El Jem
Tunisia · Mahdia · 115 m
Description
The amphitheatre at El Jem (الجم) seated thirty five thousand people and is the third largest the Romans built, after the Colosseum and Capua, standing almost intact in a small town on a flat olive plain with nothing else near it. That contrast is most of its effect. It went up around 238 for a city grown rich on olive oil, was never finished, and later served as a fortress and a quarry. You can walk the underground passages where animals and fighters waited, which is not possible in Rome. UNESCO listed it in 1979.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: April – May or October – November
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- El Jem amphitheatre (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Underground passages beneath the arena
- Upper tiers and the view over the olive plain
- El Jem Archaeological Museum and its mosaics
- Roman villas of the ancient Thysdrus
- El Jem International Symphonic Music Festival (approx. July - August)
- Smaller second amphitheatre outside the town
- Olive groves of the Sahel plain
Getting there
- Train stations:
- El Jem