| Kerkouane | |
 | |
| State | Tunisia |
|---|---|
| Region | Northern Tunisia |
| Institutional website | |
Kerkouane it is an archaeological site UNESCO heritage of the Northern Tunisia.
To know
Kerkouane, a little off the beaten track, contains notable ruins dating back to the ancient era Carthage. Excavations have unearthed ruins dating back to the third and fourth centuries BC.
Inside the settlement there are still the walls of some houses, and the colored clays on their facades. The houses were built following a general master plan, with a sophisticated system of territorial planning. This makes it probably the only example of its kind that has survived to this day.
Some columns of an ancient sanctuary which also contains fragments of a mosaic are still intact. Sidewalks, door sills and mosaic floors are still visible. Archaeologists are still at work in Kerkouane; the most interesting parts of the complex are perhaps those already discovered.
Geographical notes
Kerkouane is the current name of the place where a Punic city was located, in the north-east of Tunisia, on the Capo Bon peninsula.
Background
Kerkouane had an existence of at least 400 years, was probably abandoned during the First Punic War (around 250 BC) and was not rebuilt by the Romans.
Kerkouane was one of the most important Phoenician-Punic cities, along with Carthage, Hadrumetum (the modern Susa) is Utica.
UNESCO included Kerkouane and its necropolis among the world heritage of humanity in Tunisia in 1985, citing among other things the fact that it is the only example of a Phoenician-Punic city to have survived.
How to get
About 80 km east of Tunis, equi-distant (20 km) between the cities of Kélibia is El Haouaria.
By car
A Taxi from Kélibia it should cost about 4/10 TND. The taximeters are not used here so it is a good idea to agree a price with the taxi driver before starting the ride. For the return trip, a taxi driver offered a price of 2 TND (as long as other passengers met on the street are picked up). The wait for a taxi to return could be long and you will have to go back to the main road (after the usual 1.5 km), and do not hesitate to hail taxis even with passengers inside. Otherwise, it is possible to organize a tour with the taxi driver that includes your waiting or how extrema ratio you could hitchhike.
The site can be visited with a day trip from Tunis, Hammamet and maybe even Susa. Take a louage to Kélibia (no buses or trains), which costs about 6.5 TND from the Bab Alioua metro in Tunis. Taxis are waiting right next to the bus stop louage.
- 1 parking area.
By bus
There are buses from Kélibia which can leave you at the crossroads for the ruins from which you need to continue for another 1.5 km on foot. However, these buses are difficult to find and taxi drivers do not have (or at any rate do not give) information to that effect.
Permits / Rates
7 TND for entrance to the ruins and 1 TND for photographic rights.
How to get around
Kerkouane: full screen map.The remains are easy to visit on foot once you get to the site, while some form of transport from the main road could be useful to avoid the 1.5km walk.
What see
- The remains are well marked and set on a beautiful stretch of coastline. An hour is the right time to devote to exploring these finds.
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- 1 Kerkouane Archaeological Museum.
Tue-Sun Sep 16 - Jun 16: 9:00 - 16:00. July 18 - Sep 15: 9am - 6pm. Jun 17 - Jul 17: 9.30am - 5pm. A small museum detailing the archaeological finds and the history of the site, included in the price. 
Tue-Sun Sep 16 - Jun 16: 9:00 - 16:00. July 18 - Sep 15: 9am - 6pm. Jun 17 - Jul 17: 9.30am - 5pm. A small museum detailing the archaeological finds and the history of the site, included in the price.
- 2 Punic necropolis (About 2km north of the site, near the town of Kerkouane). This necropolis is located outside the archaeological site while being part of it. there are Punic grave tombs.
What to do
- Explore the remains and admire the minimalist mosaics of the Punic deity Tanit.
- Sit back and relax by the sea. The sea here is quite rough!
- Have a picnic in the old town square, under the big tree.
Shopping
There is a small gift shop in the museum that sells tourist items.
Where to eat
The museum shop sells some drinks and snacks.
Where stay
The best place to stay is the nearby town of Kélibia, but a daily visit should be enough to enjoy the site.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
- Tunis
- Nabeul
- Hammamet
- Kélibia - Popular with locals and famous for its great beaches. Ask the taxi drivers to take you to the beach or just head south and get to the sea, which is very peaceful here. It also has an old Roman fort which costs 7 TND to enter.
- El Haouaria - Beautiful for excursions by the sea.
