93 M. Railway, two trains daily in 4½–5 hrs. (fares 16 fr. 80, 12 fr. 75 c., 9 fr.); also local trains between Tunis and Hammam-Lif (return-fares 3, 2, 1 fr., or, in summer, 2 fr. 40, 1 fr. 60 c., 80 c.); also a train to Bir Bou-Rekba (Nabeul). Views on the left.—Railway Restaurants at Bir Bou-Rekba, Enfidaville, and Kalaâ-Srira.—Steamers to Susa, see R. 64.

From Tunis to (2½ M.) Djebel-Djelloud, see p. 358. Our train turns to the E. to (3¾ M.) Mégrine, a station amidst vineyards. Pretty views of Tunis, behind us, to the left.

6¼ M. Maxula-Rades, in a marshy site, at the S. end of the tongue of land between Lake Bahira (p. 129) and the open sea. On a height, ¼ hr. to the S. of the station, lies the picturesque little town of Rades, which, like Sidi Bou-Saïd (p. 351), is a favourite summer residence of the wealthy Moslems of Tunis. Near the Fort (184 ft.) behind the town we have a splendid view of Lake Bahira, the hills of Carthage, the bay of Tunis, and the fertile Mornag (p. 358).

To the N. of the station lies Maxula, a colony of the villas of European families in Tunis, on the site of the Roman town of that name. A road leads thence to (1¼ M.; tramway in summer) the bathing-beach on the bay of Tunis.

A Road, enlivened by many vehicles, especially on Sundays and holidays, leads from Maxula to (3½ M.) Goletta (p. 343). It runs to the N. through the isthmus, past swamps and fig-gardens, and, on the left, past large salt-ponds, where in summer salt is obtained by evaporation, and finally it skirts the sea. About an hour’s walk brings us to the steam-ferry (bac à vapeur; free) across the new Bahira Canal (p. 129), opposite the station of the electric tramway to Carthage (p. 343).

We cross the Oued Miliane (p. 358), below a five-arched bridge (1749; not visible from the train) and close to the shore, which is here marshy at places.

10½ M. Hammam-Lif (Hôt. de Paris, near the sea, plain; Terminus Hôt., near the station, humble; pop. 1000, incl. 650 Italians), formerly oftener called Hammam el-Enf, the ancient Naro, is prettily situated at the N. base of Jebel Bou-Kornin (see below). On the wooded slope, to the right of the railway, where the hot salt-springs rise (117–120° Fahr.), is the old Dâr el-Bey, a palace now converted into barracks, on the foundations of the Roman baths Aquae Persianae, so called from the founder, C. Julius Perseus. Near it is the ‘Fondouk‘, the modern unpretending bath-house. Of the late-Roman Synagogue (3rd cent.), discovered here in 1883, scarcely a trace is left.

To the N.E. of the station is (¼ M.) the Bathing Beach, with a summer casino. Fine view of Goletta, the Carthage hills, and the peninsula of Cape Bon.

The *Jebel Bou-Kornin, or Bou-Kournine, so named from its two ‘horns’, the W. (1890 ft.) and the E. (1626 ft.), separated by a deep hollow, commands a splendid panorama of N. Tunisia. The W. peak, once crowned with a temple of Saturnus Balcaranenis (Saturn-Baal of Mt. Karnaïm), the most famous shrine of Baal in the land, is ascended by a new bridle-path on the E. slope or by a steep old path on the W. margin of the N. spur (925 ft.).

A little farther on we pass between the eucalyptus groves and vineyards of the estate of Potinville, where many negroes are employed, to (15 M.) Bordj Cédria. To the left we sight Jebel Korbous (see below).

The train next runs to the N.E. across the Plain of Soliman (see below), a depression between the main chain of the Sahara Atlas (p. 320) and the hills of the peninsula of Cape Bon, passing at first through a steppe where browsing camels are often seen.

