36°00′58″N 9°31′49″E / 36.01617°N 9.530301°E
Henchir Bez is an archaeological site in Tunisia,[1] located at 36° 00′ 23″ N, 9° 32 in the hills overlooking the Oued Miliane river,[2][3] west of Tunis.[4][5][6] Identified by a recently discovered inscription,[7][8] it is the ruins of the Roman civitas of Vazi Sarra,[9][10][11][12] which include a Christian Basilica and a Byzantine/Roman fort.[13]
The ruins at Henchir Bez have been identified as the remains of Vazitana Sarra Civitas (Vazi Sarara),[14] a civitas of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis.[15][16] The remains at Henchir Bez include a Bascilica and a fort. The fort was originally a temple dedicated to Mercury Soberus.[17][18]
The name Henchir Bez means the "ruins of Bez" where 'bez' probably derives from the ancient "Vaz[i]" through Linguisitic Fortition. The name Vazitana Sarra Civitas is supported by recent epigraphical finds[19]
The ancient Roman town of Vazi-Sarra was also the seat of an ancient Catholic Bishopric. It existed until the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, and is now a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.
Another ancient Bishopric, Marcelliana, was located nearby. However, its exact location is unknown.[20]