The marvelous Amphitheater of El Jem, found in Tunisia, quite resembles the world renowned ancient Roman arenas that would accommodate thousands of spectators to watch fights that so often ended in death.
Located in a plain in the centre of Tunisia, this amphitheater is built entirely of stone blocks, with no foundations and free-standing. In this respect it is modeled on the Coliseum of Rome without being an exact copy of the Flavian construction.
El Jem covers an area of 148 metres and small axis 122 metres, and can carry up to 35,000 spectators, making it without a doubt among the world’s largest amphitheaters.
It is one of Tunisia’s best conserved ancient structures.
Its facade comprises three levels of arcades of Corinthian or composite style. Inside, the monument has conserved most of the supporting infrastructure for the tiered seating. The wall of the podium, the arena and the underground passages are practically intact. This architectural and artistic creation built around 238 AD, constitutes an important milestone in the comprehension of the history of Roman Africa. The Amphitheatre of El Jem also bears witness to the prosperity of the small city of Thysdrus (current El Jem) at the time of the Roman Empire.
The Amphitheater of El Jem is one of the rare monuments of its kind and unique in Africa. It is one of the most accomplished examples of Roman architecture of an amphitheater, almost equal to that of the Coliseum of Rome.
The Amphitheater of El Jem is protected by the Law 35-1994 concerning the protection of archaeological and historic heritage and of traditional arts, and by a Decree that limits the height of the buildings to 5 metres over an area of 300 metres from the centre of the amphitheatre. The Heritage Code provides for the right to examine all intervention around the monument (controlled zone) while the development plan of the town of El Jem defines specific areas around the monument, archaeological and controlled zones and vision cones to preserve the urban perspectives.
For anyone touring Tunisia, a visit to the Amphitheater of El Jem would be of great interest.
It is listed as one of the World heritage sites in Africa by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
