The Catholic Church, at the N.W. angle of the town-wall, is adorned in the interior with a few fragments from the Basilica. Thus, over the high-altar, are remains of an early-Christian sarcophagus with three curious figures in relief (Christian Roma?).
Environs. The Roman Aqueduct, 547 yds. long, restored in turn by the Moors, the Turks, and the French, still conveys water from the spring of Aïn el-Bled.—About 1¾ M. from the Porte de Constantine (p. [315]) are the extensive late-Roman ruins of Tebessa Khalia (‘Old Tebessa’), the nature of which is still unexplained.
Diligence daily to (11 M.) Youks-les-Bains (2625 ft.), with ‘indifferent’ hot springs (95° Fahr.), 2 M. to the S.W. of the Meskiana and Aïn-Beïda road (p. [273]).
To avoid the long return-journey from Tebessa to Souk-Ahras, we may ride or drive to the N.W. viâ (26 M.) Haidra (p. [362]) to (40½ M.) Thala (p. [362]) or to (37½ M.) rail. stat. Kalaâ-Djerda (p. [362]). A mineral-line also runs thence to the Algerian frontier and the phosphate-beds on Jebel Kouif (3871 ft.; leave to travel by it is usually granted by the manager).
A road leads to the S.W., past Jebel Osmor (5052 ft.), noted for its Punic rock-tombs, then across the Tenoukla Pass, between Jebel Tenoukla (5118 ft.) on the right and Jebel Bou Roumane (p. [320]) on the left, and past Bou-Chebka (caravanserai), to (47 M.) Feriana (p. [371]). Diligence viâ Feriana to Gafsa (p. [383]) in two days (fare 30 fr.).
VII. TUNISIA.
| Route | Page | |
|---|---|---|
| Geographical and Historical Sketch. Preliminary Notes | [319] | |
| 51. | From (Constantine, Bona) Souk-Ahras to Tunis | [325] |
| Thuburnica, 325.—Simitthu. From Souk el-Arba, through the Kroumirie, to Tabarca, 326.—From Pont-de-Trajan to Béja. From Béja to Tabarca. Chaouach, 328. | ||
| 52. | Tunis | [329] |
| a. The New Town, 333.—b. The Old Town (Djamâa ez-Zitouna, Souks, Dâr el-Bey, Kasba, Mosque of Sidi Mahrez), 334.—c. Environs (Jardin du Belvédère, the Manoubia Hill, the Bardo, etc.), 338. | ||
| 53. | Carthage | [343] |
| Jebel Khaoui, 351. | ||
| 54. | From Tunis to Bizerta | [351] |
| Ferryville. Barrage des Pêcheries, 352.—From Tunis to Bizerta by road (Utica, Porto-Farina), 353. | ||
| 55. | From Tunis to Dougga (Le Kef) | [354] |
| Henchir Maâtria (Numluli), 355.—From Medjez el-Bab to Le Kef, 357. | ||
| 56. | From Tunis to Le Kef and Kalaâ-Djerda | [358] |
| From Bir-Kassa to La Laverie, 358.—From Smindja to Zaghouan. From Tunis to Zaghouan by road. Jebel Zaghouan, 359.—Maktar, 360.—Kalaât es-Senam. Haidra. From Kalaâ-Djerda to Kasserine viâ Thala, 362. | ||
| 57. | From Tunis to Susa | [363] |
| Jebel Bou-Kornin, 363.—From Fondouk Djedid to Menzel Bou-Zelfa. From Soliman to Korbous. From Bir Bou-Rekba to Nabeul, 364.—Takrouna. Hergla, 365.—From Susa to Mehdia viâ Moknine, 369.—Chebba, 370. | ||
| 58. | From Susa to Kairwan | [370] |
| From Aïn-Ghrasesia to Metlaoui (Sbeïtla, Kasserine, Thelepte, Feriana), 370. | ||
| 59. | From Susa to Sfax | [378] |
| 60. | From Sfax to Metlaoui viâ Gafsa | [383] |
| From Gafsa to El-Guettar, 385.—Gorges du Seldja, 386. | ||
| 61. | From Metlaoui to the Djerid | [386] |
| The Djerid, 386.—Kebilli. El-Hamma, 388. | ||
| 62. | From (Sfax) Graïba to Djerba viâ Gabes and Médenine | [388] |
| The Monts des Ksour, 390.—Tatahouine, 391.—The Island of Djerba, 393. |
Tunisia, the eastmost part of the Maghreb (p. [93]), a territory of about 50,000 sq. M., has a population of ca. 1½–2 millions, the great majority being Mohammedans (Berbers, Arabs, Moors, Kuluglis, and negroes). Of the remainder about 60,000 are Jews (Arabic Ihûdi, pl. Ihûd), either natives or settlers (from Spain and the so-called Livornese), 105,680 Italians, 40,850 French, 12,200 Maltese (p. [397]), and 4800 other Europeans. The coast, about 620 M. long, extends from Cape Roux (p. [131]) to Râs Adjir (p. [406]).
The abrupt coast of the Tell Atlas (p. [169]), which stretches from the Fedja Grandpré (3783 ft.) on the Algerian frontier to Cape Blanc (p. [129]), and comprises the wooded hill-country of the Kroumirie, the Nefza and Mogod Mts., and several ranges of lower heights, is broken by the small coast-plain of Tabarca alone. The dunes to the E. of Bizerta, rising to 1033 ft., the greatest range of sand-hills on the Mediterranean, separate the Lake of Bizerta from the Gulf of Tunis (p. xxx), into which fall the Medjerda and the Oued Miliane, the two chief rivers of the country, forming a number of lagoons and tongues of land at their mouths.