The forum
The city's heart.
Majbri wael — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carole Raddato — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Majbri wael — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Majbri wael — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carole Raddato — CC BY-SA 2.0
Gightis is a Punic and Roman archaeological site in southern Tunisia, in Medenine Governorate. It lies at the head of the Gulf of Boughrara facing the island of Djerba, about 42 km in a straight line south-west of Houmt Souk, and the city stood on the ancient coastal road linking Carthage with Leptis Magna. It began as a Phoenician trading post and is mentioned in a Greek text of the 4th century BC. It later became part of the Numidian kingdom and was joined to Rome in 46 BC. It flourished above all in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD thanks to trade, becoming a municipium with its own council and magistrates. The ruins spread over a coastal plateau of about 50 hectares, sloping from the market quarter in the west towards the sea. At their heart is the forum, surrounded by temples and public buildings, among them a temple of Serapis and Isis, along with baths, columns and statue bases carved with Latin inscriptions. Along the shore to the north are the remains of a Byzantine fort. A small entry fee is charged. The site is open to sun and wind, with little shade, so bring water and a hat. It is easy to reach from Djerba by the Ajim–Jorf ferry or over the El Kantara causeway.
The city's heart.
On statue bases.
Sea views.
Near Boughrara, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia
By the Ajim–Jorf ferry or over the El Kantara causeway.
A small fee is charged.