Posts tagged beauty of traveling

Letters from Ecuador: Guayaquil, The Most Colorful Pearl of The Pacific…

Adventure Travel 3 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of November will be dedicated to an unusual country in the heart of South America, a country known for the highest quality cocoa, bananas and coffee – Ecuador. At the very beginning of today’s travelogue, I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR and RoyalTour Ecuador Travel & DMC as well as other local partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America. 

With their help, travelogues from Ecuador and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this November and December, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues and fashion stories from Ecuador or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

  1. Letters from Ecuador: Quito, a city coloured by the art and architecture of the Baroque…(Travelogue)
  2. Sannino Napoli: Discover true Italian craftsmanship with timeless and unique style…(Fashion Story)
  3. Letters from Ecuador: Quito, the pearl of South America in the middle of the world…(Travelogue)
  4. Brett Johnson: Fashion for the modern man with refined and refined taste… (Fashion Story)
  5. Letters from Ecuador: Cuenca, the Vibrant Charming Colonial Gem of South America…(Travelogue)
  6. Appella: Unique Watches that Combine Classic Design and Swiss Functionality… (Fashion Story)
  7. Letters from Ecuador: Ingapirca, Gualaceo and Chordeleg, Explore The Beauty of Andean Culture… (Travelogue)
  8. Brett Johnson: The American Touch of Iconic Elegance… (Fashion Story)

Royaltour is a specialized DMC travel agency for travel within Ecuador and Latin America. This exceptional travel agency offers specially designed travel packages for honeymooners and families, small cruises, Galapagos boutique programs, numerous diving tours, as well as sport fishing. On the foreign market, the focus of the Royaltour DMC travel agency is: Gastronomic tourism, Sports tours, music festivals, pilgrimages (Camino de Santiago and Marian Routes), cruises around the world, Disney, numerous ski camps, Formula 1, Expo Dubai, tennis tournaments, League champion and the World Cup.

The founder and owner of the agency is Erick Andrés Gálvez, who made our stay in Guayaquil special. If your trip takes you to Guayaquil, I highly recommend that you contact Royaltour Travel Agency, whose team will make your stay and experience amazing.

Guayaquil, the official name of the city is Santiago de Guayaquil, the capital of the province of Guayas and the capital of the canton of the same name. It is located in the southern center of the coastal region of Ecuador, on the banks of the Guayas River, about 20 kilometers from its confluence with the Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by Estero Salado in its southwestern part and the beginning of the Chongon Colonche mountain range, a chain of low-altitude mountains, in the northwest. The city is divided into 16 city parishes.

With a population of almost 3 million inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the country and the fifth in the Andean community. However, its urban core goes beyond urban parishes, bringing together nearby towns and parishes; thus, the conurbation of Guayaquil covers a population of almost 4 million inhabitants, which is the most populous urban agglomeration in the country and also the fifth in the Andean Community. As the most populous city, it is one of the two development centers of the country – along with Quito, the national capital, where the main business, financial, cultural and sports entities of Ecuador are located.

After several attempts to establish the city, it was definitely established in 1547 under the name “Santiago de Guayaquil”, as a shipyard and commercial port in the service of the Spanish crown; from that moment it served as the main point in the economy of the Spanish colony and then the nation. Guayaquil has been home to major revolutions and uprisings throughout history, being the first Ecuadorian city to gain definitive independence from Spain in 1820. It was then the capital of the Free Province of Guayaquil, which was later annexed to Gran Colombia. Since 1830, it has been part of the Republic of Ecuador as an important economic and political axis.

Guayaquil is the main economic center, cultural and financial resources of Ecuador. This city stands out among Ecuadorian cities for its high use of mass transit, as well as for its overall population density and diversity. The city’s port is one of the most important on the eastern Pacific coast as almost 70% of the country’s private exports go through its facilities, bringing in 83% of imports.

How did this most colorful pearl of the Pacific get its name? There are several theories associated with the name of the city of Santiago de Guayaquil, which historians agree has a pre-Hispanic origin. Since the founding process began in 1534, it has been associated with the name Santiago in memory of its patron saint, Santiago the Elder, the apostle of Jesus Christ, who is also the patron saint of several cities in Latin America founded in the colonial period. , such as the city of Santiago in Chile, as well as in the Kingdom of Spain.

