The Central Coast & Kairouan

The Central Coast History THE CENTRAL COAST The Sahel, the large coastal bulge between 0 20 km & KAIROUAN 0 12 miles the Gulf of Hammamet and the Gulf of To Tunis To Tunis & Kairouan Gabès, has always been a battleground (80km) 1 (80km) Enfida Gulf of for other people’s wars. Sousse, the home 3 Hammamet 2 base of Hannibal in the Carthaginian bat- Port el-Kantaoui Sbikha ὄ48 MEDITERRANEAN tles against the Romans, again found itself Sebkhet Sousse on the losing side when Pompey made it Kelbia Monastir Considered by many to be the heartland of Tunisia and home to one of Islam’s most impor- his headquarters in his doomed civil war Sahline Ksar Hellal 12 Moknine Jemmel tant mosques, several of the country’s largest beach resorts and its most impressive Roman against Julius Caesar (based at Monastir). Kairouan Sebkhet Raqqada Moknine Sebkhet Mahdia monument, this region is hardly lacking in superlatives. Its diversity, from fortified ancient It was finally destroyed by the first wave Sidi el-Hani To Sbeitla of Islamic armies that swept across North Ksour Essaf medinas to exclusive modern beach resorts, from religious conservatism to western hedon- (85km) Africa in the 7th century. These Islamic ὄ87 ὄ1 Salakta Bouhaija ism, from bastions of the tourist-industrial-complex to quiet, timeless villages, is belied by SEA armies founded the holy city of Kairouan Souassi El-Jem Chebba

the short commute it takes to get from one to the other. This is the Tunisia of postcards and ushered in the reign of Islamic dynas- 96 2 82 and brochures, where architecture and landscapes unchanged for centuries meet facilities ties, the most productive of which were the El-Hencha Ouled 81 119 Aghlabids (who left a splendid architectural Haffouz designed for the busloads of foreign visitors that fuel much of the economy. Jebiniana legacy in all of the coastal towns) and the 13 To Sbeitla Île The fortified medinas of the central coast, which once protected these cities that became Cairo-based Fatimids (whose mark can still (75km) Menzel Chergui ὄὄὄChaker ὄ 1 be seen in Mahdia). Kerkennah wealthy from the trade of the Mediterranean and the Sahara, house Tunisians going about Islands For some reason, the indigenous Ber- Sfax Remla their everyday lives in what, to the average foreigner’s eye, looks like an elaborate and ex- Ferr bers took umbrage at their traditional land To Gafsa 14 y Sidi Frej (100km) Sidi otic Hollywood set. Each is distinctive: Sfax’s is the least touched by tourism, Mahdia’s looks Youssef Île Gharbi being taken over by foreigners. Whether 2 like a Greek fishing village and is by far the most inviting, Sousse’s is a shopping Mecca confronted with the Roman Empire from Mezzouna Oil Pipeline Mahrès and Monastir’s the birthplace and final resting place for the country’s independence leader, the north or the Islamic dynasties from the ὄὄὄ 1 east, they fought them all, mounting rebel- Habib Bourguiba. lion after rebellion, one of which destroyed To Gabès Skhira (50km) It is also Tunisia’s Islamic heartland, with Kairouan ranking only behind Mecca, Medina Kairouan. During another, they held out against vastly superior numbers in the col- and Jerusalem as one of the holiest cities of Islam. The well preserved colosseum of El- osseum of El-Jem. or Mahdia, while visiting El-Jem at sunset Jem rivals that of Rome’s in terms of sheer size but may be an even more spectacular, and In modern Tunisian history, Monastir requires some planning (see the boxed text, certainly more incongruous, sight. During the summer months the beach resorts along the is revered as the birthplace of the nation’sὄ p208 ). Mediterranean become the holiday playground for what seems to be all of Europe. founder, Habib Bourguiba. ﺳﻮﺳﺔ SOUSSE Climate pop 173,000 HIGHLIGHTS Tunisia’s central coast gets very hot in sum- This raucous city – by Tunisian standards – mer but you’re never too far from a sea doesn’t make a great first impression. The Become part of the vast parade taking a sunset Port el-Kantaoui breeze. The further you go inland, the hot- city centre mix of modern high-rise build- stroll along the promenade of Sousse’s Sousse ter it gets – Kairouan and El-Jem bake in ings and derelict port do nothing to explain Boujaffar Beach ( p191 ) Kairouan summer, but can be quite cold in winter. Sousse’s popularity. However, once you’re Be rendered speechless standing in the middle of settled in and you’ve grabbed your beach North Africa’s most impressive Roman Getting There & Away towel, the seductive simplicity of the warm monument, El-Jem’s awesome colosseum ( p208 ) Mahdia All the towns covered in this chapter are water, the soft sand and the ready availability El-Jem Breathe in the sea air while wandering the shady well-connected to the rest of the country of all manner of quick bites becomes appar- cobblestone streets of the charming medina at by bus, louage (shared taxi) and (apart from ent. Throw in a vibrant medina with several Mahdia ( p211 ) Kairouan) train, which is easily the most historical and religious sites and an enor- THE CENTRAL COAST Listen for the call to prayer in the holy Islamic comfortable and convenient mode of travel. mous selection of hotels and it’s easy to un-

city of Kairouan ( p199 ) Many buses heading north or south origi- derstand why Sousse is one of the country’s & KAIROUAN nate elsewhere and are often full by the time most highly touted holiday destinations. Indulge in the cosmopolitan luxury at the beach Sfax they arrive here. In the summer it feels like Europeans resort of Port el-Kantaoui ( p195 ) outnumber Tunisians. The dress code, es- Explore the bustling alleyways of the best Getting Around pecially for Tunisian women, is more lib- medina in the country, to see how residents of Again, louage or train are the easiest ways eral here than other parts of the country. & KAIROUAN these ancient cities live and work, in Sfax (p215 ) to get around. There are no direct connec- During the day, the beach is packed with

THE CENTRAL COAST THE CENTRAL COAST tions between Kairouan and either El-Jem Tunisians and foreigners alike, but it’s from THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN 186 via tollroad To Tunis(140km) (140km) To Tunis via GPI 4

6 1 3 2

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Place 38 To Airport(15km); V Mohammed Ave S EA Monastir (24km); D Mahdia (68km) Rue Aviceune Port Jedid Bab up their guillotine outside thegate. finga lonelyplanet.com teresting is Of theothergates, themosthistoricallyin- ofblew awaythissection thewallin1943. The area wascreated whenAlliedbombs northeastern corneratplacedesMartyrs. out. worth seeking and awealthof historicallandmarkswell TRANSPORT SHOPPING DRINKING EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Tourist Office...... Publinet...... Publinet...... Main PostOffice...... INFORMATION Tunisair...... (see 31) Taxi Rank...... Local Buses...... (see37) Buses toMahdia,Monastir&Portel-Kantaoui..... Soula ShoppingCentre...... Restaurant-Café Seles...... Café Yasmine...... Café SidiBouraoui...... Café desNomades...... Café TheatreMunicipal...... Restaurants...... Restaurant Marmite...... Restaurant DuPeuple...... (see15) Monoprix Supermarket...... Market...... Magasin Général...... Dodo Restaurant...... Caracas...... Hôtel SoussePalace...... Hôtel SousseAzur...... Hôtel ResidenceMonia...... Hôtel Medina...... Hôtel Gabès...... Hôtel Ezzouhour...... Hôtel Emira...... Hôtel el-Aghlaba...... Hôtel deParis...... Hôtel Claridge...... Hotel AbouNawasBoujafaar...... Zaouia Zakkak...... Sousse ArchaeologicalMuseum&Kasbah...... Souq er-Ribba...... Sofra Cistern...... Ribat...... Museum DarEssid...... Kalat el-Koubba...... Great Mosque...... Petrol Station...... The mainentrancetothemedinais atthe meansblade inArabic); the French set Bab el-Finga ( bab meansgate and 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C3 C3 D2 C3 C3 B5 C5 B4 B6 C2 C2 C2 C2 C5 D2 C5 C2 C2 B1 C2 C4 C4 C4 C4 C4 C3 C2 C1 B4 B6 C4 C5 C3 B3 C4 C3 C2 C2 B3 THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sousse h rooms builtintothewalls.The study of theQuranintiny,cell-like andsilent fighting vide theirtimebetween Islamic warriors whowoulddi- by devout signed principallyasafort,wasgarrisoned surrounded byporticos.The vaulted passage opensoutintoacourtyard liquids were raineddownonintruders. A above thecolumns,projectiles andboiling line of thebuilding’sdefences –fromhigh mètum. Thesmall salvaged fromtheruinsof RomanHadru- doorway flanked byweathered columns 8th centuryAD. in themedina,builtfinalyears of the of themosqueandisoldestmonument a simple ceiling andreflects with thisdual purpose on thefirst floorhasanelegant vaulted The RIBAT The GREAT MOSQUE 8am-2.30pm dailywinter) h grand barrel-vaulted prayerhall. the courtyard butfromthere youcansee century restoration. went 17th-centurymodificationsand20th- the faithfultoprayer. Thestructure under- tocall that thelatter’s towercouldbeused ribat that ithasnominaret; itsproximity tothe medina. Themosqueisalsounusualin mosque isusuallysited inthecentre of a as wellitsunusuallocation;thegreat the mosque’sturrets andcrenellated wall, an earlierkasbah(fort),which explains labid rulerAbul Abbas. Mudamadapted Mudam, ontheinstructionsof theAgh- courtyard, inAD851byafreed slave called a Kufic(earlyArabic)inscriptioninthe Aghlabid affair. Itwasbuilt,accordingto unparalleled viewsover the medinaup was added bytheAghlabids in AD821,for of the staircase byarchers.used Africa) andfortifiedwindowsthat were Mecca, thisisoneof theoldestinNorth mosque wallthatindicates thedirection of The entrance is through anarrowarchedThe entranceisthrough Non-Muslims aren’t allowedbeyondthe Scramble upthe narrow76-step spiral 8am-6pm summer,8am-7pmwinter) 8am-2.30pm Sat-Thur, summer, 8am-12.30pmFri ribat ribat (fortifiedIslamicmonastery) meant Great Great Mosque (Map (Map p188 ; admission TD2.1,pluscameraTD1; mihrab nador (theprayerniche inthe

antechamber Mp p8 amsin TD1.1; admission p188; (Map isatypicallyaustere (watch tower),which is northwest wasthelast prayerhall ribat, de- 189

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN terior isalsoimpressive. its remarkable zigzagribbing;thefluted in- The moststrikingfeature isthecupolawith have builtin thelate 11th centuryAD. been life to undertheOttomans. It’sthought over tomannequin displaysof day-to-day surrounding thecourtyardare nowgiven Mp p188 ; (Map KASBAH SOUSSE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM& 1pm &4.30-7.30pmSat-Thu winter) era/video TD1/3; 229 574;rueLaroussiZarrouk;admissionTD2.1,pluscam- The KALAT EL-KOUBBA bazaar butworthexploringnonetheless. carts. Thisisnottheworld’smostevocative withtheirimprobablyoverloadedthrough tourists andbarrowboystryingtosqueeze packed merchants, browsing withhaggling the medina. The placeisariotof colour, (Map p188 ) formsthecommercialheartof lity of thesouthernmedina,Souqer-Ribba beneath itisage-old. Far fromthetranquil- modern,yetthesales-pitchunmistakably bazaar.comes toamedieval Theroof is This souq(market) Sousse istheclosest ER-RIBBA SOUQ doorisoftenold metal locked. is onthenortheastern side,butthebattered rising fromtheblackwaters. Theentrance placewiththecolumnsofeerie thechurch enclosing alarge Byzantinechurch. It’san supply, wascreated inthe11thcenturyby p188 ), oncethemedina’sprinciplewater This great underground cistern (Map SOFRA CISTERN longs tothe17th-century stoneminaretThe splendidoctagonal be- ZAOUIA ZAKKAK yard of theGreat Mosque. hill tothekasbahanddownintocourt- 190 echoes ofechoes Andalusia. ful blue-green stoneandtilework,withits mire fromthestreet theminaret’s wonder- Non-Muslims candonomore thanad- leading exampleof Ottoman architecture. p188 ; cnrrueDarAbid&deTazerka) funduq Sousse’s excellent archaeological Sousse’s THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sousse Koubba ( caravanserai x

(a small domed tomb; Map (a smalldomedtomb;Map p188 ; 73 h 10am-1pm &3-6pmsummer,10am- 219 011; ave du Maréchal Tito;219 011;ave duMaréchal ad- orinn)andtherooms Zaouia Zakkak wasanancient , themedina’s museum x

(Map (Map 73

Tue-Sun summer,8am-noon&3-7pmTue-Sun winter) TD1; Nord;admissionTD2,pluscamera 529; 65rueduRemparts This small,private MUSEUM DARESSID mission TD2.1,pluscameraTD1; ily restored staircase, is the old servant’s ily restored istheoldservant’s staircase, untilthelampwentout. trol andstamina remind thehusbandtodemonstrate his con- copulating couple; it’sbythemaster bedto Roman lampwiththegraphicdepiction of a Checkoutthe inItaly. marble fromCarrara to a700-year-old weddingcontract,and fume bottles,fromdecorative plaster work pean antiquefurniture totraditional per- tiled façadesanditems rangingfromEuro- an extravagance reflected intheAndalusian it oneof theoldestinmedina. There’s wasbuiltinAD928,making that thehouse rooms. Aplaqueinthecourtyardreveals a tiledcourtyardsurroundedbythefamily strangers,room formeeting andtheninto Itopensintoasmallante-owner’s status. arched doorare the first indicationof the dimensions of theelaborately decorated, andhisfamily.The official century Sousse furnished inthestyleof awell-to-do 19th- the medina,itoccupiesabeautifuloldhome, Inaquietpartof is alsonottobemissed. exhibits, includingthe of theentrancecourtyardwithexceptional istheroomonnorthernside highlight the kasbah’stwomaincourtyards.The intheroomsaround the countryishoused ofcupies thesouthernsection thekasbah. side themedinawalls. city’s watchtower. It’snowalighthouse. city walls,which the superseded timeasthe labids inAD859atthesame ing square the 11thcentury.Itincorporates theimpos- the kasbahwasbuiltontocitywallsin artistry of mosaic-making. demonstrating thepatientandpainstaking andaresidentbeneath themuseum artist of funeraryobjects fromaPunicgrave acollection scenes. Otherroomscontain of satyrs, aswellmanysuperb fishing ing inachariot attheheadof aparade which depicts theRomangodof wine rid- The upstairs area, reached byaheav- One of thebestcollectionsof in mosaics Note thatthere isnoentrancefromin- pointof atthehigh themedina, Standing

h 10am-1pm &3-6pmsummer,10am-7pmwinter) Khalef tower Khalef museum Triumph ofTriumph Bacchus, , builtbytheAgh- h (Map p188 ; 9am-noon &2-6pm lonelyplanet.com ribat x as the asthe 73 220 73 220 oc-

Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com 8am-noon &3-7pmwinter) mission TD1.1; CATACOMBS to catch thebreeze. splendid panoramicviews.It’sagoodplace quarters andthere’s caféwith apleasant lonelyplanet.com tourists. livestock tosouvenirs forthebusloads of from handicrafts to You’ll findeverything just southof thebusandlouage stations. in the market weekly isheldonSunday Sousse’s MARKETS Sousse’s BOUJAFFAR BEACH The glass fronts,revealing skeletal remains. the graves have bricked been in;afew have teur named after anengraving of the duBonPasteur,100m of theCatacombes opentothepublicisaboutonly section from the4thand5thcenturiesAD.The more than15,000localChristians,mostly 5.5km of thegraves tunnelscontaining of tacky stuffed camels 5kmnorthwest of stuffed tacky the wonderful waytopassanevening. air orstrollingalongthewaterfront – a with peoplesittinginthecoolerevening petty theftisnotunheardof. valuables lyingaroundunattended since ment forhire alongthebeach. Don’tleave You’ll findallsortsof water-sports equip- anyone willaskyouforproof of residency. it’sunlikelyguests forasmallsum,however areasthese isgenerally opentononhotel Accessto Tunisians whowanderthrough. foreigners whiletending totreat rudelyany thatgenerallytected’ lookskindlyon bystaff arethese theyare usually notropedoff, ‘pro- with chaise longuesandparasols.Though of thestripare claimedbybeachfront hotels bathtub.Onlyafeweveryone’s smallparts warm, calmwaters of theMediterranean is children frolic,foreigners sunbatheandthe strip isaplaygroundwhere familiespicnic, a localMuslimholyman,thesoft, sandy Named somewhatincongruouslyafter cafés andrestaurants, isthecity’slandmark. multikilometre stretch hotels, of high-rise There’s another In summer,thebeachfront ispacked (goodshepherd)foundinside. Mostof catacombs Souq el-Ahadcompound Boujaffar Beach h

9am-noon &2-6pmTue-Sun summer, (Map (Map p186 ; avedesCatacombes;ad- market include anestimated Mp p8 , ih its with p186), (Map

