Arriving from Dougga aboard Wilson, I reached Sbeïtla in the early afternoon, after stopping in Makhtar. As in Dougga, I was greeted by a charming tourist police officer who told me where to buy my ticket for the museum and the ruins and where to sleep safely, in the parking lot of the Sufetula Hotel from where there is a beautiful view of the site. I waited until late afternoon before daring to show my nose under the relentless Tunisian summer sun, starting with the archaeological museum.

The museum is located just across from the entrance. Don't miss it, as it contains some very beautiful antique pieces, including a beautiful round altar table and engraved steles with very expressive funerary effigies.

By its vast extent and the relatively good condition of the buildings, the site would deserve to be listed, but hey, who am I to think that because ultimately it is only a question of personal taste, but still, walking alone in the shadow of the Arch of Diocletian, trampling the tall grass among the ancient houses, the olive oil presses, in the forum and the Capitol, when the sun sets on the horizon, is a pure delight. In summer, the stone acquires at that time an incomparable blond shine. The site is different from Dougga and to a lesser extent from Makhtar because it is completely flat and the wadi that borders it to the east is barely visible. And when you think that two millennia ago, several thousand men lived here, most nomads, in Sufetula !

A pseudo-guide caught up with me at the entrance to show me a private bath decorated with beautiful mosaics. Without him, I would have certainly walked right past it.