18 M. Fondouk Djedid, a village of immigrant settlers on the wooded spurs of Jebel Zaïana.

From Fondouk Djedid to Menzel Bou-Zelfa, 8½ M., branch-line in ¾ hr. (through-carr. from Tunis to Soliman by the morning train; return-fares 5 fr. 80, 4 fr. 15, 2 fr. 55 c.). Also from Tunis (Auto-Palace, p. 330) motor-omnibus Sun. and Thurs. at 8.30 a.m., in 1½ hr. (fare 8, return 10 fr.). The only intermediate station is Soliman (145 ft.; Hôt. Zammit, humble; pop. 2200, incl. 150 Europeans; Frid. market), a picturesque little town founded by Andalusian Moors in 1616, with a lofty minaret. Thence through venerable olive-woods to Menzel Bou-Zelfa (or Zalfa; 197 ft.), famed for its luxuriant orchards, with a zaouïa of the Kadria brotherhood and an important cattle-market (Thurs.).

A Road from Soliman, where a hotel-omnibus from Korbous meets the morning train (fare to Korbous 2, there and back 3, luggage 1 fr.; other vehicles also), leads at first to the N.E. through pleasant olive-groves, and then, beyond the Oued Bezirk, runs behind the low coast-dunes to Mraïssa, the ruins of the little Roman town of Carpis. At (7½ M.) the kubba of Sidi Raïs, near which are seen fragments of walls of the harbour of Carpis, begins the new coast-road to Korbous. This skirts the rocky slopes of Jebel Korbous (1375 ft.), being strongly buttressed at places, and affords a delightful view, especially in the morning, of Tunis, the Carthage hills, and the W. shore of the bay as far as Cape Farina (p. 129). 11 M. Korbous (Hôt. des Thermes, R. 2–6, B. 1, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens, from 10 fr.), a small watering-place, and of late a winter resort also, has hot springs (alkaline and saline, 111–151° Fahr.), an old palace of the beys situated on the shore and now used as a bath-house, and scanty ruins of the Roman baths (Aquae Carpitanae).

22 M. Khanguet, for Khanguet el-Hadjadj (p. 358); 23½ M. Grombalia (154 ft.), a village of colonists; 30 M. Bou-Arkoub (236 ft.). We then cross the watershed between the bay of Tunis and the Gulf of Hammamet.

37½ M. Bir Bou-Rekba (Rail. Restaurant), at the foot of bare hills, 10 min. to the W. of Kasr ez-Zit, the ruins of Siagu (early-Christian basilica, Byzantine fort, etc.).

From Bir Bou-Rekba to Nabeul, 11 M., branch-line in about ¾ hr. (1 fr. 90, 1 fr. 45 c., 1 fr.). The only intermediate station is (2½ M.) Hammamet (82 ft.; Hôt. de la Plage, on the shore, R. 2 fr., B. 60 c., déj. or D. 2, pens. 5–6 fr., quite good; pop. 6000, incl. 200 Europeans; Wed. market), most picturesquely situated on a small headland, ¼ hr. to the S. of the station. The ramparts of the ruinous Kasba (now partly a Poste Optique) afford a charming view of the bay as far as Hergla (p. 365). Pretty bathing-beach. The coast between Hammamet and Nabeul has unfortunately been entirely denuded of wood, but the climate in winter is the mildest and healthiest in Tunisia next to that of Djerba (p. 393). The lemons, mandarins, oranges, and other fruits are considered the best in the land. The finest *Fruit Gardens, some of them shaded by groups of old cypresses, lie to the W., in the direction of the ruins of Pupput, now called Souk el-Abiod, and also on the Nabeul road.—Beyond Hammamet the train crosses numerous torrents.

11 M. Nabeul (43 ft.; Hôt. de France, R., déj., D. 2½ fr. each, omn. ½ fr., good; Hôt. des Voyageurs; carr. to Hammamet 5–6 fr.; pop. 11,900, incl. 2000 Jews and 400 Europeans; Frid. market), with its small Souks (p. 335) and pretty gardens, is the chief town on this part of the coast. Its famed old pottery is again thriving. Fayence with geometrical patterns, after Punic and late-Roman models, and porous, unglazed water-jugs (gargoulettes) are the chief products. The small Poterie Artistique (Tissier’s), behind the church, is worth seeing. Pleasant walks are to the N.E. to (20 min.) Dar-Chabane, a purely Moslem village; to the S. to the small anchorage near the kubba Sidi Slîmân, or to the ruins of Neapolis, now largely submerged; a little seaport destroyed at the same time as Carthage (146 B.C.), to which Nabeul owes its name and much of its building-material; to the E. to (3¾ M.) El-Mamoura, near the caverns in the Râs Mamoura, the N.E. boundary of the bay of Hammamet; to the N. to the (½ hr.) Râs Tefal, where the potters dig their clay.

