The Journey Continues: Monastir-El Jem-Gabes
Strictly speaking, El Jem isn’t a desert town, but as we step off the louage from Monastir and squint through the haze, it bears all the hallmarks of one. We arrive in a dust storm – or maybe a sand storm – which makes the whole town shimmer in the heat and minarets and palm trees drift in and out of sight. Flags whip and crack in the stiff wind, the sun is clogged and filtered by the sand which is so concentrated that it’s a bit like looking into a fog.
Our glasses and sunglasses are quickly covered in a film of dust, layers of sand particles have coated every parked car and shopkeepers are kept busy brushing the sand off their displays. Market stall holders drape tarpaulins over fresh food, then tie them down with string as their only defence against the hot wind which blasts down every street. The air feels hot and dry yet we’re breaking sweat, our mouths fill with dust as we inhale the storm on every breath. It sure as hell feels like a desert town!
El Jem has parallels with places we’ve seen before on our travels – a small town dominated by one fabulous iconic sight, which in El Jem’s case is the majestic Roman amphitheatre, so wonderful that it is nicknamed the Colosseum of Africa. Indeed, the remains of this particular amphitheatre are more intact than those of its more famous counterpart in Rome.
Although the El Jem is a smaller amphitheatre than Rome, it is still a mightily impressive place, made even more enthralling by its position in the centre of this modest town. Constructed during the 3rd century, the African version provided all of the same bloodthirsty sports to its estimated 30,000 capacity as well as theatrical and musical entertainment.
Climbing its steep sides now and taking a seat in the sweeping elliptical arena is not only very reminiscent of the first time you wander into Rome’s Colosseum, but is also uncannily familiar to anyone like me who has spent a lifetime watching live sports in modern stadia.
Just how much remains of this amphitheatre is remarkable, so much of it still intact after almost 2,000 years, so it’s even more fascinating to learn that most of what is missing was destroyed intentionally. When the Ottomans realised that the Berbers were taking refuge inside the relic and using it as a hiding place, they simply blew part of the wall away to flush them out.
Our ticket to enter the amphitheatre includes access to El Jem’s museum, which turns out to be an unexpected gem (pun intended), housing the most astonishing collection of Roman mosaics we’ve seen anywhere. When excavating the remains of the Roman city of Thysdrus on which El Jem now lies, archeologists uncovered extensive areas of mosaic flooring, for which the shifting desert sands had provided the perfect protective cover through the centuries.
Many of the mosaics were painstakingly lifted from position, then pieced back together vertically on the walls of the museum. The result is a fabulous and comprehensive display full of meaningful intricate detail stretching through several display rooms throughout the building. Behind the museum lie the remains of villas and baths in customary Roman city layout, some featuring those floor mosaics which have been purposefully left in situ rather than mounted in the museum. It’s all rather good!
As our short stay in El Jem unfolds the dust storm subsides but the warm winds remain, the sun now golden rather than the pale ball it became when hidden by clouds of sand. Whereas the sand storm sunset is an insipid non-event, the second night brings a warm and deep orange glow across the skyline.
In terms of attractions, there isn’t much to see in El Jem, but that which is here is absolutely well worth the diversion.
Probably because we’re used to paying such outrageous rail fares at home, we’re still amazed when we come to pay for train tickets abroad: the 3-and-a-half-hour journey from El Jem to Gabes sets us back about £7 for the two of us, in first class. The scenery as we travel would probably not win any awards. Once out of El Jem, we are soon passing a huge flat plain filled with millions of olive trees, after which we go through a huge flat plain filled with millions of olive trees. Eventually we start to catch glimpses of the Mediterranean, but its glinting blue surface is some distance the other side of a huge flat plain filled with millions of….yeah you get the drift.
Approaching the city, the train rumbles past the cement works, oil refineries and chemical plants which help to make Gabes one of Tunisia’s main industrial centres and the country’s sixth largest conurbation. For us, Gabes is a one night stand, simply a convenient point from which to collect a rental car and continue our adventure.
With limited time here we take a single stroll around the city centre, where there seems to be clues that Gabes is relatively prosperous. We suppose that an industrial city such as this won’t have suffered as much through the dearth of tourism over the last couple of years and maybe employment is still reasonably reliable.
Looping back from the city centre round towards the seafront, we arrive at the city’s fishing port where we find very real evidence of thriving industry: this is one serious fishery. From small craft to hulking trawlers the fleet fills the creek-like harbour, mounds of fishing nets sit dockside, the sound of refrigerated trucks ready to hit the road and feed the nation fills the air, while more trucks sit in silence ready for the next incoming haul. Now and again a crew is busy unravelling a net and extracting today’s catch.
Large seagulls and fat cats scavenge the plentiful waste, discarded crab shells crunch under the wheels of departing trucks. One crew smile and pose as Michaela steals a photograph, grinning as they toss the lifeless fish into a plastic tub. This is indeed no mean port: the Gulf Of Gabes is responsible for over 50% of Tunisia’s fish production, hauling in over 50,000 tonnes of fish per annum. It occurs to us that maybe we should eat one.
