Thuburbo Majus

Thuburbo Majus is an archaeological site of a Roman town in north-central Tunisia, in Zaghouan Governorate near the modern town of El Fahs, notable for substantial Roman urban remains dating to the Imperial period.

Remains include a columned forum and capitolium, public baths, paved streets and house foundations with mosaic fragments; the surviving masonry and street layout give a clear sense of the town plan. The scale is that of a medium Roman municipal centre rather than a large provincial capital.

The site was a Roman urban settlement that prospered during the Imperial centuries and continued to be occupied into Late Antiquity, with Christian-period structures visible among the ruins. Over time the town declined after the Roman era and its buildings were reused as sources of stone for nearby settlements.

Sited inland in Zaghouan Governorate, the ruins lie near El Fahs on the Tunisian plateau roughly southwest of Tunis, surrounded by agricultural land and low hills.

• Mosaics location: Many of the best-preserved mosaics and carved stone blocks are concentrated in the residential quarter immediately east of the forum.
• Visitor tips: Site facilities are minimal; bring water and sun protection and plan for uneven walkways when exploring the ruins.

What to See #

• Forum and Capitol: Ruined forum complex with a capitolium and columned public buildings dating to the Roman Imperial period; visible foundations and paved streets show the town layout.
• Baths and Houses: Bath complex and residential houses that preserve mosaic fragments and floor plans of private dwellings.
• Basilica and Late Antiquity Remains: Early Christian and later-period structures indicating continued occupation into Late Antiquity and the Byzantine era.