The Susa Train turns to the S.E., quitting the highroad, on which, beyond Pupput (see above), is the so-called Kasr Menara, a large Roman circular building resembling the tomb of Cæcilia Metella, the only monument of the kind in Barbary. We approach the spurs of the Sahara Atlas. All around is scanty underwood, with occasional tents of nomads and many pasturing cattle. To the left we have a glimpse of the N. coast of the bay as far as Nabeul (see above). To the W. towers Jebel Zaghouan (p. 359).

Beyond the Oued er-Rebia, at (49 M.) Bou-Ficha, begins the Enfida, an estate of 300,000 acres owned by the Société Franco-Africaine, the ancient granary of central Tunisia, but a wilderness for centuries after the irruption of the Beni Hilal (p. 323). Among the farm-labourers are many Sicilians. There are still, however, great desolate tracts, dotted with Roman ruins and old irrigation-works, inhabited only by the nomadic Oulad Saïd, descendants of the Hilalides.

54½ M. Aïn-Hallouf, near the ruins of Aphrodisium, now Sidi Khalifa and Henchir Fradiz, close to the salt-marshes of the Sebkha Djiriba, which are 19 M. long.

62 M. Enfidaville (131 ft.; Rail. Restaurant; Hôt. d’Enfidaville, déj. 2½ fr., well spoken of; pop. 6700, incl. 500 Europeans), a rising town of colonists, the largest in the Enfida, is a pretty oasis of trees and vegetable-gardens. Alfa (p. 171) is largely exported. Near the station is a village of nomad-tents.

Above the Zaghouan road (p. 359), about 4 M. to the W. of Enfidaville, on Jebel Takroun (657 ft.), is perched the interesting Berber village of Takrouna (pop. about 500), not easily accessible.—In the valley of the Oued Boul, 7½ M. to the W. of Enfidaville, on Jebel Garci, rises the chalybeate spring of Aïn-Garci, on the site of the Roman Aggersel.—Some 9½ M. to the S.E. of Enfidaville lies Hergla (reached also by a branch of the road from Sidi Bou-Ali; see p. 366), the ancient Horrea Caelia, the corn-mart and export-harbour of the Enfida.

The steppe-like character of the landscape again asserts itself. Wild asparagus abounds. To the right in the distance are the bare hills of central Tunisia behind Kairwan (p. 372). 71 M. Menzel Dar el-Bouar, not far from the Sebkha Halk el-Menzel. On the road, to the N.E. of the station, is an ancient Berber cemetery, with numerous dolmens (p. 324), mostly ruined of late.

76½ M. Sidi Bou-Ali, a smiling oasis, with olive and fruit-trees and a few date-palms. We again traverse a stony hill-region, dotted with stunted olive-trees, and then descend into the thickly peopled Sahel (see below), with its many thriving little towns.

85 M. Kalaâ-Kebira (161 ft.; pop. 6500). To the left, farther on, we see the little town of Akouda, on a low hill; then the distant Hammam-Sousse in the valley of the Oued Laya.

88 M. Kalaâ-Srira (181 ft.; Rail. Restaurant), on the right bank of the Oued Laya, where visitors for Kairwan (R. 58) change carriages. Our train descends the Oued Kharoub Valley to the E. to the coast, with a view of the sea on the left.

93 M. Susa.—The Station (Pl. B, C, 1) for Tunis, Kairwan (R. 58), Mehdia (p. 369), and for the future line to Sfax (R. 59), is in Boul. René Millet, 3–5 min. from the hotels, or 6 min. from the quay.

Arrival by Sea (comp. R. 64). The steamers of the Comp. Gén. Transatlantique (office, Banque de Tunisie, see below), the Società Nazionale (agent, Rue Villedon), and the Comp. de Navigation Mixte (Rue Jules-Ferry 4) all moor at the N. quay (Pl. D, 2). Harbour-tax 4 or 3 fr.—Cabs, see below.

