Tunisia Way

Neglected by most tour groups and individual travellers. Still it is too easy to locate and explore to be overlooked. Musti lies on the edge of the road between Le Kef and Dougga, with a triumphal arch on one side and the temples and a fortress on the other.

The history of Musti is not of great importance, it was secondary to other larger Roman cities of the region, like Maktar and Haïdra. Yet, the excavation performed here is very nicely done. Look out for the ancient olive presses.

Musti (located some eight miles from Dougga) was an important town in the Roman era, located along the Roman road that ran between Carthage and Tebessa. The limits of the town were set in 238 by two triumphal arches, erected on this road which traversed Musti from east to west. Towards the end of 2nd century AD the Roman general Gaius Marius settled his veterans here and at a later time it was elevated to the rank of a municipium by Caesar or by Marcus Aurelius. The ancient Roman town lost its appearance when the ByzantinesVandals. transformed it into a stronghold during their struggles against the

The town has only been partially excavated but nevertheless boasts remains of the forum, the marketplace, several temples, the cisterns, a Byzantine citadel and a number of Roman houses. The town has been partly excavated but a large area is still left to be researched.

The tiniest Roman ruins