Tunis: The ancient town of Aradi, now known as Sidi Jdidi, some 15km from Hammamet, the Berber village of Douar Laaroussi, the hills of El Monchar, the archaeological site of Aradi and the prehistoric caves of Sidi Latrach, are just some of the sites that will form an important part of the new and first route of the Tunisian Trekking Trail created in Sidi Jdidi-Nabeul.
It is part of the Trans-Tunisia Trekking Trail project, carried out in partnership with Leaders International and supported by the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism in Tunisia project – a joint action of the European Union as part of its “Tounes Wijhetouna” programme and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and implemented by GIZ Tunisia in close partnership with the Tunisian Ministry of Tourism.
This new walking tour offers a rich mountain and adventure destination, as well as culture and history, to discover some little-known or poorly-known treasures such as the prehistoric caves of Sidi Latrech, which can b
e seen in the promotional video for this new tour.
According to some historical data, these caves were grouped, tiered burial chambers dug into the Djebel Sidi Latrach rock mass.
According to historical data, these chambers, dug and carved by prehistoric man to commemorate his dead, date back to protohistory, the period between the end of the Neolithic period and the beginning of history, the equivalent of the European Metal Age.
Behind the Hammamet coastal area, some ten kilometres from the sea, the Sidi Jdidi site, identified by an inscription with the ancient Aradi, extending over some ten hectares, has been the subject of numerous studies, research and key works and articles to study the monuments revealed, including two Christian basilicas making up the double cathedral, which had a funerary function illustrated by the numerous mosaics marking the tombs, according to the “Les Nouvelles de l’archéologie” collection, on the OpenEdition Journals portal for books and scientific journals.
Entitled “The Ch
urches of Ancient Aradi,” this 2011 scientific text was written by Tunisian archaeologist and historian Aïcha Ben Abed Ben Kheder and medieval archaeologist Michel Fixot, members of an entire excavation team during the summer 2006 campaign.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse