El Djem

El Djem is the Arabic name of the ancient Roman city Tisdrus. This ancient city is located in central Tunis, halfway between the cities of Susa and Sfax.

El Djem was built by the Romans and probably was one of the main centers of gladiatorial contests at the time.

The place is a very attractive destination because here is the second largest coliseum in the world.

Diameter size in the oval building is 138 meters, and in smaller parts, it reaches 114 meters. In the past, this spectacular arena for gladiator fights could accommodate nearly 30, 000 spectators. Its impressive building was built on the Sahel plane around and is dotted with many small and cute houses.

It was built by proconsul Gordian around 238AD and now this place is the scene of the annual summer music festival of symphonic music. Every year they guest-host European orchestras, but Arab rhythms are not ignored in this musical event. It is assumed that construction of the amphitheater was not completely finished.

El Djem has been famous in the past as a major agricultural area with wide spread production of oil and wheat. Because of this fact in the 2nd century it became a prosperous hub for the export of olive oil .

Following the discovery of the Roman Coliseum El Djem becomes a charming place for connoisseurs of ancient monuments from around the world. Furthermore tourists here can enjoy the impressive Roman mosaics, which are exposed in a special museum.