TUNISIA is my 100th country and 95th to run in and I could not have picked a better country for this milestone !
Tunisia is terrific. It is modern, progressive and feels very much European but with a strong Arab influence and much like what Morocco would have been many years ago. Tunisia has 12 million people who are 98% Arab Muslim. Tunisia is rich in history and dates back to 1200BC when the Phoenicians came here and founded Carthage. The Roman Empire took over in 146BC after winning the very famous “Battle of Carthage” and it took the Muslim Ottomans many centuries to defeat Rome in 697. The French had their say from 1881 until Independence in 1956 which is why most people speak French and Arabic and the coffees and baguettes abound. Tunisia has the dubious honour of being the only truly democratic Arab sovereign nation and as a result is very safe and very stable. Petroleum, Agriculture and Tourism dominate Tunisia’s exports and the 1,300km of coastline along the Mediterranean is very fertile and very green, growing almost everything.
The Capital, Tunis is spread out with wide roads and the centre is clean. Like most Arab countries it suffers from traffic but has a great freeway system that helps. Tunis is famous for its Medina, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said. The panoramas below in this Part 1 showcase the Medina which contains a number of Mosques and Palaces belonging to a long line of Ottoman origin Kings. There are also a number of “souks” or bazaars or market selling everything. Nowhere near the size of Medinas or Souks in Moroccan cities but much easier to navigate and nowhere near as tiring to walk. I spent all morning in the Medina and then the modern city centre and produce markets. In the afternoon I headed to the Bardo National Museum which is breathtakingly large and modern. The exhibits are a bit repetitive and it is very hard to get around - there is no logical path through but the place is a must-do.
In the next email “WACCO 8 - TUNISIA - Part 2 of 2” you will see panoramas of Carthage and Sidi Bou Said.
See you in Part 2 (too many photos for one email…)
John WACCO Gofin
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