns. The connected arcades, rows of stone columns and towering minarets are spectacular and are classic works of Arab architecture and Islamic culture and art. The minaret in the northwest of the mosque is 35 meters high and is the tallest building in the entire ancient city of Kairouan. Standing tens of kilometers away, you can see the towering minaret, which has become one of the iconic buildings of Kairouan. 🚶‍♀️In addition to the long-standing historical buildings, the ancient city also has a strong market atmosphere. There are numerous shops and stalls on the streets, with a wide variety of goods and the sound of selling everywhere, presenting a charming Arabic market style. 🏵️Among them, the most eye-catching are the beautifully made carpets and exquisitely crafted handicrafts. Some friends bought traditional costumes, some bought characteristic jewelry, which are cheap but of good quality. The carpet weaving industry in Tunisia originated in Kairouan, so Kairouan is also known as 'The Land of Carpets'.

In Sousse, there is also a large mosque, which is in the heart of the city, but surprisingly quiet, not as famous as the mosque in Kairouan. This mosque is simple and simple in style, with no decoration except for the Arabic-style door corners and the curved arches. Even the prayer room is placed on a reed mat instead of the usual carpet. Speaking of the advantages of this mosque, it is probably that it allows visitors to climb the top overlooking the entire city of Sousse. Although the narrow spiral staircase is really letting us go panting and dizzy haha~

one of the best view at the top hotel

When I came to Sousse, the first attraction was the port of El Kanta Uyi ~ noon, the lake reflected the boats moored in the port, the white clouds in the sky fluttering, it is really beautiful~

Loved Driving Quad Bike in Tunisia

Found a new favourite activity - quad bikes. Driving dirt tracks on a 4 wheeler is truckloads of fun. I absolutely loved it, addicted even. Took to it like a duck to water. must be the lack of cars on the roads. Well building sites. only issue was not being allowed to overtake and go faster. Highly recommend for thrills - deffo doing that again.