Rising majestically above the Tunisian city of El Jem, this mammoth Roman amphitheater stands as one of the most impressive remnants of the ancient empire located south of the Mediterranean Sea. A must visit if you are on holiday in Tunisia https://www.bontour.bg/pochivki-tunis. As the region’s premier example of Roman engineering and architecture, the Amphitheatre of El Jem contains astonishing facts hidden in its historic stones.

Built under the flamboyant Emperor Gordian in 238 AD, El Jem’s colosseum remains a marvel of clever construction considering the resources available at that time. Its enormous façade stretches an incredible 492 feet across – nearly the size of four American football fields laid end to end. Over 60 arched passages pierce its elaborate three-tiered exterior, allowing access for up to 35,000 cheering spectators back in its heyday.

Modern architectural assessments estimate over 60,000 cubic yards of stone were used to construct El Jem’s Amphitheatre walls, which still stand nearly 50 feet tall even today. This volume rivals Rome’s own Colosseum – the largest ever built in Italy. Stone pillars, terraces, vaults and exterior buttresses were all cleverly designed with Roman know-how to support and reinforce the structure despite its massive size.

What sets El Jem apart from Rome’s arena are the advanced hydraulics engineered underneath its arena flooring. A complex network of tunnels and chambers allowed this Amphitheatre to rapidly fill with water for staging mock naval battles to thrill the crowds. Few Roman amphitheaters constructed outside of Italy contained similar aquatic spectacle capabilities on this monumental scale.

Surrounding the arena floor, an intricate series of cages, pulley systems, side chambers, and access ramps accommodate its transition from open battleground to elaborately staged animal hunts and gladiatorial spectacles featuring exotic beasts from across the Roman Empire.

Standing largely intact despite numerous historical upheavals since the Roman Empire’s fall, El Jem’s Amphitheatre remains the crowning achievement of Roman Tunisia and Africa’s best preserved Colosseum. This magnificent edifice undoubtedly deserves its UNESCO World Heritage Site status as a structural feat providing a window directly back in time to Ancient Rome’s period of imperial mastery and decadence.