Tunisia
Based in Tunis for six days, we will spend one and a half days at Phoenician Carthage and explore the northeastern part of the country. Leaving Tunis, we tour Roman Dougga and Thuburbo Majus, the unique underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia, one of the largest Roman sites in Tunisia at Sbeitla, the Islamic monuments in Kairouan and Tunisia's major Byzantine sites. We will spend two days exploring the south, including the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata, unique for underground cities and fortified granaries - plus lovely coastal towns, Berber troglodyte villages and exotic bazaars.

Morocco
Our tour is designed to sample Morocco's 6,000 years of archaeology, art and architecture. The tour emphasizes the Islamic imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fez and Marrakesh and explores Berber villages and markets as we travel from the Atlantic coast to the snowcapped Atlas Mountains, from the great Roman and Islamic cities to the remote kasbahs and ksour of the Sahara Desert. A special tour highlight will be the day spent at the excavations at Sijilmasa.

This tour may be taken together with our Southern Spain tour, also led by Prof. Messier.

Ethiopia: Ancient Kingdoms & Legends
This exotic tour examines the historic sites associated with the Kingdom of Axum, one of the oldest empires of Africa. Beginning in Addis Ababa we visit museums and early man sites before traveling to the north to visit the churches around Gondar and Mekele, uniquely designed and painted in a local style, the famous rock-cut churches of Lalibela and the fabulous ancient Axumite cities. We will spend one night in the spectacularly beautiful Simien Mountains before driving on to Bahir Dar and the origin of the Blue Nile. During this wonderful adventure we will experience Ethiopia's extraordinary pageantry and its diversity of peoples and traditions.