Tunis has some very cool marketplaces, even with the aggressive sellers.
Despite being the country that launched The Arab Spring, Tunisia is well-positioned as a go-to destination even as it precariously balances the lure of past traditions with the demand of pulsing social change.
“Of course you’ll have enough time,” the Tunisian cabbie insisted. “Ninety minutes is lots of time to do what you want.”
Dania, my travel partner, seemed a lot more confident in the cabbie’s time management skills than me because the itinerary included a trip to the medina, shopping and a meal…and with only 90 minutes to accomplish all that before our ship departed. We were haggling, half-in-French, half-in-English with Murat, a friendly guy who clearly wanted our business. Finally, with an agreed-upon fee and the clock ticking, we set off to explore.
Tunisia interested me on multiple levels: A major Tunisian city, Carthage, was once the dominant player in the western Mediterranean region until the beginning of the Roman Empire. From 1881-to-1956 Tunisia was a French colony and this influence can be felt even today. Most recently it was the birthplace of the Arab Spring, the revolutionary protests and civil uprisings that triggered shockwaves throughout the Middle East and North Africa, that deposed leaders in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Yemen and launched major protests calling for social change in at least 10 other countries. The changes were one of the first major world events documented both on social media and in real time.
The northernmost country in Africa also gave the continent its name. It’s said that after the Romans had conquered Carthage, they required a new name for their own new beginnings. A nearby Berber tribe, The Afri, eager to protect their Numidian kingdom further to the west, cultivated good relations with the Romans to act as a buffer. In the process, the newly-crowned moniker of “Africa” gradually extended along the entire north coast and became equated with an entire continent the Romans hardly knew or understood.
The architecture of Tunisia shows its variety of influences from throughout the country’s history.
Today, Tunisia is considered the safest country in Africa, and houses about 11 million people squeezed into a tiny land mass between neighbouring Algeria and Libya. During the last century, Tunisia established itself as a relatively progressive country compared to most of its neighbours, cultivating good business relations with European partners, and increasing its tourism as a result. For all these and a host of other reasons, Tunisia is a fascinating place to experience.
Moon over La Goulette
The Bardo Museum makes for essential visiting. Housing one of the most famous and complete collections of Roman mosaics anywhere, the museum creates a tremendously insightful experience into the Roman beliefs and lifestyle at the time it ruled. The Bardo is also home to the Islamic museum, which provides a startling contrast to the Roman collection, as it focuses mostly on decorative art. It’s easy to get lost within the cavernous hallways which were constructed during the 17th century and steadily expanded by a string of high-end occupants. The building became a museum in 1888. Watch out for a healthy collection of statuary, minus an accumulated absence of noses and genitals, vandalized in the most formal sense of the word. Keep an eye open for the Hermaion d’El Guettar, which is possibly the world’s oldest religious monument and masks painted on ostrich eggshells.
Rightly or wrongly, the word, “Bauhaus” came to mind while strolling the charming village of Sidi Bou Said. The town, named for a 13th century Sufi saint, is famous for its architecture which overflows with white walls and heavy grids and doors, blue and ornate. It’s also heavy on the bougainvillea, which seems to spill out of every flower box you pass. The town’s unique architecture is Andalusian- inspired, after Spanish Muslims arrived in the 16th century. A long string of multi-generational families have ensured the preservation of its distinctive look and the town has a history of attracting writers and artists to its midst. Indeed, luminaries such as Andre Gide, Colette, Flaubert, Edith Sitwell and Paul Klee are among those who have traipsed the village’s narrow streets.
The windows and doorways of Tunisia.
Without a doubt, the place that gives the town its hum / is the cobbled main square, with its cafes, sweet stalls and abundance of souvenir shops. The merchants can be aggressive, even rude at times, but it makes bargaining all the more sweet.
Sidi Bou Said shouldn’t be confused with Sidi Bouzid, a town further south where the Arab Spring officially began after a local fruit seller torched himself as a form of protest after refusing to pay local corrupt officials bribes in 2010. He died the following month. The event triggered a series of protests that eventually became known as The Arab Spring.
That was the same year Tunisia’s first multi-party election was held. The party finally gave up its leadership in favour of a slightly more visionary prime minister which paved the way for modest reforms, including a revised constitution that expanded civil liberties and the role of women. As of this writing, run-off elections are being scheduled with representatives from both Islamist and secularist parties duking it out in the presidential race.
Tunisia remains a centre of calm compared to its Middle East neighbours, with a distinct middle class, a fairly well-educated population and an army free of politics. Thus it isn’t burdened by the sectarian and tribal issues experienced by other countries.
Despite its progress, Tunisia still struggles to cope with economic strife, and some security issues, like the ongoing stream of refugees pouring over the border from Libya, a terrorist group called Ansar Al Sharia and the fact that about 3,000 Islamists who have left Tunisia to fight with Islamic State.
We were exposed to a minute sampling of this tension as we drove through downtown Tunis. It’s a bustling place, bursting with gorgeous French colonial architecture and outdoor cafes filled with locals, chatting politics over strong coffee and cigarettes.
Roman mosaics from the Bardo Museum
Unfortunately, once you leave the safety and structure of group tours and venture downtown, signs of unrest, like the rolls of barbed wire pouring down the city centre, become apparent. But when your home is wedged between two volatile countries like Algeria and Libya, security is bound to be an issue. A policeman seeing me merrily snapping away on my new camera approached our cab and demanded in Arabic to see my pictures. I complied, and upon seeing pictures of gaslights and architecture, he waved us on. I was grateful that, just a few pictures after those precious few clicks were my pictures of the police and barbed wire. After that, I felt rattled enough to want to return to the relative safety of our boat.
The town of Sidi Bou Said is famous for its architecture which overflows with white walls, heavy grids and doors, blue and ornate.
But when you have a hungry travelling pal that’s not so easy. Adamant that we eat and despite my protests about time melting away—and a ship leaving without us–Dania managed to get the cabby to drive to La Goulette where a local restaurant, The Parador, awaited us. Bread is a staple part of every Tunisian meal—the price of bread is also subsidized and government-controlled after riots broke out over price increases in 1984–and a baguette was served alongside the kemia that started our meal off. Kemia is the collective name for a variety of small appetizers that might include olives, pickled carrots or fish. It’s too bad the ship’s departure meant we had to get our food to go, because the briq—a mouth-watering pastry filled with egg, onion and potato and the simple grilled fish that accompanied it, was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten!
We make it back to the ship with four minutes (!) to spare. I find myself immersed in quietly contained hysterics, since I’d only brought a minimum of cash and some photo ID on our excursion. My passport and all other ID has been left on the vessel. That anxiety melts away with the first bite of briq that’s been wrapped up for us. As the ship pulls away out of La Goulette, I reflect on the quietly evolving sense of optimism and apparent entrepreneurship—new tourist ventures and micro businesses abound–that seem to bubble just beneath the surface of a larger, volatile kitchen. As a new-found freedom trickles throughout the country, influencing everything from design to culinary ventures, Tunisia balances a fragile tightrope between respecting its Muslim majority and traditions with the demand for social change and democratic reform. It seems poised to succeed on many fronts.
Leave a Reply