Roman Archaeological Tour: Uthina, Zaghouan Aqueduct & Thuburbo Majus

The backed-up site extends over a hundred hectares. It is 'capitonée' of imposing buildings going back to the Roman time and currently in the course of clearing and consolidation. These are the capitol, the largest in Africa, arranged on three levels; Two groups of very high capacity tanks; Large public baths and small private baths; The remains of patrician residences, an amphitheater with an initial capacity of more than 10,000 spectators.

Built at the beginning of the 2nd century AD, the Zaghouan aqueduct testifies to the Romans' mastery of water supply techniques. It crosses a rugged landscape. Sometimes flush with the ground, sometimes underground, the pipeline is, on two portions, raised by arcades sometimes reaching more than 20 meters in height. Its flow has been estimated at around thirty million liters per day.
Most of the water was stored in the gigantic vaulted reservoirs visible at Maalga, at the entrance to Carthage, before supplying the Baths of Antonine.

At the site of ancient Ziqua, of which only a triumphal door remains, Zaghouan is a town with steep streets cut off by small squares offering views of the plain. The city, which has about 16,000 inhabitants, is known for its roses, especially the rose hips, which were cultivated by Andalusian Muslims driven from Spain in the 17th century during the Reconquista.
A region renowned for its sources (elders), Zaghouan, attracts both Tunisians and tourists from the Arab world for its hammams.

However, it is its magnificent remains from the Roman era that make it one of the most beautiful archaeological sites in Tunisia.
Its Capitol - the most important temple in Roman cities - is one of the best-preserved in Tunisia.
Six elegant Corinthian columns formed the facade. Four are still intact and overlook a wide staircase overlooking the Forum.
One of the original features of Thuburbo Majus was that it had two bathing establishments: one for winter and the other for summer. The summer thermal baths were completed by a sports field, surrounded by a beautiful covered gallery, called Palestre des Petronii after the Roman family who had built the monument.
Another peculiarity of the site is that it has preserved vestiges reminiscent of its pre-Roman past as “temple of Caelestis” or the “temple of Baalat”.