Things to do in Tunis
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Dar Bel Hadj
This is a grand traditional restaurant in a sumptuous 17th-century mansion, an extraordinary surprise after the medina's narrow streets. The food is delicious and recommended. Try the Tunisian mixed hors d'oeuvres and the brochettes de mérou (grouper kebabs). The restaurant's golf buggy will pick you up and drop you off from Place de Gouvernement in the evening.
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Chez Nous
This feels like an Italian-American mobsters' haunt. It's in a snug back room and is nothing fancy, but the food is good and there are faded black-and-white photos of faded stars on the walls.
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Medina
Once the medina was Tunis, founded by the Arabs in the 7th century. Nowadays, to go from the new town into its closely knit streets, packed with generations of palaces and monuments, is to enter a different world. It's a Unesco World Heritage site.
A maze of tunnels and alleys dotted with hidden mansions, the medina's architecture is ideal for the climate, as the narrow streets are cool in summer and warm in winter. As space ran out, residents built upwards, constructing vaults and rooms above the streets. This gives the central lanes a subterranean feel, with watery shafts of sunlight filtering through. Apparently the vaults had to be built high enough to accommodate a l…
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Zaytouna Mosque
Everything in the medina leads to or from the Zaytouna Mosque. Zaytouna means 'olive tree' - it's said the founder, Hassan Ibn Nooman, conqueror of Byzantine Carthage, used to hold lessons under a tree here.
Entering, it's impossible not to be awed by the calm of the open space after the busy souqs.
Dating from various eras, the building is remarkably harmonious. The first mosque here was built in AD 734, but it was rebuilt in the 9th century by the Aghlabid ruler Ibrahim ibn Ahmed (AD 856-63), and resembles the Great Mosque in Kairouan in design. The builders recycled 184 columns from Roman Carthage for the central prayer hall. The adjoining prayer room is 9th century. Th…
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Sahib Hammam
You haven't fully experienced Tunisia until you've been scrubbed down with an oven scourer by an enthusiastic elderly masseur. The oldest and most atmospheric hammams (public bathhouse) are in the medina, keeping residents steamed and cleaned. Often recognisable by their candy-striped red-and-green doorways and undecorated domes, they feel as if they haven't changed (or been cleaned) for hundreds of years. It's an amazingly exotic, sensual and relaxing experience.
You'll need a towel, and you might want a scrubbing mitt, shampoo and soap. To avoid undue attention, be aware that people don't bathe naked, but wear their underwear (men wear shorts). There are bucketloads to …
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El-Methihra Hammam
You haven't fully experienced Tunisia until you've been scrubbed down with an oven scourer by an enthusiastic elderly masseur. The oldest and most atmospheric hammams (public bathhouse) are in the medina, keeping residents steamed and cleaned. Often recognisable by their candy-striped red-and-green doorways and undecorated domes, they feel as if they haven't changed (or been cleaned) for hundreds of years. It's an amazingly exotic, sensual and relaxing experience.
You'll need a towel, and you might want a scrubbing mitt, shampoo and soap. To avoid undue attention, be aware that people don't bathe naked, but wear their underwear (men wear shorts). There are bucketloads to …
reviewed
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Mosque of Sidi Mahres
There are mosques all over the medina; interiors are off-limits to non-Muslims. The finest include Mosque of Sidi Mahres, built in 1692 and named after Tunis' patron saint, who saved the city after it was captured by Abu Yazd during a rebellion against Fatimid rule in AD 944. He also allowed Jews to settle within the walls, and reorganised the souqs. His tomb lies opposite the entrance, in the Zaouia of Sidi Mahres.
The mosque is ranked as one of the city's finest Ottoman buildings, with a cluster of white domes resembling a heap of eggs. But there's something missing. It's the minaret - never added as the project ran into difficulties following 17th-century political uph…
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Zitouni Hammam
You haven't fully experienced Tunisia until you've been scrubbed down with an oven scourer by an enthusiastic elderly masseur. The oldest and most atmospheric hammams (public bathhouse) are in the medina, keeping residents steamed and cleaned. Often recognisable by their candy-striped red-and-green doorways and undecorated domes, they feel as if they haven't changed (or been cleaned) for hundreds of years. It's an amazingly exotic, sensual and relaxing experience.
You'll need a towel, and you might want a scrubbing mitt, shampoo and soap. To avoid undue attention, be aware that people don't bathe naked, but wear their underwear (men wear shorts). There are bucketloads to …
reviewed
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El-Kachachine Hammam
You haven't fully experienced Tunisia until you've been scrubbed down with an oven scourer by an enthusiastic elderly masseur. The oldest and most atmospheric hammams (public bathhouse) are in the medina, keeping residents steamed and cleaned. Often recognisable by their candy-striped red-and-green doorways and undecorated domes, they feel as if they haven't changed (or been cleaned) for hundreds of years. It's an amazingly exotic, sensual and relaxing experience.
You'll need a towel, and you might want a scrubbing mitt, shampoo and soap. To avoid undue attention, be aware that people don't bathe naked, but wear their underwear (men wear shorts). There are bucketloads to …
reviewed
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Mosque of Youssef Dey
There are mosques all over the medina; interiors are off-limits to non-Muslims. The finest include Mosque of Youssef Dey, Tunis' first Ottoman-style mosque (1616), designed by Andalusian architect Ibn Ghalib in a colourful mishmash of styles. It was surrounded by Turkish souqs - El-Trouk (tailors), El-Berka (slaves) and El-Bechamkia (slippers) and catered to the Turkish traders.
Look out for the minaret crowned with a miniature green-tiled pyramid - this was the first, much-copied octagonal minaret in Tunis, serving as propaganda for the new masters. The mosque contains the tombs of Youssef Dey and his family - another innovative Ottoman custom.
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Stade Olympique
Five of the 14 soccer teams in the Tunisian first division are from Tunis, including archrivals Club Africain and Espérance Sportive de Tunisie. Both use Stade Olympique as a home ground. Matches are usually at 14:00 on Sunday.
You'll find fixture details in the Saturday press. The teams are referred to by their initials - CA for Club Africain, and EST for Espérance Sportive de Tunisie. Other Tunis clubs include Stade Tunisien (ST) and Club Olympique de Transports (COT) from the western suburbs; Avenir Sportif de La Marsa (ASM) from La Marsa; and Club Sportif de Hammam Lif (CSHL), from the southern suburbs.
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Souq el-Attarine
The medina markets (souqs) were organised into different commercial areas. Refined trades surrounded the Zaytouna Mosque, while dirtier businesses such as tanners or blacksmiths stayed on the outskirts. The markets are either named after their traditional trade or their founding community, such as Souq el-Grana - the Livornese Jews' Souq. The main markets include the Souq el-Attarine - the Perfume Makers' Souq, dating from the 13th century, near the Zaytouna Mosque.
Today it's largely souvenirs, but there are plenty of essential oils too. The quilted satin baskets on sale are for wedding gifts.
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Tourbet el-Bey
The Tourbet el-Bey has the green fish-scale domes typical of mausoleums. Inside is a mishmash of tiles and intricate stucco, built during Ali Pasha II's reign (1758-82). Many subsequent Husseinite beys (provincial governors), princesses, ministers and trusted advisers ended up here. The male tombs are topped with strange, anonymous marble renditions of their preferred headgear, be it turban or chechia (small, red felt hat), with the number of tassels showing their importance.
The enthusiastic, French-speaking guardian is knowledgeable.
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Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul
There are some fine examples of colonial architecture in the Ville Nouvelle, ranging from the exuberant to the bizarre. Cathedral of St Vincent de Paul sits comfortably in the bizarre camp. This custard-coloured 1883 cathedral melds Gothic, Byzantine and Moorish elements. There are regular masses in French and Italian and it's open variable hours.
The statue opposite the cathedral is of Ibn Khaldun, the great Tunis-born Islamic teacher and philosopher - many of his ideas, such as the cyclical nature of history, were way ahead of his time.
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Dar el-Jeld
This is special from the moment you knock on the grand bee-yellow arched doorway, which opens onto an elaborate 18th-century mansion - it's like stepping into a lavishly decorated jewellery box. The magnificent dining room is in a covered central courtyard, with secluded alcove tables around the edge.
