Sbeitla – Some of the Best Roman Ruins in Tunisia
Tucked away in central Tunisia, far from the bustle of coastal cities, lies one of North Africa’s most underappreciated archaeological gems: Sbeitla. If you’re a history lover, architecture enthusiast, or just someone who enjoys wandering through the echoes of ancient civilizations, Sbeitla should be on your travel radar.
Walking through Sbeitla feels like discovering a forgotten world. Here, you’ll see a vast landscape of ancient ruins, and also some of the best preserved roman monuments. There’s the Forum with its three impressively tall temples, the Arch of Diocletian, and the beautiful intact mosaics located near the former Basillica of St Vitalis.
But visiting here does come at the cost of distance. This was the farthest site that we visited in Tunisia, taking three different buses to reach the city, and then an additional 1km walk from the station to the site entrance. It took us half the day. It’s remoteness has a plus side as we were some of the only visitors that day and had the whole place to ourselves. And getting to here you’ll pass miles of olive fields and natural scenery. On a side note: the remoteness also helped in the ancient times as the stones were not quarried away for use in other buildings and that’s why it’s so well preserved.
The best time to visit here is in the early morning when things are cooler. It also makes leaving city easier as there’s more options to the next city before the end of the day. This is a large site and you’ll be walking around for an hour or so, so bring water and sunscreen. Since we were coming from another city, we only arrived in the late afternoon near 4pm and got to walk around from 5pm-6:30pm (7pm close in summer). The early May weather was still nice – almost perfect – and so it wasn’t too hot, nor too cold. Summer is a different story. Overall, many of the guide books suggest that you should just rent a car, which would facilitate a few things. You could even hire a guide to take you.
There is a small 12 dinar entrance fee located at the museum across the highway. This is a good place to enjoy the air conditioning for a minute. You may want to consider a hat for the sun, or even rain gear in the winter time.
If you are not able to find transport out of the city, then you’ll have to stay overnight. A good budget option is Hotel de la Jeunesse that is 100m from the louage station. There’s a nice bakery next door and some food options close by.
There are some security concerns about the area so don’t dismiss the warnings of traveling to this governate. Locals authorities will likely take extra precaution and ask you where you’re traveling to and when you plan to leave. While the city is safe, there seems to be the concern of people traveling into the mountainous region nearby which does host radial Islamic presence. It’s best to work with any security there and make your trip details known with others before you go. We were stopped there and followed by someone who worked for the local police there – who lead us to the hotel, and watched as we made our way to the louage station. They did seem like they wanted to keep us safe.
While some of the site, like the Church of St Servus (above) are only a few pillars, other spots are full of preserved detail like the Arch of Antonius Pius (below). This dates back to 138-61AD.
And within the arch is the main Forum, which holds three temples dedicated to Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva. This is the main highlight of the site and provides for the most scenic photos.
One can take the time to sit in the courtyard and admire the impressive size of the buildings. You’re also allowed to get up close and see how tall the columns are.
One plus of the afternoon visit is that you will get beautiful lighting. The sun behind the monuments is ideal for making sunrays on the lens.
You could imagine back in the day when this city was at its prime. There would have been complete storied buildings, running water to the fountains, a cold and hot bath area, and even an amphitheater for the local plays and shows.
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We had visited the ruins of Carthage on our first day to Tunisia, which are impressive, but require a little more imagination to grasp the importance of the city, and to get a visual of what the city was like. Sbeitla, however, was 10x more impressive and made the detour to the site worth it.
If or when we take another trip to Tunisia, we’ll likely go to Dougga, which is considered the best preserved Roman small town in North Africa, or Thuburbo Majus. Both are supposed to be impressive in their own right.
Be sure to check out the small detail where you can.
Location:
Subaytilah – also called Sbeitla – is located to the west of most cities. Therefore it is necessary to get to a smaller connection city like Sidi Bou Said or Kairouan first and then take a louage that can stop there. We took a bus from Gabes to Gafsa, and then a small louage to Sidi Bou Said, and then a last 30 minute louage to Sbeitla. If you are at any louage station, someone will help guide you using what they think is the fastest way to get there.
Once you get to Sbeitla, it is a small town with the roman sites about 1km from the main station. You could take a taxi and that would save time. The walk is safe on the main streets. The entrance to the historic site is directly across the main museum and here is where you’ll find the ticket entrance. We were lucky in that the security office held onto our bags while we walked around the huge ruins. Thanks to that security officer and the staff at the museum!
Since we arrived late, we missed all louages that were going to other cities and had to spend the night. The next morning we were able to pay for a louage that went to Sousse. Along the way they drop you off at Kairouan, as there’s nothing direct.
Note that you want to get here early in the day because it’s harder to find public transportation back to the main cities in the late afternoon. We had to stay overnight in the city until the next morning when there was shared mini vans leaving, although it does take a little while to get them filled.
More Posts Here:
Our Exact Trip and Itinerary: Two Weeks in Tunisia
Explore the whole country: Your Travel Guide to Tunisia
Explore the South of Tunisia: A Visit to the Sahara and Dahar region.