The Roman Remains of Pupput Hammamet

Pupput

Located somewhere between the Kasbah of Old Hammamet and the resorts of New Hammamet is the site of the Roman Remains of Pupput. It’s not on the same scale as Carthage or Douga. However, if you are staying in Hammamet and want to explore the local area it’s worth a visit to Pupput.

Hammamet Roman Remains

How to get to Pupput Hammamet

If you are happy to take the bus, it’s on the route of number 115 from Old Hammamet to New Hammamet. Disembark at Samira Club hotel. A Taxi from the hotels in New or old Hammamet shouldn’t be more than between 5-10 Dinars (£1.50-2.50). It is walkable from many of the new Hammamet resorts.

Pupput

How much is it to Visit Pupput?

A ticket costs just 5 Dinars to enter the archaeological site of Pupput. There is a little walking involved and the ground can be uneven or slippy in the rain, so wear comfy shoes.

When you arrive, expect to be greeted by one of the coffee shop owners (possibly ‘Murphy’!) who will invite you to sit and wait for the site to be less busy, or for the rain to stop. He will want you to pay for a drink before going in or possible to tout out their friends taxis! Have a nice chat and go with the flow. If you are not buying drinks, he will soon usher you into the site.

Pupput archaeological site

Buy your tickets at the white ticket office directly ahead. If it is quiet, a guide will join you and tell you a little bit about the remains, pointing out the Roman baths, mosaics and irrigation systems. You can tip if you like, but don’t have to (a decent tip in Tunisia is 4 Dinar which is around £1).

Mosaics and Roman Ruins

You will first come to some well preserved Roman Mosaic tiles with patterns of birds and fish. Although the colours are faded, you can tell the colour scheme that used to be visible.

Pupput mosaics
Pupput bird mosaic
Pupput fish mosaic

Roman Baths at Pupput Hammamet

The first set of ruins on your left as you walk around the main path clearly shows a set of three Roman baths and the remains of the Roman irrigation system.

Pupput Roman Baths
Roman Irrigations system

Continue to walk around towards the columns where you will see the remains of at least two sets of Roman ruins, referred to as the House of Black and White Triclinium (3rd Century) and the Edifice of the Satyr and Menade (4th Century).

House of Black and White Triclinium and Edifice of the Satyr and Menade

The House of Black and White Triclinium means a house with a formal dining room. A dining table was often referred to as a Triclinium. Next to this you can find the Edifice of the Satyr and Menade, which could have been a temple style monument to Roman Gods.

The remaining ruins display mosaic floors better preserved than at Carthage.

The Swastikas in the mosaics of Roman ruins are generally symbolic of the Roman God Jupiter.

Tombs

As you leave, check out the tombs on the opposite side of the entrance. Sadly, many more tombs along with further Pupput remains are hidden by the modern hotel developments and waterparks in the tourist area of Hammamet.

Roman tombs Hammamet

If you are spending time in Tunisia, you might also like to read about the best Tunisia Tours.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.