Close to the entrance of a village in Cherahil, a district in the Tunisian province of Monastir, there is an old man named Yusuf. He has a stick in his hand and he points it towards what was once an ancient city, a sleepy site in the arms of olive trees. His eyes sparkling, he looks as if he’d make a good tour guide here, to show people the exciting find that was recently made in his very own hometown.

Just a few weeks ago, a Roman settlement thought to date back to the 6th century was found here, under the ground.

Close to the entrance of a village in Cherahil, a district in the Tunisian province of Monastir, there is an old man named Yusuf. He has a stick in his hand and he points it towards what was once an ancient city, a sleepy site in the arms of olive trees. His eyes sparkling, he looks as if he’d make a good tour guide here, to show people the exciting find that was recently made in his very own hometown.

Just a few weeks ago, a Roman settlement thought to date back to the 6th century was found here, under the ground.

“The most amazing thing is that we found the ruins almost intact, as if the people had simply moved out yesterday,” the mayor of Cherahil, Riyad al-Wair, told Correspondents.

Indeed, even the ancient clay pots are still whole, something that has stunned those visiting the site. And there is certainly more to come.

“It’s not too farfetched to think that an entire district has been buried here,” al-Wair continued. “We really need archeologists here as well as officials to protect the site.”

In the past there have been plenty of amateur archeologists in the area, digging in the dirt for treasures, both valuable – like golden trinkets – and historic. However these individuals have mostly damaged, rather than salvaged, the remains here. 

“This discovery is extremely valuable and significant,” confirms Jihad Swaid from Tunisia’s National Heritage Institute. “We’ve requested an expert to date the finds but an initial examination indicates the remains probably date back to the late 6th or early 7th century.”

“We expect to excavate more in this location,” Swaid continued. Even just the early exploration of the area had revealed a water facility, potteries, giant patterned columns and the ruins of a pond for irrigation. Swaid was unsure how much more there might be: “Nobody knows what surprises we will find,” he noted. 

Speaking to Yusuf, the old man at the entrance to the village, he has hopes other than archeological for the ancient remains. “This is a place that’s never had any development or projects worth mentioning,” he grumbles. “Most of the young people have immigrated to places like Italy and the women that work in the nearby textile factories are always exhausted by their jobs.”

Now he hopes that the significant discovery might bring some life back to the area – and that it might even make it possible for his grandson, who emigrated, to return.

Farming is the main source of income here and during the olive harvesting season, the village flourishes. Many families stockpile what they make then in order to survive through the year. However when the archeological find was discovered around a fortnight ago, the villagers really began to think things might be different for them.

Like their mayor, they hope the village might become a tourist attraction for the multitudes of Europeans and others who visit the country, but who mainly remain on the Tunisian coast.

“This kind of cultural tourism is becoming more of a draw card,” al-Wair notes. “Particularly for tourists from Asia.”