Even the most powerful past is just a ruin in the long river of history.

The ancient kingdom of Carthage may not be well-known, but it has left a significant mark on human history. In the 8th century BC, 2,800 years ago, the seafaring Phoenicians established a powerful slave state in Carthage (on the coast of the Gulf of Tunis), which lasted for 726 years. This is more than 100 years longer than the later Roman Empire. Its history is not just the rise and fall of an ancient kingdom, but also a microcosm of the brutal, war-torn human society of the past millennia. Such a historically rich place is a great destination for exploring ancient relics. Flying from Casablanca on the Atlantic coast and returning to the Mediterranean, we arrived in Tunisia for our North African journey. In the 8th century BC, the Phoenicians founded the city of Carthage here. By 650 BC, a great empire dominating the Mediterranean, the Carthaginian Empire, was established. Carthage controlled the western Mediterranean with its powerful navy and became the trade center of the region, generating huge commercial income every year. However, with the rise of the Roman Empire, the struggle for supremacy in the ancient Mediterranean erupted into the three famous Punic Wars. After a centuries-long epic showdown between the Carthaginian Empire and the Roman Empire, Carthage was completely defeated and its city destroyed by Rome. This ancient kingdom, with a history of more than 700 years, disappeared from human history, leaving only ruins and a legendary story. However, the Phoenicians' contribution to human civilization cannot be underestimated. The Phoenician alphabet is considered the ancestor of all alphabets today. The current Hebrew, Arabic, Greek, and Latin alphabets can all be traced back to the Phoenician alphabet. Phoenician merchant ships traveled between Asia, Africa, and Europe, exchanging goods and spreading cultures, becoming one of the origins of Greek civilization. Today, "Carthage" is not only a symbol of Tunisia but also regarded as the DNA of Tunisian culture. Many institutions and place names are named after Carthage, such as Carthage Airport and Carthage University. This reflects the pride and identity of Tunisians in Carthaginian history.