In Punic times, Byrsa Hill was occupied by a temple to the Carthaginian god Eschmoun. The Romans destroyed most of the Punic structures – all that remains is a small, well-preserved section of a residential quarter dating from the time of Hannibal (around the 3rd century BC). It's still possible to discern a street grid dotted with small, carefully planned domestic structures – some of which were once five storeys high – complete with subterranean cisterns and ground-floor shops.

From the terrace in front of the Carthage Museum that now sits atop the hill (a former Roman Catholic seminary built in the early 20th century), it's possible to see the ancient Punic ports and the intensely blue Gulf of Tunis.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. L’Acropolium

0.06 MILES

The architect of this now deconsecrated 19th-century French-built cathedral employed an unorthodox mix of Moorish, Byzantine and Gothic architectural…

2. Carthage Museum

0.06 MILES

Sitting on the crest of Byrsa Hill and housed in an early-20th-century building that once functioned as a Catholic seminary, this museum is one of the…

3. Roman Villas

0.45 MILES

A visit to this former residential enclave gives a real sense of refined ancient Roman life in Carthage. The reconstructed Villa of the Aviary is the…

4. Magon Quarter

0.45 MILES

This area along Rue Septime Sévère is a few blocks south of the Antonine Baths. Excavations have uncovered a small area of Roman workshops superimposed on…

5. Roman Theatre

0.46 MILES

This Roman-era theatre has been almost totally – and very unsympathetically – reconstructed, so unfortunately it's one of Carthage's most disappointing…

6. Roman Amphitheatre

0.52 MILES

This Roman-era amphitheatre was once one of the largest in the Roman Empire, with a capacity of 36,000. Today, only the overgrown oval of the stage…

7. La Malga Cisterns

0.52 MILES

The restored and extremely impressive remnants of the huge 2nd-century-AD cisterns that housed Roman Carthage’s water supply are located at the foot of…

8. Galerie d'Art Essaadi

0.55 MILES

Owned and operated by photographer Mohamed Ali Essaadi, this space stages individual and group shows by young and emerging artists.