93 M. RAILWAY, two trains daily in 4½–5 hrs. (fares 16 fr. 80, 12 fr.
75 c., 9 fr.); also local trains between Tunis and Hammam-Lif
(return-fares 3, 2, 1 fr., or, in summer, 2 fr. 40, 1 fr. 60 c., 80
c.); also a train to Bir Bou-Rekba (Nabeul). Views on the
left.—Railway Restaurants at Bir Bou-Rekba, Enfidaville, and
Kalaâ-Srira.—STEAMERS to Susa, see R. 64.
From Tunis to (2½ M.) _Djebel-Djelloud_, see p. 358. Our train turns to
the E. to (3¾ M.) _Mégrine_, a station amidst vineyards. Pretty views of
Tunis, behind us, to the left.
6¼ M. _Maxula-Rades_, in a marshy site, at the S. end of the tongue of
land between Lake Bahira (p. 129) and the open sea. On a height, ¼ hr.
to the S. of the station, lies the picturesque little town of =Rades=,
which, like Sidi Bou-Saïd (p. 351), is a favourite summer residence of
the wealthy Moslems of Tunis. Near the _Fort_ (184 ft.) behind the town
we have a splendid view of Lake Bahira, the hills of Carthage, the bay
of Tunis, and the fertile Mornag (p. 358).
To the N. of the station lies _Maxula_, a colony of the villas of
European families in Tunis, on the site of the Roman town of that name.
A road leads thence to (1¼ M.; tramway in summer) the bathing-beach on
the bay of Tunis.
A ROAD, enlivened by many vehicles, especially on Sundays and
holidays, leads from Maxula to (3½ M.) _Goletta_ (p. 343). It runs to
the N. through the isthmus, past swamps and fig-gardens, and, on the
left, past large salt-ponds, where in summer salt is obtained by
evaporation, and finally it skirts the sea. About an hour’s walk
brings us to the steam-ferry (bac à vapeur; free) across the new
_Bahira Canal_ (p. 129), opposite the station of the electric tramway
to Carthage (p. 343).
We cross the _Oued Miliane_ (p. 358), below a five-arched bridge (1749;
not visible from the train) and close to the shore, which is here marshy
at places.
10½ M. =Hammam-Lif= (Hôt. de Paris, near the sea, plain; Terminus Hôt.,
near the station, humble; pop. 1000, incl. 650 Italians), formerly
oftener called _Hammam el-Enf_, the ancient _Naro_, is prettily situated
at the N. base of Jebel Bou-Kornin (see below). On the wooded slope, to
the right of the railway, where the hot salt-springs rise (117–120°
Fahr.), is the old _Dâr el-Bey_, a palace now converted into barracks,
on the foundations of the Roman baths _Aquae Persianae_, so called from
the founder, C. Julius Perseus. Near it is the ‘_Fondouk_‘, the modern
unpretending bath-house. Of the late-Roman _Synagogue_ (3rd cent.),
discovered here in 1883, scarcely a trace is left.
To the N.E. of the station is (¼ M.) the _Bathing Beach_, with a summer
casino. Fine view of Goletta, the Carthage hills, and the peninsula of
Cape Bon.
The *=Jebel Bou-Kornin=, or _Bou-Kournine_, so named from its two
‘horns’, the W. (1890 ft.) and the E. (1626 ft.), separated by a deep
hollow, commands a splendid panorama of N. Tunisia. The W. peak, once
crowned with a temple of Saturnus Balcaranenis (Saturn-Baal of Mt.
Karnaïm), the most famous shrine of Baal in the land, is ascended by a
new bridle-path on the E. slope or by a steep old path on the W.
margin of the N. spur (925 ft.).
A little farther on we pass between the eucalyptus groves and vineyards
of the estate of _Potinville_, where many negroes are employed, to (15
M.) _Bordj Cédria_. To the left we sight Jebel Korbous (see below).
The train next runs to the N.E. across the _Plain of Soliman_ (see
below), a depression between the main chain of the Sahara Atlas (p. 320)
and the hills of the peninsula of _Cape Bon_, passing at first through a
steppe where browsing camels are often seen.