(Hamman Sousse) Mp p186) (Map bon pas- sans

THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sousse 038; 15 rue du Rempart Nord;s/dTD14/22) 038; 15rueduRempart are allshared. of theroomshave showers butbathrooms you’ve entered a‘short-time’hotel. Some stairs tothebasicroomsandyou’llthink living roomof aprivate villa. Walkupthe zouhour andyou’llthinkyou’ve entered the tothereceptionthe stairway area of theEz- room facilitiesare shared. reminiscent of prisoncellsandthebath- last resort sincethebare-bones roomsare pie shouldreally onlybeconsidered asa 221 794; 15 rue Othene Osmane;s/dTD30/45; 221 794;15rueOthene roussi Zairouk;s/d/trTD8/12/15) plexes, virtualcity-states untothemselves. entirely taken over by massive hotel com- The beachfront northof hasbeen Sousse CENTRE&ZONE TOURISTIQUE CITY mattress onroofTD5,s/dTD9/15) Gabès Hôtel MEDINA Sleeping mornings. city centre andSaturday onFridayevenings nies. Fan roomsare cheaper. have andeven comfortable fair-sized balco- the motel-style roomsare large, and bright made itlessso. Thisisunfortunate since onourvisitthe scowling managerthough this hotel wouldbeanexcellentchoice a shady corneropposite theGreat Mosque, with shared facilitiesaren’t much. thebasicandordinaryroomsOtherwise thentheGabèsisforyou. sounds appealing, the stars surroundedbyanancientmedina are available andbreakfast isincluded. viewsofbalconies, though nothing.Fans roomshavewith gleamingbluetiles,even painted anddoneup appeal.Brightly sheer ofrivals those top-endplaces interms of hotels, thequalityof theroomsatEmira ground floor. There’s agoodrestaurant attached onthe terrace hasexcellent viewsof themedina. facilities, which isashame sincethesunny roomswithsharedhas smallandsparse de Paris; dTD15) France; s/dTD22/30) Hôtel Emira Hôtel Hôtel deParis Hôtel Hôtel el-Aghlaba el-Aghlaba Hôtel Hôtel Medina Hôtel Hôtel Ezzouhour Hôtel

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& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN 227 277;10aveHabibBourguiba;s/dTD30/45; have goodviews. rooms have balconies.Therooftop terraces it isprofessionally runandsomeof the style tilefloors notthebestchoice, though andthehigh-school-cafeteria–little stuffy blocks fromthebeach. Theroomsare a room rates are forahotel abit high several the otherwise its rates dropsubstantially, hotel isgoodvalueinthewinter when ground floor. littlenookonthe inapleasant is served makes upforanyshortcomings. Breakfast dark, butthefriendlyandpersonable staff The roomsare cleanandmodern,ifalittle feel you’re here. onabeach holidaystaying in thispricerange youwon’texactly though guiba, theMoniaislikely thebestoption street onlyablockfromave Habib Bour- [email protected]; ave Hedi Chaker; rTD70/100; [email protected]; ave HediChaker; TD43/64; 228 145;5rueAmilcar;s/dwithTV 225 993; 4 ave Hedi Chaker; s/dTD50/85; 225 993;4aveHediChaker; a beach resort with modern,comfortable dole feels more like abusinesshotel than Gon- A professionally La run high-rise, city centre. of thefollowinghotels are located inthe andfull-board rates.offer All half-board ter. Pricesincludebreakfast andalmostall guests. Cheapdealscanbefoundinwin- don’t quite knowwhattodowithwalk-in Most are booked outinsummer,and 192 same asothers. same viewscostthe balconies andamazingsea rooms are worththehassles.Oneswith thelargeHowever, andnicely decorated likestreet-side anafterthought. poolseems you feel like you’re beinghustledandthe first makes impression. Thefront-deskstaff makeists, theNourJustinadoesn’t agood European packagelar withEastern tour- rooms butshared toiletsinthehallways. showers inthe alleyway viewsandexposed ture, fauxmarblefloors, littlebalconieswith have ceilingsbutfrayingfurni- ornate high the medinaandbeach. Thelarge rooms in thecityonlyablockortwofromboth occupying oneof thebusiest intersections hard toknowwhatmake of theClaridge, 469; rue Remada; s/dTD28/50; 469; rueRemada; Hôtel NourJustina Hôtel Hôtel Claridge Claridge Hôtel Hôtel Residence Monia Residence Hôtel Hotel LaGondole Hotel Hotel SousseAzur Hotel THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sousse Mp p188; (Map

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Mp p188; (Map a x ) Onasmallside x x 73 224759;fax x as 73 227760;fax 73 227189;fax x 73 214500;la a /fax 73210 a ) Popu- ) This ) a It’s ) health centre. plex withafew restaurants andbars anda rectly onthebeach. It’sanenormouscom- Nawas, asthenameindicates, isalsodi- hotel inthecentre of thecity,Abou TD100/146; 226 030;www.abounawas.com; aveHabibBourguiba;s/d (singles/doubles TD36/52)are asteal. discounts and volleyballgames.Lowseason participants forimpromptuaerobicsclasses ally foryoungforeign women,lookingfor patrol thepoolandprivate beach areas, usu- ship, andlike alow-endClubMed, staff haveace does more facilitiesthanacruise to match the dullred Pal- carpet.TheSousse find theperfect red-leather swivel barchairs compared to thetimeitmusthave taken to sia, roomdécorreceives littleattention here city centre, frequented by youngandhip s/d TD155/200; no sea views. no sea and wellkept rooms.There’s nopooland antidotes forthesummer heat. Habib Bourguiba, perfect buttemporary mada. There are several side of Hôtel ResidenceMoniaonrueRe- cheap basiceateries (mealsTD4)oneither prices (mainsTD6).There are twogood advertising very similarmenusat northern sideof placeFarhat Hached, all bunched together onthe outdoor seating You’ll findhalfadozen restaurants with RESTAURANTS find aplacethat’sstrictlyforlocals. from thebeach, themore likely youare to Thefurtherinlandyougo enough. pleasant the foodisusuallynothingspecial,theyare awayfromallof andwhile to stay these, with inflated prices.It’salmostimpossible cater totourists andhave Englishmenus Most of thebeachfront area restaurants Eating as .soussepalace.com; aveHabibBourguiba;s/dTD111/160; a of town. minating inthisfive-star hotel, 4kmnorth ally more upmarket thehotels become,cul- from thecitycentre, thebigger andgener- Hotel SoussePalace Hotel Hôtel Orient Palace Orient Hôtel Hôtel AbouNawasBoujaffar Hôtel Caracas Caracas ) One of thebetter placestoeat inthe ) Typicalof four-star hotels inTuni- as (Map (Map p188 ; rueAliBelhaouane;mainsTD4; Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com as ) A ) The furthernorthyougo

(Map p188; (Map ( x zone touristique 73 241888;fax243345; gelaterias

x lonelyplanet.com Mp p188; (Map 73 219220;www alongave –style x 73 Chaker; mainsTD4.5-9) Chaker; TD5) omelette (TD4) isamealuntoitself. Theenormouschickenwestern standards. pizza todelisandwiches andTunisian from eos. Theeclecticmenuhaseverything tunedtoArab language musicvid- TVs archways but it’samodernrestaurant with Well, there are fauxstonewallsandcolonial some version Americancity. of theLatin isbuilttoresembleTunisians, Caracas lonelyplanet.com Nord; mainsTD5) has alarge, eclecticmenu. isfriendlyandit option sincetheservice ist restaurant notabad thatisnevertheless meat dishesare onthemenu. PizzasandTunisian by medinastandards. little bitof arefuge itisexpensive though by theclutter of commerce,theDodoisa isabitoftaurants, Surrounded asurprise. This, themostmodernof the medinares- dishes are served off an assembly line,and anassembly off dishes are served so.and rightly Hearty meatandcouscous restaurant hasthetouristtradecornered be surprised if the service isdesultory. iftheservice be surprised cious. Untilthekinksare worked outdon’t Paellaetc are fortwo(TD18)isdeli- served. hamburgers (TD1.9),fish, chicken, salads prices thanthetouristtraps.Pizzas(TD5), enjoying theenormousmenuatcheaper here, youngpeopleondates andfamilies it’s Tunisians whomostlycome However, ies andvideos,PlanetFoodisallAmerican. playingmov-of famousactors totheTVs From themovie posters totheheadshots should dothetrick.Hollywood imitator Forum Grill Planet Food Restaurant DuPeuple Restaurant Dodo Restaurant it smellsnice’. The mostcommonreason given tousbyTunisian men wasthesimpleandunarguable ‘because orcollar,althoughsolelyfor decorative purposes,notto signify anything.wear itontheirshirt one. Somemenbuythe jasmine asagift forwomen.Iftheyacceptthegift, manywomenwill Wear itintherightearandchancesare thatyoudon’t have agirlfriend butwould very muchlike it behindyourleftear,youhave totheworld. agirlfriend thathappyfact andwanttoadvertise Tunisian men. selling jasmine. Anylookaroundwilltell youthatthemainbuyersaren’t touristsbutother Sitting inanyrestaurant inSoussecaninvolve sayingnotoaseemingly endlessstream ofmen JASMINE –IT’SABOY THING ForhomesickAmericans,thisPlanet Of coursenotallTunisiansOf agree thatthehumblejasmine carriessuchweightysignificance. According tosomelocals,there’s delineationofhowtowearyour jasmine. astrict Ifyou wear

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THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sousse mains TD10) de laCorniche;mainsTD8) fare. Pizzasare good(TD5). Tunisianandcontinental up unspectacular in thedirection of elegance,butthatserve in uniforms,andgive atleastafew nods lating themenuanddressing thewaiters spend agreat dealof attention ontrans- another of thetourist-class restaurants that selection ofselection Tunisianwine. There’s another expensive (TD15). more isgoodthough vocal.Theseafood itsstreet-side toutingwaitersbecause are be more popularthanothers, possibly to ard touristrestaurant itseems though rue Remada; mainsTD12) rue Remada; el-Kahdi) The SELF-CATERING medina wallsnexttotheHôtel deParis. spotjustinsidethe andpleasant It’s abright tea andwatermelon comefree withdessert. extra forthecustomsauces. youhave specialitythough topay deserved Heartyshould notbemissed. steaks are the rant around2kmfromtheVilleNouvelle western inTunisia,thenthissurreal restau- pears tobethemovie foranAmerican set If you’ve wanted ever toeatonwhatap- ing pot. way, inTunisiaisalarge urn-shapedcook- per person, pluswine. A and otherTunisianfare foraroundTD20 upseafood restaurant serves as costgoes, Residence Monia,thisposh,atleastasfar Restaurant Marmite Restaurant Albatross Restaurant Tip Top Restaurant Saloon Steakhouse Grill &DiscoPub Grill Saloon Steakhouse Magasin Général Magasin isthebestsupermarket withagood JustpastTip TopistheAlbatross,

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(Map p186; (Map x Across fromtheHôtel Tip Topisyourstand-

Mp p188; (Map (Map p188;blvdAbdelhamid (Map 73 228430;BlvddelaCorniche; marmite x x 73 226158;Blvd 73 226728;8

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& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN Restaurant-Café Seles Seles Restaurant-Café the medinaincluding day. matches of playimportant the natics; TVs forsoccerfa- is astrictlyTunisianaffair Nomades perfect foradrinkorfood.And is acosylittlespotwithcushionbenches, the kasbah. southwestern cornerof themedinabelow intheverysmall invitingspotlike theSeles h Bourguiba &rueAliBelhaouane) dina, just inside the Bab el-Jedid.dina, justinsidetheBab flights. There’sflights. a to thesoutheast, but onlybyinternational by isserved Sousse Monastir’s airport15km AIR &Away There Getting Nouvelle. and alongblvddelaCorniche intheVille fixed centres scattered aroundthemedina the barter system, there are manyprice- shops, andsouvenir shops thatoperate on anenormousarrayof traditional Besides venient placestoshop inallof Tunisia. The medinaisoneofSousse themostcon- Shopping the ZoneTouristique. arenightclubs inthebighotels faroutin here serve alcohol, andtheonlyhabitable ave Habib Bourguiba. Mostrestaurants arestreet-side seating chock-a-block along orrestaurantsCoffeehouses withoutdoor Drinking a branch atruedelaCorniche. There isalso 194 x el-Aghlaba) rue p188; country. Mostcredit cardsare accepted. probably thelargest price-fixed centre inthe medina, thismegafour-storey complexis prime peoplewatching spotsinthecity. undergoing renovations, itboastsoneof the theatre, which atthetime of research was intothestreet cornernexttothe Squeezed Bourguiba) Monoprix supermarket Monoprix There isabunch of in goodcoffeehouses The mainproducemarkets are intheme- Soula ShoppingCentre Municipal Theatre Café Parc desPrinces 8.30am-10pm) 73 227955; 5aveHabibBourguiba). THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sousse Thisisoneespeciallygoodcafé.

(Map (Map p188 ; rueIbnRachik) Placed attheentranceto and

(Map (Map p186 ; rueMongiSlim) Tunisair (Map (Map p188 ; rueAbouNawas) Café YasmineCafé

(Map (Map p188 ; placedesMartyrs;

Café SidiBouraoui Café (Map (Map p188 ; cnraveHabib .

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modern ticket office inside. (TD7). Tickets fromthe canbepurchased Monastir (TD1.7),Sfax (TD6.3)andTunis (TD4.8), Kairouan (TD4),Mahdia (TD3.4), tions includeEl-Jem (TD3.3),Hammamet large warehouse-like space. Major destina- about akilometre southof themedinaina medina. from thebusstoplocated justoutsidethe depart Nabeul (TD4.4,twohours). These day toHammamet (TD3.8,1½hours) and from 6amto7pm. 30minutes (TD3)every the newbusstation There are toKairouan alsolocalbuses from 8 1 3 Tunis TD7.4 2½hr 8 Tozeur TD15.7 5¾hr 2 2 2 2½hr Sfax TD7 2hr Nabeul TD5.5 2 TD16.6 Kebili 1½hr 6hr 1½hr TD4.5 Kairouan 7hr TD17 Jerba 8 8 Hammamet TD5 TD11.8 Gabès 4¼hr 1¼hr 2 El-Jem TD3.2 Douz TD16.9 6½hr leaveBuses fromthe BUS laoui (6¼ hours) departsat 11.23pm. (5¾hours)only train toGafsa and Met- Sfax (1¾hours) and Gabès(3¾hours). The one convenient departure time(8.01am)for beul (2nd/1stclass TD3.4/4.5).There’s only Tunis (TD8.6,2¼hours) andsix toNa- tral. There are 10trainsadaynorthto is convenientlyThe mainlinestation cen- TRAIN &MÉTRO The LOUAGE from thenew 30minutes).every (bus12and18,TD0.5,20minutes, taoui hours, 45minutes) every andPortel-Kan- utes, 30minutes), every Mahdia (TD2.5,1½ ing forMonastir(bus52,TD0.85,40min- Yahia benOmar) Fare Destination 800m southwestof themedina. (per day) SRTG a Nabeuloperates three services Buses toallotherdestinationsdepartBuses louage station , justoutsidethemedina,head- bus station Duration Frequency Frequency Duration

(Map (Map p186 ; rue1Juin1955) bus stop

(Map (Map p186 ; Souqel-Ahad) lonelyplanet.com

Mp p8 blvd p188; (Map is , Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com minutes or so from 6am to 9pm. minutes orsofrom6amto9pm. southeastern cornerof 45 themedina every el-Jedidpart fromtheBab nearthe station 1¾ hours) andhotelsTrainsde- inbetween. Monastir (TD1,40minutes), Mahdia (TD3, train cars, totheairport, connectsSousse stations atSouqel-Ahadstations (280mills). 22, which all travel pastthebusandlouage dina. Useful 8,21and includebuses services lonelyplanet.com all, it’sa familiaryetstrange combination marina complex at Port el-Kantaoui. After tion walkingaround theAndalusian-style You mayexperience afeeling of disloca- el-Kantaoui Port AROUND SOUSSE depart withless thanfive passengers. towaitastheywon’t youmayneed although journeyquickerdo thesame andcheaper torcycle ‘tuk-tuks’(oneway/return TD2/3) return. point,five-wheel mo- Fromthesame TD3.5/2.5 onewayperadult/child andTD5/4 in summerandto6pmwinter. Thefare is leave 15minutes every from9amto11pm must return ‘colour’train)and onthesame colour-coded (witharound-tripticket you el-Kantaoui, 14kmtothenorth.Trainsare ern endof ave Habib Bourguiba toPort of thetouriststrip.Theygofrom thenorth- Trains’ thatrunupanddownthemainroad Kantaoui istotake oneof the‘Happy Noddy toPortel- The easiestwaytoget fromSousse TRAIN &TUK-TUK There’s a a fare of more thanTD3aroundthecity. main touristareas; torunup you’llstruggle There are lotsof particularlyinthe taxis, TAXI stop The localbusnetworkoperates fromthe BUS around5am. the airportstart from 6amand9pm,whereastween services thereSousse are 20métrodepartures be- there bymétro (TD1,20minutes). From fromthe taxi town centre. Youcanalsoget The airportis15kmsouthof town,TD8by TO/FROM THEAIRPORT Around Getting the entrancetomedina. The métro, essentially decommissioned decommissioned The métro,essentially

(Blvd Yahia benOmar) taxi rank

(Map (Map p188 ; placedesMartyrs) just northof theme- اﻟﻘﻨﻄﺎوي اﻟﻘﻨﻄﺎوي THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••AroundSousse ﻋﻨﺎء bus at fishing trips papers, an ing restaurants, banks,international news- dive, aroundTD300foracourse), float- mock the luxuryhotels. Inaddition,there are most sunbathers here are guestsof oneof lesscrowdedas andinevitably in Sousse Beach the marinaisnicerthanBoujaffar a convenient sidetrip.Thebeach northof it’s inSousse, out leaving. staying Forthose itors spendtheirentire holidayhere witharound alarge yachting harbour. Many vis- restaurants andsouvenir shops clustered and classycustom-built village of hotels, of theMediterranean’, it’sanexpansive andadvertised as‘thepleasureSousse port it. Grafted ontothecoast14kmnorthof that’s whatTunisiansandothers like about is besidethepoint.It’smeanttobeand tique TD141/196; found thelastwordinluxury. like you’ve stumbledontoamovie or set Depending onyourperspective, you’llfeel atmosphere multinational. isthoroughly range of Europeanandlocalcuisinethe you’re inthe area. Thefoodspans thefull traveller it’sstillworthavisitif though rooms unavailable) fortheindependent canbeprohibitiveRates (and,insummer, here package cater tohigh-end tourgroups. trance tothemarinacomplex. Train stopacrosstheroadfromen- pools. LookforsignsbytheHappy Noddy a nearbywater parkwithslidesandwave TD100 inclclubhire) counterparts inSousse. Most placesare of qualitythantheir higher at leastlesscrowded, thebeach tends to be. area andthefurtheryougobetter, or Hotels stretch formilesnorthof themarina SLEEPING &EATING iers; adult/childTD12.5/7.5; ( ian of mall,theItal- thesouthernCalifornia TD2.5) it’s onlyashort walktothe the Mediterranean are toocalm foryou, and theyoung-at-heart.Ifwaters of parks x The price for all this is high andhotels The priceforallthisishigh Hannibal Palace 73 348855;www.acquapalace.com;ruedesPalm- piazza , twoquality18-hole

