Blood and Sand. The majestic amphitheater El Jem. Tunisia, Africa. El Jam

Colosseum in El Jem (Tunisia) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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One of the most visited attractions in Tunisia, the Roman amphitheater in the city of El Jem boasts a steady tourist interest for three reasons. Firstly, this is a real colosseum, with its grandeur quite capable of competing with the Roman counterpart. Secondly, in the years of glory, it was considered the third largest in the Roman Empire after the Roman one itself and the amphitheater in Capua. Finally, the El Jem Coliseum is an honorary member of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here you can feel like a gladiator in the arena, a spectator on the podium or an emperor in a box, go down to the underground rooms and inspect the chambers for gladiators and wild animals and wander through the numerous galleries, climbing higher and higher. And in July-August, you can also enjoy classical music performed by the best European orchestras.

A bit of history

The Colosseum at El Jem was built between 230 and 238. During the heyday of the Roman Empire, rebellions in the provinces, one of which was Tunisia, brought more and more concern to the authorities. Following the wise principle of "bread and circuses", African proconsul Gordian I started the construction of a grandiose lease for gladiator fights in the center of the agricultural region of Tunisia - El Jem. The Colosseum could accommodate up to 30,000 spectators, many of whom came from afar specifically to enjoy the spectacle, often bloody. The Colosseum was erected on a flat surface (and not on a hillside, as often happened in those days), for its construction, sandstone was delivered from the quarries of Salakta, 30 km from El Jem, on the coast.

The Colosseum in El Jem is the third largest in the world and the best preserved.

What to see

Acquaintance with the Colosseum in El Jem inevitably begins even at the entrance to the city - against the backdrop of one-two-story buildings in the Tunisian hinterland, its bulk literally props up the sky. All roads in El Jem, of course, lead to the amphitheater, so it is impossible to get lost here.

The entrance to the Colosseum is from its south side; from here the best view of the structure as a whole opens up, which we recommend taking advantage of holding the cameras at the ready. Entering the territory of the amphitheater, pass the foundations of its galleries and go straight to the arena measuring 138 by 114 meters. From here, the Colosseum opens in all its glory: the tiers of spectator stands, the imperial box opposite and the corridor blocked by a grate leading to underground rooms.

Pay attention to the square grate at the far end of the arena - once there was an elevator that lifted gladiators and wild animals, and figured holes - drains for blood.

Next, you should go down to the cellars of the coliseum and look into the chambers where gladiators and animals were kept, waiting for their entry into the arena, and also see a deep well - water was delivered here through a 15-kilometer underground aqueduct. Air vents overhead allowed air to circulate.

Stairs on the south side of the colosseum lead to the tiers of the second, third and fourth floors. From the top there is an excellent view of the plains of central Tunisia that go beyond the horizon.

Address, opening hours and cost of visiting

Address: El Jem, L'Amphiteatre.

Opening hours: in summer from May 1 to September 15 from 7:30 to 19:00, in winter - from 8:00 to 17:30.

Entrance - 10 TND, children under 12 years old admission is free. The ticket is also valid for the El Jem Archaeological Museum. If you have a camera at the entrance, you must also pay for the right to shoot - 1 TND. Tablets, smartphones, etc. are free of charge.

Prices on the page are for September 2018.

I was offered to go there, and before the trip I looked on the Internet, read about this amphitheater. It turned out that this is the largest amphitheater in the world after the Colosseum! And unlike the latter, it is well preserved. Many films about Ancient Rome (the same “Gladiator”) were filmed here.

We arrived in El-Jem already in the evening. We were allowed in even though ticket sales were almost over. We only had an hour, but it was enough for us to walk around the amphitheater and appreciate its size and beauty. You will have to walk a lot, so wear light and comfortable shoes (flip flops, sandals or sneakers - according to the season). We climbed to the uppermost tiers, from where simply amazing landscapes opened, both of the city of El-Jem itself and of the amphitheater itself.

A selfie against the backdrop of El Jem, which is illuminated by the setting sun, is something with something! Just do not take pictures of a nearby camel. The driver will then demand money from you.

About the history of El Jem

Once upon a time, on the site of the Arab town of El-Jem (I wrote about it), there was the ancient city of Tizdr. Under him, the amphitheater was built. It was erected by the proconsul Gordian “in the image and likeness” of the Colosseum and could accommodate up to 30,000 people. It was built from large blocks of sandstone.

It was used very little for its intended purpose. Mostly gladiator fights or chariot races were held there. This is due to the political events that were then taking place in the Roman Empire. Gordian, who was the proconsul of Carthage, decided to become emperor himself and raised a rebellion against the then emperor Maximilian. His attempt failed, and with his fall, the popularity of the amphitheater fell.

Until the 7th century, the amphitheater stood intact. Then the Arabs who came to these lands began to use sandstone stones from the amphitheater for the construction of the Great Mosque of Kairouan and for the new city - El-Jem.