One of the theories is based on a romantic legend, transmitted orally from generation to generation, which attributes its etymological origin to the combination of the names of a chief named Guaias and his wife Quil, symbols of indigenous resistance who – according to popular tradition – chose to fight to the death ( and finally to burn the village) rather than submit to the vassalage imposed by the Spanish conquerors.

The existence of a city with a similar name to Guayaquil, located near the city of Duran, was the cause of research by archaeologists and historians, who agreed that at the time of the conquest, it was ruled by the chief of Guayaquil. If the true origin is discovered, the only doubt that would remain would be whether he was said to be the chief who gave the name to the town and river or vice versa. But the researcher Angel Veliz Mendoza in his book “el cacique Guayaquile” states that the name of the city is mentioned at least seven times in documents before 1543. It is believed that the name Guayaquil is a consequence of the last settlement of the population, in the lands of the chiefs of Guayaquil. This area was occupied by the Chonos nation, a group of peoples known from an archaeological point of view as the Milagro-Quevedo culture.

After several transfers and fires, the city was definitely founded in 1547 under the name “The very noble and very loyal city of Santiago de Guayaquil”. After the city’s independence in 1820, the term “Very Noble and Very Loyal” disappeared due to its separation from the Spanish Empire. Currently, the patron saint name of Santiago de Guayaquil is not regularly used, although it is the official name of the city.

In pre-Columbian times, the Guayaquil region was inhabited by several indigenous villages. They consisted of political organization, war actions, and commercial exchange with other peoples located to the south in present-day Peru and to the north in present-day Mexico, by raft navigation, relying on the river structure of the Guayas River. the peoples who settled near the river were the product of the migration that arose from the Manteno culture, and are known as “Mantenos del Sur” or as the Huancavilca culture. In the last period of the pre-Hispanic era, the period of integration, the Huancavilcas covered most of the present province of Guayas and other surrounding provinces, where other cultures developed. These cultures developed independently of each other until the Spanish conquest.

Shortly after Francisco Pizarro began the conquest of Peru, and in order to colonize and expand Spanish domination to the north of the ancient Inca Empire, he ordered the establishment of Villa Santiago de Quito on August 15, 1534, near the current city. Riobamba, but after a short time he was ordered to move to a place inside Inca territory, so two expeditions left. One of the expeditions headed north, which would later found the city of San Francisco de Quito. Meanwhile, another expedition moved southwest and reached the coastal area, with which they settled in several sectors, but were driven out by native resistance.

The establishment of the city was a process in which several Spanish expeditions tried to settle the colonial city, but due to the resistance of the natives, it was too difficult a task. The first settlement was made by Sebastian of Benalcazar in 1534, who arrived from Paita with several expeditions and founded a city east of the Guayas River, but the Chonos destroyed the city and killed almost half of the inhabitants.

In 1536, on Pizarro’s order, Hernando de Zaera moved a town near a place called “Jahual”, but since the Spanish armies needed support from the south, Zaera and his army went to Peru. Pizarro again ordered the transfer and reconstruction of the alcapitan city of Francisco de Orellana and in 1537 the city was settled in Culata, the current sector of La Punitilla in Samborondon, and then Orellana left for Lima again, leaving Juan Porcello as mayor. In 1541, an alliance between Chonos and Punaes besieged the city in a conflict that lasted six months.

In May 1542, Captain Diego de Urbina moved the city again and took refuge near Huancavilcas, west of the Guayas River, however, in 1543 Huancavilcas completely destroyed the city and once again the city had to be moved to the same place as Belalcazar. built in 1534. Finally, after a civil war broke out between Pizarro and Almagro, the city was moved to its current location on July 25, 1547 under the name of Very Noble and Very Loyal City of Santiago de Guayaquil.

In the colonial period, Santiago de Guayaquil began to grow from the hills of Santa Ana and after a short time became an important trading center, with which the Audiencia maintained commercial links with other parts of the entire South Pacific region, and this contributed to the abundance of useful forest for construction, the existence of a large the number of individuals looking for work (which made labor cheaper) and the strategic location of the port allowed Guayaquil to become the main shipyard of the South Sea Navy and one of the largest and most important in the Americas in seventeenth century.