18 M. _Fondouk Djedid_, a village of immigrant settlers on the wooded
spurs of _Jebel Zaïana_.
FROM FONDOUK DJEDID TO MENZEL BOU-ZELFA, 8½ M., branch-line in ¾ hr.
(through-carr. from Tunis to Soliman by the morning train;
return-fares 5 fr. 80, 4 fr. 15, 2 fr. 55 c.). Also from Tunis
(Auto-Palace, p. 330) motor-omnibus Sun. and Thurs. at 8.30 a.m., in
1½ hr. (fare 8, return 10 fr.). The only intermediate station is
=Soliman= (145 ft.; Hôt. Zammit, humble; pop. 2200, incl. 150
Europeans; Frid. market), a picturesque little town founded by
Andalusian Moors in 1616, with a lofty minaret. Thence through
venerable olive-woods to _Menzel Bou-Zelfa_ (or _Zalfa_; 197 ft.),
famed for its luxuriant orchards, with a zaouïa of the Kadria
brotherhood and an important cattle-market (Thurs.).
A ROAD FROM SOLIMAN, where a hotel-omnibus from Korbous meets the
morning train (fare to Korbous 2, there and back 3, luggage 1 fr.;
other vehicles also), leads at first to the N.E. through pleasant
olive-groves, and then, beyond the _Oued Bezirk_, runs behind the low
coast-dunes to _Mraïssa_, the ruins of the little Roman town of
_Carpis_. At (7½ M.) the kubba of _Sidi Raïs_, near which are seen
fragments of walls of the harbour of Carpis, begins the new coast-road
to Korbous. This skirts the rocky slopes of _Jebel Korbous_ (1375
ft.), being strongly buttressed at places, and affords a delightful
view, especially in the morning, of Tunis, the Carthage hills, and the
W. shore of the bay as far as Cape Farina (p. 129). 11 M. =Korbous=
(Hôt. des Thermes, R. 2–6, B. 1, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens, from 10 fr.), a
small watering-place, and of late a winter resort also, has hot
springs (alkaline and saline, 111–151° Fahr.), an old palace of the
beys situated on the shore and now used as a bath-house, and scanty
ruins of the Roman baths (_Aquae Carpitanae_).
22 M. _Khanguet_, for Khanguet el-Hadjadj (p. 358); 23½ M. _Grombalia_
(154 ft.), a village of colonists; 30 M. _Bou-Arkoub_ (236 ft.). We then
cross the watershed between the bay of Tunis and the _Gulf of Hammamet_.
37½ M. =Bir Bou-Rekba= (Rail. Restaurant), at the foot of bare hills, 10
min. to the W. of _Kasr ez-Zit_, the ruins of _Siagu_ (early-Christian
basilica, Byzantine fort, etc.).
FROM BIR BOU-REKBA TO NABEUL, 11 M., branch-line in about ¾ hr. (1 fr.
90, 1 fr. 45 c., 1 fr.). The only intermediate station is (2½ M.)
=Hammamet= (82 ft.; Hôt. de la Plage, on the shore, R. 2 fr., B. 60
c., déj. or D. 2, pens. 5–6 fr., quite good; pop. 6000, incl. 200
Europeans; Wed. market), most picturesquely situated on a small
headland, ¼ hr. to the S. of the station. The ramparts of the ruinous
_Kasba_ (now partly a Poste Optique) afford a charming view of the bay
as far as Hergla (p. 365). Pretty bathing-beach. The coast between
Hammamet and Nabeul has unfortunately been entirely denuded of wood,
but the climate in winter is the mildest and healthiest in Tunisia
next to that of Djerba (p. 393). The lemons, mandarins, oranges, and
other fruits are considered the best in the land. The finest *Fruit
Gardens, some of them shaded by groups of old cypresses, lie to the
W., in the direction of the ruins of _Pupput_, now called _Souk
el-Abiod_, and also on the Nabeul road.—Beyond Hammamet the train
crosses numerous torrents.
11 M. =Nabeul= (43 ft.; Hôt. de France, R., déj., D. 2½ fr. each, omn.
½ fr., good; Hôt. des Voyageurs; carr. to Hammamet 5–6 fr.; pop.
