Tunisia Explorer

Tunis
Sitting on the shore of Lac Tunis and overlooking the Mediterranean, Tunisia’s capital and largest city is the seat of its government and its economic hub. Due to its desirable location, Tunis has attracted various civilizations over the centuries including the Romans, Ottomans and Arabs, all of whom have left their mark. Undoubtedly the city’s highlight, the vibrant medina of Tunis is home to local craftsmen and some 700 monuments covering a thousand years of history, and was once considered one of the greatest cities in the Islamic world. Also well worth visiting is the Bardo Museum which houses one of the finest collections of Roman mosaics in the world. Only a short distance from Tunis lies the ancient city of Carthage which once dominated the gulf, and the picturesque resort of Sidi Bou Said with its distinctive blue and white colour scheme, reminiscent of the Greek islands. Other areas of interest include Hammam Lif, which is nestled below the mountain of Jebel Bou Kourine, and La Goulette with its Spanish fort.

Sidi Bou Said
The charming town of Sidi Bou Said is known for its cobbled streets and pretty white and blue houses overlooking the Mediterranean. Although it’s a popular weekend escape for Tunisians and firmly on the tourist map, the chic town has successfully maintained its magic and quiet, laidback atmosphere. The town is named after the thirteenth century holy figure Sidi Bou Said, a Muslim saint who is still celebrated today and has an annual festival held in his honour. In the early years of Arab rule, the first building to be situated on the clifftop was a monastic fortress, now the site of a modern lighthouse, the location of which forms part of the chain of mountains stretching through Sousse and Monastir to Tripoli in Libya. After being discovered by the French in the early twentieth century, great efforts were made to preserve the character of the town, so it has retained its Tunisian style unlike anywhere else in the country. One of the architectural highlights of Sidi Bou Said is a beautiful Moorish style house built between 1912 and 1922, home of the aristocratic painter Rodolphe d’Erlanger who was responsible for Sidi Bou’s colour scheme.

Kairouan
Kairouan, Tunisia’s oldest Arab city and Islam’s fourth holiest place, is the country’s spiritual centre and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pilgrims flock here from across the Muslim world for the annual Mouled festival, and its old town is a labyrinth of white-washed houses, dotted with the domes of countless museums. Other places of interest include the old medieval cemetery at the base of the ramparts, its intriguing narrow streets and souks with vaulted passageways. Due to its religious importance, you’ll find some of Tunisia’s most revered sanctuaries here, including that of Sidi Sabhi, the walls and ceilings of which are decorated with beautiful blue-green tiles. The medina has a unique charm, prettier in comparison to Sousse and Tunis, and the Great Mosque is a sight not to be missed – some might call it an architectural masterpiece.

Tozeur
For many years Tozeur has had greater regional power than the central government, owing to the date harvest which attracted merchants and caravans from the far south. The oasis is Tozeur’s main attraction, but parts of the old fourteenth-century quarter still survive. Tozeur makes a great base for journeys into the surrounding area such as Chott El Jerid, Tunisia’s largest salt lake and the mountain oases to the north. With an enormous palm grove on one side and a desolate expanse of white salt on the other, the town, although lively, still feels far-flung.

Matmata
The Berbers of Matmata live in underground pit dwellings, some of which are 400 years old. Built from sandstone and mostly based around a circular pit with vertical walls – the sunken courtyard and caves dug into its surrounds serve as rooms. Smaller chambers are sometimes dug out at higher levels with steps leading up to them, which are often used as storage space and have holes in the ceiling where grain can be poured in. Leading down from the ground level are passageways to the courtyard where animals are kept. In 1959 the government began building a modern settlement at Nouvelle, and a few years later the people of Matmata started to leave their traditional homes. Before the bulk of the Matmata tribe moved here in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, a much smaller community lived in ancient Matmata around the fortress, which you can just make out in the distance, above today’s town. Matmata may feel familiar to many – it was used as one of the locations in the original Star Wars film.

Djerba
Djerba is a low-lying, semi-desert island and an excellent beach resort with good stretches of sand and warm sea. The capital, with its white-washed, fortified mosques, scattered Roman remains and historic forts, only became a town in the twentieth century and was once just a marketplace. The island was known to ancient geographers as the ‘land of the lotus eaters’ and was originally settled by the Romans. After being under the control of the Arabs, Sicilians, Normans, Hafsids and Ottomans, it was colonised by the French in the late 19^th century. Now a part of Tunisia, Djerba is known for its date and olive orchards, fishing, pottery and woollen products. The population is mostly Amazigh (Berber) in origin but there also remains a portion of the island’s once significant Jewish community – one of the oldest in the world – and small population of the Kharijite sect of Islam.

Sousse
Known for its historic medina and endless stretches of white beach, Sousse has a lot to offer its visitors. The city is an important trade centre and agricultural activity has declined in favour of the fishing and tourism industries. Although new developments have taken their claim, Sousse still boasts elements of old. The old town is enclosed by ramparts that date from the Byzantine period and Aghlabid dynasty and contains the Great Mosque, ribat (which is a 9^th century monastery-fortress), souks, and some Muslim quarters. This part of the city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. The town is also the site of extensive catacombs which date back to the dominant Christian presence in the 3^rd century CE. Older settlements can also be found at the clifftop village of Hergla and the hamlets in the hills just a few km inland. The hub of the Sousse is the huge square of Place Farhat Hached, and to the north is the cosmopolitan new town, almost entirely rebuilt since the war.