The quarry hill
Cut faces in marble colours.
Skander zarrad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Skander zarrad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Skander zarrad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Skander zarrad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Skander zarrad — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Chemtou Archaeological Site is an ancient town and marble quarry in north-western Tunisia, on the banks of the Medjerda River, known in Roman times as Simitthu. It was famous for a yellow marble with pink tones that Rome sought for its grandest buildings. The site covers more than 80 hectares and stays quiet, with few visitors despite its size. Settlement here goes back to the 4th and 5th centuries BC, when the area belonged to the kingdom of Numidia. The quarries expanded greatly under Rome, worked by labourers and convicts, and the marble travelled long overland routes to the sea. A Tunisian and German team has been excavating and studying the site since the late 1960s. You see the quarry hill cut open in bands of yellow and red, along with an amphitheatre, baths, an aqueduct and the remains of Trajan's bridge over the river. A small museum at the entrance shows inscriptions and finds from the site and explains how the marble was cut and moved. The ground is wide and exposed, so bring comfortable shoes, a hat and water. The site is about 18 km in a straight line from Jendouba and about 36 km from Le Kef, and a car is the easiest way to reach it. Sources give different ticket prices, so carry dinars. Spring and autumn suit it better than the summer heat. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to parts of this region near the Algerian border, so check official guidance before planning.
Cut faces in marble colours.
Stone remains over the river.
Explains cutting and moving marble.
Chemtou, near the Medjerda River, Jendouba Governorate, Tunisia
Two hours usually cover the museum and the main remains, and longer if you want to climb the quarry hill.
It is hard without a car, so a car or a driver from Jendouba works best.