Columns
by Randi Grace Nilsberg
Title
Columns
Artist
Randi Grace Nilsberg
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
El Jem is a small town in the east of Tunis, Tunisia that holds the remains of a UNESCO World Heritage listed Roman amphitheater.
Remains of the Roman amphitheater at El Jem.
Understand
El Jem was formerly the Roman town of Thysdrus, one of the most important towns in North Africa after Carthage (now to be found in the suburbs of modern Tunis). The amphitheater was built around the middle of the third century AD and was thought to house up to 35,000 spectators.
Having fallen into some state of disrepair, its blocks being used for building the surrounding town and also contributing to the Great Mosque in Kairouan, the amphitheatre was declared a World Heritage site in 1979. More recently it has been used for filming some of the scenes from the Oscar winning film Gladiator.
It is worth mentioning that the site features one of the cleanest public bathrooms in Tunisia, located about 150 meters to the right of the entrance.
Get in
El Jem is more or less equidistant from Sousse and Sfax, lying just off the main road that links those two towns.
By train - A return ticket from Sfax should be around 10 Dinar, and take aprox. 45 minutes. You can just see the top of the collesseum from the train station.
By car - head south from Sousse (north from Sfax) for about 1 hour; the amphitheater is clearly visible as you approach the town and the turn off well signed.
By taxi - one of the most expensive options, this gives you the most flexibility. Either arrange a time for your driver to return or ask him to wait for you. Arrange a price before setting out, and expect to pay 50 Dinar or higher for a return from Sousse or Sfax.
El Jem, Tunisia. This is where the movie Gladiator was filmed.
Uploaded
April 6th, 2013
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Viewed 7,436 Times - Last Visitor from Beverly Hills, CA on 03/28/2024 at 9:51 AM
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Comments (35)
Hartmut Jager
Most striking photo in that it evokes the reality, the myth and legend of long since vanished mighty empires...
SophiaArt Gallery
This is a wonderful shot, Randi! I love the shades and shadows, the perspective, and the sense of history that it conveys! v/f
JOHN TELFER
Randi, Excellent capture of these amazing columns and their stone pillars. Great angle of this shot capturing the roman architecture in the archway and the great depth that this photo has as you are led around the hallway and looking up at the tremendous ceiling. Interesting write up about the movie Gladiator being filmed here also. Excellent photo, fav, voted, google and tweet promoted for CFC 3 link promo thread
Randi Grace Nilsberg replied:
Thank you very, very much, John for all your support. It means a lot to me!