. To say it’sinauthenticandartificial. Tosay (admission TD7toTD12) pirate ships pirate as andtheTunisian , aromatic gardenandzoo diving schools ) , nightclubs and , nightclubs This is the closest five-star five-star Thisisthe closest

, ( x glass-bottom boats 73 348577; fax73348321;s/d h 9.30am-6pm May-Oct ) 9.30am-6pm May-Oct (fromTD20per golf courses forchildren zone touris- Acqua Palace amusement

(admission , charter charter

(around 195

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN recommended. 865; marina) northern sideofthemarina. northern beachfront thattendstobequieterthanthehotelson TD112/160; Bourguiba and a horseshoe-shaped munici- Bourguiba andahorseshoe-shaped preserved coast resorts. have Itdoes animposing well stepchildthe disadvantaged of thecentral Mahdia tothe south, Monastir isalittlelike to thenorth,norpicturesque charm of andPortel-Kantaoui, itsneighboursSousse ofPossessing neitherthecosmopolitanism pop 71,500 MONASTIR tion around150mwestof themarina. tuks and‘noddytrains’leave fromthe sta- –see Sousse p195 fordetails. There are ampletransportoptionsto/from THERE&AWAYGETTING per person plusdrinks. end placesexpecttopaymore thanTD20 and mainsforlessthanTD5.Atthehigher- sandwiches marina restaurants thatserve rything ispricey,infactthere are several around untilonetakes yourfancy.Noteve- question of priceandambience;wander fancier signs. prices simplyiftheyhave tablecloths and tojustifytheirhigher and food.Someseem other andoffer of level thesame service most are indistinguishable fromonean- isfilledwithrestaurantsitself andcafés; sometimes adisco. Themarinacomplex most have more thanone,plusabarand All of thehotels have theirownrestaurants, [email protected]) Afour-starresort. Sol ClubElKantaoui ElMouradiPalm Marina Meliá Palace Marhaba delaMer Les Maisons Hadstrubal the originalPortel-Kantaoui hotels. place tothemarina(around200m),oneof 196 golf course. ofthe north Afive-star [email protected]) TD112/160; catering apartments. catering 961; 2/4/6personsTD90/130/160; From Port el-Kantaoui, all buses, tuk- From Portel-Kantaoui, allbuses, The choice of where toeatismore a There are plentyof otheroptions. THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Monastir as as and ( x ribat, 73 348944;fax969;s/d ( x ) JustsouthofHannibalPalace, witha ) Misk Ellil Misk theMausoleum of Habib ( 73 347071;fax077;s/d x ( x 73 348450;info.clubkant

73 348799;fax ( x Les Emirs as ( x 73 348952) 73 246900;info ) Forself- ( x اﻟﻤﻨﺴﺘﻴﺮ come 73 240 vived, as did the tembre 1934) 8.30am-1.30pm Fri &Sat)OppositetheBourguiba Mosque. 8.30am-1.30pm Fri l’Indépendance; including the on andaroundplacedu3Septembre 1934, There are branches of allthemajor banks MONEY Publinet ACCESS INTERNET Information town untilhisdeathinApril2000. was bornhere and lived ontheoutskirtsof came theRomantownof Ruspina. the Romancivilwar. be- Itsubsequently ofBattle Thapsus,thedecisive momentof fore Pompeyatthe defeating Sousse-based when Julius here himself be- based Caesar lustrious neighbour, Hadrumète (Sousse). now) intheshadowof itslarger andmore il- oftrading settlement Rous,livingthen(as Monastir wasfoundedasthePhoenician History and pacemore sothanotherbeach towns. also meansMonastirretains itscharacter this towns,however than inothercoastal lessintegratedis even intoMonastirproper ZoneTouristique pal beach. The inevitable apart from the graceful horseshoe arches at apart from thegracefulhorseshoe 9th century, it’sasevere Aghlabid creation, Thankfully the asthebirthplaceofits status thepresident. thetowninkeeping with rush tomodernise after independenceinanill-considered Monastir’s medinawaslargely demolished MEDINA Sights &Activities ONTT office tourist TOURIST INFORMATION the medina. postoffice Main town centre. There are Taxiphone allaroundthe offices POST &TELEPHONE STB per hrTD2) 8pm; perhrTD2) Two millennialater, Habib Bourguiba inAD46It brieflytookthelimelight

(place duGouvernorate) Pubinet La Gare , which hasanATM, the asdoes h ;

ave Farhat Hached (aveHabibBourguiba)Justsouthof Banque duTunisie 8am-1pm &3-5.45pmMon-Thu, ribat ( x Great Mosque Great (trainstationentrance; 73 461960;ruede . (see (see opposite ) sur- ( h lonelyplanet.com 8am-midnight; . Builtinthe (placedu3Sep- h 8am- lonelyplanet.com 9am-4pm winter) admission TD1.1; from theruinsof ancient Ruspina. tonon-Muslims)werehall (closed salvaged arches ofporting these andthose theprayer the northernend.TheRomancolumnssup- 15th century. ern wall.ItwasbuiltbytheHafsids inthe is with someinteresting oldgates. Thefinest dina remain largely and are intact dotted Ottomans atthe end of the17thcentury. southern gate, corner, wasbuiltin1780while the main tourist office andwortha quick look. tourist office 4 1 3 2 MONASTIR Sfax (117km) To Kairouan(72km); ὈὈ The The Bab el-Gharbi Zone Touristique(3.5km) To HôtelYasmine(2km);

Hertz, Europcar(9km); To Airport,Avis, Sousse (24km) Mausoleum ofHabib C2 Taxiphone Office...... Novembre 7 Ave SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Ribat...... Museum ofIslamicArt....(see9) Bourguiba...... Great Mosque...... Costume Museum...... Publinet LaGare...... Publinet...... ONTT...... Main PostOffice...... walls

Costume Museum Ave de la République la de Ave AC inthewestern partof theme- Public Gardens h Monastir is around thecornerfrom the Bab Tunis , atthecentre of thewest- Bab Briqcha 9am-1pm &3-7pmTue-Sat summer,

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

, inthenorthwestern

Rue Sidi el-Mezri Sidi Rue Ave de Libye de Ave C2 B1 C2 C2 B3 C2 C2 C2

(rue del’Indépendance; , wasbuiltbythe Station Train el-Gharbi Tunis Bab Bab 11 22 Ave d'Algerie ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Rue de Tunis

4 B Ave 3 Septembre To Mahdia(44km)

el-Kram Place du Place du7Novembre Rue du 1934

Bab Ave Avril 9 Medina Habib des Tripolitanes

Ave Meufida

Bourguiba 8 THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Monastir Ave Université

16 Ave de la de Ave

l'Indépendance Ave Rue de Cemetery

14 17

tive structure of devoid anyuniformity. renovation. is an evoca- Theconsequence ribat isalegacyofpassageways the andstaircases chaotic designwithlabyrinthine seemingly ample of architecture. Islamicmilitary Its Rue lately preserved lately preserved attractionisitsimmacu- Monastir’s star RIBAT winter) plus cameraTD1; include the heavily (though restored)maining sections area.courtyard andmuseum The oldestre- scope wouldhave occupiedonlythecentral Harthama, wasbuilt inAD796.Itsoriginal

18 Janvier 18 Entrance Bourguiba Chedli Ribat Briqcha

The original Liberté Bab 13 6

2 Kallala ὄὄ ὄὄ Fishing Port(800m) 20 To MahdiaLouage ’s manyperiodsof constructionand , regarded asthecountry’s finestex- Gouvernorate Station (50m); 15 1 Place du 9 18 Ave Fattouma Bourguiba Marina

Ave 7 Ave 1 Juin Corniche le de Route Ave Harthoume nador 21 Harbour

ibn el-Aychine

h Avicenne Old Rue Mohamed M'Hallah Mohamed Rue 10 ribat,

8am-7pm summer,8.30am-5.30pm ribat complex ribat Habib Ave andthe area around its 12 3

5 Bourguiba knownastheRibatde 23 TRANSPORT EATING SLEEPING Marina Restaurants& Tunisair...... Bus &LouageStation...... Roi duCouscous...... Monoprix Supermarket.... Monoprix Supermarket.... Cafes...... Dar Chroka...... Café LaMedina...... Al Hambra...... Regency...... Marina CapMonastir...... Hôtel MonastirBeach...... Hôtel Kahla...... Hôtel ClubEsplanade...... M EDITRAN 200m 0.1miles 0 0 S EA (admission TD2.1, El-Kebira D Island Causeway 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

197 D2 B2 C2 C1 C2 C1 C2 B2 C2 C1 C1 C2 B4 C2

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN yard, green-tiled arches and eleganteastern cupolas are superb asare the marblecourt- a long,paved walkway,thegold-and-green The MAUSOLEUM OFHABIB BOURGUIBA Touristique. nated bytheresort hotels of theZone east of El-Kebira Island. smaller, quieter beach immediately south- ing littleroomtospread atowel.There’s a mer months localsflocktothebeach leav- by thecenturies-old all, youemerge fromthewater confronted Afternonetheless hasadramaticsetting. thebeachtion ormountains, atMonastir Backed notbypalmtrees, lush vegeta- BEACHES the of the coastlinefromrampartsandtop were added. cornertowerscentury whentheoctagonal inthe17th elled manytimessince,notably commodation. Thewallshave remod- been ribat, isknownasthewomen’s hind themuseum for defenders andthesmallcourtyardbe- built-inaccommodationThey contained century andcompleted inthe11thcentury. begun bytheAghlabids attheendof the9th centuries. allofbase, which date fromthe8thto10th 198 mer) h here toshoot scenesforhis alsocame Dickus.FrancoZeffirelli Biggus hundreds of at Tunisianextraslaughing Life of Brian tecture. Many scenesfrom rectors of insearch accessibleIslamicarchi- the complexisagreat favourite of filmdi- of thetown. dina before independenceandearlyphotos cludes aninteresting mapof Monastir’sme- Arab coinsandpottery, thecollectionin- of Islamic Art of IslamicArt should tread carefully. Jesus of Nazareth and MonastiragainbecameJerusalem in The beaches westof townare domi- There are excellentviewsof thetownand The wallsastheycurrently appearwere And if it all looks familiar, that’s because And ifitalllooksfamiliar,that’sbecause The 2-4.30pm Mon-Thu, &Sat,to6pmsum- 9am-4.30pmFri and his family is a must-see. Reached via and hisfamilyisa must-see. THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Monastir Mausoleum ofHabibBourguiba Mausoleum withitsownprayerroomandac- nador ribat ’s prayer room houses a ’s prayerroomhouses ; those suffering fromvertigo suffering ; those ( were filmedhere, including h Tue-Sun) . ribat . Apartfromearly . Duringthesum- Monty Python’s Life of Christ,

(admission free; (admission free; Museum Museum

TD32/45; s/dwithfanTD27/40,air-con [email protected]; planet.tn; routedelaCorniche;s/dTD45/70; TD40/60) ments TD115/133/172; complex;dTD106,4-/6-/8-bedapart- planet.tn; Marina motivation forgueststoleave. complexescontained andprovide little other resort hotels, Monastir’sare self- from Monastir toSkanes,8kmaway.Like along thebeaches westof townalltheway The Sleeping the northernside. walk aroundthefence tothesmallgate on aren’t permitted. Ifthemaingate is closed, travagance of themausoleum’sinterior. from where youcanappreciate thefullex- the buildingtoa1stfloorinterior balcony onthesouthernsideof the smallstaircase longed tothegreat man.Ifit’sopen,climb family andasmalldisplayof items thatbe- door. tombsof Themausoleumhouses the el-Kantaoui. it’sfarfromtheluxuryoflies though Port modern roomsare good forgroupsorfami- and allof therestaurants. Thesimpleand in theback,pastyacht-filled harbour this low-slungcomplexisallof theway sea-view roomshave balconies. ofneed attention. Itiscentrallylocated and the roomsaren’t asdated, they’re though in was madeinanothercentury;fortunately is athree-storey brochure complexwhose balconies. others share thelatter. roomshave Sea-view some have private showerandtoiletwhile of townhascharming and simplerooms; priced outof theZoneTouristique. ing alternative forbeach-minded travellers rooms are large andprovide aninterest- taken theirtollonthefurnishingsbut a few feet away.Age airhave andthesalt that openoutontothefrenzied crowdsonly niche. Every roomhaslarge French doors strung outinashallow niche belowthecor- pression ‘beachfront property,’thishotel is TD150/225; Hôtel MonastirBeach Hôtel Opening timescanbeerraticandshorts Regency Monastir Cap Marina ClubEsplanade Hôtel Hôtel YasmineHôtel zone touristique a This family-runpension2kmnorth aip

) Bringing newmeaningtotheex- Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com ( x

( 73 460 033; Marina complex; s/d 73 460033; Marina x as ) 73 501546;routedelaFalaise; s/d Thisluxury resort isso hotels are strungout

( ( x ( x x ) Thereception for 73 461146;hotel.lac@ 73 462305;marina@ 73 464766;monastir lonelyplanet.com as ) This Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com ads, steaks andespeciallyseafood. menu includeslarge dishes, pizza,sal- pasta isexcellentandthe feel toit.Theservice ish indoordiningroom,ithasaEuropean tothestyl- From theoutdoorpatioseating proper, AlHambra recommended. ishighly medina onave Habib Bourguiba. nicer oneoutsideof thegates tothe front of themarinacomplex,oreven supermarket, inthe nexttothepostoffice of pizzasandmeat dishes. salads, TD1.6) are a bargain andthere’s achoice pastries withavarietyof different fillings; drink, snackorfullmeal.The in themiddleof themedinaisgoodfora popular placeonaninteresting intersection couscous, isatleastMonastirroyalty. popular restaurant, ifnotquite thekingof side of placeduGouvernorate, thislocally private beach in frontof theresort. feel andisgoodforfamilies.There’s asmall the facilitiesyou’dexpect.IthasaClubMed fied withmodernandposhluxuryall you canfindyourwayhere, you’llbesatis- booked aFrench through travel agency. If walk-in guests.Everyone tohave seems exclusive take thatit’sdoubtfultheyeven lonelyplanet.com Corniche) touristique handling tourists booked atresorts in It’s theprimarygateway for charter flights butnodomesticflights. national traffic, Monastir’s airporthandlesalotof inter- AIR &Away There Getting TD5) ence andbudget; mostare notcheap. They’re all goodandit’samatter of ambi- are clustered together outatthemarina. of Several Monastir’sbestrestaurants Eating specialities. the patio. Thecalamariandgrilledfish are to eat.There are outsideon set also tables sion, DarChakraisanatmosphericplace inanoldman- tourism office andhoused Inside aquietcourtyardacrossfromthe Dar Chakra Self-caterers canheadtotheMonoprix Self-caterers Al Hambra There’s a Roi duCouscous Café La Medina LaMedina Café

The nicestplacetoeatinMonastir office in the Habib office Complex. s upanddownthe coast. ( x (off ruedel’Indépendance;mainsTD5) Tunisair 73 465 358; rue Sidi el-Mezri; mains 73 465358;rueSidiel-Mezri; (place du 3 Septembre 1934) (place du3Septembre

(mains TD3.5)

( x 73 468189; routedela Onthebeach briqs (crispy This zone THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Kairouan THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan

airport terminal. L’AeroportSousse; is200mfromthe station on anyof Monastirand thetrainsbetween town centre. You canalsoget totheairport fromthe The tripcostsaboutTD4.5bytaxi 9km westof townontheroadtoSousse. lers, whether here fortradeorthe purposes Kairouan aplaceof has alwaysbeen travel- and-green windowshutters andbalconies. charming andornate doors, andtheblue- the suncreates the shadows, highlighting der, especiallyinthelate afternoon when an interesting andbeautiful placetowan- the religious significance,themedina is low-key relationship tooutsiders. Besides of day-trippers andretain itsconservative, abletoabsorbKairouan thebusloads seems region thatcultivate tourismasanindustry, Unlike manyof thecitiesandtownsin hedonism of thebeach resorts totheeast. ouan feels farremoved fromtherelative Mosque, theoldestinNorthAfrica, Kair- ofIslam because thepresence of theGreat Considered thefourthholiestsite in pop 118,000 KAIROUAN Monastir’s TO/FROM THEAIRPORT Around Getting (2nd/1st classTD8.5/11,three hours). to Mahdia (TD1.7,onehour). (TD1,30minutes)ter) andeight toSousse There are 16trainsaday(lessoften inwin- TRAIN side of town. onthesoutheasternfrom theirownstation Louagesto thebusstation. toMahdia leave (TD4.4) andTunis(TD7.5)leave fromnext Louages (TD1.2),Kairouan toSousse LOUAGE Hertz Avis CAR to Mahdia (TD1.8,onehour) hourly. (TD1.3, 30minutes) 30minutes every and toSousse the medina. There are services isatthewestern edgeThe busstation of BUS tir’s airport. There’s alsoonetrainadaytoTunis

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( x 73 521031) 73 521300) airport ,

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& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ &὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ KAIROUAN὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ 200 Sbeitla (107km) Bus Station(500m); To LouageStation(400m); 19 4 6 1 3 2 5 KAIROUAN

὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇὇ THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan Rue Hannibal Rue Cemetery

Sbeitla (107km);Makthar(114km) To Bus&LouageStations(300m); Ave Zama el- Zama Ave Ὀ Belaoui Cemetery AC Rue Ibn Aria Rue

Abou Nawas

Ave Zomâa Ave Ave

Ave Ibn el-Aghlab

Ahmed Rue Ennahassine Rue

Ave el-Moez ibn Badis Kairouan

Rue Bab Essalam Bab Rue Tlili

Rue de la Liberté la de Rue

Rue Ibn Zoubeir Ibn Rue Rue Essaadila

Rue de Zeroud de Rue Ave Tarek ibn Zayed Zayed ibn Tarek Ave

11 18

Sidi Gaid Sidi 9 Rue

Rue Ziryeb Neji 7 Novembre Place B 6

Rue Mohammed Fayez

Bab Tunis el-Jazzar Ibn Ave Ave Ali Zouaoui Ali Ave Rue el-Bakri Rue 32

21 28 Rue de la Victoire la de Rue

Ave Ali Belhouane 31

To Raqqada(9km); de Tunis de Sfax (136km) Rue Bab Jedid Place To HôtelAmina(1km); Market Hammamet (97km); 40 Rue Ali el-Barrak Sousse (57km); Tunis (155km) Rue

41 Sidi Novembre 7 Ave 23

Rue Oum el- 16 Zouaoui Ali Ave Rue Ali Abdel Rue 33 Salah Ben Ammar Moumen 2 Soussi

29 5 36

Rue des Tailleurs Nouvelle Dar Rue

Place des Mouminin Aïcha Martyrs

Ave du 20 Souqs 20 Ville Ave de la République 25

Souq el-

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10 26

Avril Rue Habib Thameur el-Bey Rue de la Kasbah

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39 el-

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Ὀ Portes Rue Sidi

raoui ibn Okba Rue lonelyplanet.com Ave Assad ibn Fourat ibn Assad Ave el-Kedidi Bou

el-Khoukha To Maisondes Jeunes (500m) Rue 13

Bab Jedid

Omrani Yadh Oum Rue

Bab Nafâa Hassan en-Nooman Hassan Bab el-Monkas Ave de Kortoba Essayouri Bab

To Sousse Rue Essay

(68km) ouri lonelyplanet.com to Mahdia. Itsfortuneshitrockbottom wasmovedand declinedafter thecapital Mosque. theGreathistoric buildings,mostnotably endowed thecitywithitsmostimportant of Kairouan, itwasthe Aghlabids who 9kmsouth from theirpalaceatRaqqada, theypreferredin AD797.Although torule ofcame thecapital theAghlabid dynasty since. Islamicever Nooman andhasbeen was re-established inAD694byHassan ibn rebellion. It it wasdestroyedbyaBerber lasted onlyafewsettlement years before foothold intheMaghreb. TheoriginalArab It wasinKairouan thatIslamgaineditsfirst History mercial necessitiesof themodernworld. roots intradition,butadapted tothecom- place –Islamictoitscore andwithdeep Tunisianabout thething fundamentally people fromfar-off lands.There’s someof pilgrimage, acityaccustomedtostrange Publinet...... (see 22) Publinet...... ONTT...... Main PostOffice...... BIAT...... Banque duTunisie...... Mosque oftheThreeDoors..... Maison duGouverneur...... Great Mosque...... Giant Anchors...... Entrance toAghlabidBasins...... Bir Barouta...... Aghlabid Basins...... UIB...... Taxiphone Office...... Syndicat d'Initiative...... SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Kairouan fell totheFatimids inAD909, The city’sgoldenage beganwhenitbe- well survives at Bir Barouta, in the heart ofthemedina ( at BirBarouta,inthe heart well survives p203 ). by thesamesource thatsuppliedtheholywellofZem-Zem inMecca. Legend hasitthatthe previously. up,water Whenit was picked sprangfromtheground –supplied,itwasconcluded, sands. The goblet turnedouttobeonethathadmysteriously disappeared fromMeccasome years for thecitywaschosenafter Okba’shorsestumbledonagoldengobletthatlayburiedinthe name fromtheArabicword preciate whysuchsites were wasdifferent. chosenforcities. ButKairouan chance discovery ofwells. As amoderntraveller onthebarren plainsoftheMaghreb, you’llap- The Africa origins (eg GhadamesinneighbouringLibya) centre ofmany citiesinNorth onthe THE FOUNDINGOFKAIROUAN Kairouan wasfoundedinAD670bytheArabgeneralOkbaibnNafaaal-FihriKairouan its andtakes 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C5 C6 B1 C6 C5 C6 C6 C5 D4 D5 D3 D5 B2 C4 B1 qayrawan, Hôtel Barouta...... Zaouia ofSidiSahab...... Zaouia ofSidiAmorAbbada..... Zaouia ofSidiAbidel-Ghariani.. ONAT Museum...... Patisserie RabaouiKairouan...... Outdoor PatisserieStalls...... Gelateria Italiana...... Tunisia Hôtel...... Hôtel Splendid...... Hôtel Sabra...... Hôtel LesAghlabites...... Hôtel laKasbah...... Hôtel el-Menema...... Hôtel Continental...... EATING SLEEPING meaning‘militarycamp’.Accordingto legend,thesite THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Kairouan THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan on thestreets southof place desMartyrs. There are branches of allthemajor banks MONEY Publinet ACCESS INTERNET Information Tunis. from here tothe main northerngate, Bab pal street, ave 7Novembre, runsnorthwest echBab Chouhada. Themedina’sprinci- side themedina’smainsoutherngate, the large openspace(placedesMartyrs) out- Nouvelle atthe tothesouth.Thetwomeet dina atthecentre of townandtheVille Life inKairouan revolves aroundtheme- Orientation scholarship andaholycityof Islam. ofretained Islamic itssignificanceasaseat its positionof politicalpre-eminence but it lalian invasions( p185 regained). Itnever when itwassacked in1057duringtheHi- ave AliZouaoui 438 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16

Hôtel el-Menema D6 C4 B2 C6 C6 C5 B4 C3 B3 B2 C4 A3 B4 D5 C6 (perhrTD2; d'ArtdeKairouan...... Centre desTraditionsetMétiers Turkish Coffeehouse...... Café LesSoiréesdeL'Orient..... Café Belhadj...... Café Amar...... Bars...... (see 36) Segni...... Roi duCouscous...... Restaurant Sabra...... Restaurant Karawan...... Restaurant delaJeunesse...... Picolomondo...... Patisserie RoyalOpera...... SHOPPING DRINKING (perhrTD1.5; h 8am-midnight) h 8am-10pm); 42 41 40 39 37 36 35 34 33 32 31

201 C4 C4 C4 D6 D6 C5 C6 C6 C6 C4 B2 B2

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN derelict façadesare off bygrandand set to quietresidential rather streets whose modern Tunisia. Mostof itisgiven over ebbs andflows toadifferent rhythmfrom country, Kairouan’s feels more even like it commercialthanothermedinasinthe Less MEDINA Sights Syndicat d’Initiative ONTT office tourist TOURIST INFORMATION Chouhada. issouthwestofmain postoffice ech Bab Taxiphone are offices everywhere. The POST &TELEPHONE UIB BIAT Lâaouani) ATM. Banque duTunisie 202 the all-in-one ticket forthesitesaroundKairouan. the all-in-oneticket with officiallylicensedguides. Thisistheplacetopurchase Some ofthestaffhere speakEnglishandcanarrangetours edgeoftowninfronttheAghlabid Basins. the northern Aghlab; and notmuchelseare availablehere. h lookouts for carpetshops. the accredited guidesdouble aslow-key speak Englishand/or German.Someof They allspeakArabicandFrench; somealso charge TD15foratourofallthemajorsites. with photos,andtheyknowtheirstuff. They d’initiative you canarrangeonethroughthe sites mentioned. isvalidatallofthe camera permit(TD1) only foronedayandentrypersite. The Museum(see Art p207 ). The isvalid ticket IslamicAbid el-GharianiandtheRaqqada Abbada, BirBarouta,theZaouiaofSidi theZaouiaofSidiAmorof SidiSahab, Mosque, theAghlabid Basins,theZaouia are validfortheGreatThe (TD6) tickets (tourist office)ortheZaouiaofSidiSahab. at theGreat Mosque, the whichcanbepurchasedon asingleticket, canbevisitedMost ofthesites inKairouan ENTRY TICKETS &GUIDES 8am-4pm) South of the medina. Transport schedules 8am-4pm) Southofthemedina. Transport (ave Hamda Lâaouani) Near place des Martyrs; ATM.(ave HamdaLâaouani)NearplacedesMartyrs; THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan (rue de la Victoire) ATM.(rue delaVictoire) If youwantaguidetoshowaround, h 8am-6pm summer, 8.30am-5.30pm winter) On 8am-6pm summer,8.30am-5.30pmwinter)On . These guyscarryaccreditation, (cnravesdelaRépublique&Hamda ( (cnravesIbnel-Jazzar &Ibnel- x 77 231 897; Place des Martyrs; 77 231897;PlacedesMartyrs; syndicat d’initiative syndicat side, but thedoors are leftopentoallow fine. Non-Muslims are not allowedin- panelsabovecarved themare particularly wooden doors here date from1829; the of thecourtyard. Theenormous,studded inscriptions. upside down)bearingLatin note thetwoRomanslabs(one At itsbase, ret. wasbuiltinAD728. Thelowestlevel dominated byasquare three-tiered mina- up fromthedepths. grooves wornbycenturiesof haulingwater rims of thetwowellsbothhave rope- deep to filter dust fromthewater. Themarble terns below.Thedecorationswere designed lected rainwater intothe9th-centurycis- central drainage holethatdelivers thecol- ing slopestowardsanintricately decorated designed forwater catchment, andthepav- by anarched colonnade. Thecourtyardwas huge marble-paved courtyard,surrounded Impressions change onceyoustep intothe has atypicallyunadornedAghlabid design. multiple-site ticket (see left ). labids inthe9thcentury.Entryiswith of todaywasbuiltbytheAgh- whatstands sion wascompletely destroyed,andmost mosque here inAD670.Theoriginalver- founder of Kairouan whobuiltthefirst also knownasSidiOkba Mosque,after the is NorthAfrica’sholiestIslamicsite. It’s The GREAT MOSQUE oldest is 18th century.Ofthenumerousgates, the todaydate mainlyfromthe you’llsee those towards theendof the8thcentury,but the usualtrinkets totourists. forsale qualityproductsandall high shops selling Novembre. Here carpet you’llfindseveral main north–souththoroughfare of ave 7 ally allof thecommerceisrestricted tothe gle souvenir-buying opportunityasvirtu- medina withoutbeingconfronted byasin- Africa. It’spossibletowandermuch of the reminiscent of thanof theCaribbean North shutters bluesandgreens, inbright more ornate doors, andwindows,arches and Fri) was builtin1706. arch supportedhorseshoe bycolumns.It , inthenortheastcornerof themedina, The prayerhallisatthesouthern end The northwestern endof thecourtyardis The exterior, withitsbuttressed walls, The first wallsof themedinawere built Great Mosque Great Bab el-Khoukha

( h 8am-2pm Sat-Thu, tonoon , which features a lonelyplanet.com cowork. The andstuc- somefinewoodcarving contains the multiple-site ticket (see opposite ). to finditopeninthemorning.Entryiswith ficial openinghours, butyou’re mostlikely ruled from1525to1543.There are noof- of theHafsid MoulayHassan sultan who thetomb the tombof also houses asaint) too isaperiodspentinspectingcarpets. is includedinthepriceof theentryticket; so The owners willcheekily claimthattheview bouring carpetshop onrueOkba ibnNafaa. take intheviewfromroof of aneigh- Muslims. gatesThe othereight are tonon- closed via themaingate onrueOkba ibnNafaa. robes are available attheentrance. Entryis (pulpit) nexttothem. the woodforrichly adorned were alongwith imported fromBaghdad tworedbetween marblecolumns.Thetiles cious 9th-centurytilesbehindthe hall, it’sjustpossibletomake outthepre- no twoare Atthefarendof thesame. the andHadrumètumCarthage and (Sousse), nally RomanorByzantine,salvaged from were, like of those thecolonnade,origi- arches androofthat supportthehorseshoe ofa glimpse theinterior. The414pillars lonelyplanet.com son duGouverneur beys orpashasof Kairouan calledthe This 18th-centuryresidence of theformer MAISON DUGOUVERNEUR stored echJust insidetheBab Chouhada,there- ZAOUIA OFSIDIABIDEL-GHARIANI you’ll be expected to viewthecarpets. If (women make them), thecarpets,men sell artofstrate thepainstaking carpetmaking shop; after watching awomandemon- doubles, ofThe house asacarpet course, ceived guestsandheld meetings. official and reception hallwhere thegovernor re- arches adorning theentrancehall,harem ticework, plaster mouldingandeleganttiled combination of cedarandteak, marblelat- the Aghlabids. Theinterior isasumptuous travagant counterpoint totheausterity of sitely restored andanex- medinahouse signposted as‘Tapis-Sabra’, isanexqui- el-Ghariani) el-Ghariani) For an overview ofFor anoverview theGreat Mosque, Visitors mustbeappropriately dressed; Zaouia ofSidiAbidel-Ghariani dates fromthe14thcenturyand zaouia

(admission free; (complex surrounding h 8am-5pm)

minbar mihrab (rue Sidi Mai- THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Kairouan THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan ,

h a carved cornice. It’swellworthadetour.a carved spersed withfloralreliefs andcrownedwith which name themosque’sfounder)inter- by intricate friezesof Kuficscript(twoof mosque’s three arched doorwaysare topped with itsstrongAndalusianinfluences.The the mainfeature istheelaborate façade, tonon-Muslims,but The interior is closed man fromtheSpanishcityof Cordoba. hammed binKairoun el-Maafri, aholy Trois Portes) This extensive ZAOUIA OFSIDISAHAB These BASINS AGHLABID Doors MosqueoftheThree the250m northeastof theBirBarouta, MOSQUE OFTHETHREEDOORS the multiple-site ticket (see opposite ). the wellisconnected toMecca. Entryiswith tors, manyof whomgenuinely that believe religiousimportant momentformostvisi- well forpeopletotaste. thisisan Thatsaid, todrawwater turning thewheel from for theuninitiated withablinkered camel in Mecca. isalittlestaged Thesceneitself linkedsupposedly tothewellof Zem-Zem in thecity’sfoundationlegend. Itswaters are in1676tosurroundthewellthatfeatures Bey was builtbytheOttomanrulerMohammed northof aveThe BirBarouta, AliBelhouane, BAROUTA BIR in Kairouan, make ithere. you onlyexperiencethecarpetritualonce the medina, houses thetomb ofthe medina, houses Abu Zama with themultiple-site ticket (see opposite ). d’initiative the cisterns fromtherooftop of the Most visitors donothingmore at thanpeek could cometorelax onsummerevenings. main poolwasapavilion where therulers and 128mindiameter. Inthe centre of the main holdingbasin,which was5mdeep basinandthenintotheenormous settling hills 36kmwestof Kairouan intothesmaller Water wasdelivered byaqueductfromthe inthemselves.phistication thanassights impressive of so- because theirengineering Aghlabids inthe9thcenturyare more 6.30pm summer,8.30am-6pmwinter) 7.30am-6.30pm) cisterns ,

was foundedinAD866byMo- office nearby,butyoucanenter

, about 1.5km northwestof (ave Ibnel-Aghlab; zaouia

(ave ZamaelBelaoui; (rue delaMosquéedes , builtbythe h syndicat 7.30am-

203

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN Mon-Sat, 8am-1pm Fri &Satwinter) Mon-Sat, 8am-1pmFri h recommended. Maison desJeunes Maison BUDGET Barouta Hôtel The only inthemedina isthe placetostay Sleeping The ONAT MUSEUM This ZAOUIA OFSIDIAMOR ABBADA tomb of thearchitect of theGreat Mosque. opposite sideof the thecourtyardcontains permitted toenter. Thesmallroomonthe pola addedin1629.Non-Muslimsare not the northwestern corner,toppedbyacu- courtyard. SidiSahab’smausoleumisin way thatleadstoastunningwhite central an unusuallydecorative marblepassage- site ticket (see p202 ). Theentranceisalong medersa tions includea at theendof the17thcentury.Theaddi- AD, mostof todaywasadded whatstands mausoleum dates backtothe7thcentury Mosque of theBarber. Whiletheoriginal the from theProphet’sbeardwithhim,and healwayscarriedthreebarber because hairs Prophet Mohammed. He wasknownasthe a el-Belaoui, 204 look here atthevariousstyles. sold inKairouan; if youplantobuyone, arethese the peoplewhoaccredit allcarpets tion of although rugs.Itcouldbemissed, ple-site ticket (see p202 ). rouan totheearth.Entryiswithmulti- Martyrs) thatwere tosecure Kai- supposed anchors northof (nowstanding placedes tion of oversized things,like of aset giant prophecy. He inthe produc- specialised Abbada, alocalblacksmithwithgiftfor built in1860aroundthetombof SidiAmor white cupolas,was identifiable byitsseven southeast of themedina. uninspiring youthhostel isabout 1km Sabra isonlyafew dinars more. The city’s hereto stay since theperfectly located Hôtel There’s littlereason forthe budget minded Entry tothezaouiaiswithmultiple- 7.30am-1.30pm summer,8.30am-1pm&3-5.45pm THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan zaouia ONAT Museum zaouia (Quranicschool) andamosque. issometimesreferred toasthe