Just a hundred metres or so up from the harbour entrance is the aptly named Restaurant Fruits de Mer – interior and outdoor dining on one side of the road, fresh fish cooking over charcoals on the other. We’re still swooning over the aroma of the grilled fish when we’re swamped by the smell of seafood pasta which is filling the air around the restaurant steps.
But it’s got to be the grilled fish, straight from boat to charcoal to plate, and it doesn’t disappoint, it’s just fabulous. So is the soup laced with harissa, the mix of leaves and garlic which we’ve forgotten the name of, and so is even the rice so perfectly cooked and soaked in spicy red sauce. The meal is fabulous. The bill is less than ten quid, for two of us.
In nine days time we will be back in Gabes for another one night stand when we return the rental car. There isn’t the slightest doubt where we’ll be eating that night.
19 Comments
Lookoom
Great story and photography. I regret not visiting the El Jem museum, these mosaics mounted on the walls are a great way to fully appreciate them.
Phil & Michaela
We had no idea how good it was going to be
Terrie
Love mosaics and we muse why they stopped- truly one of the glories of Roman art. Gorgeous. Glad too you are reporting on the fish! What’s your housing been like and have you done it online first or still just see what you can find?
Phil & Michaela
Those mosaics were really amazing, Terrie. We’re booking on line a couple of steps ahead as we move – since COVID that’s what we’ve tended to do simply because not everywhere is open which makes “bowling up” slightly less viable.
wetanddustyroads
If you say El Jem ‘feels’ like a desert town, well, I can say it certainly LOOKS like a desert town! Lovely views of the Colosseum of Africa and what beautiful mosaics. That fish dish at the end of your post looks delicious … no better dish to try than this one next to the ocean (where you know it’s as fresh as can be)!
Toonsarah
I remember being awed by the colosseum in El Jem, in some ways more than the Roman equivalent – I think because we were just about the only people there! But we didn’t see the museum – maybe it wasn’t there back then, or maybe because we stopped here only for a short while on our way south on a tour. The sand storm looks amazing. I might have been too worried about the effect on my camera to take photos! And the fish dinner sounds wonderful too.
As always looking forward to seeing where you go next!
Phil & Michaela
It felt quite stirring to arrive during the sand storm though – kind of added to the ambience. Those mosaics were just beautiful.
Heyjude
You are certainly exploring Tunisia! If only rail prices (and eating out prices) were like those there. £5 wouldn’t even buy you a decent burger here let alone fish and chips and soup! Unless you are fond of a Big Mac!
Phil & Michaela
We’re not, as you would probably guess! In fact I think that one of life’s great mysteries for me is that people like McDonalds and keep going back for more. Give me a nice camel tagine any time!
grandmisadventures
I love that Colosseum! I can’t believe the detail in it and how much have it has stayed intact- it is just incredible!
Phil & Michaela
It’s great to see, particularly in that modest location. The mosaics were wonderful too.
WanderingCanadians
Walking around in a sand storm does not sound fun. Glad to see that you had bright blue skies when you visited El Jem Colosseum. The ruins and mosaics look very impressive.
Annie Berger
Tunisia was never on our radar before you began posting – just what we ‘needed’, another country to add to our travel wish list when we’re trying to whittle the list down! Seriously though, the country is just our cup of tea and now one we’d love to also see. Never heard of El Jem before so was intrigued by its Roman colosseum and the stunning mosaics. Thanks for expanding my knowledge of the Arab world.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Annie, it’s always good to provide ideas!
leightontravels
I bet that poor camel really does hate every second of its job. It is amazing that some of the best preserved Roman monuments are in Africa and France, in what was effectively the periphery of their empire. El Jim Colosseum not only looks amazing, but seems like a wonderful place to have a wander and explore without the dreaded crowds. Which would’ve never been the case in Rome. We visited a similar mosaic museum in Istanbul with gorgeous Roman floor mosaics. This one looks even better. Glad you survived the sand storm unscathed.
Phil & Michaela
The far flung nature of Roman ruins is such thorough evidence of just how extensive the empire was. It’s incredible when you study a map of the Roman Empire at its strongest.
giacomoasinello
“I hate my bloody job!” Love it!
Christie
It is impressive how far the Roman Empire extended its borders, and nice to see some buildings like this colosseum is still standing up. Glad you have survived the sand storm, the pics are giving a special feeling.
Nothing better than a fresh fish on the grill, for sure. We’ve just started our fishing season this past weekend, and fresh fish was on our table too😀
Phil & Michaela
Yes it is, it’s always amazing to study just how far reaching the Empire was. Love eating fresh fish right by a fishing harbour, somehow feels even better when you’re sitting close to the fishing fleet! Thank you for commenting, we always so love to get feedback.