Hotels (comp. p. 324). Grand-Hôtel (Pl. a; D, 2), Cours de la Marine, R. 4–7, B. 1½, déj. 3½, D. 4, pens. 11–15 fr.; Hôtel de France (Pl. b; C, 1), Avenue Krantz, R. 3–6, B. 1, déj. 3, D. 3–3½, pens. 10–12 fr., well spoken of; Hôtel du Sahel (Pl. c; D, 1), Rue Jules-Ferry, unpretending.

Cafés. Brasserie, at the Grand-Hôtel; Glacier, Place Pichon; Bellevue, Place de la Marine.—Casino Municipal (Pl. 8; C, 1), with a hall for balls and theatrical performances, etc.

Post & Telegraph Office (Pl. C, 2), Place Pichon.—Banks (comp. p. 174). Comp. Algérienne, Rond-Point de la Douane; Banque de Tunisie, Rue du Marché; Crédit Foncier et Agricole d’Algérie, Place Colonel Vincent.—Booksellers. Petit, Place Pichon; Berra (Imprimerie Rapide), Rue Jules-Ferry.

British Vice-Consul, W. Galea, Rue Général-Logerot (cor. of Rue de l’Eglise).—Lloyd’s Agent, D. Cattan.

Cabs (stand, Place Pichon). Drive ¾ (outside town 1) fr.; hour 1¾ (or 2), day 15–20 fr.; after 7 (in summer 9) p.m. one-half more.—Motor Cars at Auvin’s, Ave. Krantz.

Half-Day. Visit to the Museum (p. 367), the Souks (p. 368), and the Kasba (p. 369).

Susa, French Sousse, Arabic Sûssa, (pop. 25,000, incl. 2800 Italians, 1500 French, and 900 Maltese), which has been since ancient times the chief seaport in the Gulf of Hammamet (p. 364), is now the most important in Tunisia after Tunis and Sfax. It is also the capital of the Sahel (p. 320). This coast-region, 20–25 M. in breadth, famed in the Roman age for its olive-oil, yields corn also, like the inland plain of Kairwan, although its rainfall is slight. According to the latest statistics the Sahel has 6 million olive-trees, 212,000 acres of barley, and about 4000 date-palms, which here, however, mostly yield date-wine (‘lagmi’) only. As yet the manufacturing industries are practically limited to the oil-mills and soap-works in the suburbs close to the sea; there are also several salt-works on the coast between Susa and Mehdia.

Susa, the Roman Hadrumetum, is one of the oldest Phœnician colonies on the coast of Tunisia. It appears for the first time in history at the end of the second Punic war, when it was Hannibal’s base of operations, and, after the battle of Zama (B. C. 202), his place of refuge. It escaped the fate of Carthage in 146 B. C., and it was again spared a century later, although it had sided with Pompey in the civil war. Under the later Roman empire Hadrumetum was remarkably prosperous, being the great outlet for the produce of the numerous and thickly peopled inland colonies as far as Tebessa. The fertility of its environs is indicated by the name given to it when re-colonized under Trajan (Colonia Concordia Ulpia Trajana Frugifera Hadrumentina). At that period the whole coast from Hadrumetum to El-Alia and Chebba (p. 370) was bordered with sumptuous country-houses. After its conquest by the Arabs (in 665, and again in 689) Susa, whose present name is said to date from the 8th cent., was outstripped by Kairwan and Mehdia. It afterwards suffered severely from the irruption of the Hilalides (p. 323) and its conquest by the Normans (1135), and in more modern times from its bombardment by the Spaniards (1537 and 1550), the French (1769), and the Venetians (1783).

The Harbour, 35 acres in area, constructed in 1886–9, is tolerably sheltered by two moles and by the Grande Jetée (737 yds.), the end of which is a splendid point of view. The Digue Sud (Pl. D, 4, 5), where new harbour-works are in progress, is occupied by storehouses for the phosphates from Aïn-Moularès (p. 372).

Between the N. mole and the dunes of Bou-Jaffar, near the Punic-Roman harbour (Kothon), of which scarcely a trace is left, lies the new town, dating from 1881. The busy parts of it are the Rond-Point de la Douane (Pl. D, 2), near the steamboat-quay, and the Place Pichon (Pl. C, D, 2), from which the Boul. René Millet leads to the station.