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République; s/dTD20/40; shared bathrooms. central courtyard.Mostof the roomshave lar withTunisians.Ask the foraroomoff it’sreasonablygood choice though popu- north of themedina,isn’tanespecially inaconvertedstaying rue MoezIbnBadis;rwith/withoutbathroomTD20/10) Tunis; s/d TD8/16) ave Ibnel-Aghlab; s/dTD33/46; and arestaurant onthegroundfloor. are ceilingsandmodernbathrooms high Splendid is…wellasplendidchoice. There newly painted andrefurbished rooms,the main entrancetothemedinaandboasting person TD10) across thestreet fromthe Aghlabid Basins. ifa littlestrangelyfortable furnished.It’s like felt since thespaciousroomsare com- the nearfuture) issurroundedbyminigolf- nal andtheemptypool(plansare tofillitin lobby here feels alittlelike anairporttermi- or thatfromyourneighbours. don’t domuch todampenthestreet noise areBathrooms shared andthethinwalls a mattress andspacetotossabackpack. tours here thatstay is sincealltheyneed mer) are breathtaking. It’smostlybigteen (where insum- youmaybeabletosleep Chouhada, andtheviewsfromrooftop tion inKairouan opposite ech theBab this hostel-like dumphasthebestloca- MIDRANGE .tn; aveIbn el-Aghlab; s/d TD52/77; front deskisfriendly. small anddarkbuttheyare cleanandthe only afew dinars more. Theroomsare over thenearbyHôtel Splendid,which is recommend thisold,ratherrundownhotel Tunisia Hôtel Avril; s/dTD28/41; Breakfast isincluded. old, decayingroomsisthatthey’re large. aboutthe only goodthingthatcanbesaid than thehotels intheVilleNouvelle. The it’slessconvenienthowever tothemedina tooneofattached thePublinetsintown; wholovethose cyberspace, el-Menema is Hôtel Sabra Hôtel Hôtel LesAghlabites Hôtel Hôtel Continental Hôtel Hôtel Amina Hôtel el-Menema Hôtel Hôtel Splendid Hôtel OtherthantheHôtel laKasbah, Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com

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( x ( x ( 77 231775;fax597;avedela x ) Onlyashortwalkfromthe 77 230 263; Place des Martyrs; per 77 230263;PlacedesMartyrs;

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( ) x 77 225003;fax226182; There’s notmuch to 77 232006;fax229900; a funduq, 77 230880;offplacede as ) It’sashamethe lonelyplanet.com thishotel, ) This large For Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com is heated. Nights the usualslapdashnodsto facilities are refined andelegantwithout for atourist-classhotel of thiscalibre, the tiles andlinenssubduedtones.Rare the country,tastefully doneupinfinetex- are quite possiblysome of thenicestin imagined andre-appointed. Therooms is thereal thing,albeitgenerously re- ofthe northernsection themedina,this in ladin hotel. Occupyingtheoldkasbah has a good selection ofhas agoodselection gelati. of thepoolarea. balconies overlooking thebakingconcrete ter thanmostinthispricerange andhave the commute sincetheniceroomsare bet- you have yourownvehicle itmaybeworth kilometrescated several north of town.If whitewashed complexisinconveniently lo- lonelyplanet.com 2.4) and ave Ibnel-Jazzar. be foundaroundave IbnBadiss ElMoez chicken goodrotisserie can places serving streets southof themedinaandseveral There isacluster of restaurants inthe RESTAURANTS pay 150millsapiece. which can befoundeverywhere. to Expect lina cake soaked inhoneycalled Kairouan isfamousforadate-filled semo- PATISSERIES Eating laKasbah Hôtel TOP END pizza and otherTunisian fare. Picolomondo isamodern restaurant with Rabaoui Kairouan Kairouan Rabaoui arch, litandmodern orthebrightly justoff themainthoroughfarestalls nearthe medina shop. is awonderfulexampleof atraditional interiorthe middleof themedina,Segni’s sian specialities.SignedonlyinArabic to sample a as goldenyasmin.com; aveIbnel-Jazzar; s/dTD103/160; Picolomondo Gelateria Italiana Gelateria Segni Other placestotryincludetheoutdoor NextdoortoPicolomondo,this place ) A shortwalkfrom theAghlabid Basins, ) . Thepoolinthecentralcourtyard ThisisnoartificialDisney-like Al- (ave 7Novembre) makhroud

(ave ibnel-Jazzar; pizzas fromTD2.5; ( (rue Soukina bintel-Hassan). (rue Soukina x

(ave ibnel-Jazzar; gelatoTD1.3- 77 237301;kasbah.kairouan@ andotherlocalTuni- Thisisthebestplace makhroud, Patisserie Patisserie Arabian THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Kairouan THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan

eat inatoneof tables. thestandup pastry shop/takeout restaurant, oryoucan meals TD8) TD5) served. of couscousaretown butbigservings day. It’snotexactlythecleanestplacein smoke inthemiddleof even andbeer, the ards, thisrestaurant-bar isfilledwithmen, larly good. omelette) and the meat dishes,though theusualcouscous and the Karawan serves house mosphere inthemedinais SoiréesdeL’Orient. Les Tunis istheCafé Amar. andCafé Belhadj Café feehouses: and ave delaRépubliqueare twogoodcof- the intersection of ave Hamda Laaouani front of theHôtel Sabra. Southof here near are aroundplacedesMartyrs thetables in (water pipe).Mostpopularintheevenings a coffee, soft drink, minttea ora There are plentyof outdoorplacestoenjoy Drinking medina. around placedeTunis,justnorthof the atthestalls you’ll findwhatever’s inseason Lots of fruitisgrownaround Kairouan; SELF-CATERING TD3.5) the inposh surroundstrythe barat For abeer next totheRoi duCouscousrestaurant. south of the medinaonave AliZouaoui, ambience, head to themainroundabout or couscous by itself is TD3. isTD3. or couscousbyitself àlacarte.simply orderingthesame Chicken menu,which ismorethe set expensive than don’torderoff good fillingmealsthough Next totheTunisiaHôtel, theSabraserves TD4) ing yourbill. ist-friendly it’sworthdoublecheck- though heart of themedina. Therestaurant istour- Roi duCouscous Patisserie RoyalOpera Patisserie Restaurant de la Jeunesse delaJeunesse Restaurant Easily thebestplacetosoakupat- Easily Just northof themedinainfrontof Bab If you’re lookingforbars withanall-male Restaurant Karawan Karawan Restaurant Restaurant Sabra Restaurant AraucousplacebyTunisianstand- This istheplacetoget couscousinthe Hôtel laKasbah Hôtel Next door to Gelateria Italiana isthis Italiana NextdoortoGelateria (ave 7Novembre) Aclean,friendlyfamily-runplace, briqs (ave delaRépublique;setmealsTD7)

(ave Ibnel-Jazzar) . appetizers are particu- (ave AliZouaoui;mainsaround (rue Soukina bintel-Hassan;set (rue Soukina

(ave ibnel-Jazzar; pizzas tajines (ave 7Novembre; mains Turkish Coffee- Turkish (aTunisian . sheesha 205

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN vivid colours. ofbold use reds, purples,blues andother feature very geometric bright, designs,with weaving of on the Islamic) carpetindustrywasbased knotted andwoven. The traditional(pre- is agoodplacetodoyourshopping. try. Ifyou’re inthemarket foracarpet,this Kairouan of isthecarpetcapital thecoun- Shopping 206 ber motifs onawoven background.Both There are twobasictypesof carpet: sured, themanwhosoldyoucarpetissmilingtoo. Restas- tell youthatpaidtoomuch.Youcan’thelpbutsmileatthewholeperformance. requests fortipstheboys. sir. Youmightbeabletogetafew dinarsmore offthepriceforbreach offset ofcontract, by aggrieved onelasttime. Cash isnotpossible,madam?Credit cardsinvolve toomuchpaperwork, carpet iswrappedbefore youcanreconsider. Youhandover yourcredit card.The salesmanlooks toremember keepsake yourjourney.Your fromtheprice)–theyare awonderful is true(apart has losthistoy. you’lllookoverlikely, yourshoulderandseethesalesmandeflated achildwho onachair,like evaporates –youmightwellheardarkmutterings andgrimcursesdirected towardsyou.More you walkoutthedoor–mightbelefttofindyourownwayashospitalitysuddenly of sadnesswillbeexchangedthatsuchbeautifulcarpetsmustletgoforaprice. As busoutoftown.Pricesdrop.Theyleaving onthenext mighteven dosodramatically.Looks return despite promisestodoso,knowingeven willbe better thatmostvisitorstoKairouan of theshopowner,issuddenlyserious,knowingfullwellthatvastmajoritytouristsnever you wanttothinkaboutit.The glancesinthedirection salesman,possiblynowcastingfurtive fit inyourbagforcarryinghome. Carpets rolledintotinybundlestoshowhoweasilytheywill aremen atyourservice. expertly the carpetwithacigarette lighter toshowitsdurability.Suddenlytheroomisfilledwithyoung and more youngmenarrive toholdthecarpetsatviewinglevel. They mighteven trytoburn hospitality demandssuchthings. ofagroup,youwillbeofferedas part a30%discount.You’re anhonoured guestinTunisia and quickly. Youaskapriceandare toldinaconspiratorialwhisperthat,becauseyouhave notcome eyes. Choicesare unfurledbyaboy,whileanotherbringstea andcoffee thatistoohottodrink tooneofyourcountrymenjustlastweek. collection, country andindeed,whatprovidence, soldacarpet,very beautifulcarpet,fromhisprivate that thesalesman(they’re allmenandvery charming)hasabrotherorunclelivinginyour invited insideandoffered sweettea orTurkish coffee whileyousitaroundanddiscussthefact easier saidthandone. secret istoacceptthehospitality,enjoyceremony andnotfeel intheleastobligedtobuy– to theidea,you’re atsomestagetofindyourselfinacarpetshop.Resistanceisfutile. likely The experienceasvisitingtheGreat Mosque. oftheKairouan Howevera part averse youmightbe Viewing vastnumbersofcarpetsand JUST LOOK,NOBUY THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kairouan You leave withyourcarpetunderarmandwalkpastalltheotherdealerswho’ll If youdodecidetostay,bargain andbuy,mostofwhatthesalesmensayabouttheircarpets This isthepointatwhichyoumightdecidethatcarpet-buying isnotforyou.Yousaythat The are onesyoudon’tlike againstawall.The rolledupandstacked designsare explained isfree, justforthepleasureWhile youwaitforyourdrinks,whynotlook,looking ofyour withapassingglanceasyouwalkthroughoneofthemedina’slanes.The You’re processstarts mergoums Kilims and use traditional Ber- use kilims . Mergoums kilims (woven rugsdecorated withBerbermotifs) isasmuch

Kairouan. ofthe daughter theTurkish governor of ted carpettobemadein Tunisia wasby hasitthatthefirstthe Turks.Legend knot- making wasfirst introducedtoTunisiaby Kairouan carpets. Thisstyleof carpet- carpets are theclassical (Persian-style) motifs. with Berber thick-pile andnormallycream coloured, guetiffa are reasonably cheap tobuy.TheBerber The mostwell-knownof theknotted isanothertypeof knotted carpet: lonelyplanet.com Dimensions Knots per sq m Price persqm Price Knotspersqm Dimensions pricesare:pet. Official thedimensionsandtypeofcontaining car- the backof each carpetisasmallcertificate the numberof knotspersquare metre. On lonelyplanet.com and departure times. information boarddisplaying destinations intheterminal,ing office together withan tional line,SNTRI, which has itsownbook- are operated bythena- Most of theservices BUS via Sousse. times that. driversthe meter butmanytaxi askthree to placedesMartyrs costsaboutTD1on from Sidi Sahab.Ataxi thecentre of town other about of300m westof theZaouia The busandlouage are stations nexttoeach &Around There Getting profit margins. yourealise theextent ofjust incase their make youfeel asunwelcomepossible, thecarpetdealers tosay, willday. Needless 11amand1pmonaSatur-action between in theSouqel-Blaghija, withmostof the bid ifyouspeakArabic.Italltakes place to shop-owners. beableto Youmay even theirtraditionalcarpetsber womensell to attend thecarpetauctionswhere Ber- you howit’sdone. aresans usuallymore thanhappytoshow embroidery andcarpetmaking.Thearti- strate traditional techniques forweaving, upstairs are uptodemon- specificallyset local Tunisianhandicrafts.Therooms TD1400-1700 upbyONATsouqs, wasset topromote TD380-450 onasidestreet leadingtotheBir Barouta Métiers d’ArtdeKairouan, justnorthof desTraditionset theCentre hard sell, 250,000 carpetsbeingmadewithouttheTo see TD110-160 160,000 kilims 50x50 40x40 TD300-380 10,000 30x30 90,000 TD220-300 20x20 40,000 TD160-210 12x12 14,000 10x10 Knotted carpetsare pricedaccordingto Note thatforEl-Jem, you’llhave togo considerisAnother optionyoumight (usually silk) TD170-220 THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Around Kairouan THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••AroundKairouan scope of Roman civilizationinAfrica. tobegingrasp the youneed the evidence isall andSfax, thecolosseum Sousse tween ment. Builtona lowplateau halfwaybe- of fleetingness of achieve- theinevitable likebecause, allruins,it’sasober reminder the modernbuildingssurrounding it,and its awesomesizeandsolidityinrelation to matic andimpressive of bothbecause sight, ofThe ancientcolosseum El-Jem isadra- pop 18,300 EL-JEM Museum IslamicArt Raqqada AROUND KAIROUAN Sbeitla (TD5.7)andHammamet (TD4.5). toMakthar (TD4.8), and occasionalservices (TD3.5), Sfax (TD6.7)andTunis(TD7.4), There are frequent departures toSousse LOUAGE (TD4.5, 1¾hours). (TD5.5, twohours) andtwotoMakthar (TD3, 1½hours), three adaytoSfax buses 30 minutes (6.30amto7.30pm)Sousse every at theterminal. Theyincludebuses bookingofficescompanies withseparate byregional Other destinationsare served Tunis TD7.8 hourly 3hr Tozeur TD13.7 4½hr 3 Sousse TD2.4 Sfax TD5.8 TD13.8 Nefta 3 2¼hr Nabeul TD5 7½hr 2½hr 16 2 TD12.3 Medenine 1 Kélibia TD7.2 1 3hr 3hr 5¼hr TD15.1 Jerba 3 TD9.8 Gafsa 2 5hr 6 3hr TD9.4 Gabès 4¼hr 5 Douz TD18.7 7hr 1 (per Destination Fare day) the multiple-site ticket (see p202 ). Entryiswith probably notworththeeffort. plans forexpansion,untilwhich timeit’s lots of calligraphy.There are ambitious produced plaster copyof the Great Mosque of Kairouan, afaithfullyre- its ondisplayhere includeamodelof the take anytransportheadingtoSfax. Exhib- 9kmsouthof Kairouan;ace atRaqqada, Tue-Sun) occupiesaformerpresidential pal- Duration Frequency Duration Frequency

( h mihrab 9.30am-4.30pm

and

اﻟﺠﻢ 207

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN hs Wrd Heritage–listed World This COLOSSEUM Sights out of townonthewaytoMahdia. andcontinuesnortheast the trainstation which turnsintoave Taieb Mehiri justpast isaveinto townfromSousse Heidi Chaker, (the roadtoSfax). Themainthoroughfare just westof here onave Fahdel benAchour edge of andbankare town.Thepostoffice onthesouthern tothetrainstation seum Ave Habib Bourguiba runsfromthecolos- &Information Orientation lion in1850. breach waswidenedduringanotherrebel- wall toflush outlocal tribesmenandthe blasted aholeinthewestern hammed Bey and 3rdcenturiesAD. reached thepeakof itsprosperityinthe2nd area. Thysdrus,atownof sumptuousvillas, wealth fromtheolive oilproducedinthe ing the1stcenturyADandthatderived its of theSahel’slucrative traderoutes dur- market townthatgrew upatthejunction ing gloryof ancientThysdrus,athriving E-Jem’s wasoncethecrown- colosseum History 208 was besieged here byArab forces attheend of princess defence. TheBerber Al-Kahina that therebellion wasdoomed. the amphitheatre whenitbecame obvious Gordian reportedly committed suicidein rebellion against theEmperorMaximus. peror of Romehere duringanill-fated from thehillsnorthwestof town. 15kmbyundergroundwas brought aqueduct 30kmawayon thecoast,andwater Salakta), from thequarriesatSullectum(modern construction hadtobehauledalltheway ian, alocallandownerandpatron.Stonefor ally attributed totheAfricanproconsulGord- AD230and238,isgener-built between the townitself. considerably more thanthepopulationof estimatedcapacity hasbeen at30,000– three Itsseating tiers 30mhigh. of seating world; itwas138mlongby114mwide,with 5.30pm winter) sion TD6,pluscameraTD1; In the17thcentury,troopsof Mo- The colosseum laterThe colosseum doubled asalastline In AD238,Gordianwasdeclared em- The tohave isbelieved colosseum been THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••El-Jem wasthethirdlargest intheRoman h 7am-7pm summer,8am- colosseum

