Romans built amphitheatres across their empire for public events and entertainment. El Djem was built around 238 CE in a city then called Thysdrus, which was a wealthy place famous for producing olive oil. The builders used a clever system of underground tunnels beneath the arena floor, which performers and animals could move through without the crowd seeing them.
Looking at El Djem from outside is breathtaking — three storeys of arched stone windows rise up like a giant wedding cake of rock. The stone came from quarries many kilometres away and was dragged to the site by teams of workers and animals. Engineers still study it today to understand Roman building techniques.
El Djem is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also used for concerts and music festivals today. Imagine sitting in a 1,800-year-old stone seat and listening to live music bouncing off those ancient walls! The arena has also appeared in films and television programmes set in ancient Rome.