Now this huge building literally feeds the inhabitants of the city of El-Jem itself. It attracts both foreigners and local travelers, which brings in money. They also hold various performances here, as the acoustics are just class! When we were there, there was a choir of schoolchildren who were rehearsing there.

What to see

Walk through the stands and imagine how a huge crowd is shouting at the fighting gladiators in the arena. It's like living history! Note the far end of the amphitheater. There is a square grate where an elevator was placed for descending gladiators or animals. Figured holes are drains for blood. The Romans provided for everything in the construction of their amphitheatres.

If you climb to the very top of the stands, then from there a magnificent view of the whole city opens up!

Below are rooms where there were animals and gladiators. On the outer walls of the amphitheater, frescoes depicting animals, etc., have been preserved.

Next to it there are toilets, a kiosk.

Opening hours and ticket price

• from September 16 to June 17 - 07:30–17:30;
• from June 18 to July 17 - 08:00–17:00;
• from July 18 to September 15 - 07:30–18:30.

A ticket costs 5 EUR (this price includes a visit to the Villa of Africa, a museum in the city, which displays exhibits found during excavations in Tunisia. About the museum in detail).

How to get there

When you arrive in the city, you will immediately see the majestic building of the amphitheater. Finding him is easy. Nearby are numerous souvenir shops. The entrance is on the south side. After passing the ticket office, you can immediately go to the amphitheater itself.

It is best to go with special excursions organized by travel companies. Then a guide will be with you, who will tell you about its history and features at the same time.

The amphitheater is also available for individual visits. How to do this is written in my article on .

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The amphitheater hosts the International Symphony Music Festival. Good musicians from all over the world come there, and thanks to excellent acoustics, the sound spreads throughout the amphitheater. The cost of visiting is from 10 to 20 EUR. It goes for three days. Every day starts at 21:00. You can listen to excellent performance of both classical music and jazz or blues compositions.

- an outstanding monument of antiquity, located in North Africa, in the fabulous country of Tunisia with an amazing culture and rich ancient history. The amphitheater in El Jem is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. After Capua and the Roman Colosseum, this is the third largest amphitheater, which could simultaneously accommodate more than thirty thousand spectators. The amphitheater was designed for gladiator fights and chariot contests. Its construction was started by Marcus Aurelius Gordian, who, being the proconsul of an African province, declared himself an independent emperor, but after 36 days the uprising was crushed, and the construction of the amphitheater was suspended.

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The amphitheater was built in 238. For its construction, giant blocks were cut out in the quarries, after which they were hewn and taken to the site of the future amphitheater. The surface of carefully laid slabs was faced with marble. The Tunisian amphitheater had an oval shape and three floors above ground. Its length was 149 meters, and its width was 24 meters. Rows of stone steps-seats rose to a height of 36 meters. Above the eastern entrance was the imperial box, under the arena there was a whole underground city with closets for gladiators, prisoners, slaves, as well as cages with predators. The bodies of the fighters killed in the arena were put into a spolinarium located next to the animal cages. The smell of fresh blood inflamed the animals even more. When the audience was fed up with gladiator fights and fights with lions, unarmed prisoners, slaves, Christians were released into the arena and fed them to hungry furious predators to the joyful cries of the audience.

There is a legend that the famous El Cahen warrior spent her last days in the famous amphitheater. The Berber princess led an uprising against the Aglobite dynasty. Through underground passages, through which even a laden elephant could pass, help was received by the besieged soldiers. They say that somewhere here, in underground caves, the untold riches of El Cahena are hidden. By the way, for a long time the amphitheater remained practically untouched. And only in the 17th century it was subjected to cannon fire in order to break the resistance of the Berber warriors who had taken refuge behind impregnable walls. Later, the stone blocks of the amphitheater went to the construction of the Great Cathedral Mosque, located 60 km from El-Jem.
Today, part of the arena is specially adapted for regular classical music concerts here, the rest of this unique place is open to numerous tourists. Here they can wander through underground tunnels, stand in the arena of the amphitheater or sit on the very top row of stands to hear the slightest sound coming from the stage thanks to the excellent acoustics. By the way, according to the assumption of archaeologists, other buildings of the Roman era are located next to the amphitheater. True, all of them are still reliably covered with a thick layer of sand.

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Witness of Roman rule is a huge amphitheater in the city of El-Jem (when Tidr). It is called the third and even the second largest Colosseum (although the Colosseum is only in Rome the Colosseum). However, if you think about it, the arena, built in 238, could accommodate more than 30,000 spectators. Unlike the Roman amphitheater, the amphitheater in El Jem is not squeezed by urban development. The desert plain and mostly one-story houses only emphasize the grandeur of the structure.

The order for the construction of the amphitheater was issued by the ruler Mark Antony Gordian. Construction continued for over 40 years. The height of the arches reaches 36 meters, the diameter of the arena is 122 meters.