Between the two small public gardens here is the *Museum (Pl. C, 2), a valuable collection of Punic, Roman, and early-Christian antiquities, mostly excavated of late in the Sahel. Adm. daily, except Mon., 8–11 and 2–4 (from 1st July to 15th Oct. 7–11 only). No catalogue. Curator, M. E. Gouvet, the town architect.

The chief treasures of the museum are the numerous mosaics from Roman villas. In the centre of the hall is a large pavement from El-Alia, already freely restored in ancient times, representing an inundation of the Nile, with two-storied houses, a hippopotamus, a crocodile, etc.; by the entrance-wall, Neptune in a chariot with sea-horses, ducks, and fish; by the back-wall, procession of Bacchus, fishing scenes, a gazelle among edible animals and fruits (from a dining-room), the rape of Ganymede, a Nile scene, a basket with fish and lobsters; by the end-wall to the left, a peacock. By the right end-wall, an early-Christian mosaic, with the signature of the artist (Theodulos).

By the back-wall are relics of wall-paintings and the marble statuette of a negro boy. By the entrance-wall, fragments of Roman reliefs in stucco: head of a bearded man, from El-Djem (2nd cent. A. D.); bust of Athena and female head in profile, from Susa (2nd cent.). By the left end-wall, a large relief, from Susa, of the triumphal procession of a Roman emperor, with a fettered warrior behind the chariot.

The central presses contain (on the left) *Terracotta Figures from Susa (mother and child, Venus, female harpist, rider on a camel, etc.) and fine vessels in clay; (on the right) ancient coins; a fine bust in bronze and leaden rolls inscribed with curses (comp. p. 341), from Susa; bronze utensils, trinkets, implements in bone; Punic, Roman, and early-Christian lamps; mosaic of Virgil writing the Æneid.

The old town, an irregular quadrilateral almost unspoiled by modern improvements, contains no buildings of outstanding importance, but its Oriental streets are strikingly picturesque. The many-towered *Town Wall, with its gallery of defence and its crowning battlements, was erected by the Aglabides (p. 323) in 827.

From the Place Pichon we first visit the Place Bab el-Bahar (Pl. C, 2), named after the old ‘sea-gate’, almost always enlivened by a dense and busy throng. The main streets of this quarter are the Rue de France and Rue Général-Logerot, between which rises the Chief Mosque (Pl. C, 2), built in the Aglabide period on a ⟙-shaped plan (p. 376), with forecourts like the Gâmia Ibn Tulûn at Cairo (p. 451).

In the secluded streets to the N.W. of the chief mosque, which are best reached from the Hôtel de Ville (Pl. 3, B, C, 2; new building in course of construction in the Ave. Mougeot, in front of the harbour) by the Rue Général-Riu and Rue du Kasr, rises the so-called Kasr er-Ribât (Pl. 5, C, 2; ‘castle-convent’), originally a Byzantine fortress, but used since the Aglabide period as a fortified monastery (Kasr al-Morabitîn, castle of the marabouts) for defenders of the faith against the infidels. It is now a humble medersa (p. 228). The building, modernized in the Turkish period, was originally square, with four round corner-towers and four at the sides. The domed vestibule contains fragments of the Byzantine edifice. In the interior (no admittance) there is a small mosque.

The Rue Général-Sabatier on the W. side of the chief mosque, and the Rue de Paris, its continuation to the S., lead to the Rue el-Mar (Pl. B, 3, 4). Here, at the corner of the Rue de la Kasba (p. 369), rises a fine Minaret. At the end of the street is an interesting old Dwelling House, thoroughly restored in 1906, with horseshoe and multifoil arches.

In the Rue de la Soffra (Pl. B, 3), above the Rue el-Mar, are the Roman Cisterns, which have been repeatedly restored since the middle ages (keys at the town architect’s; see p. 367).

To the W. of the Rue de Paris are the picturesque Souks (p. 335). Immediately to the right, adjoining the Souk el-Rbâ (Pl. B, 3), the vaulted lane in the middle, and at the entrance to the Rue Bin el-Kaoui, is the Kahwât el-Kubba (Pl. 4, B, 3; ‘domed café’), a small early-Moorish building with an interesting dome, four wall-niches, and windows partly built up.

