TUNISIA

Location - North Africa; Capital - Tunis; Population - 10 million; Currency - Tunisia Dinar MORE TUNISIA

I headed further south to visit the ksour (fortified storehouses) near Tataouine - March 2008

The Tunisian Dinar

Ksar Ouled Soltane is an ancient granary store south east of Tataouine in southern Tunisia

Ksour (the plural of ksar or qasr) were used to store the valuable grains and foodstuffs in a town, protecting them from plunder - Ksar Ouled Soltane

Ksar Ouled Soltane probably dates back to the 15th century

Ksar Ouled Soltane was used as a set in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

The 4 storeys of Ksar Ouled Soltane

The storage rooms that constitute a ksar are called ghorfas - Ksar Ouled Soltane

Steps lead to the ghorfas. Note the olive oil storage jar - Ksar Ouled Soltane

Ghorfas of Ksar Ouled Soltane

For more ksour, see my Libya pages

In the south of Tataouine itself is 15th century Ksar Megabla, in a greater state of decay than Ksar Ouled Soltane

Ksar Megabla, Tataouine

I was hoping to stay the night at a converted ksar, 17th century Ksar Metameur, just outside Medenine but unfortunately it was closed for maintenance

Some of the ghorfas have been converted to basic sleeping accommodation - Ksar Metameur

The 9th century medina walls of Sfax

One of the souqs inside Sfax's ancient medina

Boulevard Republique in the new town leads to the medina - Sfax

The colosseum at El-Jem, the 3rd largest in the Roman empire

The colosseum was built in the 3rd century AD - El-Jem

Colosseum, El-Jem

El-Jem colosseum

Colosseum archways - El-Jem

Walking to the amphitheatre at El-Jem colosseum

The colosseum could hold around 30,000 spectators - El-Jem

Near the top tier of El-Jem colosseum

The outer walls of the colosseum - El-Jem

The underground area housed the wild animals, slaves and gladiators - El-Jem

Surrounding the colosseum is a colonnade of shops and cafes - El-Jem

Mahdia old and new, as seen from Borj el-Kebir, with the Great Mosque in the centre

Looking to the Mediterranean from the fortress of Borj el-Kebir, Mahdia

The old Fatimid port, beyond the cemetery in Mahdia's old quarter

Place Khadi en-Noamine in Mahdia's medina

There's several cafes at Place du Caire, Mahdia

The cobbled streets of Mahdia's medina

The sun sets on Mahdia

The beachfront at Monastir, dominated by the ribat. It featured in Monty Python's Life of Brian.

A fantastic view from my beachside hotel room at Sousse

Boujaffar beach is a long stretch of sand at Sousse

The entrance to the medina at Place des Martyrs, Sousse

There's great views of the city from the ribat's watchtower - Sousse

The Great Mosque and port as seen from the ribat - Sousse

Looking in the opposite direction, the kasbah (fort) towers over the medina - Sousse

There's plenty of shops in the souqs of Sousse medina

The Saloon Steakhouse is a restaurant/bar in the 'zone touristique' - Sousse

The marina at Port el-Kantaoui, a few kilometres down the road from Sousse

A pirate ship waits for tourists at Port el-Kantaoui marina

Port el-Kantaoui marina

One of the smaller beaches at Port el-Kantaoui

Kairouan's Great Mosque. Kairouan is said to be the 4th holiest site in the Muslim world (after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem)

The Great Mosque, Kairouan

An ornate door in Kairouan's medina

Searching for the front door key, Kairouan medina

The quiet Friday lunchtime streets in Kairouan medina

Kairouan medina

Hotel la Kasbah occupies the former kasbah of Kairouan

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2011 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.cometotunisia.co.uk - Tunisia tourist board

www.tourismtunisia.com

www.tunisia.com

www.sncft.com.tn - Tunisian Railways website, currently in French and Arabic only

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.