Bulla Regia

Bulla Regia

The town of Bulla Regia was a Berber, Punic and Roman town close to present-day Jendouba. The remaining ruins and archaeological site are notable for the Hadrianic semi-subterranean housing, which provided shelter from the sweltering heat and the sun. When Tunisia was annexed to the Roman Empire around 46 BC under Julius Caesar, the formerly Berber-inhabited Bulla Regia flourished under the Romans, who constructed a series of monuments and public buildings in the area, like the Amphitheatre. The remains of the Bulla Regia include the famous two-storey villas, with their lower storeys below ground level to protect the inhabitants from the elements. A particular feature of these villas is that many of them contain original Roman mosaics which are still in place. The subtle colors and shading of the finest mosaics found here, and the modelling of three-dimensional forms, are unsurpassed in North Africa, where the Roman art of mosaic flooring reached its most complete development. Nowadays, Bulla Regia is a unique archaeological site with a small museum that offers a special opportunity to walk into a Roman villa. On the underground tours, experienced guides lead visitors through the restoration work, including the mosaics and halls that have been preserved for so long below the surface. Even the Roman-era drainage system has been repaired to prevent the house remains from flooding. Highlights of the site include the colossal Memmian Baths above the entrance, and the Quartier des Maisons and the imposing House of the Hunt, which show the opulent lifestyle of the former inhabitants.