Crich-El-Oued

Crich El Oued, also known as Qarish el-Wadi, is a village in Tunisia,^[1] located between Bordj Toumi and Majaz al Bab^[2] (36° 41' 00" N 9° 40' 00" E) in Béja Governorate east of Tunis.^[3] The village is on the Medjerda river^[4][5] at the confluence with the Oued el-Ahmar and the town has a mosque^[6]

Roman Ruins

The ruins west of Crich-El-Oued are the remains of the Roman city of Thisiduo otherwise Thisiduum,^[7] a city of Africa Proconsularis^[8][9][10] which flourished 330 BC - 640AD.

Roman Name

The original name of the town was probably Thisinduo / Thisinduum. Thomas,^[11] reconstructed it thus, and recently found ^[12] inscriptions which have confirmed this.^[13][14]

The town appears on the Tabula Peutingeriana,^[15][16] and Ravenna Cosmpographica^[17] The name evolved following the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb from Thisinduo to Chisiduo.^[18] 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.^[19] Toulotte suspects in Bishop Tadduensis of the year 646 an origin from Thisiduum.^[20]

There are few remains meaningfully sited in the ruins because of reuse of the stone in the Middle Ages^[21] and building over the former structures.^[22] There are remains of a Roman bridge that crosses the Oued el Hamar^[23] 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^[24]

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 ^[25] with four other bishops resident within 10 kilometers of Crich El Oued.