THE AMPHITHEATRE OF EL-JEM: The Unique Roman Landmark In Africa.

 

Visiting Tunisia-III

The Amphitheatre of el-Jem

Is The Unique Roman

Landmark In Africa

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

The Amphiteatre of el-Jem (Tunisia) is the second biggest (the first is in Rome, Italy) Roman collosseum in the world. It is Tunisia's star attraction and draws visitors from all over the world. A visit to Tunisia cannot be considered complete without visiting this landmark in el-Jem. The amphitheatre of El Jem is the third amphitheatre built on the same place. It is very well preserved and well-maintained too. The entree fee is 12-Dinars ($3.50) and you can wander in all three floors and the slave quarters/prisons in the basement too. It is just aweful and offers some amazing views. While wandering in the corridors of this huge colloseum, you can easily get lost in time and the ancient history.

History

The amphitheatre was built around 238 AD in Thyusdrus, located in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis, in present-day El Djem, Tunisia. It is one of the best preserved Roman stone ruins in the world, and is unique in Africa. As other amphitheatres in the Roman Empire, it was built for spectator events, and it is one of the biggest amphitheatres in the world. The estimated capacity is 35,000, and the sizes of the big and the small axes are respectively 148 metres (486 ft) and 122 metres (400 ft). The amphitheatre is built of stone blocks, located on a flat ground, and is exceptionally well conserved. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The amphitheatre of El Jem is the third amphitheatre built on the same place. The belief is that it was constructed by the local proconsul Gordian, who became emperor as Gordian-II. In the Middle Ages, it served as a fortress, and the population sought shelter here during the attacks of vandals in 430 and Arabs in 647. In 1695, during the Revolutions of Tunis, Mohamed Bey El Mouradi made an opening in one of the walls to stop the resistance of the followers of his brother Ali Bey al-Muradi who gathered inside the amphitheater.

It is believed that the amphitheatre was used as a saltpetre manufacture in the end of the 18th and in the 19th century. Around 1850, the breach in the wall was enlarged by Ahmad ibn Mustafa to approximately 30 metres (98 ft). In the second half of the 19th century, the structure was used for shops, dwellings, and grain storage.

Muslim History

Mohamed Bey el-Mouradi was a Muradid leader and Bey (Governor) of Tunis from the year 1675 until his death in 1696. He was the eldest son of Murad-II Bey.

Mohamed Bey's reign was plagued with upheaval and civil war worsened by constant raiding from neighboring Algiers. His uncle, Pasha Mohammed Al-Hafsi and brother Ali bin Murad would attempt several times to usurp the throne. Al-Hafsi was exiled in 1679 but Ali bin Murad, disappointed by his share in the division of power sought refuge in the Beylik of Constantine, a governorate of the Regency of Algiers. He brought the tribes of northwest Tunisia led by Muhammad ben Cheker over to his side with promises of gold and silver.

He besieged Tunis, while Muhammad Bey al-Muradi fled from Tunis to Kairouan before the troops of his brother arrived. Ali besieged the city but Muhammad broke out of the siege, and met Ali on the field of battle. The Battle of El Kerima, which took place on the plain of Fahs in 1677 was decisively won by Ali. He had his troops besiege Kairouan and returned to Tunis to be recognised as Bey in place of his brother who remained under siege in Kairouan.

After some mediation by the Dey of Algiers, a treaty was signed in 1679 between the Muradid princes, but this peace didn't last long. The Turkish Janissaries of Tunis elected their own leader, Ahmed Chelebi, who attempted to take over the country. He was defeated by the Algerians who feared that the revolutionary spirit of the Janissaries in Tunis would spread to their own country. They sacked Tunis in 1686, and left the country in ruins. Mohamed Bey suspected his brother Ali of supporting the Algerians, and thus killed him and seized power for himself.

In 1694 Dey Hadj Chabane invaded Tunisia with the help of a pretender called Mohammed ben Cheker. The resulting war ended in the total annexation of Tunis for several months. During that time Chaabane appointed ben Cheker as the Bey of Tunis, a new Beylik of Algiers similarly functioning in the same way as the Beylik of Constantine.

This didn't last long though, and in 1695, the Tunisians revolted and defeated ben Cheker at the battle of Kairouan, reinstating the Muradid dynasty.

Despite the troubled times, Mohamed Bey was responsible for building several monuments in Tunis including the Sidi Mahrez Mosque, modelled on the mosques of Istanbul, with a great central dome. He constructed many buildings of worship and education within the country including construction works in Beja, el-Kef, Gafsa, Tozeur and Gabes. In 1690 Mohamed Bey built a bridge between Tebourba and Medjerda.

He died on October 14, 1696, and was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather Hammuda Pasha Bey. He was survived by two sons, Mourad and Hassan, but as they were too young to reign, his brother, Ramadan Bey, inherited his estate.

References in popular culture

It was featured in films such as Monty Python's Life of Brian and the television travel series Long Way Down.

It is commonly believed that the Hollywood movie 'The Gladiator' was filmed here but that's not true. The movie was filmed at the island of Malta (between Tunis and Italy) where they built a replica of the Amphitheatre. But they might have used the pictures/videos of the site.

American sportswear company Nike used this location in 1996 to shoot a television commercial titled "Good vs Evil", which depicts a gladiatorial-style soccer game set in a Roman Amphitheatre. Football players from around the world, including Eric Cantona, Ronaldo, Paolo Maldini, Luis Figo, Patrick Kluivert and Jorge Campos defend 'the beautiful game' against a team of unsportsmanlike demonic warriors, which ends with Cantona receiving the ball from Ronaldo, pulling up his short collar as was his trademark, and delivering the final line, "Au Revoir", before striking the ball which punches right through the demon goalkeeper.

The fourth episode of The Amazing Race 1 concluded at the amphitheatre.

(Courtesy: Wikipedia.org)

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