Marble and mosaics were faced with hewn stone. Neither one nor the other is practically gone, because in recent centuries the Colosseum has served as a building material for local residents.

The stone terraces could accommodate more than 30,000 spectators. (In the stands of the NSC "Olympiysky" can accommodate 2.5 times more people). Above the eastern entrance was the imperial box. Below the arena are underground rooms where animals and gladiators lived (by the way, the famous Hollywood blockbuster was filmed in El Jem). Nearby was a spolinarium - a room where the bodies of dead soldiers were piled up. During long “performances”, rivers of blood flowed through the grates from the arena into the dungeon, which inflamed wild animals even more.

The Romans adopted gladiator fights from the Etruscans, who used the games as a commemoration with sacrifices. The weak perished, the strong lived. As an official public spectacle, games continued from 105 BC. E. e. and up to 400 AD.

Around the amphitheater are countless antique shops. They had parked sheep. Residents of El Jem are accustomed to tourists and try to simply ignore them (except for merchants, of course). The streets of the city perfectly illustrate the film "The Diamond Arm".

How much does it cost to visit El Jem

The cost of admission to the El Jem amphitheater, open in summer from 7:30 to 09:00 and from 8:00 to 17:30 in winter, is 10 Tunisian dollars. An additional $ 1 is paid for the right to shoot, and for 20 you can buy a wonderful film about this interesting place.

Where to stay

The nearest hotels to El Jem are located in the resort town of Mahdia, the road from which takes about 30 minutes.

How to get to El Jem

There are several options with which you can get to the pearl of Tunisia:

1. By rail from the cities of Sousse and Hammamet. In the first case, belit will cost 4.5 Tunisian dollars, in the second - seven.
2. By taxi. The costs in this case will be somewhat more modest. A trip from Mehdia will cost 2 Tunisian dollars, from Monastir - 3, and from Sousse - 3.5.
3. In a rented car. Relatively expensive and not safe.

The nearest airport is located in the capital of Tunisia, the city of Tunis. Air tickets to Tunisia can be purchased

On the Mediterranean coast with an unforgettable aroma of jasmine, warm sea and amazing beaches, there is a fabulous country - Tunisia.

But, it would be wrong to think that people go to Tunisia only to lie on the golden sand and taste freshly caught fish. This is a country with an extraordinary culture and ancient history.

Once upon a time, the El-Jem amphitheater accommodated more than 300 thousand spectators, which is more than the entire population of the city. It was the third largest building after Capua and the Roman amphitheaters.

Around the amphitheater of El Jema, a huge bazaar was seething, flourishing thanks to the sale of olive oil.

Today it is also full of people, but these are already crowds of tourists, and the stalls are littered mainly with souvenirs.

The amphitheater was built exclusively for chariot races and gladiator fights. By the way, the film with Russell Crowe "Gladiator" was filmed in the amphitheater El - Jem.

The Tunisian Colosseum was built around 238 AD. e. and until the 7th century. remained almost untouched. Later, it was gradually dismantled for the construction of the Grand Mosque in Kairouan, and in the 19th century. The amphitheater suffered even more from shelling.

The construction of the amphitheater was begun by the proconsul of the province of Africa - Marcus Aurelius Gordian. Later, he declared himself an independent emperor, but his independence lasted only 36 days, and the construction of the amphitheater was stopped due to an uprising that was brutally suppressed by the Roman army.

The amphitheater was oval in shape with three floors above ground. Inside there was a covered staircase, which could be used to climb to any spectator floor. Under the Tunisian Colosseum is an underground city with two passages. There were animals in cages, there were closets for gladiators, slaves - everyone was waiting in the wings to enter the stage for bloody fights.

The size of the amphitheater is amazing even now. Its length is 148 m, width - 122 m and 36 m - height.

If you climb to the very top of the visual range, you can hear what wonderful acoustics here - you can hear any rustle coming from the stage here.

Today, the El Jema Amphitheater is under the protection of UNESCO as a cultural heritage site.

There is a legend that the African warrior El Cahena spent her last days in the famous amphitheater. She is also called the Berber princess, as she led the Berber resistance against the Aglobite dynasty. Help to the besieged building came from Mahdia through underground passages. According to legend, these passages are so large that a laden elephant can easily pass through them.

Locals believe that somewhere in the underground tunnels, the innumerable treasures of the Berber princess are hidden.

It is also believed that the bricks of the amphitheater are charmed from scorpions, and therefore everyone who visits here tries to take a small pebble with him to protect his house from snakes.

Archaeologists think that there are more buildings dating from the Roman era next to the amphitheater, but so far they are all covered with a thick layer of sand.

It is best to visit the El Jem amphitheater in the afternoon to see how at sunset the sun illuminates every stone of this unique place.

You can get to the amphitheater by taxi (luage), bus or train from the cities of Sousse, Kairouan or Sfax.