El Jem Things to Do

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The Colosseum in El Jem is an incredible sight. It is near the size of the one in Rome and is open to explore. You can climb to it's highest point, and go undernear to the old pits. Tourists are not nearly as plentiful during the low season, so there are times that you share this huge building with only a handful of people. We spent an hour walking up and down it's stairs. I'm sure a much more informed or curious mind could do more.

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The price for the museum is included in your ticket for the Colosseum and I would recommend going to see it. Our experience there rivalled the one we had at the Bardo. The museum here does not have near the collection the Bardo has, but the mosaics they do have, as well as other exhibits make it worth the 30 minutes or more you may spend in the place. Included with the mosaics you will find an acheological site on the museum grounds as well as a very nicely recreated villa.

El Djem is famous for its amphitheatre (often incorrectly called "a colosseum"), capable of seating 35,000 spectators. Only Rome's Colosseum (about 45,000 spectators) and the ruined theatre of Capua are larger. The amphitheatre at El Djem was built by the Romans under proconsul Gordian, who was acclaimed Emperor at Thysdrus, around 238 and was probably mainly used for gladiator shows and chariot races (like in Ben-Hur). It is also possible that construction of the amphitheatre was never finished.

Until the 17th century it remained more or less whole. From then on its stones were used for building the nearby village of El Djem and transported to the Great Mosque in Kairouan, and at a tense moment during struggles with the Ottomans, the Turks used cannons to flush rebels out of the amphitheatre.

The ruins of the amphitheatre were declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

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....obviously.

You won't be alone.

Read my El Jem page to help yourself deal with the other visitors.

Crowded or not, this site is an unmissable 'must-see'......quite apart from its historical value and significance, you can rest happy in knowing you have trod where Russell Crowe trod (some of 'Gladiator' was filmed here). :-)

You'll need to pay for a photograph permit (1 dinar in 2010) as well as for entrance.

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The Amphitheatre was probably built in 238 ad under the proconsul Gordien (later proclaimed emperor in this city and then dethroned by Maximus), and used for gladiatorial fights and other shows as executions and animal huntings. It´s a huge building 138 metres long, 114 metres wide, 36 metres high and consisted of 3 stories.

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The best conserved part of the Amphithetare is the southern part of the building, you can visit the third stories of the construction and enjoy the great views of the arena and the reconstructed seating tiers.

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The best conserved part of the buiding is the facade, although is not so highly decorated as other amphitheatres much of the decoration survived the destruction, and it´s specially beautiful during the sunset, when the stones get that special golden color.