CITY OF TUNIS

Tunis, capital of Tunisia, is located north east, on the Mediterranean. Its geographical location, between the western and eastern Mediterranean, between Africa and Europe, gives an administrative role, commercial and financial front. Its population is estimated at 1.6 million.

Tunis was a small Berber town, living in the shadow of Carthage, the powerful. She started off in the eighth century when the Arabs made ​​it a trading post. It developedaround a medina, which still exists today, with mosques, the most important is theZaytuna mosque. The walls were built as well as the citadel of the Kasbah to protect the city from invaders. Its population has multiplied with the contribution of Muslim refugees and Jews fleeing the Spanish Inquisition.

Tunis is today a modern city with its old quarters and restored a renovated town center. Transport is improved with the commissioning of the light rail, and construction of roads joining its various large arteries. Its airport Tunis - Carthage is scaled to accommodate a traffic of 4.5 million passengers / year.

Tunis Map

View of Tunis

Tunis Municipal Theatre

Interesting Areas

Souk El Attarine (Perfume)

The Tunis Medina

  International Heritage Site by Unesco in 1981
  the picturesque old town was built in the seventh century.- The mosque Ezzitouna- Youssef Dey Mosque, the first Ottoman mosque built in 1616- The mausoleum Tourbet el-Bey- The Centre for Art and Popular Traditions Dar Ben Abdallah- The Souk el-Attarine market perfumers- The Souk el-Berka, specializes in Jewelry- The souk Essakajine, specializing in leather goods- Souk El Blat, known for medicinal plants- Hammouda Pasha Mosque
- Souk El Leffa: carpets and traditional clothes


The Kasbah of Tunis

At the top of the medina is the location of ministries and public administrations.Admire the new mayor of Tunis and the Kasbah Mosque.

Government Square at the Kasbah

The Bardo Museum

He holds the world's largest collection of mosaics and antiquities ranging from prehistoric Tunisia in the early twentieth century. It is considered, with one in Cairo, to be the richest in Africa and remains the largest in the world for its ancient mosaics.

Mosaic of Ulysses (Bardo Museum)

The house of handicrafts in Tunis
Avenue Bourguiba - Tunisia

Carthage
- Byrsa Hill- The St. Louis Cathedral- National Museum of Carthage- The remains of the Roman amphitheater- The Antonine Baths- The Punic ports to Salambô- The Roman circus- Roman villas
- The sanctuary of Trophies, discovered in 1921

Independence Square

Bay of Tunis

Zitouna Mosque

Municipality of Tunis

Lake of Tunis

Stadium of Rades

Sidi Bou Said
This old village marabout was once devoted to religion. In 1207, a mystic named Abu Said ben Yahia Khalafa settled there in order to develop Sufism. Death made him a saint and the hill of Sidi Bou Said and became a center of spirituality.
Once quiet fishing village, it owes its international reputation in English Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger who settled there in 1912 and built a lavish palace. Music lovers he opened his door to artists of all stripes by organizing meetings and parties that combined art, music and literature. After his death in 1932, his heirs bequeathed his estate to Tunisia. Currently the palace, renamed Ennejma Ezzahra, became the Centre of Arab and Mediterranean music. It is open to the public to admire the magnificent museum of musical instruments, architecture and gardens.
Today Sidi Bou Said has become the meeting place for artists, young and middle-class foreigners in search of exotic ... But it is a marvel of architecture with its ancient palaces restored, painted white and blue, hushed atmosphere of paradise ...
you'll love the famous coffee of Mats, which you will dominate the main street of the village, where you will walk with no real purpose, along streets that are almost bewitching.

Sidi Bou Said

About Tunisia

Introduction

Tunisia has always been a crossroads of civilizations. Its first inhabitants were the Numidians. Then came the Phoenicians, Romans, Barbarians, Arabs, Turks, Andalusians, Italian, and French. It is this mixing of peoples of diverse origins whohas made ​​Tunisia a crossroads of civilizations.

Location

Tunisia is located on the northern tip of Africa and is remote from Italy as a hundredmiles. It is surrounded to the north and east by the Mediterranean to the west by Algeria, and south through Libya.

Tunisia is French-speaking and French is the second language taught after the Arabic.

Its main cities are: Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, Kairouan and Bizerte.

The area of Tunisia is 163 610 km2 and its population reached 10.5 million  in habitants in 2006.

Zaytuna mosque minaret

Ksar Soltane in South Tunisia

The national currency is the dinar worth approximately 0.47 euros in 2012.Economy

Tunisia has increased its efforts on the processing industry: textiles, electrical, electronics, leather, handicrafts and oil derivatives.

But the country is primarily agricultural. Modernization of its infrastructure and installation of dams have allowed Tunisia to make clear progress.

• GDP at market prices: 63400000000 DT (2010).
• GNP per capita: 5717 DT (2010).
• Annual Growth Rate of GDP: 3.7% (2010).
• Inflation rate: 3.7% (2009).
• Unemployment rate: 14.1% (2007).

Major natural resources (2007):

• Oil (4 MT), Gas (2 million m3)
• Phosphate (8 MT), 5th in the world
• Grains (1.94 MT)
• Olive Oil (180 000T), 4th in the world
• Citrus (300,000 T)
• Dates (145,000 T),
• Fishery products (105,000 t).

History

Since prehistoric times Tunisia was inhabited by the Numidians, the ancestors of the Berbers.

El Jem Coliseum

The Revolution of January 14, 2011

It was in 814 BC that the Phoenicians settled a counter on its shores and built a town that later became the first queen of which Carthage was Elyssa.

Three wars broke out between Carthage and Rome during which Hannibal was distinguished for his boldness in crossing the Alps. But the final victory was on the side of Rome and the occupation lasted from 146 BC to 439 AD.
After the invasion of the Vandals in 439 and that of the Byzantines in 533 it was theArabs who settled there from 647. They founded Kairouan which became their capital and then that of the Maghreb. Thus Islam became the official religion.
Many dynasties ruled that those Aghlabid, Fatimids, and Almoahadines.
In 1574 the Ottoman Empire annexed Tunisia. This ended in 1705 when Husseinitestook power and founded the dynasty which lasted until 1957.
During this period France proclaimed a protectorate over Tunisia in 1881.
March 20, 1956 Tunisia gained independence and the republic was proclaimed on25 July 1957. This is Bourguiba who was appointed president. He led the countryably until 1987 when he was deposed by Ben Ali. And since the country sank into dictatorship and corruption.
End of 2010 the people, composed mostly of young, rose. His only motto was:dignity and freedom. These young eventually scare away the dictator January 14, 2011. This revolution without leaders and without predefined political line, was the first of its kind in the world.

Social Life

Since gaining independence Tunisia has given two priorities: the fight against illiteracy and the liberation of women.

The Cathedral of Tunis

And there were two successes since the school became compulsory and available to all countries even in the most remote and personal status of women was proclaimed,and the woman got the same rights as men: voting rights, right to education and right to work. Similarly polygamy and repudiation were abolished.

Tourism

The country has one of the most modern tourist infrastructure with more than 826 Hotels with 232,000 beds, golf courses, marinas, casinos and entertainment of all kinds.

Tourism revenues in 2010: 3540 million TD.

7 million tourists were recorded in 2008 and 38 million overnight .

Sidi Bou Said

Tabarka

Nafta, city of Chott El Jerid