The chief sights are the picturesque ruins of the Town Walls and the Grande Mosquée of the 10th cent., formerly connected with a college, with its many arcades and a fine gateway-tower, resembling the Bâb Lella Rejana at Kairwan (p. [375]). To the S.E. of the headland are remains of the Kothon, the Punic-Roman harbour, which in the middle ages was defended by two towers. The new harbour, the centre of the Sicilian allache (kind of sardine) fishery, lies to the S.W. of the headland. Near the town are large Salt Marshes. The Necropolis, 2 M. to the W., with several well-preserved Punic and neo-Punic rock-tombs, deserves a visit. About 1 M. from the town are extensive early-Christian Catacombs (adm. 1 fr.).—Off Mehdia, in an ancient sunken ship, beautiful works of art, now at the Bardo Museum (see p. [344]), have been recently discovered.
A road (carr. 15 fr.) leads to the S.W. from Mehdia viâ (8 M.) Ksour-Essaf to (26 M.) El-Djem (p. [379]).
In the olive-clad hill-country to the S. of Mehdia, on the road to Sfax (p. [380]), lie the ruins of the ancient seaport of Sullectum (now Salakta), of Acholla (p. [398]; now Biar el-Alia), both with Punic burial-grounds, and of Uzalis (now El-Alia). Farther on, beyond the Râs Kapoudia (or Râs Khadidja), the ancient Caput Vada, where Belisarius (p. [322]) landed in 533, lies the small seaport of Chebba, noted like El-Alia for its Roman mosaics. Near it are the ruins of Ruspae (now Henchir Sbia).
From Susa to Kairwan, see R. 58; to the ruins of central Tunisia and to Metlaoui, see R. 58; to El-Djem and Sfax, see R. 59.
58. From Susa to Kairwan.
36 M. Narrow Gauge Railway in 2¼–2½ hrs. (6 fr. 50, 4 fr. 95, 3 fr. 50 c.; return 9 fr. 10, 6 fr. 95, 4 fr. 90 c.). Passengers from Tunis (return-fares 30 fr. 25, 22 fr. 95, 16 fr. 25 c.) change at Kalaâ-Srira (Rail. Restaurant).
From Susa to (5 M.) Kalaâ-Srira, see p. [366]. The line runs, nearly in the same direction as the Susa and Tebessa (p. [315]) Roman road, to the S.W., on the right bank of the Oued Laya (p. [366]), to the (8 M.) Réservoir of the Susa waterworks.
At (10 M.) Oued-Laya, a small oasis of fruit-trees and vegetables, the olive-zone of the Sahel ends. 17½ M. Kroussiah-Sahali. 23 M. Sidi el-Hani, not far from the ruins of Vicus Augusti (?).
To the left, farther on, we obtain a glimpse at the Sebkha Sidi el-Hani, 25 by 12½ M., the largest salt-lake of central Tunisia. To the right, a little farther on, beyond a chain of flat hills, is revealed a striking view of the vast Plain of Kairwan, enclosed by distant mountains, with the town of Kairwan in the background. The low ground, through which the Oued Hathob (p. [320]), Oued Merguellil, and many smaller streams descend from the Sahara Atlas and its plateaux to the Lac de Kelbia (p. [320]; not visible from the train), is often flooded after the winter rains. It is inhabited almost exclusively by the Arab-like nomadic tribes of the Djlass or Zlass. The train runs through plantations of Indian figs.
30½ M. Aïn-Ghrasesia.