Salakta is a small Tunisian village situated by the sea.
Salakta has been occupied or ruled by many civilisations, including the Phoenicians, Byzantines, Romans, and Muslim Oubéidines. The attractions include a beach, catacombs, an ancient cemetery and a museum. It is in Salakta that the mosaics "Lion" (with huge proportions, and which is displayed in the
Bardo National Museum Bardo National Museum or Musée National du Bardo may refer to:
* Bardo National Museum (Algiers) in Algeria
* Bardo National Museum (Tunis)
, logo =
, image = Tunis, musée du Bardo, salle de Virgile 01.jpg
, caption = Apartments of the Be ...
) was found.
Though not an established name in Tunisian tourism, Salakta is nevertheless one of the oldest historical sites in the country. Most of this is now under the sea, unfortunately.
Its population swells from few hundreds to few thousands in summer when most of its people come back from Europe or from other Tunisian regions in order to spend summer.
Description
Salakta is a village in the Sahel, Tunisia located five kilometers from
Ksour Essef
Ksour Essef or Ksour Essaf () is a town and commune in the Mahdia Governorate, Tunisia, on the coast of the Sahel, about 200 km south of Tunis. As of 2014 it had a population of 36,274.Mahdia Governorate, it had a population of 3,477 in 2004.
History
Roman Ruins at Salakta
The town was a port exporting wheat, and later of olive oils, and wines.
The fishing port was successively occupied by the Phoenicians, the Byzantines, the Romans and then the Arabs.
The village was a privileged place for the Byzantines under Justinian who used it as a strategic point for their conquests. Belisarius's invasion of Africa began during the Vandalic War in 533, not far from Salakta on the Caput Vada.
During the Second World War, both the French Army and the German Afrika Korps maintained a military base here.
Archaeological remains
Archaeological Museum of Salakta
Salakta is one of the oldest historical sites in the country. It features a small museum set within the site of the ancient site. However, the majority of the latter is under the sea.
One of the main mosaics of the Bardo National Museum, representing an African lion, was discovered in Salakta in 1958. In Roman times, Salakta was an important commercial port under the name of Syllectum or Sullectum. One of the offices of the Place des Corporations in
Ostia
Ostia may refer to:
Places
*Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome
*Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome
*Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome
Arts and entertainment ...
bears the name of the
navicular
The navicular bone is a small bone found in the feet of most mammals.
Human anatomy
The navicular bone in humans is one of the tarsal bones, found in the foot. Its name derives from the human bone's resemblance to a small boat, caused by th ...
s of Syllectum, and oil
amphora
An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
e with the original mark A SYLL have been found in Ostia and Salakta, Archaeological evidence of a trade of active oil between Salakta and Rome.
Tourism
The beaches, the catacombs, an ancient cemetery, as well as the archaeological museum founded in 1980, are worth visiting. The museum shows excavation finds from the surrounding area, in particular terracotta as well as a large mosaic of a Berberlöwen. The mosaic has a height of about 3 meters and dates from the 3rd century. There are
necropolis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
es of the
megalithic culture
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The ...
in the surroundings.
Although Salakta is not particularly important for tourism from abroad, it is still one of the oldest historical sites in the country. Most of the ancient settlement is now below the sea level. The population of Salakta developed not least due to the tourism and attractiveness of the beaches of few hundred people to several thousand today.
Bishopric
Sullectum was the
seat
A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense.
Types of seat
The following are examples of different kinds of seat:
* Armchair (furniture), ...
