Amphitheatre of El Jem

The amphitheatre at El Jem, Tunisia, is the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in the world and possibly the best-preserved. The Colosseum in Rome and the Capua amphitheatre are larger; El Jem is better intact. Three of its four storeys still stand, the underground passages where gladiators and animals were held are accessible, and the whole thing rises unexpectedly from the flat agricultural plain of central Tunisia in a way that produces a specific visual shock.

The Amphitheatre

Built in 238 CE during the brief reign of the local governor Gordian I (who used his vast olive oil wealth to construct it before being defeated in a civil war), the structure held approximately 35,000 spectators in a city whose population was nothing like that number. Its construction was a statement of ambition that outlasted the man who built it.

Entry covers the arena floor, the upper tiers, and the underground hypogeum: the labyrinthine passages below the arena floor where animals and gladiators were held before being raised through trapdoors. The hypogeum is the best-preserved aspect of El Jem relative to comparable sites. Explore it slowly; the logic of the staging system becomes clear as you move through the passages.

The adjacent Archaeological Museum has excellent Roman mosaics excavated from the surrounding area, giving context for the prosperity of ancient Thysdrus (the Roman city on this site). The olive oil trade made the region wealthy enough to fund this building.

Getting There

El Jem is 215 kilometres south of Tunis. Direct trains run from Tunis; journey 3 to 4 hours. Buses are also available. The town is small enough to walk from the train station to the amphitheatre.

Most visitors do El Jem as a day trip from Sfax (50 km) or as a stop on a route between Tunis and Sousse or Sfax. Spending a night gives you the amphitheatre at dawn before tourists arrive, which is a substantially different experience from midday.

Practical Notes

July and August are extremely hot across central Tunisia; the open stone amphitheatre amplifies the heat. April through June and September through October are the better months. The annual International Festival of Symphonic Music takes place in the amphitheatre in July and August; world-class performances in a genuinely historic venue, book in advance.