Crich El Oued, also known as Qarish el-Wadi, is a village in Tunisia,[2] located between Bordj Toumi and Majaz al Bab[3] (36° 41' 00" N 9° 40' 00" E) in Béja Governorate east of Tunis.[4] The village is on the Medjerda river[5][6] at the confluence with the Oued el-Ahmar and the town has a mosque[7]
Crich-El-Oued
Qarish el-Wadi Thisiduo | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: Chisiduo[1] | |
  Crich-El-Oued Location in Tunisia | |
| Coordinates: 36°38′37″N 9°36′15″E | |
| Country |  Tunisia |
| Governorate | Béja Governorate |
Roman Ruins
The ruins west of Crich-El-Oued are the remains of the Roman city of Thisiduo otherwise Thisiduum,[8] a city of Africa Proconsularis[9][10][11] which flourished 330 BC - 640AD.
Roman Name
The original name of the town was probably Thisinduo / Thisinduum. Thomas,[12] reconstructed it thus, and recently found [13] inscriptions which have confirmed this.[14][15]
The town appears on the Tabula Peutingeriana,[16][17] and Ravenna Cosmpographica[18] The name evolved following the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb from Thisinduo to Chisiduo.[19] and then Crich.
Roman History
The history of Thisiduum is hardly known. The inscription CIL 14763 = ILS 6781 testifies to a municipium under Latin law, and to an aedile.[20] Toulotte suspects in Bishop Tadduensis of the year 646 an origin from Thisiduum.[21]
There are few remains meaningfully sited in the ruins because of reuse of the stone in the Middle Ages[22] and building over the former structures.[23] There are remains of a Roman bridge that crosses the Oued el Hamar[24] and some temples are discernible, with a number of trunks of columns, some in stone, others in white marble, littering the town. Inscriptions bear witness to at least two temples[25]
There are also separate ruins nearby at Chouigui and Goubellat and 7 km away at Medjez el Bab.
Ancient Bishopric
During the Roman Empire this part of the Medjerda river valley had a high density of bishoprics [26] with four other bishops resident within 10 kilometers of Crich El Oued.
References
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