The Souk el-Caïd, continuing the Souk el-Rbâ, ascends to the Bâb el-Gharbi (Pl. A, 3), the old Moorish W. gate.—In the Rue Dâr el-Bey, between the Souk el-Caïd and Rue de la Kasba, is the Dâr el-Bey (Pl. 1; B, 3), an old palace of the beys of Tunis, now the Contrôle Civil and office of the caïd (driba).

The Rue de la Kasba, or from Bâb el-Gharbi the boulevard outside the town, leads to the Kasba (Pl. A, B, 4; 131 ft. above the sea), the Moorish-Turkish citadel, built partly on the foundations of a Roman temple, now the barracks of the tirailleurs (adm. on presenting visiting-card; a sergeant acts as guide). The ‘Salle d’Honneur’ contains neo-Punic and Roman antiquities from the Camp Militaire (see below), including valuable mosaics (victorious racehorses, etc.) and early-Christian objects from the catacombs (see below). From the N. terrace of the Kasba, or from the tower (now lighthouse; not always open), there is a splendid *View of the town and harbour, of the Sahel, the whole bay of Hammamet, and of the inland Tunisian hill-country as far as Jebel Zaghouan.

From the Bâb el-Gharbi a road leads to the W. to Kalaâ-Srira (p. 366) through the Camp Militaire (Pl. A, 3, 4), whose huts stand partly on the ancient Punic burial-grounds. About ¾ M. from the gate are remains of a Roman Burial Ground; also, on a road diverging to the left a little before, extensive early-Christian Catacombs (adm. 1 fr.), 3 min. to the S. of the highroad.

From Susa to Mehdia, 39½ M., railway in 3¼ hrs. (7 fr. 5, 5 fr. 35, 3 fr. 80 c.). The line runs, a little apart from the Sfax road (R. 59), at first to the S.W., through the beautiful hill-country of the Sahel, to (6 M.) M’Saken (p. 378). 11 M. Ouardenine, where the new line to Sfax (see p. 378) diverges to the S. Our line sweeps round to the E. to (16 M.) Djemmal.—22 M. Moknine (181 ft.; Café-Restaurant de la Gare; pop. 9000, incl. 700 Jews and 70 Europeans) is noted for its Jewish goldsmiths’ work in an antique style like that of Djerba (p. 394). On the road to Monastir (p. 405), 3¾ M. to the N.W. of Moknine, are the ruins of the very ancient Phœnician-Roman seaport Leptis Minor, now Lamta or Lempta (remains of the old quays, cisterns, etc.), near which is the Punic necropolis Henchir Meskhal.

The train skirts the Sebkha de Moknine. 27½ M. Teboulba (146 ft.; pop. 2900), a small town amidst pretty orange and mandarin gardens, on the S. shore of the Bay of Monastir (p. 405). Farther to the S.E. we come to (30 M.) Bekalta (pop. 3400), a little town with the ruins of the seaport of Thapsus, famed for Cæsar’s victory (p. 322; large Roman cisterns, amphitheatre, quay of the Punic-Roman Kothon, Punic rock-tombs).

39½ M. Mehdia or Mahdia (66 ft.; Hôt. de France, Grand-Hôtel, both very humble; Brit. cons. agent, G. Violante; pop. 10,000, incl. 600 Europeans), the ancient capital of Ifrikia (p. 322), founded in 916 as Mahedia by the Fatimite Obeïd Allah el-Mahdi, on the site of the Phœnician-Roman Zella (Africa?), is now a poor little seaport-town with hardly a trace of its former renown. Being centrally situated on the E. coast of Tunisia, on the narrow and once strongly fortified headland Râs Mehdia, the Cape Africa of earlier writers, Mehdia, after the destruction of Kairwan (p. 372), developed into the most prosperous town and important harbour of Tunisia, but suffered severely from the transference of the seat of government to Tunis (p. 332). In war also it was often sorely tried. It was conquered by a Pisan fleet in 1087, occupied by the Normans in 1148–60, and captured by the knights of Malta in 1530, by Kheireddin’s (p. 221) former general Dragut in 1540, and in 1550 by the Spaniards, who on their retreat after the naval battle of Djerba (p. 394) blew up its fortifications.

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.