11,900, incl. 2000 Jews and 400 Europeans; Frid. market), with its
small _Souks_ (p. 335) and pretty gardens, is the chief town on this
part of the coast. Its famed old pottery is again thriving. Fayence
with geometrical patterns, after Punic and late-Roman models, and
porous, unglazed water-jugs (gargoulettes) are the chief products. The
small _Poterie Artistique_ (Tissier’s), behind the church, is worth
seeing. Pleasant walks are to the N.E. to (20 min.) _Dar-Chabane_, a
purely Moslem village; to the S. to the small anchorage near the kubba
_Sidi Slîmân_, or to the ruins of _Neapolis_, now largely submerged; a
little seaport destroyed at the same time as Carthage (146 B.C.), to
which Nabeul owes its name and much of its building-material; to the
E. to (3¾ M.) _El-Mamoura_, near the caverns in the _Râs Mamoura_, the
N.E. boundary of the bay of Hammamet; to the N. to the (½ hr.) _Râs
Tefal_, where the potters dig their clay.
The SUSA TRAIN turns to the S.E., quitting the highroad, on which,
beyond _Pupput_ (see above), is the so-called _Kasr Menara_, a large
Roman circular building resembling the tomb of Cæcilia Metella, the only
monument of the kind in Barbary. We approach the spurs of the Sahara
Atlas. All around is scanty underwood, with occasional tents of nomads
and many pasturing cattle. To the left we have a glimpse of the N. coast
of the bay as far as Nabeul (see above). To the W. towers _Jebel
Zaghouan_ (p. 359).
Beyond the _Oued er-Rebia_, at (49 M.) _Bou-Ficha_, begins the =Enfida=,
an estate of 300,000 acres owned by the Société Franco-Africaine, the
ancient granary of central Tunisia, but a wilderness for centuries after
the irruption of the Beni Hilal (p. 323). Among the farm-labourers are
many Sicilians. There are still, however, great desolate tracts, dotted
with Roman ruins and old irrigation-works, inhabited only by the nomadic
_Oulad Saïd_, descendants of the Hilalides.
54½ M. _Aïn-Hallouf_, near the ruins of _Aphrodisium_, now _Sidi
Khalifa_ and _Henchir Fradiz_, close to the salt-marshes of the _Sebkha
Djiriba_, which are 19 M. long.
62 M. =Enfidaville= (131 ft.; Rail. Restaurant; Hôt. d’Enfidaville, déj.
2½ fr., well spoken of; pop. 6700, incl. 500 Europeans), a rising town
of colonists, the largest in the Enfida, is a pretty oasis of trees and
vegetable-gardens. Alfa (p. 171) is largely exported. Near the station
is a village of nomad-tents.
Above the Zaghouan road (p. 359), about 4 M. to the W. of Enfidaville,
on _Jebel Takroun_ (657 ft.), is perched the interesting Berber
village of _Takrouna_ (pop. about 500), not easily accessible.—In the
valley of the _Oued Boul_, 7½ M. to the W. of Enfidaville, on _Jebel
Garci_, rises the chalybeate spring of _Aïn-Garci_, on the site of the
Roman _Aggersel_.—Some 9½ M. to the S.E. of Enfidaville lies _Hergla_
(reached also by a branch of the road from Sidi Bou-Ali; see p. 366),
the ancient _Horrea Caelia_, the corn-mart and export-harbour of the
Enfida.
The steppe-like character of the landscape again asserts itself. Wild
asparagus abounds. To the right in the distance are the bare hills of
central Tunisia behind Kairwan (p. 372). 71 M. _Menzel Dar el-Bouar_,
not far from the _Sebkha Halk el-Menzel_. On the road, to the N.E. of
the station, is an ancient Berber cemetery, with numerous dolmens (p.
324), mostly ruined of late.
76½ M. _Sidi Bou-Ali_, a smiling oasis, with olive and fruit-trees and a
few date-palms. We again traverse a stony hill-region, dotted with
stunted olive-trees, and then descend into the thickly peopled _Sahel_
(see below), with its many thriving little towns.