(admis- national studentIDcard. headingnorth. behind thecolosseum, take anyoftowards thecolosseum, thestreets 30,000 peoplebayingfortheirblood. spent theirlastlonelyminutes, listening to Itwasherement forthemasses. thatmany thrust intothearena toprovide entertain- in theirlastmomentsbefore theywere animals, gladiators andotherunfortunates ground passagewaysthatwere tohold used also possibletoexplore thetwolongunder- andgazedownonthearena.ing levels It’s displayed justinsidetheentrancegate. appeared, check outtheartist’simpression mustoncehave howthecolosseum To see arena, beneath which ranarched corridors. from theuppertiers tothemarble-walled sweptdown of howtheseats allowing asense side of theamphitheatre isthemostintact, grandeur of theRomanvision.Thesouth first time,you’llbestruckbytheindulgent p233). text, theboxedfish fromthetopof thewalls(see to tormentherbesiegers bywaving fresh townofcoastal enablingAl-Kahina Salakta, waslinkedthe colosseum bytunneltothe of the7thcentury.According tolegend, Admission isfree forholders of an inter- For arelatively uninterrupted viewback You canstillclimbuptotheupperseat- forthe When youenter thecolosseum the almost-as-impressive sunrise. filling from6am)and content yourselfwith orSousse(they start a louagefromMahdia and Sfaxbefore settingout. timesatthestations inSoussedeparture the 7.13pmtraintoSousse. Checkcurrent (and thetrainislate), youmightalsocatch return onthe8.57pmtrain.Ifyou’re quick Sousse orSfax(botharoundTD45). (aroundTD35return) ora taxifromMahdia home anyway,itcanbeagoodideatotake you’ll needtopayforthedriver toreturn than itshouldbe. independent travellers thisismore difficult theatre’s interior ingoldenlight.But for sunset whenthesunbathesamphi- The besttime toseethecolosseumisat SEEING THECOLOSSEUMAT SUNSET Either thatorgetup (very) earlyandcatch The otheroptionistovisitfromSfaxand aprivateOne optionistocharter taxi.As lonelyplanet.com Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com winter) a This MUSEUM lonelyplanet.com spicy couscous withchicken (TD4). ofa smallselection traditionaldishes like intown. TheEnglishmenuofferstaurant is thebestandmost tourist-oriented res- Julius Hôtel Sleeping &Eating Festival Music venue forthe istransformedintoasplendidfloodlit seum From mid-Julyuntilmid-August, thecolos- Festivals &Events east are theruinsof anearlier andacrosstherailwaylineto museum tre tobebuiltatThysdrus.Opposite the wasnotthefirstThe colosseum amphithea- OTHER SITES thin carpetingandmismatched furniture. ing. Roomsare windowcooledandhave and thedownstairs bar isn’t themostinvit- easy tofind.There’s anespeciallysurlyvibe recommend itotherthanthefactthatit’s at thishotel, there’s though notmuch to in El-Jem proper isnexttothetrainstation osseum ticket.osseum Bonheur. Admission isincludedinthecol- tersection Le occupiedbytheRestaurant isatthein- tothemuseum The turnoff of ifquixoticGenius theYear.the delightful depiction of Dionysiusastrideatiger and of adramatic scenesfromthecolosseum, includeasplendidarrayics. Highlights ceptionally beautifulcollectionof mosa- asmallbutex- the roadtoSfax, houses This isanice,cleanpizzeria. (see colosseum p70 details). forcontact organises bustoandfromthe anevening ( Sousse p187 inTunis ). Thetouristoffice find aprogrammeatthetouristoffice in You canbuytickets (TD10.5toTD27) and Chaker, theroadtoKairouan. Hached, oroff ave theroadtoSousse Hedi gists. Lookforsignsposted ave off Farhat of interest topassionate amateur archaeolo- willprobably onlybe these though osseum, area of dug intoalowhill.There’s alsoasecond Elyeses ChezFaruch Restaurant LeBonheur Restaurant ) A short walk from the train station, this A short walkfromthetrainstation, , museum

1km southof theamphitheatre on Roman villas

(s/d TD24/38) ( x

( h El-Jem International Symphonic International El-Jem 73 631621;www.festivaleljem.com) 8am-7pm summer,8am-5.30pm tothenorthof thecol-

The only place to stay Theonlyplacetostay ( x ( x 73 631253;pizzasTD4) 73 632384;mainsTD6; amphitheatre . ,

THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Mahdia THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Mahdia entrance. and grilledmeatinfrontof thecolosseum menu. is behind andhasasimilar thecolosseum by thenephewof Bonheur, theoriginalLe which onhis toplanhis attack ultimate from base rugged peninsula asacoastal as El-Mahdi, Mahdia’s whoused narrow the first Fatimid caliph, ObeidAllah,known Mahdia wasfounded asaportinAD916by History ZoneTouristique developed mering Mediterranean. Thelarge andvery sula, offers wonderfulviews of theshim- bothofBorj, which hugthe narrowpenin- anywhere along Ave 7Novembre or Ruedu intoyourowndailyroutine. Awalk settle the mostinvitingplacetoslowdownand tectural imprintof moderntourismandis dia isrefreshingly free of theheavy archi- the centralcoasttowns,heartof Mah- old-world charm. More thananyotherof andawonderful setting with aspectacular into theMediterranean, Mahdia isblessed Occupying anarrowpeninsulajuttingout pop 46,000 MAHDIA visitors.seum are atdecent timesandof tocolos- anyuse hour), butonlyacoupleineach direction three hours), andsouthtoSfax (TD4.2,one in 1stclass,onehour)andTunis(TD11, hours) andMahdia (TD2,onehour). (TD3.1,1¼hours), SfaxSousse (TD3,1¼ to Tunis(TD9.5,three hours, fourdaily), town, butthey’re often full.There are buses tion. Alotof pass through SNTRIbuses well before. by7.15pmandoftenally leftthestation change atSousse. Thelastlouage hasusu- Sfax (TD3.3).ForKairouan, to you’llneed (TD3.3)andfor Tunis(TD8.8),Sousse but there are alsosemi-regular departures frequent departures are toMahdia (TD1.9), alongavestation Hedi Chaker. Themost The louage is500mwestof station thetrain &Away There Getting the coasttonorthof town. There are several cafés serving snacks There are cafésserving several LeBonheur2 Restaurant There are (TD4.4 trainsnorthtoSousse leaveBuses fromoutsidethe train sta- Thisplace,owned

stretches along اﻟﻤﻬﺪﻳﺔ

209

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN 210 0 200 m 0 0.1 miles

MAHDIA THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Mahdia Cap A B C D E d'Afrique F

1 ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ M E D I T E R R A N E A N frique Lighthouse Rue Cap d'A j ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Fatimid Mahdia or S E A B Fortifications de ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇Rue

὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Fatimid Fortifications Sidi Jabeur὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ To Hôtel Corniche (1.5km); Rue Zone Touristique (2km) 2 ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Manouba 12 Rue ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Place Fatimid Ave 7 Novembre 18 To Post Office (100m); 10 9 Etijania Port 3 Hôtel Le Phenix (150m); ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇Fatimid Publinet (2km); Monastir Medina Fortifications (44km); Sousse (64km) Place Khadi ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇4 Place en-Noamine 17 Rue de Ave Rue Ibn duFourat Caire 19 Borj Habib Bey ὇὇὇὇὇὇὇὇ Bourguiba 16 20 8 Ali Fatimid 2 Rue 6 5 Fortifications Fatimid 1 Fortifications 7 11 3 M E D I T E R R A N E A N 14 Ville Nouvelle 13 S E A Rue des FatimidesMarket Building

15 INFORMATION Skifa el-Khala...... 8 B3 Restaurant el-Moez...... 14 B3 BIAT...... 1 B3 Subway (Snorkelling & Scuba Restaurant Le Lido...... 15 B4 Tourist Office...... 2 B3 Diving)...... 9 C2 Restaurant Le Quai...... (see 15) Ave Farhat Hached Restaurant Le Sultan...... 16 C3 lonelyplanet.com SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES SLEEPING Supermarket...... 17 A3 Fishing Port 4 Port Borj el-Kebir...... 3 D2 Hôtel Jazira...... 10 C2 Entrance to Fatimid Port.....4 E2 Hôtel Medina...... 11 C3 DRINKING To Bus & Louage Great Mosque...... 5 C3 Café el-Coucha...... 18 C2 Stations (1km); El-Jem (42km); Mosque of Mustapha EATING Café Medina...... 19 C3 Sfax (104km) Hamza...... 6 C3 Le Neptune...... 12 A2 Café Sidi Salem...... 20 D3 Train Museum...... 7 B3 Restaurant de la Medina..13 C3 Station Touristique. Touristique. midnight; )Westofthecentre onthewaytoZone was amystery. locationofthebusstation theexact we visitedbuteven There wasareasonable rangeofbrochures when el-Kahla. a smallofficejustinsidethemedina,throughSkifa 3-5.45pm Mon-Thu, &Sat)There’s 8.30am-1.30pmFri that spread westfromSkifael-Kahla. cestors andnowlive inthemodernsuburbs haveitants reversed the trend of theiran- but themajority of thetown’s30,000inhab- Coast. the wealthiestcityonBarbary tury andreported that Mahdia hadbecome visitedtorian IbnKhaldun inthe14thcen- well established bythetimefamoushis- inside thewalls.Thepresent medinawas moved ofin AD947,theinhabitants Zawila lived outsidethewalls. Mahdi andhisentourage whilehis subjects forthe was aroyalcompound,reserved the peninsula. Thearea walls withinthese A smallerwallencircledtheremainder of point, where theSkifael-Kahla nowstands. cut acrossthepeninsulaatitsnarrowest by amassive wall,upto10mthick,which uge forhisminorityShiite followers. andasaneasilydefensible ref- goal, Cairo, lonelyplanet.com is through anarrow, vaulted passageway,is through vives of the originalFatimid city. Entry and oneof Tunisia’s finest,isallthatsur- The SKIFA EL-KAHLA streets are definitely photogenic. only steps away.Thenarrow,cobblestone where is thepeninsulanarrowsandsea d’Afrique atCap you get tothelighthouse than others inTunisia,especiallythecloser ful residential streets in Mahdia’s medina There’s less commerceandmore peace- MEDINA Sights &Activities office Tourist Publinet the medina. Post office BIAT Friday ismarket dayinMahdia. Information el-Kahla. el-Kahla. The medinaremains aresidential area, When the Fatimids abandoned Mahdia The originalFatimid citywasprotected ThisbankwithATM is

Skifa el-Kahla, amassive fortified gate (aveHabibBourguiba;TD1.5perhr; (aveHabibBourguiba)About650mwestof ( x 73 681098;

right outside the Skifa outsidetheSkifa right h 8am-1pm & h 8am- THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Mahdia THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Mahdia 4-7pm Sat-Thu summer, 9am-4pmSat-Thu winter) large point fortress onthehighest standing Tue-Sat Apr–mid-Sep, 9am-4pmTue-Sat mid-Sep–Mar) Tue-Sat Apr–mid-Sep, The BORJ EL-KEBIR courtyard outsideprayertimes. in 1554.Non-Muslimsare allowedintothe ing Spanish troopsblewupthecitywalls AD 921,which wasdestroyedwhenretreat- Fatimid mosque,builtbyObeidAllahin todayisamodernreplica ofsee theoriginal side of en-Noamine. placeKhadi Whatyou The Great onthesouthern Mosquestands GREAT MOSQUE long tothe the southernsideof thesquare. Theybe- arched minaret doorwayandoctagonal on place torelax andcontemplate the ornate ous shade of trees andvinesare theperfect its best.Theoutdoorcafésunderthegener- The compactplaceduCaire isMahdia at PLACE DUCAIRE views over themedina. the topof theSkifael-Kahla forthebest from more recent Tunisianhistory. rouan, aswelllocalcostumesandcoins Kufic scriptfromtheGreat MosqueatKai- atEl-Jem.colosseum that onceilluminated thecorridors of the century El-Jem. There are alsooillamps datingfrom3rd- played marblestatues superb, expansive andnicelydis- mosaics but excellent.Thegroundfloorhasthree just southof theSkifael-Kahla, issmall The MUSEUM Skifa. adjacenttothe toenter themuseum need For theviewfromtopof the gate, you’ll an ancienttownlittlechanged incenturies. it’s justpossibletoimagineyou’re entering the interior islinedwithimpromptustalls; oversized ironportcullis.Onmarket day, ofby aseries gates –oneof themasuitably almost 50mlong,thatwasonceprotected to admire. are alsosome wonderfuloldMahdia houses the town’swealthyTurkishquarter. There in 1772whenthesquare wasthecentre of Before leaving,Before don’tforget toclimb Upstairs are cedarpanelsadornedwith museum Borj el-Kebir Mosque of Mustapha Hamza Mosque ofMustapha (admission TD3;

(admission TD1.1; h 9am-1pm &4-7pm h 9am-1pm & , built is a 211

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN spotless. courtyard. The simple roomsare kept of central roomssurroundingapleasant in alarge converted home withanumber the heartof themedina,thishotel ishoused s/d withshared bathroomTD10/20) Ibn Fourat;s/d withshared bathroomTD14/24) dive). and experienceddivers (TD55foranight (to whomitoffer a‘baptisminthesea’) ing (TD44perdive). Itcaters tobeginners range snorkelling (TD15perhour) ordiv- Hôtel Medina Hôtel BUDGET Sleeping [email protected]; rueCapD’Afrique) look,headto a closer anywhere intheMediterranean. Totake The waters here are asclearandblue almost paralleltotheSkifa. lies headtothebeach intown thatstarts d’Afrique andfami- that runalongrueCap kids make dowithswimmingofftherocks you’re atoneof notstaying thehotels. Local Touristique and isfronted bythebighotels of theZone Mahdia’s mainbeach isnorthwest of town BEACHES of Mahdia inFatimid times. el-Kebir anartist’srepresentation contains ing whatitmusthave like, been the Borj defences. Ifyou’re imagin- having difficulty the entranceanddominated theharbour’s the crumblingpillars which onceflanked timid port protected invasion.The fromsea-borne hintstoimagineawalledtown just enough D’Afrique,andprovideall thewaytoCap the shoreline fromneartheGreat Mosque Fragments of theoriginal FATIMID FORTIFICATIONS nal purpose. ofsimplicity astheclearevidence itsorigi- also aestheticallypleasing,asmuch forits ramparts are wellworththeentryfee. It’s inside,buttheviewsfrom much tosee of anearlierFatimid structure. There’s not was builtinthe16thcenturyonruins It with abroodingandunadornedseverity. of thepeninsula,risingabove themedina 212 trance to theJazira, on asmallalleyway Hôtel Jazira Hôtel THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Mahdia remains here, inevidence asdo

( ; x you can use thebeach if even youcanuse

( x 73 694 664; fax 73 691 422; rue el-Kaem; 73 694664;fax691422;rueel-Kaem; 73 681629;fax680 274;36rue Subway Aquietoasisin Fatimid walls , which canar- ( x 73 696492; Theen- dot Fa- TD8, setmenuTD15) de laCorniche;s/dTD16/32) a no-frills place with large servings of daily a no-frills place withlarge servings Skifa el-Kahla andthemarkets, is el-Moez here. at homeinNewYorkCity’sSoho asitis rooftop Phenix pool,Le wouldbeequally stylish café,restaurant andlobby area and androomquality.Witha terms of service a step above the market choice inMahdia properandeven this four-star boutiquehotel istheonly up- ofing distance thebeach andthemedina and deadinwinter. where inTunisia, they’re packed insummer of levels rants andhigh comfort.As else- leaving –beach, swimmingpools,restau- signed toprovide without allthatyouneed quite removed fromthetownandare de- 2.5km northwestof themedina. They’re the ZoneTouristique, sive hotels are spread alongthebeaches in With oneexception,Mahdia’s more expen- END TOP lent views. choice. There’s arooftop ‘patio’withexcel- theHôtel Medinawise isprobably abetter views,other-of thecosyroomswithsea ifyougetit iswellworththesearch one ishardtofind.However, skirts theseafront, just aroundthecornerfromroadthat Mediterranean. views of the medinajuttingoutintothe on thecorniche. The2ndfloorterrace has at thisrestaurant justwestof themedina food couscousare specialities thein-house Phenix isthebestincitycentre. Touristique. Therestaurant in the Hôtel Le mention shops, linetheroadoutinZone Minimalls withcafésandrestaurants, notto RESTAURANTS Eating guiba, s/dTD70/120; rooms. at thebeach andnotinthebasicplain probably wanttospendmostof yourtime a budget beach hotel, which meansyou’ll Neptune,thefriendlyCorniche is taurant west of themedinaandjustbefore the res- Hôtel Le Phenix LePhenix Hôtel Corniche Hôtel Restaurant el-Moez Restaurant Le Neptune Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com ( x

( ais x 73 681927;ave7Novembre; mains Grilled seafood and sea- Grilled seafood zone touristique ( x 73 694201,fax692196;route

(mains TD5) 73 690101;aveHabibBour- Almost2kmnorth-

which starts aboutwhich starts ) Withininwalk- lonelyplanet.com Between the Between hotels in should not be missed. should notbemissed. of thedayforadrinkorbite toeat and in thewater below.It’swonderfulanytime Greek Islands,andkidsfamiliesfrolic jut outintothewater asifyouwere inthe of levels side of tables themedina. Several looking theMediterranean onthesouth are hardtopredict. Theopeninghoursfast andcroissants. here break- el-Coucha, whichpheric Café serves medina, headforthelarge andlessatmos- equally lovely, whileonthenorthsideof the west of theSkifael-Kahla. are east of theGreat Mosque. other placetotryisthisair-con placejust calamari. specials andfresh-caught grilledfish and lonelyplanet.com fares. Regulardepartures includeSousse hasnoticeboards listing the train station, The louage also1kmsouthwestof station, LOUAGE hour). (TD3.1, 1½hours) andEl-Jem (TD2.4,one Most peopleprefer louages orthetrain. about 1kmsouthwestof thetrainstation. isnexttothe louage The busstation station, BUS &Away There Getting breakfast. alimited range ofthere pastriesfor serve than intheshadyplaceduCaire. Thecafés coast foramorningorafternoon drink There are few more spots on the pleasant Drinking supermarket Theonly is thebestbetforself-caterers. ofThe producesection themarket building SELF-CATERING tures fish and more fish. next tothefishmarket, thisrestaurant fea- rear of themarket buildingbytheportand taurant LeQuai TD14 perperson plusdrinks. the qualityisnothingspecial;expecttopay ant outdoordiningandalcohol, although Café SidiSalemisamagicalplaceover-Café Facing theportalongave Farhat Hached Restaurant delaMedina Restaurant There are regular departures toSousse Restaurant LeSultan Restaurant Restaurant LeLido Restaurant Café Medina Medina Café