Due to the commercial boom the city sustained during its early years, Santiago de Guayaquil had to endure several pirate attacks. The English privateer Thomas Cavendish attacked the city in 1586, and the Dutchman Jacques L’Eremite did the same in 1624, while the next attack took place in 1684, when William Dampier, along with other pirates, destroyed most of the city due to fires that caused by their attacks. In 1687, French pirates D’Hout, Picard, and Groignet launched raids, leaving the city partially destroyed, looted, and the main buildings burned to the ground. From these events, it was decided to move the city, which led to the separation of the city into the old part of the city and the new part of the city in a process that lasted between 1690 and 1696. Due to the constant transfers, there are numerous fires and plagues that would hit the city leaving hundreds dead. As a preventive measure against attacks, forts were built on the hills and the army grew, while pirate attacks gradually weakened until they completely disappeared.

In 1763, the Corregimiento of Guayaquil was transformed into the Government of Guayaquil and passed from the composition of the Viceroyalty of Peru to the Viceroyalty of New Granada. While on November 10, 1764, a fire called Fuego Grande destroyed a large part of the new city, which is currently on the list of one of the biggest disasters in Guayaquil. After the disaster, through efforts before the king, exemption from paying the alcabal was requested for a limited time, and with a loan of two hundred thousand pesos, the city began to rapidly rebuild. With the royal confirmation of 1803, the Government of Guayaquil returns to depend on the Viceroyalty of Peru, due to the existing large commercial flow and to improve the military defense against privateers and strengthen the shipyard.

After unsuccessful attempts at emancipation in other parts of the Royal Audience of Quito, but motivated by the liberation current and the arrival of General José de San Martín with the Liberation Expedition of Peru to the north of Peru and the control of Spanish naval power in the Pacific in the campaign of Thomas Cochrane, on October 9, 1820, the city of Guayaquil was declared independence from the Spanish Empire, thus joining the emancipatory cause of other regions on the continent. With the independence of the city, José Joaquín de Olmedo, who was in charge of the provisional government, convened an assembly on November 8 of that year at which the Free Province of Guayaquil was created and its electoral statute and constitution for the nascent state. In addition, the sovereignty of Guayaquil and its independence were secured, the Protective Division of Quito was created, through which the rest of the Presidency of Quito was supposed to become independent, giving way to the beginning of the independence war in the region.

Guayaquil’s army fought a series of battles to secure the independence of the city and its province, however, royalist armies continued to consolidate in the mountains. President Olmedo decided to ask the other liberators of South America for help, with the help of which he obtained the help of Simón Bolívar, who sent Antonio José de Sucre with a considerable army in favor of the emancipatory cause. And in sending José de San Martin from the Peruvian-Argentine division that commanded Santa Cruz. From that, the liberation armies consolidated on the coast, entered the inter-Andean alley where they headed north, holding several battles and finally, on May 24, 1822, they defeated the royalist forces in the Battle of Pichincha, which consolidated the independence of the territories of the old royal audience of Quito.

After achieving independence, Quito and Cuenca were quickly annexed to Greater Colombia, while Bolivar tried to annex the Free Province of Guayaquil. However, the option of joining Peru or remaining independent was also strongly considered in Guayaquil. José de San Martín also showed a desire for this city to join Peru, which is why Bolivar decides to enter the city with the army, does not know the local government under the protest of the people and waits for San Martín, as a result, Olmedo self-exiled in Lima. The meeting of the liberators, called the Guayaquil interview, took place on July 26, 1822 and resulted in agreements on the definition of Peruvian independence, where San Martin would give Bolivar the freedom to conclude it and the annexation of Guayaquil to Gran. Colombia. On July 31, 1822, the Free Province of Guayaquil became the Department of Guayaquil, which in turn was part of the southern district of Gran Colombia. Not long after, in 1829, the city was invaded by the Peruvian army, which occupied it for a period of seven months.

The following year, the Southern District was separated from Greater Colombia and the Republic of Ecuador was created, and Guayaquil became part of it on May 19, 1930. The Venezuelan Juan Jose Flores was elected as the first president, who held that position for three terms that proved to be disastrous for the young nation. Later, in 1845, a national assembly convened and drafted a new constitution that granted Flores excessive powers, in addition to his immediate re-election and extension of his reign. This is why the Marxist revolution broke out in Guayaquil on March 6, 1845, led by Jose Joaquin de Olmedo, Vicente Rocafuerte, Vicente Ramon Rocca, Diego Noboa, among others; who overthrew Flores and established a new line of government called the Marxist period.

After a few years, Marcismo remained in power until 1859, when Francisco Robles resigned as president of Ecuador. After Robles left power, several supreme chiefdoms were formed in the country. In Guayaquil, General Guillermo Franco Herrera declared himself the Supreme Chief of Guayas, while in Quito a provisional government was formed under the command of Gabriel García Moreno, and in Cuenca, Jeronimo Carrion declared himself the Supreme Chief of that region. In addition to the internal political crisis, Peru also had to deal with diplomatic and territorial problems. Franco negotiated agreements with Peruvian President Ramon Castilla, with whom he signed the Treaty of Mapasingu, after Peruvian troops captured the city.

After the withdrawal of the Peruvian expedition; On September 24, 1860, the forces of García Moreno and Juan José Flores, who had helped García Moreno in his attempt to reconcile with Ecuador, fought a conflict known as the Battle of Guayaquil against the forces of Guillermo Franco. As a result of García Moreno’s victory, Guayaquil was re-annexed to Ecuador and later the Treaty of Mapasingu was annulled by the congresses of both nations. In addition, after these events, the period known as Garcianism began in the government of Ecuador.

Over the years, it has continued with its commercial tradition, and currently in an essentially economic process, it is dedicated to tourism, reflected in the changes in the decoration of the city, with the improvement of citizens’ self-esteem. a process that lasted for years, from the last two municipal administrations. Guayaquil thus developed into a national and international tourist destination, hosting international fairs and events.

The center of the city of Guayaquil is one of the most important places for domestic and foreign tourism, because it is the oldest and most colonial. The Malecon 2000 area is of great tourist interest and is located near the center. The Point, located in the Puerto Santa Ana area, is the largest building in Guayaquil and the country. The settlement of “Las Penas” is another interesting place, it has approximately 444 steps and ends with a viewpoint from which you can enjoy the most beautiful view of the city.

Its geographical location makes it the gateway to the Galapagos Islands and it has won World Travel Awards on several occasions. Among them: South America’s leading city break destination and South America’s leading business development and conference destination.

Guayaquil is a city that offers a variety of activities and events. In addition to excursions or tours: shopping tours in shopping centers, gastronomic tours, religious tours or tours in agrotourism haciendas. A good alternative to getting to know the city are the free tours offered through the municipality of Guayaquil.

One of the most important places for tourists is the Malecon 2000, named after the foundation that carried out the works. The original name is Malecon Simon Bolivar. This work is a project of urban regeneration of the old promenade. With a length of 2.5 km, it offers its visitors, in addition to safety, great monuments of the city’s history, museums, gardens, fountains, viewpoints, shopping centers, restaurants, bars, restaurants, the first IMAX cinema in Ecuador, piers, from where you can embark on boats for day and night walks along the Guayas River.

According to studies conducted by the Municipal Public Enterprise for Tourism, Civic Promotion and International Relations, 54% of tourists who come to Guayaquil are foreigners, while 98% of tourists recommend the city as a tourist destination.

On the Malecon del Salado you can enjoy family walks along the estuary in small boats and admire the flora and fauna of the estuary; there are also discos, as well as numerous restaurants and bars. Las Peñas is the oldest neighborhood in Guayaquil. In recent years, it has been transformed into one of the main attractions of the city. Puerto Santa Ana: it is an architectural megaproject similar to the Coconut Walk of Miami or Puerto Madero in Argentina, it is a residential, business and potential tourist place that has several buildings of contemporary construction and luxury apartments. Its first phase was inaugurated in 2007. Just a few meters from the Peñas and Santa Ana hills, there is the Guayaquil Artisan Market (MAG), which was created in 1982 and since that moment has gathered under one roof the arts, cultures and crafts of the 4 regions of Ecuador. It is the oldest craft market in the province with more than 100 artisans from the coast, mountains and Amazonia.