85 M. _Kalaâ-Kebira_ (161 ft.; pop. 6500). To the left, farther on, we
see the little town of _Akouda_, on a low hill; then the distant
_Hammam-Sousse_ in the valley of the _Oued Laya_.
88 M. _Kalaâ-Srira_ (181 ft.; Rail. Restaurant), on the right bank of
the Oued Laya, where visitors for Kairwan (R. 58) change carriages. Our
train descends the _Oued Kharoub Valley_ to the E. to the coast, with a
view of the sea on the left.
93 M. =Susa.=—The STATION (Pl. B, C, 1) for Tunis, Kairwan (R. 58),
Mehdia (p. 369), and for the future line to Sfax (R. 59), is in Boul.
René Millet, 3–5 min. from the hotels, or 6 min. from the quay.
ARRIVAL BY SEA (comp. R. 64). The steamers of the Comp. Gén.
Transatlantique (office, Banque de Tunisie, see below), the Società
Nazionale (agent, Rue Villedon), and the Comp. de Navigation Mixte
(Rue Jules-Ferry 4) all moor at the N. quay (Pl. D, 2). Harbour-tax 4
or 3 fr.—Cabs, see below.
HOTELS (comp. p. 324). _Grand-Hôtel_ (Pl. a; D, 2), Cours de la
Marine, R. 4–7, B. 1½, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens. 11–15 fr.; _Hôtel de
France_ (Pl. b; C, 1), Avenue Krantz, R. 3–6, B. 1, déj. 3, D. 3–3½,
pens. 10–12 fr., well spoken of; _Hôtel du Sahel_ (Pl. c; D, 1), Rue
Jules-Ferry, unpretending.
CAFÉS. _Brasserie_, at the Grand-Hôtel; _Glacier_, Place Pichon;
_Bellevue_, Place de la Marine.—_Casino Municipal_ (Pl. 8; C, 1), with
a hall for balls and theatrical performances, etc.
POST & TELEGRAPH OFFICE (Pl. C, 2), Place Pichon.—BANKS (comp. p.
174). _Comp. Algérienne_, Rond-Point de la Douane; _Banque de
Tunisie_, Rue du Marché; _Crédit Foncier et Agricole d’Algérie_, Place
Colonel Vincent.—BOOKSELLERS. _Petit_, Place Pichon; _Berra_
(Imprimerie Rapide), Rue Jules-Ferry.
BRITISH VICE-CONSUL, _W. Galea_, Rue Général-Logerot (cor. of Rue de
l’Eglise).—LLOYD’S AGENT, _D. Cattan_.
CABS (stand, Place Pichon). Drive ¾ (outside town 1) fr.; hour 1¾ (or
2), day 15–20 fr.; after 7 (in summer 9) p.m. one-half more.—MOTOR
CARS at _Auvin’s_, Ave. Krantz.
HALF-DAY. Visit to the _Museum_ (p. 367), the _Souks_ (p. 368), and
the _Kasba_ (p. 369).
_Susa_, French _Sousse_, Arabic _Sûssa_, (pop. 25,000, incl. 2800
Italians, 1500 French, and 900 Maltese), which has been since ancient
times the chief seaport in the _Gulf of Hammamet_ (p. 364), is now the
most important in Tunisia after Tunis and Sfax. It is also the capital
of the _Sahel_ (p. 320). This coast-region, 20–25 M. in breadth, famed
in the Roman age for its olive-oil, yields corn also, like the inland
plain of Kairwan, although its rainfall is slight. According to the
latest statistics the Sahel has 6 million olive-trees, 212,000 acres of
barley, and about 4000 date-palms, which here, however, mostly yield
date-wine (‘lagmi’) only. As yet the manufacturing industries are
practically limited to the oil-mills and soap-works in the suburbs close
to the sea; there are also several salt-works on the coast between Susa
and Mehdia.
[Illustration: SOUSSE]
Susa, the Roman _Hadrumetum_, is one of the oldest Phœnician colonies
on the coast of Tunisia. It appears for the first time in history at
the end of the second Punic war, when it was Hannibal’s base of
operations, and, after the battle of Zama (B. C. 202), his place of
refuge. It escaped the fate of Carthage in 146 B. C., and it was again
spared a century later, although it had sided with Pompey in the civil
war. Under the later Roman empire Hadrumetum was remarkably
prosperous, being the great outlet for the produce of the numerous and
thickly peopled inland colonies as far as Tebessa. The fertility of
its environs is indicated by the name given to it when re-colonized
under Trajan (Colonia Concordia Ulpia Trajana Frugifera Hadrumentina).