From Aïn-Ghrasesia to Metlaoui, 182 M., railway in 13 hrs. (fares 32 fr. 85, 24 fr. 95, 17 fr. 55 c.; from Susa 38 fr. 35, 29 fr. 10, 20 fr. 50 c.). This new railway, diverging here to the S.W., affords the easiest access to the ruins of Sbeïtla, Kasserine, Thelepte, and Feriana in central Tunisia. It runs over a low saddle between the Sebkha Sidi el-Hani (see p. 370) and the marshy plain of the Oued Hathob, and across the bleak plain of Kairwan, to the S.W. borders of the Sahara Atlas, which it reaches at the foot of Jebel Touila, with its zinc and lead mines.

47½ M. Hadjeb el-Aïoun, the ancient Masclianae, on the Oued Zourzour, is the chief market (Tues.) for the Oulad Sendassen, a branch of the Djlass tribe (p. 370), and, like the following stations, possesses an alfa-depot. Branch-line to Sbiba, the ancient Sufes, projected.

Farther on we pass the foot of Jebel Hadjeb el-Aïoun to (58½ M.) Djilma (1152 ft.), the Roman Cilma, on a tributary of the Hathob, here called Oued Djilma, We now enter, to the W., the valley of the Oued Menasseur, at the foot of Jebel Mrilah (4508 ft.) and Jebel Sbeïtla, inhabited by the Madjeur tribe (p. 362).

76 M. Sbeïtla (1762 ft.; hotel), near the extensive ruins of Sufetula, on a plateau on the right bank of the Oued Sbeïtla, as the Oued Menasseur is named here. It was a poor castellum in the time of Augustus, but after the 2nd cent, became one of the most important junctions of different routes, and in the 5–7th cent. attained its prime under the Vandals and the Byzantines. In 645 it became the residence of Gregory, the governor, who had rebelled against Byzantium; it was soon after attacked by the Arabs under Abdallah ibn Saâd (p. 322), and in 648 it was entirely destroyed. The chief boast of Sbeïtla is the *Capitol (comp. p. 288), rising in the midst of the ruins. The temple-court, once used by the Byzantines as a fortress and now destroyed save a few fragments of the limestone pavement, was entered by a three-arched propylæum, bearing an inscription in honour of Antoninus Pius (138–61). The chief temple was pseudo-peripteral, with composite columns; there are still traces of the steps up to it and of the portico. The three cellæ are well preserved, especially at the back, and have a transverse wall, instead of a semicircular apse, adjoining the Corinthian smaller temples. We may note also a fine Triumphal Arch of the time of Constantine, the remains of a Byzantine Church incorporated with a temple, to the N. of the capitol, a Chapel built into a smaller temple, to the E., and the Aqueduct across the Oued Sbeïtla. Higher up is the spring of the new water-conduit, 103 M. long, which supplies the town of Sfax.

Passing many other ruins we come to the Plaine du Foussana (about 2650 ft.), one of the upper districts of the Oued Hathob, here called Foussana, at the S. foot of Jebel Semmama (4307 ft.; with the zinc-mines of Aïn-Khamouda on its N. side). Then a descent to (95 M.) Kasserine (2382 ft.), the ancient Cillium, a flourishing town from the 2nd cent. A.D. under the name of Colonia Cillitana, now a poor village with a caravanserai on the Thala and Feriana road (see p. 362 and below), not far from the chalky limestone masses of Jebel Chambi (5217 ft.; p. 320). We may here visit the ruins of the Roman Arch and of the Tomb of the Petronii, and above all the interesting Mausoleum of T. Flavius Secundus, of the time of Trajan. This is a kind of tower in three stories, in the Phœnician fashion, terminating in a pyramid; the 110 bombastic lines of the inscription correspond with the number of years attained by the deceased. A little to the S., on the Oued Derb, are remains of a Roman Barrage,—The landscape farther on, where Roman ruins still abound, assumes more and more the Sahara character.

116 M. Thelepte (hotel) is the station for the ruins of the ancient town of that name, now called Medinet el-Khedima (‘the old town’), which in the 2nd–4th cent. A.D. was the chief place on the road between Tebessa (p. 315) and Gafsa (p. 383). Large thermæ, ruins of early-Christian basilicas, and a Byzantine fortress with many towers are to be seen here. The extensive Roman Quarries are interesting.

