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The World | |
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Tunis & the Suburbs |
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Tunisia,
Tunis & the Suburbs Tunis & the Suburbs: Tunis: is a modern international metropolis with sophisticated hotels, shops, entertainment and flower-lined avenues, but within it is the medina, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the Islamic world. The main entrance to this area - by the Porte de France and the British Embassy - leads straight into the rue Djamaa Ez-Zitouna. This is the main street of the souk markets. From here many other individual souks branch off, often specialising in particular types of product. If you get lost, your landmark is the Grand Mosque, Djamaa Ez-Zitouna, in the street of the same name. The Bardo Museum, housed in what was once the Bey's palace, contains important Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine and Arab treasures. The Carthage Museum holds prehistoric, Punic, Roman and Byzantine exhibits and stands over the remains of the Baths of Antoninus, which are open to the public. The city is overlooked by the cool, wooded Belvedere Park which has a delightful Muslim pavilion and a zoo. There is a golf course and a riding stable in the suburbs of La Soukra. RESORTS: : To the northeast of Tunis is the beach resort and port of La Goulette, where on hot summer nights the outdoor restaurants and cafés offer fresh fish specialities, as well as typical Tunisian cuisine. Further along the coast are the remains of Carthage, once the equal of ancient Rome (described more fully in Historic Sites below), then Sidi-Bou Said and La Marsa. All these towns are linked by rail with Tunis. Sidi-Bou Said is on a headland bedecked with bougainvillaea, carnations, geraniums and the bright blue doors and shutters of white Andalusian-style villas. The town is a centre for the production of domed wire-filigree birdcages and is also famous for its cafés. Amid greenery sweeping down to superb sandy beaches, La Marsa, Gammarth and Raouad have fine hotels, cosmopolitan restaurants and nightlife. In the southern suburbs lies Hammam-Lif, a small resort village on the beach, dominated by Jebel Bou Kornine ('two-horned mountain'). |