At that period the whole coast from Hadrumetum to El-Alia and Chebba
(p. 370) was bordered with sumptuous country-houses. After its
conquest by the Arabs (in 665, and again in 689) Susa, whose present
name is said to date from the 8th cent., was outstripped by Kairwan
and Mehdia. It afterwards suffered severely from the irruption of the
Hilalides (p. 323) and its conquest by the Normans (1135), and in more
modern times from its bombardment by the Spaniards (1537 and 1550),
the French (1769), and the Venetians (1783).
The HARBOUR, 35 acres in area, constructed in 1886–9, is tolerably
sheltered by two moles and by the _Grande Jetée_ (737 yds.), the end of
which is a splendid point of view. The _Digue Sud_ (Pl. D, 4, 5), where
new harbour-works are in progress, is occupied by storehouses for the
phosphates from Aïn-Moularès (p. 372).
Between the N. mole and the dunes of _Bou-Jaffar_, near the Punic-Roman
harbour (Kothon), of which scarcely a trace is left, lies the new town,
dating from 1881. The busy parts of it are the Rond-Point de la Douane
(Pl. D, 2), near the steamboat-quay, and the PLACE PICHON (Pl. C, D, 2),
from which the Boul. René Millet leads to the station.
Between the two small public gardens here is the *=Museum= (Pl. C, 2), a
valuable collection of Punic, Roman, and early-Christian antiquities,
mostly excavated of late in the Sahel. Adm. daily, except Mon., 8–11 and
2–4 (from 1st July to 15th Oct. 7–11 only). No catalogue. Curator, M. E.
Gouvet, the town architect.
The chief treasures of the museum are the numerous mosaics from Roman
villas. In the centre of the hall is a large pavement from El-Alia,
already freely restored in ancient times, representing an inundation
of the Nile, with two-storied houses, a hippopotamus, a crocodile,
etc.; by the entrance-wall, Neptune in a chariot with sea-horses,
ducks, and fish; by the back-wall, procession of Bacchus, fishing
scenes, a gazelle among edible animals and fruits (from a
dining-room), the rape of Ganymede, a Nile scene, a basket with fish
and lobsters; by the end-wall to the left, a peacock. By the right
end-wall, an early-Christian mosaic, with the signature of the artist
(Theodulos).
By the back-wall are relics of wall-paintings and the marble statuette
of a negro boy. By the entrance-wall, fragments of Roman reliefs in
stucco: head of a bearded man, from El-Djem (2nd cent. A. D.); bust of
Athena and female head in profile, from Susa (2nd cent.). By the left
end-wall, a large relief, from Susa, of the triumphal procession of a
Roman emperor, with a fettered warrior behind the chariot.
The central presses contain (on the left) *Terracotta Figures from
Susa (mother and child, Venus, female harpist, rider on a camel, etc.)
and fine vessels in clay; (on the right) ancient coins; a fine bust in
bronze and leaden rolls inscribed with curses (comp. p. 341), from
Susa; bronze utensils, trinkets, implements in bone; Punic, Roman, and
early-Christian lamps; mosaic of Virgil writing the Æneid.
The old town, an irregular quadrilateral almost unspoiled by modern
improvements, contains no buildings of outstanding importance, but its
Oriental streets are strikingly picturesque. The many-towered *_Town
Wall_, with its gallery of defence and its crowning battlements, was
erected by the Aglabides (p. 323) in 827.
From the Place Pichon we first visit the Place Bab el-Bahar (Pl. C, 2),
named after the old ‘sea-gate’, almost always enlivened by a dense and
busy throng. The main streets of this quarter are the Rue de France and
Rue Général-Logerot, between which rises the _Chief Mosque_ (Pl. C, 2),
built in the Aglabide period on a =⟙=-shaped plan (p. 376), with
forecourts like the Gâmia Ibn Tulûn at Cairo (p. 451).
