In all, 1285 activities are scheduled throughout the 24 governorates of Tunisia on the occasion of Heritage Month 2023 ( April 18 – May 18) placed by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs in its 32nd edition under the sign “Our heritage, a legacy of civilizations, an economic resource. The majority of workshops, musical, theatrical and poetic meetings, conferences, exhibitions and various shows will take place in cultural centers, art complexes and public spaces. As for archaeological sites numbering 14 open to the public in Tunisia, and besides “Thuburbo Majus” (Governorate of Zaghouan), where was launched the 2023 version of Heritage Month, is the archaeological site of Oudhna (Governorate of Ben Arous) which will host a varied share of activities for two days. Also on the programme are the sites “Neapolis” in Nabeul, “Mustis” in El Krib (governorate of Siliana) and Thapsus / Bekalta (governorate of Monastir), the latter subject of a major scientific research project started in 2020 and has been supported in March 2023 by the sub-committee of the excavations Europe-Maghreb of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, as part of its four-year archaeological projects 2023-2026. Oudhna: 6th project of its kind, supported by AFCP “Oudhna” is one of the places of memory that symbolises the rich history of Tunisia housing many cultural treasures – from Roman archaeological ruins to ancient medinas, through musical traditions … as the stambeli and other references. Its venues will vibrate April 29 and 30 to the rhythm of a series of Workshops on “The technique of knitting, “The traditional Tunisian textile” and “History, techniques and role of textiles in the economic dynamics. Music, popular poetry and a scientific conference on the economic prospects of traditional Tunisian weaving and the role of women in the preservation of this industry are also on the menu in addition to an exhibition “Mergoum” and a fashion show “Women of Carthage. The site of Oudhna was visited last April 18 on the occasion of the International Day of Monuments and Sites coinciding with the launch of Heritage Month by U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia Joey Hood who had the opportunity to learn about the progress of the project to redevelop the old tanks of the site and their transformation into an archaeological reserve, in its final phase, initiated in 2019 and funded by the U.S. Embassy through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). The goal of the restoration undertaken is to preserve the remains and transform the site into a major point of attraction within the framework of an archaeological park. With a cost of nearly 330 000 TND, this sixth project of its kind, supported by the AFCP, has experienced, according to old data of the INP, efforts of development, between 1996 and the end of 2003, having focused on the major public monuments of the site: the capitol, the amphitheater and the baths. The heritage month will also be an opportunity within the framework of activities scheduled to become more familiar with other places of memory including Cap Bon, namely the ancient site of Neapolis, now integrated into the urban fabric of the city of Nabeul, the side of the tourist area. This site was fortuitously discovered in 1965 during earthworks. Rescue excavations have uncovered a unique complex: a real industrial installation of the Roman period for the manufacture of garum and salting of fish. The archaeological site Musti or Mustis in the region of El Krib (governorate of Siliana), is an ancient site of Tunisia, located at a distance of 120 km from Tunis. This city has known a proliferation especially during the Roman period. It is located on the Roman way between Carthage and Tébessa. It became a municipality under the reign of Julius Caesar or Augustus. We also find Byzantine traces which confirm that the site was occupied later. The site of Musti was partially excavated in the sixties. It covers several tens of hectares. Today one can see several Roman buildings there: religious, domestic, public buildings but also a Byzantine citadel. The latest excavations conducted by a team of Polish researchers from Warsaw with the INP have revealed in November 2019, more than 130 Roman epigraphs, real archaeological wonders that can only make this place a new tourist destination denoting the extent of the wealth of Tunisia. “Thapsus: Ancient Mediterranean port city” pending to deliver its secrets The data on the site of Thapsus/Bekalta in Monastir, reveal that few excavations have been conducted in the ancient coastal city as in its hinterland. Most of the monuments and other remains identified are the result of prospecting or chance discoveries. The vast majority of the remains are still underground. The most recent research project has been conducted since December 2020 under a scientific partnership agreement between the Casa de Velázquez (Madrid, Spain) and the Institut National du Patrimoine (Tunisia), on the site of Thapsus and as part of an international cooperation programme bringing together several Tunisian and French researchers (historians, archaeologists, geographers, geophysicists, biologists, …) representing three institutions: INP (Tunisia), the laboratory Littoral Environment and Societies -LIENSs- (La Rochelle University, France) and the Centre Camille-Jullian (CCJ of the University of Aix-Marseille) and which constitutes a laboratory of history and archaeology that conducts archaeological research and ancient history on the Mediterranean rim and in North Africa. Entitled “Thapsus (Rass Dimass): ancient Mediterranean port city”, this archaeological-environmental study project carried out by the Casa de Velázquez and the École Française de Rome, has set itself the task of drawing up an inventory of the remains thanks to geophysical prospection and the transmission of this know-how to local teams. In addition to its major contribution to archaeological research, this study will contribute to the implementation of measures to protect a non-visible heritage, threatened with disappearance, to orient the development of research programmes by determining priority sectors for archaeological interventions and to identify sensitive areas to be protected. The current environmental transformations marked by a strong natural erosion, as well as the demographic, agricultural and tourist development of the region threaten, according to the experts, the knowledge and the conservation of this archaeological heritage. A part of the structures installed on the coast was also carried away by the littoral erosion. Many remains still visible in the nineteenth century have subsequently disappeared (the enclosure, the mole, the docks, etc.). The few buildings still standing are undergoing accelerated degradation. Urban and agricultural nibbling encroaches on the archaeological sites and rapidly causes the buried remains to disappear. Faced with these threats, Tunisian and French researchers have set up this research project to record, study and preserve the endangered remains of the ancient city (data taken from the international platform for scientific blogs “Hypotheses”, and from the Casa de Velazquez website). The work of the first operation of geophysical prospecting and archaeological excavations carried out in May 2022 revealed the richness of this site and the interest of continuing the recording of data in a context of accelerated urbanization in order to obtain a tool for monitoring and preserving the heritage. The next campaigns will be conducted on the structures discovered by the geophysical prospections and particularly the monumental and littoral buildings in order to better understand the nature of this city and the relations it maintained with the sea. The data collected during these surveys, which are still being analyzed, must be verified by archaeological surveys. Concerned about the development and use of new technologies in archaeological practice, the scientific council of the Arpamed Endowment Fund “Archaeology and Heritage in the Mediterranean” , (the first fund dedicated to French archaeology in the Mediterranean and which finances excavations in the Mediterranean basin) decided in 2021 to support the Thapsus project through the development of geophysical research conducted on the site to quickly identify the extent of the remains of the ancient city, to delimit the main buried buildings and to work on the inventory of the heritage and its conservation. Most recently, on March 23, 2023, the Europe-Maghreb excavation sub-commission of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (France), decided to support the Thapsus project as part of its 2023-2026 quadrennial archaeological projects. This support considered as a recognition of the preliminary work done since 2019 by the Thapsus project team, will allow the project to take a new momentum and take shape of a new tourist destination. Translated by Mohamed Neji Ben Gamra

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse