The vulnerability of the current urban image of Carthage

Instead of taking advantage of Carthage’s potential, Tunisia’s urban planning strategies do not ensure the protection and the enhancement of this universal heritage.

Indeed, the urban landscape in this former jewel of the Mediterranean has been degraded by:

• The devalorization of the city’s archaeological sites which are falling into oblivion and decadence, in favour of new constructions badly planned at a time of uncontrolled urban sprawl and lack of national awareness.

• Natural landscape endangered because of the phenomena of soil erosion.

• The maritime front abandoned because of the absence of techniques for protecting the coastline.

Whereas the future of Carthage requires well-studied project strategies born of the constraint of the current urban layers with a national conscience. Therefore, the valorisation of Carthage is not an option. Rather, it is a major challenge that will allow the designers who contribute to the act of building and developing (architects, urban planners, engineers, landscape architects, etc.) to intervene by adding to and/or subtracting from what already exists in order to ensure a new life for the context of the city of Carthage and a better reality for the city’s inhabitants.

The name Carthage comes from the Phoenician name «Karth Hadith» Or «Qrthdst», which originally means «New City». It refers to civilizations that have succeeded each other for 3000 years.

• Punic Carthage (814 before Christ --> 146 before Christ)

Accompanied by the Queen of Tyre, the story of Carthage began when the Phoenicians embarked on Carthaginian territory, which at the beginning was only a commercial stopover to the west of the Mediterranean. The Queen of Tyre knew how to strip land from the natives to mark the birth of a great civilization.

These holy lands gave birth to legends of the history of civilizations which are cited among them Hamilcar and the general Hannibal who was one hair away from defeating the Romans on their territory.

• During the reign of the Romans (44 before Christ --> 391)

‘‘ We must destroy Carthage! ’’ Marcus Porcius Cato

The dream of Cato the Elder rose in 146 BC during the destruction of the city. Carthage was burned and deserted but after that it recognized its brilliance during the reign of Octave Augustus who realized the dream of his father, the Emperor Julius Caesar. So, Carthage was rebuilded and it became the second capital after Rome.

From 312, under the reign of the Emperor Constantine, Christianity was definitively established. Carthage became a major cultural and intellectual center of the Roman Empire and then experienced a very intense religious life. Many buildings show their omnipresence and their power over the North of Africa.

The Byzantine empire extended over the northern African lands and the islands of Corsica and Sardinia. Indeed, it was after Gélimer’s defeat with Bélisaire in the battles of Ad Decimum and Tricaméron that the Vandal kingdom ended in 533.

The real final fall of Carthage was realized when the Muslim army arrived in the Maghreb. They easily imposed themselves given the disastrous state of Christian power in Tunisia. By choosing the Kairouan as a center of religious and political power of the country. Muslims have turned their backs on the city of Carthage, which is losing its status as capital. It was replaced, in turn, by Kairouan, Mahdia and finally Tunis.

Graphic technique: collage and photography

• Carthage Until now

The Urban planning has been deconcentrated from the former city of Carthage and it has been organized around the medina of Tunis. Indeed, this abandonment was explained by a slow increase in land use. So, we detect 3 Ha of land use between the years 1835 and 1975. But it has been accelerated to cover an area of 144 Ha. In 1990, this urban development stabilised in order to 250 Ha. In view of the rapid development of the modern city which was in danger of destroy the remains forever. UNESCO has launched a vast campaign between 1972 and 1992 to save Cathage with the classification of this historic city as a world heritage site.