In the secluded streets to the N.W. of the chief mosque, which are best
reached from the Hôtel de Ville (Pl. 3, B, C, 2; new building in course
of construction in the Ave. Mougeot, in front of the harbour) by the Rue
Général-Riu and Rue du Kasr, rises the so-called =Kasr er-Ribât= (Pl. 5,
C, 2; ‘castle-convent’), originally a Byzantine fortress, but used since
the Aglabide period as a fortified monastery (Kasr al-Morabitîn, castle
of the marabouts) for defenders of the faith against the infidels. It is
now a humble medersa (p. 228). The building, modernized in the Turkish
period, was originally square, with four round corner-towers and four at
the sides. The domed vestibule contains fragments of the Byzantine
edifice. In the interior (no admittance) there is a small mosque.
The Rue Général-Sabatier on the W. side of the chief mosque, and the Rue
de Paris, its continuation to the S., lead to the Rue el-Mar (Pl. B, 3,
4). Here, at the corner of the Rue de la Kasba (p. 369), rises a fine
_Minaret_. At the end of the street is an interesting old _Dwelling
House_, thoroughly restored in 1906, with horseshoe and multifoil
arches.
In the Rue de la Soffra (Pl. B, 3), above the Rue el-Mar, are the _Roman
Cisterns_, which have been repeatedly restored since the middle ages
(keys at the town architect’s; see p. 367).
To the W. of the Rue de Paris are the picturesque =Souks= (p. 335).
Immediately to the right, adjoining the Souk el-Rbâ (Pl. B, 3), the
vaulted lane in the middle, and at the entrance to the Rue Bin el-Kaoui,
is the _Kahwât el-Kubba_ (Pl. 4, B, 3; ‘domed café’), a small
early-Moorish building with an interesting dome, four wall-niches, and
windows partly built up.
The Souk el-Caïd, continuing the Souk el-Rbâ, ascends to the _Bâb
el-Gharbi_ (Pl. A, 3), the old Moorish W. gate.—In the Rue Dâr el-Bey,
between the Souk el-Caïd and Rue de la Kasba, is the _Dâr el-Bey_ (Pl.
1; B, 3), an old palace of the beys of Tunis, now the Contrôle Civil and
office of the caïd (driba).
The Rue de la Kasba, or from Bâb el-Gharbi the boulevard outside the
town, leads to the =Kasba= (Pl. A, B, 4; 131 ft. above the sea), the
Moorish-Turkish citadel, built partly on the foundations of a Roman
temple, now the barracks of the tirailleurs (adm. on presenting
visiting-card; a sergeant acts as guide). The ‘Salle d’Honneur’ contains
neo-Punic and Roman antiquities from the Camp Militaire (see below),
including valuable mosaics (victorious racehorses, etc.) and
early-Christian objects from the catacombs (see below). From the N.
terrace of the Kasba, or from the tower (now lighthouse; not always
open), there is a splendid *View of the town and harbour, of the Sahel,
the whole bay of Hammamet, and of the inland Tunisian hill-country as
far as Jebel Zaghouan.
From the Bâb el-Gharbi a road leads to the W. to Kalaâ-Srira (p. 366)
through the _Camp Militaire_ (Pl. A, 3, 4), whose huts stand partly on
the ancient Punic burial-grounds. About ¾ M. from the gate are remains
of a _Roman Burial Ground_; also, on a road diverging to the left a
little before, extensive early-Christian _Catacombs_ (adm. 1 fr.), 3
min. to the S. of the highroad.
FROM SUSA TO MEHDIA, 39½ M., railway in 3¼ hrs. (7 fr. 5, 5 fr. 35, 3
fr. 80 c.). The line runs, a little apart from the Sfax road (R. 59),
at first to the S.W., through the beautiful hill-country of the
_Sahel_, to (6 M.) _M’Saken_ (p. 378). 11 M. _Ouardenine_, where the
new line to Sfax (see p. 378) diverges to the S. Our line sweeps round
to the E. to (16 M.) _Djemmal_.—22 M. =Moknine= (181 ft.;
Café-Restaurant de la Gare; pop. 9000, incl. 700 Jews and 70
Europeans) is noted for its Jewish goldsmiths’ work in an antique
style like that of Djerba (p. 394). On the road to Monastir (p. 405),
3¾ M. to the N.W. of Moknine, are the ruins of the very ancient
Phœnician-Roman seaport _Leptis Minor_, now _Lamta_ or _Lempta_
(remains of the old quays, cisterns, etc.), near which is the Punic
necropolis _Henchir Meskhal_.
The train skirts the _Sebkha de Moknine_. 27½ M. _Teboulba_ (146 ft.;
pop. 2900), a small town amidst pretty orange and mandarin gardens, on
the S. shore of the _Bay of Monastir_ (p. 405). Farther to the S.E. we
come to (30 M.) _Bekalta_ (pop. 3400), a little town with the ruins of
the seaport of _Thapsus_, famed for Cæsar’s victory (p. 322; large
Roman cisterns, amphitheatre, quay of the Punic-Roman Kothon, Punic
rock-tombs).
39½ M. =Mehdia= or _Mahdia_ (66 ft.; Hôt. de France, Grand-Hôtel, both
very humble; Brit. cons. agent, G. Violante; pop. 10,000, incl. 600
Europeans), the ancient capital of Ifrikia (p. 322), founded in 916 as
_Mahedia_ by the Fatimite Obeïd Allah el-Mahdi, on the site of the
Phœnician-Roman _Zella_ (_Africa?_), is now a poor little seaport-town
with hardly a trace of its former renown. Being centrally situated on
the E. coast of Tunisia, on the narrow and once strongly fortified
headland _Râs Mehdia_, the _Cape Africa_ of earlier writers, Mehdia,
after the destruction of Kairwan (p. 372), developed into the most
prosperous town and important harbour of Tunisia, but suffered
severely from the transference of the seat of government to Tunis (p.
332). In war also it was often sorely tried. It was conquered by a
Pisan fleet in 1087, occupied by the Normans in 1148–60, and captured
by the knights of Malta in 1530, by Kheireddin’s (p. 221) former
general Dragut in 1540, and in 1550 by the Spaniards, who on their
retreat after the naval battle of Djerba (p. 394) blew up its
fortifications.
The chief sights are the picturesque ruins of the _Town Walls_ and the
_Grande Mosquée_ of the 10th cent., formerly connected with a college,
with its many arcades and a fine gateway-tower, resembling the Bâb
Lella Rejana at Kairwan (p. 375). To the S.E. of the headland are
remains of the _Kothon_, the Punic-Roman harbour, which in the middle
ages was defended by two towers. The new harbour, the centre of the
Sicilian allache (kind of sardine) fishery, lies to the S.W. of the
headland. Near the town are large _Salt Marshes_. The _Necropolis_, 2
M. to the W., with several well-preserved Punic and neo-Punic
rock-tombs, deserves a visit. About 1 M. from the town are extensive
early-Christian _Catacombs_ (adm. 1 fr.).—Off Mehdia, in an ancient
sunken ship, beautiful works of art, now at the Bardo Museum (see p.
344), have been recently discovered.
A road (carr. 15 fr.) leads to the S.W. from Mehdia viâ (8 M.)
_Ksour-Essaf_ to (26 M.) _El-Djem_ (p. 379).
In the olive-clad hill-country to the S. of Mehdia, on the road to
Sfax (p. 380), lie the ruins of the ancient seaport of _Sullectum_
(now _Salakta_), of _Acholla_ (p. 398; now _Biar el-Alia_), both with
Punic burial-grounds, and of _Uzalis_ (now _El-Alia_). Farther on,
beyond the _Râs Kapoudia_ (or _Râs Khadidja_), the ancient _Caput
Vada_, where Belisarius (p. 322) landed in 533, lies the small seaport
of =Chebba=, noted like El-Alia for its Roman mosaics. Near it are the
ruins of _Ruspae_ (now _Henchir Sbia_).
From Susa to _Kairwan_, see R. 58; to the ruins of central Tunisia and
to _Metlaoui_, see R. 58; to _El-Djem_ and _Sfax_, see R. 59.