A good way to start is with the mixed hors d'oeuvres, then try delicious traditional Tunisian dishes such as kabkabou (fish with tomatoes, capers and olives), all accompanied by the twanging tones of the resident elderly musician.
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Carthage Tours
Tours of Tunis can easily be arranged at the coastal resorts, but are difficult to set up within the city. However, if you want to go on a tour encompassing the medina, Bardo Museum, Carthage and Sidi Bou Saïd (a daunting amount for one day so you might want to choose just two of these), contact Carthage Tours, which can arrange a private car with guide for four people. It also arranges a three-day tour to the Sahara, but be warned that this will entail a long drive there and back.
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Mosque of the Dyers
There are mosques all over the medina; interiors are off-limits to non-Muslims. The finest include Mosque of the Dyers, built in 1716 by Hussein ben Ali, founder of the Husseinite line of beys (provincial governors). It has an adjoining medersa (Quranic school), and an Ottoman octagonal minaret. Hussein buried two holy men in the mausoleum, leaving a space between them for his own tomb, but his nephew Ali Pasha drove him from power and buried his own father in Hussein's spot.
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Kasbah Mosque
There are mosques all over the medina; interiors are off-limits to non-Muslims. The finest include Kasbah Mosque, which dates from 1235 and was once within the Hafsid citadel, which no longer stands. The minaret's lozenge design pays tribute to Moroccan style, purposefully showing the Hafsid's links with the Almohad strand of Islam. It was hugely influential, serving as a model for the Zaytouna Mosque minaret. The call to prayer is quietly signalled by a white flag.
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Carthage To Rome
15 days (ex Tunis)
by Intrepid
Marvel at Sicily's mighty Mt Etna, Soak up Palermo's infectious energy in Sicily, Walk through history's pages in Italy's romantic Rome, See a city frozen in ti…Not LP reviewed
from USD$2,935 -
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Medersa Mouradia
Medersas are schools for study of the Quran. They declined in the late 19th century when broader education came into vogue. Fine examples - mostly still used as schools - are clustered around the Zaytouna Mosque. With an ornately studded door, the Medersa Mouradia was built in 1673 by Mourad II, son of Husseinite bey Ali Pasha, on the ruins of a Turkish barracks destroyed during a rebellion. It's used to train apprentices in traditional crafts.
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Dar Othman
Dar Othman was built by Othman Dey in the early 17th century. His business - piracy - was obviously lucrative, and he also happened to be Governor of Tunis. The palace is a wonderful example of period architecture, distinguished by its exuberantly busy façade. Some rooms are now offices (some to the Conservation de la Medina organisation), but you are welcome to visit the courtyards. The unusual interior garden was planted in 1936.
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Medersa Slimania
Medersas are schools for study of the Quran. They declined in the late 19th century when broader education came into vogue. Fine examples - mostly still used as schools - are clustered around the Zaytouna Mosque. Ali Pasha built Medersa Slimania in 1754, a marvel of stucco and tiling, to commemorate his son Suleiman, poisoned by his brother. Once a Quranic school for girls, it now houses an association of former students.
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Dar Ben Abdallah Museum
Built in 1796, one of the medina's finest former palaces houses the Dar Ben Abdallah Museum, a chance to imagine how the wealthy lived within the medina. It belonged to a high-ranking officer, and had a 19th-century makeover in fashionable Italianate style. Four of the rooms have been used to create scenes of 19th-century bourgeois life, including tea drinking and wedding preparations. There's a café opposite.
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Medersa Palmier
Medersas are schools for study of the Quran. They declined in the late 19th century when broader education came into vogue. Fine examples - mostly still used as schools - are clustered around the Zaytouna Mosque. Medersa Palmier, still a Quranic school, was constructed in 1714 on the site of a funduq (travellers' inn) and named after a long-gone tree. Identify it by its yellow studded door.
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Souq el-Berka
North of the narrow Souq de la Laine, the Wool Souq, barrel-vaulted Souq el-Berka dates from Ottoman times: this was the slave souq where prisoners of Muslim corsairs (pirates) were brought, sometimes from the prison at La Goulette, to be sold from a wooden block. When piracy dwindled, the human market was supplied by sub-Saharan Africa. The trade was abolished in 1846 and it's now a goldsmith's market.
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