(ave HabibBourguiba) (Chez Farhat),

( h

(place Khadi en-Noamine) (place Khadi (pizzas TD3.5; 8am-midnight) which offer pleas-

(mains TD5) is about 400m a and Atthe ) An- Res- is THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax mines at Gafsa. handle the exportof phosphate fromthe theportto the 19thcentury and developed 17th century. ment inTunisuntilthebeginning of the largely independent of thecentralgovern- as farTripoliinLibyaanditremained controlled astretch of coastlinereaching south of Tunisia. Inthe14thcentury,it and Sfax emerged asthemajor cityinthe invasions inthe11thcentury(see p185 ), the citytoholdoutagainstHilalian tury AD.Theyproved for effective enough Aghlabids inthemiddleof the9thcen- massive stonerampartswere builtbythe ginning of the8thcenturyAD.Thecity’s byth was established towns amounted tovery much untilSfax times,butnoneofsince Phoenician the settledThe coastaroundSfax hasbeen History parent harmony. inap- mercantile andthespiritualcoexist at howthemodernandancient, most fascinatingtoexplore, provides alook outside of theoneinTunisisprobably afternoon themedina,which strollthrough mediated bythedemandsof tourism.An experience contemporary Tunisianlife un- avisitherehowever isan opportunityto doubt there’s sometruthtothestereotype, try ashardworking,dullandthrifty.No largestSfax, thesecond cityinthecoun- Other Tunisiansdescribetheresidents of pop 281,000 SFAX dina should costno more thanTD2. fromthelouage totheme- A taxi station Around Getting The TRAIN hours). ForKairouan, change atSousse. (TD4.8, twohours) andTunis(TD8.8,four hour), Monastir(TD2,1¼hours), Sfax (TD2.9, 1½hours), El-Jem (TD1.9,one 2nd classTD11.4/8.5,fourhours). (TD3.3, 1¾hours). Monastir (TD2.5,onehour)andSousse of theport.There are 16trainsadayto The French builttheVilleNouvelle in There’s also a daily service toTunis(1st/ There’s also adailyservice train station

(ave Farhat Hached) e Arabsatthebe- isjustwest ﺻﻔﺎﻗﺲ

213

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN 214 Gabès (136km) Airport (6km); Hôtel Syphax(1.5km); Pizza Galaxy(1.4km); To AubergedeJeunesse(1km); 4 6 1 3 2

5 Ave des Martyrs SFAX Station (200m) To Louage

Rue Commandant Bejaoui

Blvd Farhat Hached

Ave du 18 Janvier 18 du Ave THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax Gardens

To Kairouan(136km)

Rue Irribat Rue Rue Ave de L'Algérie el-Ksar 42 AC Bab el-Chergui Sfax

Rue To El-Jem(64km);

Sousse (127km)

Rue Abdelkader

Rue Imam Boukhari Imam Rue 17 Cheikh Souq el-Omrane Souq desParfums

Rue Amilcar Ave Ali Bach Hamba Covered Tijani

Street Bab Jebli

Souq desEtoffes Notaires

Rue des Rue Rue el Arbi Zarrouk Arbi el Rue el-Kasbah Rue Rue Sidi Ali Karrai Bab 22 Bijoutiers Souq des

Rue de la Aghlabites

Rue Bab Jedid Rue

Rue Moshen Kallel Moshen Rue

Rue des

la des Rue Haffouz Rue 14

Mecque

Rue Mongi Slim Mongi Rue

Rue Marché Marché Rue Central Gardens

To Mahdia Rue el- Rue

Kasbah Okba (105km)

15 Teinturiers

Rue de Kairouan de Rue

Ave Mohammed Hedi Khefecha Hedi Mohammed Ave B Market Central 37 Dag Rue

39 Rue

Hammarskjold Rue des Forgerons

Marburg de la de Rue

Place

8 Rue Ave Taieb Mehiri Grande 33

11 Ahmed

Jomaa Souq el- Mosquée

24 Kheireddine Rue Ὀ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ ὈὈ 13 République Place dela 23

34 Bey

Ave Habib Bourguiba 25 Sidi Blvd République Blvd Diwan Rue Khalifa 28 Bab 45 3

29 Khelil 21 Rue Rue Rue la 43

10 Driba de Remparts des

Borj

Rue de Haffouz de Rue Ave Ali Belhouane 18 Rue 38

Port 35 Dar

19 Rue Patrice Lumumba Patrice Rue Ennar Essebai 47

36 el-Gharbi Rue Habib Maazoun Habib Rue Bab

Ὀ 1 I'Armee de Ave

Place du

30 12 Rue Mohammed Ali Mohammed Rue Ave Ali Bach Hamba 2 Mars 32 31 40 44 27

200m 0.1miles 0 0

Ave Hedi Chaker Hedi Ave Rue Salem Harzallah Salem Rue 48 2

Rue Aboulkacem ech Chabbi ech Aboulkacem Rue Rue Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Rue 6 7 Station

Train 4 Bali Mongi Rue

Rue de Remada Rue Cheikh Megdich Cheikh Rue 9 Rue Habib Thameur lonelyplanet.com

20 Rue de Tazarka de Rue D 41 Islands (25km) To Kerkennah Rue Tahar Sfar 5 lonelyplanet.com STB BIAT Chaker. either onave Habib Bourguiba orave Hedi All theTunisian banks here have branches MONEY Marburg. the kioskonnorthernside of place International newspapers are soldat MEDIA Publinet ACCESS INTERNET Information ing atasurprisingpace. Gulf States. Gleamingwhite towers are ris- inArabian struction boomsimilartothose aminicon- the citythat’sgoingthrough of of newersection themedinaisaneven Diwanentrance tothemedina.Bab North thatconnectsBourguiba tothe boulevard velle. BlvdRépubliqueisawidepedestrian thecentralpartofthrough theVilleNou- primary thoroughfare, runseasttowest southern border. Ave Habib Bourguiba, a ern edge of townandtheportdefines andraillinemarkstheeast- train station thecentrethough isfairlycompact.The Modern Sfax isspread outover alarge area Orientation 9am-8pm Sun) ave AliBachHamba;perhrTD2; guiba; perhrTD2; SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES Police Station...... Libyan Consulate...... Italian Consulate...... International Newspapers...... French Consulate...... BIAT...... INFORMATION Kammoun...... Mausoleum ofSidiAmar Kasbah...... Hammam Sultan...... Great Mosque...... Funduq desForgerons...... Dar JellouliMuseum...... Borj Ennar...... Medina...... (see12) Association deSauvegardela STB...... Publinet...... Publinet...... Post Office...... ors fie...... B3 Tourist Office...... (placedela République)ATM. (ave Hedi Chaker) ATM. (aveHediChaker)

ave HabibBourguiba h 8am-midnight); (2ndfl,aveHabibBour- h 12 TRANSPORT 25 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C4 C3 D3 D4 D4 C4 C3 A3 C2 B2 B2 B2 C3 C4 D4 B4 D3 8am-10pm Mon-Sat, B6 Ali BachHamba EATING SLEEPING Hôtel delaPaix...... (see20) Hôtel Besbes...... Hôtel Alexander...... Museum...... Town Hall&Archaeological Restaurant LeCorail...... Restaurant Budaya...... Restaurant auBecFin...... Monoprix Supermarket...... Le PetitNavire...... La Perla...... Cheap Restaurants...... Mercure AccorHôtel...... Les Oliviers...... Hôtel Thyna...... Hôtel Medina...... Hôtel LaColisée...... Hôtel Ennacer...... Hôtel el-Mokhtar...... (see21) Restaurant SpecialityLebanese.. (7 THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax block justwestofthetrainstation. men 4pm-midnight) admission TD1.5; (rue delaDriba; of fromanupstairs window. artisans window frames,ornate doors andthesound admire theflourishes of ironbalconiesand wind quiet,twistinglaneswhere youcan while awaytothenortheastandsouthwest andlocalshoppers,crowded withstalls by tourism. in thefactthatitisremarkably untouched or Kairouan , butitsconsiderable charm lies grandeuroflacks themonumental Sousse Apart fromtheimposingwalls,medina MEDINA Sights &Activities office Tourist TOURIST INFORMATION Post office POST ramparts. dle of themost impressive of section the inthemid- was addedin1306, andstands gate, thetriple-arched atthemedina’smainsouthernto start earthy placeforascrub. intheheartofseum themedina. It’sagood Khefecha; Khefecha; timetables are available. Bus,trainandferry &Sat)Outbytheport. 1.30pm Fri If you need abath,the If youneed The mainthoroughfares are narrowand Any explorationof themedinaisbound 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 24 23 22 21 20 19 h (ave HabibBourguiba)Occupiesanentire C4 C5 B3 B3 C3 C4 C5 C4 C3 C4 C4 B2 B4 B2 C3 D4 9am-1pm &3-5.30pmMon-Thu, 9am- ( x SHOPPING DRINKING Islands...... Soretrak FerriestoKerkennah SNTRI BusStation...... Mattei...... Location 2000...... Hertz...... Bus Station...... ONAT...... Club MyHouse...... Café MaureDiwan...... Black InWhiteCafé...... Twings...... Sandro Pizzeria...... Tuninter...... is neartheDarJellouli Mu- 74 211040;aveMohammedHedi Bab Diwan h Hammam Sultan women noon-4pm, . Thisgate 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 215 A5 C6 C3 A5 C4 C5 C4 D4 C4 B3 C3 B5 C4

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN view. to theentrance of forthebest theteahouse north of themosque; take thestairs next best viewedfrom ruedesAghlabites, tothe was addedbythe Fatimids inAD988.It’s three-tiered square minaret atKairouan, sandstone sandstone sides are hiddenbysouqs.Theelaborate that’svisible,asthe other the onlysection of the9thcenturyAD.Theeastern wallis founded bytheAghlabids inthe middle the 216 To thenorthisornate eastern wallof the caravantrade. here were foundtheironmongers,blacksmithsandothercraftsmenvendors serving the cityperimeter andawayfromthepietyofmosque,caravansusedtoassemble merchants. clothing andtextile stalls,longthedomainofrichestandmostpowerful ers, venerated inMuslimcultures, andthevendors ofleathergoods. These were followedbythe usedintherites tothemwerecandles, incenseandotherobjects ofworship.Next thebooksell- ofanymedina. Closesttothemosquewere ofthe‘nobletrades’:vendorsheartbeat of purveyors the caseinSfaxandTunis. outfromtheGreat Radiating Mosquewere thesouqs–stilltoday orGreatJami el-Kebir Mosque. This shouldbelocated centre attheexact of themedina,asis impress asmuchtoregulate occupiedbyIslamicwarriors. entrytothecity,andfortresses towers (Sfax’sare amongthebestpreserved inTunisia), elaborate absorb water, whichthenevaporates andcoolsthesurroundingair. stoneandwoodwereday, anddrawinthecoolevening usedto airduringthenight.Earth, rigours oftheclimate. The deep,narrow streets thesun’sraysfromcentre keep duringthe thought tohave originated in8th-centuryBaghdad.Their layoutiscarefully adapted tothe Despite theirchaoticappearance,medinaswere Islamicprinciples, laidoutaccordingtostrict THE LIFEOFMEDINA medina wasthedomainofresidential quarters. The Tunisian townhouse,known asthe des Forgerons ( opposite ) inSfaxisanevocative example. andstablingfortheanimals;upperflooraccommodatedteahouses thetravellers. The Funduq surrounded byanumberofstalls,baysorniches. The groundfloorhousedshops,warehouses, to allowcamelsorheavilyladenbeastsenter. wasopentotheskyand The centralcourtyard orMecca).Traditionally,anunadornedfaçadeprovided adoorwaywideenough(eg Kairouan traders, nomads,pilgrimsandscholarsstayedwhileintown,usuallyontheirroute elsewhere demarcation ofpublicandprivate life inIslamicsociety. other openingsare small,grilledandabove thelineofvisionpassers-by,reflecting thestrict Dar JellouliMuseum( opposite ) inSfaxisafineexampleofjustsuchhouse. andatnight,theroofterrace canbeusedasasleepingarea.in thecoolofcourtyard, The be usedinterchangeably foreating,relaxing andsleeping. ofthedayisspent The hottest part thehouselightandcoolaswellprovidekeep aspaceforcommunalfamilylife. Roomscould areas werewealthier houses,service often ontooneside. wasdesigned to tacked The courtyard aroundwhichare groupedsuitesa centralcourtyard, ofroomsinasymmetricalpattern. Inthe interior-courtyard house,hasremained largely unaltered for3000 years. The principalfeature is THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax Great Mosque Great The The hierarchythendescendedthroughfurnishings,domesticgoodsandutensils. Finally, on ofanymedinawasthecity’smainmosque,normallyknownas Inside thewalls,heart Apart fromthesebuildingsaroundwhichthepubliclife ofthecityrevolved,Apart mostofthe The street façadeisusuallyjustaplainwall, andtheonlyopeningisentrancedoor. Any crenellated amilitarypurpose,surroundingthecitywithfortified, wallsandMedinas alsoserved funduqs minaret or (closed tonon-Muslims), (closed , asmallerreplica of the caravanserais (ancienthotels) features were important ofanymedina. Here, Aghlabid gates. the delightful the delightful the medina’snorthern wall,you’llget to you hitrueAbdelkader, which runsinside on theirbusiness. Ifyoukeep goinguntil Teinturiers, where thedyers once carried Patient markets inthefilm the Cairo des Etoffes souq headingnorthisthecelebrated derful worldof the Souq desEtoffes emerges onruedes Further northyoucandiscover thewon- . , which was used as the setting for asthesetting , which wasused babs Bab Jebli or skifas covered souqs covered , oneof the original (gates) designedto lonelyplanet.com The English . Themain dar or Souq Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com camera TD1; lonelyplanet.com ( admissionTD1.1,pluscameraTD1; it’s alsothehomeof the hall on thesouthernsideof thesquare isthe and ave Habib Bourguiba. Thegrandbuilding buildings atthejunctionof ave Hedi Chaker fronted byanumberof superbFrench-era early intheevening. and government fairly buildingsthatclose clothing boutiques,apartmentbuildings hotels are located. It’samix of sophisticated the majority of therestaurants, shopsand a fairlycompactandwalkablearea where South of themedinaisVille Nouvelle, VILLE NOUVELLE a kasbahover thecenturies. watchtower butwassteadily expandedinto bah of the14thcentury.To westisthe leum ofSidiAmarKammoun on theleftafter 50mbelongstothe all sites of historicalinterest. of themedinashowing all69mosquesand themedina. Ithasagoodmap preserving de laMedina, thegroupresponsible for quarters of theAssociation deSauvegarde corner of themedina,and is nowthehead- 17th centurytoprotect thesoutheastern attraction. building isthestar traditional costumesandjewellery,butthe ornate stuccowork.Thedisplaysinclude wood panels,rich tiledecorationand tury, andisfilledwithbeautifulcarved- Jellouli merchant familyinthe17thcen- builtbythewealthy sic courtyardhouse, include the fine sive finds fromnearbyRomansites. Bourguiba) of thesites for used the courtyard.Thisismostrecognisable Climb uptothe1stfloorforviewsdowninto red-hot hammering. andconstant metal a worldof blackened faces,smokingfires, It’s like walkingbackacenturyintime,into forthecity’s base functions asa 8.30am-1pm &3-6pmwinter) Nearby, the The focalpointisthe West along rue Borj Ennar,theminaretWest alongrueBorj The Other architectural highlights intheareaOther architectural highlights The . As wellashousing thecity’sbureaucrats, . BuiltbytheAghlabids, itbeganlife asa Borj Ennar Dar Jellouli Museum Museum Jellouli Dar andthe h 9.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun) Funduq desForgerons funduq, isasmallfortaddedinthe police station French consulate French forgerons The English Patient , housingsomeimpres- but still serves as a asa butstillserves archaeological museum museum archaeological place delaRépublique h , built at the start , builtatthestart (admission TD1.1,plus 8.30am-3pm summer, 8.30am-3pm summer,

(11 aveHabib Bour- (blacksmiths). isinaclas-

(13 aveHabib nolonger Mauso- . town town kas- , THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax .org.tn; rte de l’Aéroport; dmTD6) del’Aéroport; .org.tn; rte least bleakamongtheminclude Diwan.The some basicplacesjustinsideBab but very cheap endof thescale,there are ontheroofsleep insummer. it’s conceivablemanagement willletyou arehowever, theviews fromtherooftop – kept immaculate. Whatmakes itspecial, coolfromnaturalbreezes andallarestay in afew roomsforTD5more, most though on thenorthernedge. Air-con isavailable budget hotels, Jebli theEnnacerisnearBab Dumas; s/dTD15/25) TD8) place, though. Maazoun; s/d with breakfast & TV TD30/46; s/dwith breakfast &TV Maazoun; rue Alexandre Dumas;s/dTD12/18) Hôtel Thyna Hôtel Midrange deJeunesse Auberge Budget VILLE NOUVELLE (rue BorjEnnar) shared bathroomsunlessstated. dina. Allbudget places listed here have The cheapest placesare foundintheme- MEDINA Sleeping guiba) shared facilitiesare afew dinars cheaper. ceilingsandbalconies. Roomswith the high vestiges in of whatitwasoncecanbeseen at thisfour-storey Paix. hotel nexttoLa The character, nowisnothing more thanoldage r TD20; bathroom are even cheaper. at thisprice?Top-floor roomswithshared and cheap. couldyouexpect Andwhatelse Paix La Ville Nouvelle iswelllocated goes, the barrel asfaraccommodationinthe rooms get hot. is noair-con norfansandthesmallbare duringthecoolermonthsceptable asthere women. and there are showers separate formenand span Sfax youthhostel. Toiletsare shared northwest of themedinais spickand On a sliding scale downwards to the grim On aslidingscaledownwardstothegrim Hôtel Medina Medina Hôtel Hôtel Alexander Hôtel Hôtel Ennacer Hôtel Hôtel delaPaix Hôtel Ifyoucanfindit,theMedina isonlyac- –nophotosare permitted ateither a ) Byfarthebestof themedina

( and x

74 225317; fax 74225773;37rueHabib ( ( x x What once could be called What oncecouldbecalled Hôtel el-Mokhtar el-Mokhtar Hôtel

( ( x x 74 220354;53rueMongiSlim;d 74 211037;100ruedesNotaires; ( x 74 296437;fax298463;17 74 221 613; 21 rue Alexandre 74 221613;21rueAlexandre 74 243207;www.ibn-sina

A kilometre orso Thebottomof (rue BorjEnnar) Hôtel Besbes Hôtel a ) Only 217

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN ave Taieb s/dTD31/40; Mehiri; 25 ave Hedi Chaker; s/dTD130/170; 25 aveHediChaker; or of thefacilities. attention orupkeep intherooms todetail there’sis anoutdoorpool,however little are friendlyandthereway location.Staff littletojustifyitsout-of-the- plex thatdoes airport isarapidlyfading,low-slungcom- 2km westof themedinaonway tothe merly partof theNovotel chain, thishotel s/dwithbreakfast TD75/90; Martyrs; Syphax Hôtel Top End ing totheKerkennah Islands. if youwanttolighten yourloadwhenhead- 3rd floorandyoucanstore yourbagsthere Ikea. There’s acharming littlecaféon the andkeptfortable immaculate, are more hotel buttherooms,whileperfectly com- boutique done lobby suggests ahigh-end located andexcellentvalue. Theattractively to themedina,Thynaisbothideally a blockorsofromthesouthernentrance 218 the foodisunremarkable. theymayonlyopenforgroupsand though is arooftop restaurants, poolandseveral theydohaveprice, though balconies.There themselves are simplynotworththehigh isfarfromcourteous andtherooms service inthemiddleofright its town.However, only afew blocksfromthetrainstation the Mercure Accorisconveniently located the hallways everything isdark. the hallwayseverything have large bathtubs,butfromthelobbyto especially thebathrooms,someof which hotel hasfallenfar. Roomshere are large, tion inthecitycentre thishigh-rise goes, of thelineasfarmidrange accommoda- ais was.com.tn; 15aveHabibBourguiba;s/dTD105/135; posters of Hollywood andArab filmstars and atmospheric pub,the wallslinedwith café.Downstairs isadark apleasant houses finishing andthere’s asunny atriumthat sive asthe façade,allmahoganyandfine and theroomsof Oliviers are Les asimpres- and derelict lookingbuildings.Thelobby patch of grass andsurroundedbypot-holed the country,sittingacrossfroma neglected faux palacehotel, oneof theclassiestin of thisbeautifullooking asurprisingsight, Mercure Accor Hôtel AccorHôtel Mercure LaColisée Hôtel Les Oliviers THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax ) Previously theAbou NawasSfax,

( ( x x 74 201999;www.goldenyasmin.com; 74 243333;fax245226;avedes

( x ( 74 227800;fax299350;32 x a 74 225700;sfax@abouna ) Formerly thetop ai ais ) It’s abit ) For- Maazoun; mainsTD13) Maazoun; TD7, setmenuTD15) a available andyoucaneatinortake away. Pizza(TD3.5)isalso bursting attheseams. excellent serves la Républiqueisopenlater thanmostand directly across thestreet fromtheplacede zas in a comfortable 2nd-floorzas inacomfortable diningarea. upanexcellentvarietyof piz- place serves tisserie tisserie chicken andcouscous. popular, withlocalschowing downonro- Most are signed onlyinArabicandare very Diwan. justinsidethemedina’sBab right There’s acluster of cheap restaurants onthe RESTAURANTS Eating internet accessisunreliable.though and musicians.There’s abusinesscentre, serving pizza, pasta andmeatdishes. pizza, pasta serving big, modernrestaurant withamassive menu Syphax outsideof town,PizzaGalaxyisa venient onlyifyou’re attheHôtel staying uniforms and the slightly upscale décor.uniforms andtheslightly options but you’re payingfor thewaiters’ better qualitythananyof the less expensive foodof remarkably serve this placedoesn’t and hamburgers sandwiches. topitta ofselection menuitems fromchicken wings is aUS-stylefastfoodjointwithwide fortable thantheothersfortable andhasair-con. moreBudaya isslightly modernandcom- chicken, uprotisserie the though serving mains TD3; the specialityhere. harbour area. As expect,fish is youmight dining roomatPetit Navire overlooks the restaurants, ceilinged, the high 2ndfloor fish andmeatdishes, alcohol isserved. are tablecloths andsilverware. pasta, Besides PerlaLa issomewhatelegantinthatthere of toseveral iently located thehotels, close ing roomandTunisianfare tomatch. locals, thisrestaurant hasalarge, plain din- located andpopular withregularCentrally Twings Restaurant auBecFin Restaurant Sandro Pizzeria La Perla Restaurant Budaya Restaurant Restaurant SpecialityLebanese Restaurant Restaurant LeCorail Restaurant Le Petit Navire Le Petit Navire Pizza Galaxy ) Thisisanothercheap medinaeatery

(ave HabibBourguiba;mainsTD3; a (ave HabibBourguiba;mainsTD7) )

Across fromtheport,this (ave des Martyrs; mainsTD7; (ave desMartyrs; ( One of Sfax’ more elegant x

gyros NexttotheHôtel Thyna (sandwiches TD2) 74 212890;ruedeHafouz;mains

(rue de la Kasbah; mainsTD3; (rue delaKasbah; ( – pick your filling – –pickyourfilling

x (place du 2 Mars; mainsTD4) (place du2Mars; 74 227301;39rueHabib lonelyplanet.com

Thisplace (rue deHaffouz; a Conven- a ) Con- ) This

southern partof rueSalemHarzallah. of forthefilm aset lookslikeoutside, ClubMyHouse it’spart hamburgers (TD1.5). such ascrepes (TD2), on comfylounge chairs. Foodisalsoserved, shakes (TD2),icecream, floats,coffee etc videos, whilefriendsanddates share milk- playsArabic-language music screen TV for theyoungandhipof Sfax. Ahuge flat- Inside, it’satwo-storey modernhangout supermarket inthecentre of town. h and claustrophobia of themedinastreets. Maure Diwanisarefuge fromtheheat,sun el-Kasbah, DiwanandBab Bab between pine nuts;TD1).Cutintothemedinawall thé aupignonset menthe hours speciality withacoffee orthehouse supermarket Monoprix SELF-CATERING lonelyplanet.com Soretrak Soretrak BOAT Tuninter AIR &Away There Getting ballpark of whatitems reasonably cost. off withapricesomewhereto start inthe techniquesadopt hard-sell andmore likely Kairouan, shop owners here are less likely to limited compared and withTunis,Sousse issomewhatmore theselection Although crafts fromthevillages of region. theGafsa rugs, blanketsof andotherhandi- Berber The shopsinthe Shopping kick backandsmoke a Diwan Maure Café Drinking plaza nearave Habib Bourguiba. young andoldalike, alongthepedestrian typical outdoorcafépatronizedbyregulars, the southwestern corner of the port.There ferries forthe Kerkennah Islandsleave from midnight) Mon-Sat) way/return TD58/113,45minutes). between aweek flights Tunis andSfax (one Black In White Café Black InWhite Club MyHouse ONAT 8.30am-9pm)

Thisisagreat atmospheric placeto

This isagoodcraftsshop onthe ( (rue Salem Harzallah; (rue SalemHarzallah; ( x x 74 498216,aveMohammed HediKhefecha) 74 228028;4avedel’Armée) Thisisaniceandmodern

Souq desEtoffes (rue MohammedAli) (off rue de la Kasbah; (off ruedelaKasbah; Pirates of the Caribbean

(blvd République) (rue Aboulkacem echChabbi; (rue Aboulkacem sheesha paninis h (minttea with 8am-1pm &5-8pm stockarange orkillafew (TD2)and Fromthe Thisisa has two h 6am- .

THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Sfax de Maurianie) de Maurianie) (perday) D Destination Fare the latest departure times. hours); for askattheSNTRIoffice seven toTripoli,inLibya(TD17.8, bus service tras istothesouth. while thedepotforlocalcompanySore- SNTRI isonthenorthsideof theroad, The LOUAGE Mattei Location 2000 Hertz Europcar Avis companies. resented here, asisaslewof smalllocal nies withapresence inTunisiaare rep- The maininternational rental-car compa- CAR and three toKairouan dailybuses (TD5.5). toMahdia (TD2.7) including hourlyservices Soretras operates abusy intercity schedule, Tunis TD13.5 2 4 3 5 Tataouine TD11.7 hrs 2 2 3 Sousse TD6.1 8 hrs 5hrs hrs TD9.2 Medenine 10 hrs (Jerba) TD14.5 Houmt Souq 2 TD6.3 Gabès 1¼ El-Jem TD3 10 Douz TD15 5 hrs hrs 10 2 hrs Commandant Bejaoui) leaveAll buses fromthe BUS trip. Foodandsnacksare soldonboard. you’llbebakinginthesunentireelse intheshadeor around 8.45pm.Grabaseat the lastboatbackfromislandsleaves take avehicle acrossinsummer. Insummer, weather andthere canbelongqueuesto The crossingtakes about 1¼hours ingood 800 millsforpassengers andTD4foracar. port andatthetouristoffice. Thetripcosts in winter. Timetables are displayedatthe are 11crossings adayinsummer,four bus stations. Therebus stations. are departures toGabès SNTRI alsooperates adailyinternational ( x ( louage station x (Ada; 74 224605;rueTahar Sfar) ( x 74 228626;47aveHabibBourguiba) is acompound 200m x 74 226680;40rueTahar Sfar) ( x 74 296404;18ruePatrice Lumumba) 74 221763;aveHabibThameur) southwest of themedina. (cnr rues Commandant Bejaoui & (cnr ruesCommandant Bejaoui & uration Frequency uration Frequency bus station

west of the west of the

219 (rue

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN the Gafsa road at Thyna – TD3.5 by taxi. roadatThyna–TD3.5bytaxi. the Gafsa To visitors, theflat,desolate landscape, strolls withfamilyalongtheshore.evening of Sfax, evokes warmmemories of peaceful cluster of ninelow-lyingislands,25kmeast here,To Tunisiansbornandraised this pop 16,000 ISLANDS KERKENNAH The TO/FROM THEAIRPORT Around Getting Tunis TD10.2 TD13.5 Sousse TD4.9 TD6.5 TD6.9 TD9.4 TD7 Gafsa TD12.6 TD10.1 TD5.3 Gabès TD7.2 TD7.9 El-Jem TD3.1 TD4.1 TD4.4 Destination 2nd 1st Confort class class hours) andsixtoTunis(3½hours). to El-Jem (two (onehour),fourtoSousse Heading north,there are five trainsdaily (3½hours)Gafsa andMetlaoui (4¼hours). (three hours) andonelate-night trainto There are three trainsadaysouthtoGabès TRAIN often have Libyanmarkings. vehiclesThese are yellowandwhite, and Mahdia (TD4.8)andJerba (TD11.2). Other destinationsincludeEl-Jem (TD3.2), (TD5.9)andTunis(TD10.9). (TD5.9), Sousse 220 (25km) Ferries toSfax KERKENNAH ISLANDS There are alsolouages toTripoli(TD30). THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Kerkennah Islands THECENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kerkennah airport Sidi Youssef

( x 74 241740)

I is6kmfromtownon Krenh Islands Kerkennah Melita Î leGharbi T

R R Ras Essemoun A اﻠﻗرﻗﻨﺔ ﺠزر اﻠﻗرﻗﻨﺔ Beach Hotels N E A Borj el-Hissar

Sidi Frej N

(Causeway) E El Kantara A Ouled Yaneg Ras Bounouma Remla Ouled Kacem hospital, post office and police station. andpolicestation. postoffice hospital, money atoneof thehotels. Remlaalsohasa nexttotheHôtel el-Jazira,the sea orchange with anATM, ontheroadleadingdownto There’s bankinRemla abranch of theUIBC Information of ‘capital’ theislands. and service small townof Remla,theadministrative The onlyplaceof isthe anyconsequence dating backtoRomantimes. Chergui, are connected byasmallcauseway The twomainislands,ÎleGharbiand Orientation a smalltrapattheend. fish are thendriven intothislarge funnelto bedina‘V’shape,andthe stuck inthesea made frompalmfronds.Linesof frondsare nature. traditionaltraps Fishermenstilluse and prefer by thetimelessrhythmsdictated ers have resisted anylarge-scale development ferry foraSundaypicnic.Sofar,theisland- gathering upthekidsandheadingouton tourism foundelsewhere alongthecoast. for abeach holidayawayfromthemass to provoke itisachance though nostalgia once valuedasaplaceof exile,isless liable about 3kmnorthof thehotels atSidiFrej. It’s isan oldfortonthecoast, el-Hissar Borj BORJ EL-HISSAR Sights &Activities Île Sefnou Î leChrgui Most of thepopulationlives onChergui. Tourism here meansresidents of Sfax Sidi Tebeni Chergui Ech M El-Abbasia E El-Kheraib D I T El-Attaia

E Fishing Port R

R Gremdi Erroumadia 4miles 6km 0 0 A Île N Île E lonelyplanet.com A

A Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com extra TD5 gets youair-con. conceivably enter the water from here. An much of abeach tospeakof youcan though backfromthe poolarea.set There’s isn’t ple whitewashed rondavels onagrassylawn on thegrounds.Accommodation is insim- happen –there’s asmallamphitheatre even over toonlyrarely tofunctions thatseem an emptywarehouse withlarge spaces given have yourownequipment. mended andcampingisanoptionifyou insummerare recom- ties. Reservations facili- place hascleanandwell-maintained ated across theroad fromthebeach, this and ruins disappearing intothesea. and ruinsdisappearing undiscovered, covered withmosaics bysand are stumblingacrosssomethingpreviously round thefort.Youget thefeeling thatyou in the16thcentury,butRomanruinssur- wasbuiltbytheSpanish The smallfortitself signposted Grand. fromneartheHôtel Le well worththe40-minute walk;it’sclearly lonelyplanet.com Appart Hôtel Aziz Aziz Hôtel Appart SIDI FREJ Youth Hostel REMLA Sleeping &Eating public transport. nouma getknees wet.Thebestbeach isat You canwalkout100mbefore your even adults whodon’tlike toget theirhairwet. isvery shallowThe sea –goodforkidsand BEACHES to El-Jazira basicTunisian dishes. does around TD15,pluswine. TheDauphin,next race overlooking mealsfor anddoes thesea in town.Breakfast isincluded. clean rooms,arestaurant andtheonlybar onthemainstreet,bus station hasplainbut one andonlyhotel inRemla,opposite the stand-up fans. stand-up pany. Theroomsare bigandcomewith lonely here withnootherguestsforcom- here.island holidaystaying Itcanfeel property anditwon’texactlyfeel like an Residence, thishotel hasnobeachfront Just upandacrosstheroadfromClub s/d TD35/50; Hôtel el-Jazira Hôtel The Restaurant La Sirènehasashady ter- La The Restaurant Kerkennah Islands Club Residence IslandsClubResidence Kerkennah , northeastof SidiFrej, butthere’s no as ( x

) 74 481148;perpersonTD5) (

( This large complexfeels like x x 74 481058;s/dTD14/22) 74 259933;s/dTD25/42; ( x THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN •• Kerkennah Islands THE CENTRALCOAST &KAIROUAN ••Kerkennah 74 489 999; 74 489999; Ras Bou- Ras Situ- The s )

the Hotel Cercina. the mainroadjustbefore theturnoff for There’s restaurant apleasant andcaféon soup called the localspeciality,athick,spicyoctopus food isgenerally exceptfor unspectacular for wading,andanicepoolarea. only goodbeach around,withwater excellent have and agingrooms.Whatitdoes isthe lookinglobbyarea on itsluckwithasad-sack tels foundelsewhere. Itallfeels alittledown .tn; s/dTD40/60) nah.com.tn; s/dTD60/90; nah.com.tn; slightly moreslightly expensive (TD1.5). ient and quicker and only than thebuses areas itdocks.These much more conven- Dozens of each shared ferry also meet taxis TAXI Hôtel el-Jazira. window inRemla. ferry. Times are posted inthebusstation departingabout anhourbeforeYoussef the Remla andtheSidiFrej junctiontoSidi via SidiFrej (TD1).There are from buses (with a‘hotel’ signinthewindow)goes three each meet ferry; allgotoRemla. One the villages of theislandsandatleasttwoor There’s asmall networkof connecting buses BUS hour, TD10perday). of thehotels rent outbicycles(TD2per shady spotsare few Most andfarbetween. The flatterrain isidealforcyclingalthough BICYCLE Around Getting and SidiYoussef. See p219 of fordetails ferries Sfax between &Away There Getting most don’tfrontthesea. in anewerannexe are more modernthough view.Rooms if youget aroomwithsea enough block aesthetic,butit’scomfortable tectural awards forit’sSoviet-style concrete won’twin anyarchi-Sidi Frej, theCercina looking foraversion of andTunisians tour groupsfromBritain ately namedGrandcaters tobothpackage- All of thehotels have restaurants andthe Hôtel Cercina Hôtel The Remla bus station isoppositeThe Remlabusstation the Grand Hotel tchich Thefirst hotel youcometoin

( x

( x 74 489861;www.grand-hotel-kerken , andfreshly fish. caught 74 489953;hotel.cercina@planet as zone touristique ) Theinappropri-

ho- 221

& KAIROUAN & THE CENTRAL COAST COAST CENTRAL THE THE CENTRAL COAST & KAIROUAN © LonelyPlanetPublications the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above-‘Doright thetermsandconditionsonoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,massemailitto only. Inotherwords,pleasedon’tuploadthischaptertoapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfairtoaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercialpurposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake 222

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