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Tunisia

Sanctuary of Tophet history. The Tophet of Salammbo dates to the city’s founding by Queen Alyssa or Dido in the 19th century BC and continuing until 146 BC, when the city was destroyed by the Roman Republic in the Third Punic War. The Sanctuary of Tophet in Tunisia constitutes the remains of a vast number of children’s graves dating back to the Punic period of Carthage.
The presence of infant skeletons from here may indicate the occurrence of child sacrifice, as claimed in the Bible, although there has been considerable doubt among archeologists as to this interpretation and many consider it simply a cemetery devoted to infants from the early settlers.
Instances of child sacrifice by the Carthaginians, however, were also recorded in Greco-Roman sources such as Sophocles and Plutarch. Carthaginian inscriptions instead refer to the sites not as tophets but temples, sanctuaries or shrines.
Sanctuary of Tophet today.  Today this eerie site can be found near the Punic Port in Tunis, covering about an acre of land. You can walk among the grave markers, viewing the inscriptions and carvings of the ancient grave markers under the shade of palm trees
The original port of Carthage.
It was not a large area as you can see.
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Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classical world. It became the capital city of the civilization of Ancient Carthage and later Roman Carthage.
Scattered ruins help us to see where the mighty city of antiquity once stood, sending its fleets for trade and warfare across the Mediterranean.
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Ruins of what the baths might have looked like
The city's location made it master of the Mediterranean's maritime trade. All ships crossing the sea had to pass between Sicily and the coast of Tunisia, where Carthage was built, affording it great power and influence
The city had massive walls, 23 miles long, which was longer than the walls of comparable cities. Most of the walls were on the shore and so could be less impressive, as Carthaginian control of the sea made attack from that direction difficult. The walls were truly massive and were never penetrated.
Large aquaducts transporting water in Carthage
St. Louis Cathedral in Carthage
Looking down into one of these large aquaducts
The U.S. Ambassadors residence. The U.S. flag can be see among the trees
Nearby our hotel we toured the grandest house in Sidi Bou Said the Dar Ennejma Ezzahra, the former home of a French Baron built in the 1912 to 1922 years.
The view of the harbor and beach from the front area of the house used today for weddings, private concerts and other events.

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