Tunis, the
vibrant yet laid-back capital of Tunisia, has managed to hold on to its
own identity, where most other Tunisian cities sold their soul to tourism long ago.
Here the street scene is
decidedly Tunisian: old men with red
chéchias (scullcaps) and a bunch of jasmin blossoms behind their ear watch the young go past in jeans and shirts. The culture is
Arab and
African, but with so much coastline also clearly
Mediterranean, traditions run strong and yet Tunisians are
more liberated than their North African neighbors, and
their Arabic is constantly interspersed with
French.
The city center is even physically divided in
two distinct quarters: the
old Arab medina and the
ville nouvelle (new town) created in colonial times by the French.
All roads lead to Rome, but in the Tunis medina they all seem to lead to the
Zeytouna Mosque, built in 732AD. Founded by Arabs in the 8th century around the vast mosque, it is one of North Africa’s most
stunning medinas. The complicated maze of
alleys and
souks (markets), hiding a wealth of
Islamic monuments, is the city’s historic and spiritual heart.
The main artery of the new town is the elegant avenue
Habib Bourguiba, with its well-kept
palm trees, café-terraces and
patisseries. The contrast with the medina could not be greater:
European-style boulevards, white
colonial architecture, the hubbub of
offices and
young people going to the movies or shopping for casual wear.
In the
suburbs are the ruins of the once wealthy Phoenician-Roman city of
Carthage, founded by the legendary Dido in 814BC, who Virgil involved in a romance with Aeneas, which drove her to suicide. This is the city of the great military leader
Hannibal who crossed the Alps with his elephants.
Nearby is
Tunisia’s most beautiful village,
Sidi Bou Said, which inspired and still inspires many
artists, and
La Marsa with its gorgeous white-sand
beaches.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
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