We are now right next door to Sidi Bou Said in Carthage. Carthage was founded in 814 BC by the Phoenicians. It was a thriving port and trading center in the ancient world and developed into a major Mediterranean power and a rival to Rome. It was the center of the Carthaginian Empire with its heyday in the 4th century BC. The Romans eventually captured it, destroyed it, and then rebuilt it. Carthage has thrived due to its strategic location, access to fertile land, and major maritime trade routes.

I’ll just include a few photos where I’ve tried to capture some of the ancient aspects of Carthage.

The first photo is some remains of the Zaghouan Aqueduct or the Aqueduct of Carthage. The Romans brought water to Carthage from springs over 4,200 feet in elevation and 82 miles away from Carthage. These were amongst the longest aqueducts in the Roman Empire. You can see that this was once a huge project with lots of different aqueducts.

The second photo is just a close-up to help understand just how big these aqueducts pipes were.

The Roman Carthage Amphitheater is in the third photo. It was built around the end of the first century and expanded in the third century. Winston Churchill spoke here to 10,000 British soldiers during World War II.

The fourth photo is the Punic Catacombs. Most graves were above ground but we did go into a cave to see some others. There were some pretty creative gravestones, considering their age.

I don’t know how many times we had a glass of pomegranate juice but it was frequently as it’s a very popular drink in north Africa. They were surprised to hear that we drink it at home.