Archaeological Site of Carthage

The Archaeological Site of Carthage preserves the remains of the ancient Phoenician-Punic and Roman city situated on the Bay of Tunis, including civic, religious and harbour installations.

Prominent elements include the Byrsa hill area, Punic harbour structures and Roman monuments such as baths and a theatre; the archaeological record shows successive phases from the city’s Phoenician founding through Roman rebuilding and later occupations. Visitors encounter ruins, exposed foundations and museum displays that interpret the city’s maritime, commercial and political role in antiquity.

Carthage was originally founded by Phoenician settlers in the first millennium BC, became a major Mediterranean power in the Punic period, was destroyed in 146 BC and later rebuilt as a Roman colony; subsequent centuries saw further occupation and modification.

The site lies on the coastal plain adjacent to the modern city of Tunis in northern Tunisia.

• Multilayered history: The site preserves stratified remains from Phoenician-Punic foundations through Roman redevelopment and later Byzantine and Islamic phases, illustrating long-term urban continuity and transformation.

What to See#

• Byrsa Hill and urban core: Byrsa Hill and the surrounding urban remains, where Punic and Roman civic and religious buildings were concentrated and where later colonial and ecclesiastical layers overlay earlier phases.
• Roman monuments: Roman-era monuments including public baths, a theatre and the remains of residential and commercial quarters that document the city’s redevelopment under Roman rule.
• Punic remains: Punic-period harbour installations and necropoleis that reflect Carthage’s role as a maritime and colonial power in the western Mediterranean.

Carthage is within Greater Tunis, a 20-30 minute drive northeast from central Tunis. From Tunis train station (Gare Tunis) take the TGM coastal train toward La Marsa and alight at Carthage stations (e.g., Carthage Byrsa). Local buses and taxis also serve the site; follow signs for Byrsa Hill and the archaeological park.

• Approach the site via the Byrsa Hill museum (Musée National du Bardo also has related exhibits), then walk the ruins downhill for better context.
• Hire a guide to understand the layers: Punic, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine - all occupy the same stones here.
• Avoid midday in summer; the exposed ruins offer no shade and the tiles reflect heat dramatically.