Sbeitla

[expedition_retirement]

On our long transfer day from Tozeur to Kairouan we stopped for lunch in Sbeitla before visiting the archeological site there. This was once the site of the Roman city of Sufetula. This was once a very large city during the Roman and Byzantine period. Today, only about 10% of the ancient city have been excavated, which was a startling fact to learn given how big the site is.

One of the first things we saw was an ancient olive mill constructed by the Byzantines right in the middle of an older Roman street.

We also visited the ruins of the Roman baths, where we could get a good view of how the hypocaust was built to heat the spaces.

From there we walked through the forum to take in the temples of the Capitol. These temples were dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, as was typical of the Capitol of an ancient Roman city.

Finally, we visited the ruins of an early Christian church, with a beautifully mosaiced baptistry. It was also interesting to see a Roman fountain that was buried under the floor of the later constructed church.

Tunisia has submitted this site for consideration as a UNESCO World Heritage site, but that request has not yet been approved, and the site is not yet listed on the World Heritage list.