El Djem
El Djem is a town in the Sahel whose Roman amphitheatre, built at Thysdrus, is one of the best preserved in the world and could hold up to 35,000 spectators. UNESCO inscribed it in 1979. The gladiators and animals waited in underground chambers beneath the arena.
- Time on our journeys
- Half a day
- Region
- The Sahel
- UNESCO World Heritage
- Inscribed in 1979 as the Amphitheatre of El Jem.
- On our journeys
- Five of our six private journeys
Visiting El Djem
El Djem was the Roman city of Thysdrus, in the province of Africa Proconsularis, and a significant centre of olive oil production, which was a major export of the Roman Empire. Our guide to Tunisia suggests that the wealth from that industry probably paid for the amphitheatre.
The amphitheatre is one of the largest and best preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world, often compared with the Colosseum in Rome. It could hold up to 35,000 spectators. It has kept most of its architectural components without alteration: a well preserved facade, the seating, and the subterranean chambers where animals and gladiators were held before contests. It staged gladiatorial contests, animal hunts and public spectacles, and today it occasionally hosts concerts, including the El Djem symphonic music festival.
The El Jem Archaeological Museum is a one kilometre walk south of the amphitheatre. It holds Roman mosaics, many of them intricately detailed and well preserved, along with terra cotta pots, coins and oil lamps unearthed from the archaeological site that spreads behind the museum.
Our sheets call the amphitheatre the best preserved Roman coliseum in the world. On the seven, eight, ten and twelve day journeys, the archaeological journey and the Students Fun Tour it is a stop between the south and the coast: on the road to Sousse, or, on the twelve day journey, the first visit of the day that goes on to Matmata and Djerba. El Djem also lies inside the path of totality of the total solar eclipse of 2 August 2027.
What to see
- The amphitheatre
- The subterranean chambers beneath the arena
- The El Jem Archaeological Museum and its mosaics
- The El Djem symphonic music festival, held in the amphitheatre
Journeys that include El Djem
Six of our seven journeys visit El Djem. The day by day, the hotels and the price are on each journey's own page.
- Carthage, Kairouan and the Coast7 days, 6 nights. Reached on day 4.$1,950 a person, double occupancy
- From Carthage to Kairouan7 days, 6 nights. Reached on day 5.$2,190 a person, double occupancy
- The Splendors of Tunisia8 days, 7 nights. Reached on day 6.$2,190 a person, double occupancy
- Tunisia's Marvels10 days, 9 nights. Reached on day 8.$2,550 a person, double occupancy
- Tunisia's Mediterranean Treasures12 days, 11 nights. Reached on day 9.$3,690 a person, double occupancy
- Students Fun Tour7 days, 6 nights. Reached on day 4.Group programme
Along the way in the Sahel
The olive coast: Sousse, Monastir, and the best preserved Roman amphitheatre in the world.
Start with El Djem.
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