Sbeitla
Tunisia · Kasserine · 550 m
Description
Sbeitla (سبيطلة), ancient Sufetula, boasts one of North Africa’s most remarkable Capitoline complexes. While Roman cities in the region usually had a single Capitoline temple, Sufetula has three temples dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, standing side by side on a single raised platform, a nearly unique arrangement that gives the complex an impressive colonnaded façade visible from the street. The city’s prosperity was based largely on the olive-oil trade. Early Christianization left several basilicas and a baptistery with a mosaic-decorated pool. Briefly the seat of a rival emperor, Sufetula fell to Arab armies in 647. Later, Byzantine forces incorporated fortifications into older buildings.
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
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- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Three capitol temples of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva
- Triumphal arch of Antoninus Pius
- Forum of Roman Sufetula and its paving
- Basilica of Bellator and the mosaic baptistery
- Byzantine forts built into the ancient town
- Sbeitla museum and the finds from the site
- Olive plain and the high steppe around the ruins
- Roman mausoleum of Flavius Secundus at Kasserine(Day trip)
- Haidra and the arch of Septimius Severus(Day trip)