Tunisia boasts an interesting mixture of Andalusian, European, African and Arab cultures. Since the first years of its independence, Tunisia has held Turkey up as an example for itself. Much importance is placed on secularism in Tunisia. The modern Tunisian state's first leader, Habib Bourguiba, made Mustafa Kemal Atatürk a personal model for himself. In Tunisia both Arabic and French are spoken very well.
A full 99 percent of Tunisia is made up of Arabs, with the remaining 1 percent being mostly Berbers. The Muslim-European blend that you feel in Tunisia is quite unique.
The capital of Tunisia is Tunis. One of the noticeable landmarks in Tunis is the city's clock tower, built in 2003. This new clock tower replaced a statue of Bourguiba, who ruled the country for 31 years.
Heading into the older part of Tunis, the streets narrow, and on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, we bump into a statue of the famous Islamic philosopher Ibn Khaldun. Khaldun was born on Tunisian soil in 1332 and died in the Egyptian city of Cairo.
The long and beautiful sandy shores of Tunisia attract many Western tourists each year. In fact, the number of tourists coming through Tunis-Carthage International Airport increases every year. Currently this country of 10 million people hosts 6 million tourists each year on average.
In fact, in many ways you could say that Tunisia is a perfect country for tourism, with so many places to explore. What's more, it is clean and friendly for visitors, making things even easier for curious tourists to deal with.
There is a wonderful blend that exists here between the old and the new. Opposite worlds sit next to one another in harmony. The old city of Tunis used to be completely surrounded by ancient ramparts. There also used to be 12 gateways leading into it. One of these was called the “Bab al-Bahr,” or sea gate. But in the years that have passed by since these ramparts and gateways were first made, the ramparts have been destroyed, while the gateways still stand. The original construction of these ramparts and gateways dates back to the 13th century.
You get a real sense of the affection Tunisians have for Turks when you stroll through the open markets here. People repeat the phrases and words they know in Turkish for you as you pass through. They tell us, “Türkiye kardeş ülke” (“Turkey is a sibling country”). Many of the merchants here tell us of past trips they have made to Turkey. As we pass through the marketplace, we are invited into many shops. We hear the word “arkadaş” or “friend” repeated everywhere we go, and people count the names of Turkish soccer players they know. They tell us how happy they are that Turkey is heading toward European Union membership. As we learn, traveling from here to visit Turkey is a major trend, especially for those involved in international trade.
The famous Roman theater in el-Djam
The monetary unit used here is the Tunisian dinar. The currency is strong, with $1 equal to 1.25 Tunisian dinars. Economic signs here are looking up. The annual growth rate is 5 percent.
There are countless cafes all throughout Tunis, many of them offering narghile for their customers. The Arabs are very fond of narghile. There is the famous Zaytouna Mosque to visit, built in the eighth century. It is one of the city's oldest standing structures, and around it is the main central market.
We meet up with a neighborhood imam and the muezzin from the Zaytouna Mosque as we stroll around. We tell them we come from Turkey, and they ask us if we are Muslim. We assure them that we are, and they almost seem to be testing us to see if we really are. They hug us when they realize we really are, but this is not the only time we encounter this kind of conversation in Tunis. It seems likely that propaganda spread by Western missionaries and agents claiming that the Turks have left Islam must have reached Tunisia at some point.
A Tunisian goldsmith
We head for another city 10 kilometers away from the capital. The city is Sidi Bou Said, one of the most beautiful cities in Tunisia. The homes in this city all get passed down within families. They are never sold, and they stay within the families from this city. The residents of Sidi Bou Said understand that they will never find anything as gorgeous as what they have here anywhere else.
The gravesite of Sidi Bou Said, a man locals believe was very special, lies in the old part of the city. He died in the 12th century.
We wander around the old marketplace here and note that although the Ottomans were here for hundreds of years, no one seems to remember much Turkish. Instead, the French language is everywhere, despite the relatively brief 75 years spent here by the French.
In the Tunisian city of Carthage, there are many ruins to visit. But many relics from this place are now on display in various European museums. These were mostly carried off during France's colonization of the country.
The Ukba bin Nafi Mosque in Kairouan
You can always stop by one of the many nighttime shows offered with dinner in Tunis. We head for one called “Maluf.” It starts off with some Andalusian music and uses folkloric dances to describe Berber life. These shows are a way to introduce tourists to real Tunisian culture. At the restaurant, there is a group of tourists from Turkey. In fact, in recent years Tunisia has become a real favorite for Turkish tourists. The price for this cultural show, plus dinner, is just 30 dinars.
In brief, Tunisia is a nation much like Turkey in some ways. With its warmth, hospitality and its natural beauty, you will find yourself very much at home here. We head for the historic Tunisian city of Kairouan, with its famous olive trees. This is a city that was established sometime around the year 670 by Sidi Uqba. The grand mosque, built by Sidi Uqba, is still standing and is quite spectacular. The doors to this mosque date back to the Ottoman era here, the 16th century. Time has treated this mosque well, though it has also undergone numerous restorations.
The third-largest city in Tunisia is Sousse, which is also a crucial port for the country. With its open markets and sandy shores, Sousse is a favorite with tourists. We stay the night at a beautiful hotel by the seaside here and get up early to continue on our way. We notice a giant historic structure on the road, the famous Roman theater in el-Djem.
A ceramics shop
This theater was used until the fifth century as an arena for fights. People would be pitted against animals, or even animals against other animals. But the screams, cries and tears that marked those years have been replaced by the calmer sounds of the Tunisian International Orchestra, which plays concerts here at this ancient amphitheater.
We set out for the city of Gabès, which we are told is home to the grave of a sahaba, one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad. This particular sahaba is said to have been the Prophet's personal barber. There are crowds of visitors coming to the tomb of Abu Lubaba al-Ansari, who died in the year 663. It has become a tradition of the people of Gabès that newborn male babies are brought to this tomb, where the parents cut off a small piece of the infant's hair to leave behind.
[QUICK FACTS]
Capital: Tunis
Official language: Arabic (official and commerce), French (commerce)
Government: republic
President: Zine el Abidine Ben Ali
Prime minister: Mohamed Ghannouchi
Area: 163,610 square kilometers
Population: 10,486,339*
GDP (PPP): $7,900**
Religion: Muslim (98 percent), Christian (1 percent), Jewish and other (1 percent)
*July 2009 estimate **2008 estimate
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