Bulla Regia Attractions
Bulla Regia lies at the foot of Djebel Rebia (617m/2,024ft), in country which slopes gradually down to the Medjerda valley. It is one of the most important Roman sites in Tunisia, with the remains of baths, cisterns, temples, a theater, a forum and a series of handsome villas. To provide protection from the summer heat the houses were built with underground rooms - a method of construction which had proved itself in the troglodytic dwellings of southern Tunisia.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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Some of the finest mosaics from Bulla Regia are now in the Bardo Museum in Tunis; a few, however, have been left in situ.
History
The Phoenician town on this site was apparently captured by Masinissa about 150 B.C. After his death - as the "Regia" in its name indicates - it became the capital of one of the three Numidian kingdoms created by Rome. The process of Romanisation began in A.D. 50, and in the reign of Hadrian (117/118) Bulla Regia was raised to the status of a Roman colony. Thereafter its trade in olives and in corn made it one of the wealthiest towns in Roman Africa.
In 339 Augustine spent some time in the town, which had become the see of a bishop in 380, and inveighed against the townspeople's passion for the theater.
Two basilicas, of which remains survive, were built during the Byzantine period.
The decline of Bulla Regia began with the Arab invasion in the seventh century, and the town was finally abandoned in the late 12th century.
The first excavations were carried out by L. Carton at the beginning of the 20th century. Excavation of the site, by the Institut National d'Archéologie de Tunis and the Ecole Française de Rome, is continuing, and has brought to light further remains of both the Roman and the medieval periods.
Access
Bulla Regia, 60km/37mi south of Tabarka, is reached by way of GP 17 (Tabarka-Jendouba). 6km/4mi before Jendouba MC 59, signposted to Bou Salem, goes off on the left. The site lies on the left of this road, 7km/4.5mi northeast of Jendouba.
History
The Phoenician town on this site was apparently captured by Masinissa about 150 B.C. After his death - as the "Regia" in its name indicates - it became the capital of one of the three Numidian kingdoms created by Rome. The process of Romanisation began in A.D. 50, and in the reign of Hadrian (117/118) Bulla Regia was raised to the status of a Roman colony. Thereafter its trade in olives and in corn made it one of the wealthiest towns in Roman Africa.
In 339 Augustine spent some time in the town, which had become the see of a bishop in 380, and inveighed against the townspeople's passion for the theater.
Two basilicas, of which remains survive, were built during the Byzantine period.
The decline of Bulla Regia began with the Arab invasion in the seventh century, and the town was finally abandoned in the late 12th century.
The first excavations were carried out by L. Carton at the beginning of the 20th century. Excavation of the site, by the Institut National d'Archéologie de Tunis and the Ecole Française de Rome, is continuing, and has brought to light further remains of both the Roman and the medieval periods.
Access
Bulla Regia, 60km/37mi south of Tabarka, is reached by way of GP 17 (Tabarka-Jendouba). 6km/4mi before Jendouba MC 59, signposted to Bou Salem, goes off on the left. The site lies on the left of this road, 7km/4.5mi northeast of Jendouba.
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 8:00 | 8:00 | 8:00 | 8:00 | 8:00 | 8:00 | 8:00 |
| Close | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 | 18:00 |
Related Attractions
Basilicas
To the north of the Maison du Trésor in Bulla Regia are two well preserved sixth century Christian basilicas, linked with one another. The older and larger of the two preserves a few marble columns, a font and a mosaic of fishes and birds.
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Forum
Just to the south of the Maison de la Pêche in Bulla Regia is the Forum, a large paved square in a poor state of preservation. Little is left of the buildings which surrounded it. Only the foundations of the Capitol survive.
House of Amphitrite
The finest and best preserved mosaics in Bulla Regia are in the Maison d'Amphitrite (House of Amphitrite), a little way northeast of the Maison de la Pêche. The building which bears this name was probably in fact a temple of Neptune. An underground passage leads into a large room with a mosaic of Venus Marina (formerly confused with the sea-nymph Amphitrite) and Neptune on a marine centaur. On the ground floor of this building was a large mosaic of the freeing of Andromeda, now in the Bardo Museum in Tunis.
House of the Fishing Scene
The Maison de la Pêche (House of the Fishing Scene) in Bulla Regia is one of the best preserved houses on the site. The basement in particular is well preserved. Round the colonnaded inner courtyard runs a vaulted gallery with a number of rooms opening off it. The mosaic depicts a sea swarming with fish, with cupids and ducks angling for them.
House of the New Hunt
Adjoining the Maison de la Chasse in Bulla Regia on the north is the Maison de la Nouvelle Chasse (House of the New Hunt), excavated in 1972. In the dining room (triclinium) can be seen the mosaic from which the house takes its name. Like some of the other villas, the Maison de la Nouvelle Chasse was later used as a place of burial.
House of the Treasure
The Maison du Trésor (House of the Treasure) in Bulla Regia is named after a Byzantine hoard of silver found in it. In the basement is a well preserved geometric mosaic.
Market
From the Forum in Bulla Regia a street runs south to the Market, a large paved square surrounded by a colonnade, with small shops along the north and south sides.
Nymphaeum
From the Maison d'Amphitrite in Bulla Regia we return south, passing the Maison de la Pêche and then, to the left, a nymphaeum. The fountain is still running, though it has been disfigured by a modern installation.
Southern Baths (Alexander Church)
On the south side of the road (MC 59) in Bulla Regia are the remains of the large Southern Baths (Thermes du Sud; 60m/200ft by 55m/180ft) and the little Alexander Church (Eglise d'Alexandre), a rectangular building with two rows of stone troughs. The function of the building, which was destroyed by fire, is not clear: it may originally have been used for the collection and distribution of agricultural produce, for the material recovered by excavation included a hundred jars and amphoras for the storage of corn and oil.
Temple of Apollo
The temple of Apollo, to the north of Bulla Regia, consisted of a forecourt and a cella, a typically African plan. Marble statues of the divine triad of Apollo, Ceres and Aesculapius which were found here are now in the Bardo Museum in Tunis.
Tour of Site
The tour of Bulla Regia begins at the Baths of Julia Memmia. From there it goes north, passing the two Byzantine basilicas and various dwelling-houses, to the House of Amphitrite, from which it turns south, passing the forum, the temples and the theater, to return to the starting-point. Just inside the site, to left and right, are cisterns (restored). Also on the right can be seen an enigmatic structure of the first century A.D., known from its type of masonry merely as Opus Reticulatium; the interior is divided into three aisles by rows of pillars.
Vaulting technique
The villas of Bulla Regia show an unusual method of constructing vaults which is found on many other Roman sites in Tunisia. It seems to have evolved in the second century and to have been used until the Arab conquest. A number of terracotta tubes were fitted into one another to form a dome shape and the joints were filled in; a number of such arches were set up next to one another to form a vault, and the under surface was then faced with plaster.
Viewpoint
From a low hill in the center of the site of Bulla Regia there is a good general view of the excavations.