118½ M. Feriana (2628 ft.; Hôt. Hostelier; Restaurant Bernard; pop. 1200), an oasis of corn, fruit, and vegetables on the Oued Feriana, in the midst of a sandy plain, has a new and pretty mosque.—Thence we cross the Plateau de Msila (2930 ft.), overgrown with alfa, and descend to (134 M.) Maâjen Bel-Abbès, with the ruins of a Roman town, 28 M. to the N.W. of Gafsa. 141 M. Sidi Bou-Beker.

153½ M. Henchir Souatir (about 1640 ft.). A short branch-line diverges hence to Aïn-Moularès (1806 ft.), a caravanserai near the great beds of phosphate on the Algerian frontier.

166 M. Tabeditt is connected by railway with (9½ M.) Redeyef, which has rich phosphate deposits.—Beyond Tabeditt the train runs through the valley of the Oued Seldja (p. 386), here inhabited by the Oulad Sidi-Abid nomads, to (183 M.) Metlaoui (p. 386).

The Kairwan Line runs to the W. over the bleak steppe, often passing the tents and the browsing camels and cattle of the Djlass (p. 370). We cross the Oued Hathob, here called Zeroud.

To the right, especially in the afternoon, we have a delightful *View of the white houses of Kairwan, with its countless domes and towering minarets. Nearing the station we see extensive fields of cactus and large alfa-stacks.

36 M. Kairwan.—Hotels (comp. p. 324). Splendid Hotel (Pl. a; C, 5), R. 3, B. 1, déj. or D. 3, omn. ½ fr.; Hôt. de France (Pl. b; C, 5), R. 2½–4, B. ¾, déj. or D. 3, pens. 7½ fr.; both in the Place Carnot, tolerable.—Café de France, Rue Massicault.—Post & Telegraph Office (Pl. C, D, 4), Rue de la Poste.—Physician. Dr. Santschi (a Swiss), Grande Rue, near the Bâb Djelladin.

In Half-a-Day, if pressed for time, we may visit the Grande Rue, the Souks, the Sidi Okba Mosque, and the Mosquée du Barbier. Tickets for the mosques are obtained at the office of the Contrôle Civil (p. 373) or at the hotels. The overseers of the mosques mostly speak Arabic only. The guides, who are quite unnecessary, are very importunate.

Travellers in haste should endeavour to secure a cab (as yet only one), drive to the Contrôle Civil, the Barber’s Mosque, and back to the Porte de Tunis (p. 377), and there begin their inspection of the town.

Kairwan or Kairouan (243 ft.; pop. 22,000, incl. about 800 Europeans), the oldest capital of Ifrikia, is a town of purely Arabian type, the most curious in Tunisia. The old town is an irregular rectangle, enclosed by a wall 33 ft. high and 2 M. in length; the large W. suburb, also purely Oriental, is the Faubourg des Djlass, called after the nomadic tribe of that name (p. 370); to the S. is a new suburb near the station. The numerous mosques and zaouïas date mostly from the Turkish period. The town holds market for the extensive plain of Kairwan, and the souks are still important, though manufactures have declined. The climate (p. 321) is extremely hot in summer.

Kairwan was founded by Sidi Okba ben-Nâfi (p. 322) in 671, and was appointed by the caliphs to be the seat of the governors of Ifrikia. As the capital of the great Aglabide empire (p. 323) and the seat of the oldest high school in N. Africa, it was hardly less important than Cordova (p. 68), and the sumptuous mosque of Sidi Okba rapidly became the favourite goal of pilgrims from E. Barbary. After the Hilalides (p. 323) had destroyed the greater part of the town in 1048 it was for centuries almost deserted, notwithstanding the favour shown to it by Abd el-Mûmen (p. 95), the Hafsides, and the Merinides (p. 95). In the early 16th cent. several quarters still lay in ruins. It was not till the Turkish period that the sacred town, ‘one of the four gates of Paradise’, which neither Christian nor Jew durst enter, again became the religious centre of the land. To spend one’s last days within its walls, and to be buried in hallowed earth outside its gates, seemed to believers the height of bliss. Its sacred character, which however did not prevent the beys of Tunis from bombarding and partly destroying the rebellious town, was finally lost when the mosques were desecrated by the entry of the French troops in 1881.