F
rom Roman ruins and historic villages to desert landscapes made famous by
Hollywood hits, there’s so much to see and do in Tunisia.
ANCIENT SITES Close to Tunis, ancient Carthage’s ruins describe the rise and fall of civilisations, from founding Phoenicians and invading Romans, through Berber uprising to Arab conquest. Elsewhere, equidistant between Sfax and
Sousse, El Jem’s remarkable amphitheatre provides a conduit to the era of gladiatorial combat. Emphatic and enormous, El Jem is better-preserved than Rome’s Colosseum. Also in the north, less well-known
Roman ruins at Bulla Regia reveal intricate and colourful mosaics, and villa designs incorporating early forms of natural air conditioning.
WORLD HERITAGE The Sousse Archaeology Museum is located within the Kasbah (fortification) of the medina (old city) of Sousse, a World Heritage Site. The mosaic floorings of Roman origin, one of the most important collections in the Mediterranean, are displayed at a level lower than the visitors’ or are fixed on panels. These mosaics, through their vibrant
colours and their artistic compositions, illustrate beliefs, games, the arts, and, most of all, daily life. Three rooms display in dim light the funerary rituals of the Punic, Roman and Christian periods. The circuit ends with the Christian room, which displays a collection of funerary mosaics and steles discovered within the underground catacombs of Sousse, the second largest of the antic world after Rome. In the middle of the room stands the
famous mensa-mosaic (funerary table) of Hermes. Outside the Museum, the medieval fortress, an historic monument, offers recreational areas and panoramic views of the Medina.
DESERT CULTURES Unrelenting desert sun defines the architecture of Matmata, where Troglodyte houses inhabit deep recesses in cool limestone. Its otherworldliness attracted film director George Lucas to repeatedly cast Matmata in his Star Wars films – visitors can even stay in Luke Skywalker’s house. Far from the coast, the desert gateways of Douz and Tozeur are respectively characterised by fecund date palms and the sparkling salt pans of Chott el Jerid. For centuries, dragomen led 1,000-camel caravans south from here. Today, some of the same skills are required to guide adventurous tourists among the sands of the Sahara. If camels, quad biking or trekking sound a little gritty, the Red Lizard Train departs from near Tozeur for a 26-mile foray into the desert, through tunnels, over bridges and via the gorges of Selja to a green oasis terminus.
HISTORIC TOWNS Tunis’s ninth-century medina invites exploration, its souks, cafes and intestinal alleyways a sure-fire way to become pleasurably lost, while the ‘new town’ boasts wide boulevards, leafy squares, theatres and restaurants.
The medina in Hammamet, Tunisia’s oldest
resort, makes for a lovely stroll – finish with a cold beer or mint tea at the shady Café Sidi Bou Hdid. Excellent sandy beaches are found at the university town of Sousse, combined with an historic centre. Guarded by a fortified kasbah, the medina here is suffused by the odours of fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. On the coast at Sidi Bou Said, blue and
white buildings and meandering cobbled streets have attracted writers and painters from André Gide and Jean-Paul Sartre to Henri Matisse, Paul Klee and others. Watching the evening unfold while sipping sweet tea at the Café des Nattes, it’s easy to see why. Inland, Kairouan, Tunisia’s holiest city,
remains a site of Islamic learning. Exhibiting clerical pragmatism, the town’s ninth-century Great Mosque was part-constructed using stone from Carthage. Jerba, North Africa’s largest island, reflects a mix of Arab, Berber, French and even Jewish influences.
OUTSTANDING CUISINE Wherever you’re exploring, Tunisian gastronomy is a second-to-none. Brik is a Tunisian tradition, and comes in many variations; most commonly a delicious crispy, deep-fried parcel of thin pastry sheets enclosing a lightly cooked egg, onion, parsley, tuna and a dose of spicy Cap Bon hariss. Peppery chorba soups are popular appetisers, as are spicy merguez lamb sausages. For something cooler, try a salata Tunisia of chopped tomato, cucumber and onion. Main dishes of lamb, chicken or fish, slowly cooked with vegetables, are served on mountains of couscous spiked with harissa. Meanwhile coastal cuisine features fresh fish, often served whole and flavoured with cumin and coriander, grilled or steamed and accompanied as ever by couscous. A glass of sweet green tea aids digestion as you relax and revel in the sights, sounds and tastes of a beguiling destination.
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