The water sanctuary at Zaghouan marks one of the principal sources of the great Roman aqueduct serving Carthage. Roman Carthage had grown into a major African metropolis after its refoundation under Caesar and Augustus, and its population required reliable water beyond household cisterns and local wells. During the second century CE, engineers developed a system drawing on springs in the uplands south of the city. Its construction is often associated with Hadrian's reign, although the exact sequence and dates of individual components remain subjects of study.

At the foot of the mountain, the source was given a monumental architectural setting. A curved colonnaded enclosure, niches, a central shrine, and pools presented the spring as a sacred gift as well as a practical resource. Sculpture and marble decoration once enriched the ensemble. Water collection occurred through channels and basins integrated with the structure, while the visible sanctuary expressed the prestige of the authorities who organized the project. The relationship between religious display and hydraulic infrastructure is the defining feature of this remarkable source monument.

From Zaghouan and additional sources, water traveled toward Carthage through a carefully graded network of channels. Engineers followed contours, cut through difficult ground, and raised arcades across valleys where a surface route would lose essential height. The whole system extended well over one hundred kilometers when its branches are included. Covered channels reduced contamination and evaporation, but inspection, sediment removal, and repairs remained necessary. At Carthage, reservoirs and distribution systems supplied public facilities, including the great Antonine Baths, while existing cisterns continued to play important roles.

The aqueduct suffered interruptions during late antique and medieval conflict, environmental change, and declining maintenance. Sections were repaired or reused under later rulers, demonstrating the enduring value of the mountain springs. In the nineteenth century, new water-supply projects again adapted parts of the ancient route, combining surviving channels with modern pipes. Stone robbing and development destroyed some arcades, while other stretches remained imposing landmarks across the countryside. Archaeological recording gradually separated Roman construction from later restoration and traced connections that are difficult to appreciate from one surviving section.

The sanctuary and aqueduct remain evidence of a coordinated landscape-scale engineering project rather than a single isolated ruin. Conservation requires attention to water, vegetation, unstable masonry, nearby roads, agriculture, and the long distances separating protected portions. The surviving arches also support wildlife, adding ecological considerations to their care. Zaghouan's importance lies in the combination of source, ritual, engineering, and urban demand: Roman builders converted mountain water into a metropolitan resource while making its origin a place of architectural ceremony and public recognition.