Medina of Tunis

The Tunis Medina (Old Town) is a fascinating place to learn more about this north African city, which is the capital of Tunisia. The 9th century Medina was originally surrounded by walls. Today the walls are gone, but the area is filled with narrow streets, souks, mosques, and historic structures. The Tunis Medina became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and has over 700 monuments dating back to the Almohad and the Hafsid periods of Tunisian history.

Cruise ships docked at La Goulette often include a tour of Tunis as a shore excursion option. These tours include a walk around the Medina and one of the enclosed souks (shopping areas). The city tours also will travel to the Bardo National Museum, which has the world's largest collection of Roman mosaics. Tourists might also choose to visit Sidi Bou Said, a small town near La Goulette and the remains of Carthage.

While in the Medina, we visited a Berber carpet shop in the souk, where we learned more about the beautiful rugs made in Tunisia. We also climbed the stairs to the roof of the shop, where the views of the Medina and Tunis were beautiful.

This view of the old town of Tunis from the rooftop of one of the shops in the souk shows the white monochromatic look of the Medina.  

Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, sits between the Mediterranean and the Atlas Mountains. This photo was taken from the roof of a Berber rug shop in the Medina.

The newer part of Tunis, which has over 2 million residents, features skyscrapers and other modern buildings.

The Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul is a late 19th century Roman Catholic cathedral in Tunis. When Tunisia was a part of France, many residents were Catholic. After the country gained its independence in 1956, the number of Roman Catholics in Tunis decreased, and many churches were either shut down or transferred to the Tunisian government. However, this cathedral is still owned by the Catholic Church.

The Al-Zaytuna Mosque is also known as the Mosque of Olive in Tunis. Al-Zatunya features columns from the original city of Carthage.

A tour of a souk is not complete without a stop at a rug shop. This one in Tunis specializes in Berber rugs.

These tailors were hard at work as we walked by their shop in the Tunis souk. 

The souk in Tunis is like those in many other locales--narrow passageways and many small shops in a covered building. 

 I love the way mosaics are used to decorate walls and floors. These aren't as old as the mosaics in the Bardo National Museum, but they add a bit of color to the walls.

Like the IRS in the United States, the Tunisia Ministry of Finance is responsible for collecting taxes.

 The City Hall of Tunis was built in the late 1990's and is located on Kasbah Square. 

These trees in Tunis are trimmed so carefully they almost look like boxwood hedges.

 The City Hall gardens are lovely to stroll around and enjoy the fountains and flowers.

This lighthouse on a rocky island could easily be mistaken for New England; however, it is in the Mediterranean Sea near Tunis.