Shot in Tunisia, autumn 1978

Life of Brian

The sandy-coloured walls and tower of the Ribat of Monastir under a blue sky — The Ribat of Monastir, April 2025. Photo: Habib M'henni, CC BY-SA 4.0. Habib M'henni · CC BY-SA 4.0

Follow the shoe

Judea, made in Tunisia

Six places across Tunisia. Pick a stop: the shoe slides there and its followers shuffle after it. Each card says what the sources put there.

1 of 6 stops followed

The shoe lies at Carthage. Pick a stop and the crowd follows.

Stone tiers of the Roman theatre at Carthage — The Roman theatre at Carthage, January 2015. Photo: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0. Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0

Carthage and the coast · Carthage, outside Tunis

Roman theatre, Carthage

The movie-locations.com list places Brian’s recruitment into the People’s Front of Judea here, in the “Children’s Matinee” scene.

The shoot used plenty of set dressing and some matte painting. The theatre has since been renovated and is used again for concerts and performances.

Wikipedia lists the Roman theatre at Carthage among the film’s Tunisian sites.

Part of the Carthage archaeological site, about a quarter of an hour from Tunis by road, according to Travellocal. The theatre is used for concerts, so check events.

Sources

Who says so

Two scenes, two answers

The sources do not agree on where the Sermon on the Mount and the crucifixion finale were shot. Here is who says what.

The Sermon on the Mount

Palin’s Travels and Wikipedia
On a hill near Matmata
Palin’s Travels says the scenes outside the city were shot in the south around Matmata, and the Sermon on the Mount on a hill there.
Sources
Tunisia.com
At the Ribat of Monastir
Wikipedia also places the Sermon on the Mount and the crucifixion at Matmata. Tunisia.com puts the Sermon at the Ribat instead.
Sources

The crucifixion finale

Palin’s Travels
At El Haddej, with Palin among the actors on the crosses
Palin’s Travels says Michael Palin was one of two dozen actors hung on crosses at El Haddej for the crucifixion scene.
Sources
Wikipedia
At Matmata
Wikipedia also places the Sermon on the Mount and the crucifixion at Matmata. Tunisia.com puts the Sermon at the Ribat instead.
Sources
A 2018 travel blog
Reverse-angle shots from the Sousse Kasbah, and the main scene at El Haddej
A travel blog placed the “followers of the shoe” scene here, along with establishing shots of the walls and reverse-angle shots of the crucifixion finale.
Sources

Go and see

Find the walls

The Ribat, the Kasbah, Carthage’s theatre and Matmata can be visited. El Haddej is open country with no map reference found, so it is not pinned. Tozeur rests on a single travel page.

Sources

Where it is now

5 places across Tunisia, from the coast to the south.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A fortress on the seafront that you can walk into. Wikipedia says the towers can be climbed. No opening hours were read, so check before you go.
Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The Kasbah houses the archaeological museum, open to visit. A 2018 visitor found the courtyard where the shoe scene was shot closed off by a new wall, so check at the museum.
Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Part of the Carthage archaeological site, about a quarter of an hour from Tunis by road, according to Travellocal. The theatre is used for concerts, so check events.

The Ribat of Monastir, April 2025. Photo: Habib M'henni, CC BY-SA 4.0. Habib M'henni · CC BY-SA 4.0
Carthage and the coast · Monastir, on the central coast
Ribat of Monastir
Wikipedia says the film was shot on location in Monastir, reusing sets from Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977).
A fortress on the seafront that you can walk into. Wikipedia says the towers can be climbed. No opening hours were read, so check before you go.
Sources
Walls of the Kasbah of Sousse, 2009. Photo: Andrew Skudder, CC BY-SA 2.0. Andrew Skudder · CC BY-SA 2.0
Carthage and the coast · Sousse medina, on the central coast
Kasbah of Sousse
The movie-locations.com list says the Kasbah walls stood in for Jerusalem.
The Kasbah houses the archaeological museum, open to visit. A 2018 visitor found the courtyard where the shoe scene was shot closed off by a new wall, so check at the museum.
Sources
The Roman theatre at Carthage, January 2015. Photo: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0. Kritzolina · CC BY-SA 4.0
Carthage and the coast · Carthage, outside Tunis
Roman theatre, Carthage
The movie-locations.com list places Brian’s recruitment into the People’s Front of Judea here, in the “Children’s Matinee” scene.
Part of the Carthage archaeological site, about a quarter of an hour from Tunis by road, according to Travellocal. The theatre is used for concerts, so check events.
Sources

Stay

A house in the medina.

A boutique hotel in Sousse’s old town.

The New Medina

The Medina House, Sousse

Sousse medina

A boutique hotel and residency in the medina of Sousse, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its page lists no rates. Pictured: the Kasbah walls, 2009.

See the house

Go there

Day trips on the coast and south.

Live marketplace searches for the places in this World.

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Sousse and Monastir day trips

Central coast

Live marketplace results for tours of Sousse and Monastir. Check which stop at the Kasbah and the Ribat.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

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Matmata day trips

Southern Tunisia

Live marketplace results for trips to Matmata and the surrounding country. Check each route for El Haddej.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours

What’s on

No dates yet.

Nothing dated for the film is listed at these places now.

No current dated events are listed. Check providers for the latest programme.

Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

The archive

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.

Search places and stories What remains Sort

6 of 6 places · 10 of 10 stories

Ribat of Monastir
Monastir, on the central coast
- Sets already built
  The production reuses sets left from Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth in Monastir.
- The first scene
  The stoning scene along the Ribat’s outside wall is the first scene shot there, according to Palin.
Kasbah of Sousse
Sousse medina, on the central coast
- Jerusalem’s walls
  The Kasbah walls play the outer walls of Jerusalem.
- The shoe
  A travel blog places the followers-of-the-shoe scene in the Kasbah courtyard.
Roman theatre, Carthage
Carthage, outside Tunis
- The Children’s Matinee
  Brian is recruited into the People’s Front of Judea in the Roman theatre at Carthage.
Matmata
Matmata, southern Tunisia
- The Sermon on the Mount
  The Sermon is shot on a hill near Matmata, though Tunisia.com says the Ribat.
- The buses
  Extras think filming is over and run for their buses; Terry Jones chases them dressed as Mandy.
El Haddej
El Haddej, a village within Matmata
- The crosses
  About two dozen actors, Michael Palin among them, are hung on crosses for the crucifixion scene.
- Palin returns
  Palin comes back to El Haddej nearly 23 years later to the day.
Tozeur
Tozeur, western Tunisia
- The oasis
  Tunisia.com lists the Tozeur oasis as a desert backdrop.

Life of Brian

Roman theatre, Carthage

The Sermon on the Mount

The crucifixion finale

Find the walls

Where it is now

Ribat of Monastir

Kasbah of Sousse

Roman theatre, Carthage

The Medina House, Sousse

Sousse and Monastir day trips

Matmata day trips

The archive

Ribat of Monastir

Sets already built

The first scene

Kasbah of Sousse

Jerusalem’s walls

The shoe

Roman theatre, Carthage

The Children’s Matinee

Matmata

The Sermon on the Mount

The buses

El Haddej

The crosses

Palin returns

Tozeur

The oasis