The Guayaquil Historical Park is located outside the urban perimeter. The place has a mangrove forest through which visitors can travel on a wooden path. There are 28 species of animals in the mangrove, including white-tailed deer, raccoon, and peccary. There are also tigers, sloths, monkeys and crocodiles. You can also see parrots, harpy eagles and parrots here. The site also has a replica of old Guayaquil, some of the buildings are original and have been transferred to the park. In the park you can discover the main fauna and history of not only the city but also the old province.

Lake Park National Recreation Area is an artificial lake with more than 2,500,000 m³ of water (reservoir) and where you can enjoy water sports such as kayaking, rowing, shore fishing, spearfishing, diving, snorkeling and other water sports, as well as activities such as cycling, camping, picnics and enjoying nature.

Puerto Hondo is a tourist spot to enjoy flora and fauna (mangrove reserve) and engage in water sports such as swimming, rowing, kayaking, etc. It has a beach and typical and traditional food. While in the protected forest of Cerro Blanco you can admire the flora and fauna of the dry forest and you can enjoy adventure tourism in the ecological reserve with the possibility of camping from day to day.

Cerro Santa Ana is located northeast of the city, next to Las Peñas and a few meters from the Malecón. It is the place where Guayaquil was born. A picturesque place and very interesting to visit because you have to climb 456 steps, until you reach its top, from where you can see the north of Guayaquil. The hill is full of cafes, bars, craft shops.

Seminario Park is located in the Rocafuerte area in the very center of the city. In this park, you can see a monument to Simon Bolivar, as well as a large variety of green iguanas. Seminario Park is bordered to the north by Clemente Balen i Milan Street, to the south by 10 de Agosto Street, to the east by Chile Street and to the west by Chimborazo Street, which has been regenerated for specific pedestrian use, as it connects the park to the Guayaquil Cathedral. The Plaza de Santo Domingo is located in front of the church that gives it its name, where Rocafuerte Street is next to the plateau between the hills of Santa Ana and Carmen.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Guayaquil is located in the heart of Guayaquil, it was built around 1547, it has beautiful semi-gothic towers, it was the mother church in the mid-sixteenth century. Originally the cathedral was built of wood, in 1590 the building was on Santa Ana Hill, next to the Cabildo House and the Plaza de Armas, then the temple was destroyed in a terrible fire in 1692. Samanes Park is located north of the city, right in the Samanes sector. It is the third largest park in Latin America, as it stretches from the Guayas River to the Via a Daula with about 851 hectares. It is a recreational park that has a large number of football, tennis, basketball and handball courts; it also has a lagoon and a concert venue with a capacity of 10,000 people.

In this park, a stadium was built, which was named in honor of the deceased football player Christian Benitez Betancourt, with a capacity of 8,000 people. Guayaquil football club from Serie A of Ecuadorian football plays at this stadium. If you are a fan of extreme sports, there are small towns near Guayaquil surrounded by nature that are ideal for extreme sports and outdoor activities. Canyoning, which consists of descending through canyons or waterfalls, is one of the most commonly practiced by tourists who arrive in Guayaquil and are looking for some adventure nearby, also bar diving and tubing, which consists of sailing through fast-flowing rivers, is another outdoor adventure sport. widely practiced.

Hilton Colon Guayaquil is located close to José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport, which connects you to the Galapagos Islands. In just 10 minutes’ drive, you can visit the famous Malecon 2000, the city’s waterfront promenade with numerous shops, gardens and historical monuments. The Hilton Colon Guayaquil hotel has an outdoor pool with a bar and a spa with a sauna, steam room and treatment rooms.

I would like to give a special thanks to the Hilton Colon Guayaquil staff for their warm welcome and hosting me in their hotel. The stay in their hotel was exceptional, a unique experience that I will remember!

In the next post, I will write about Hotel del Parque, which is a representative of classic Ecuadorian luxury located in a refreshing natural environment. This exceptional boutique hotel allows you to relax in nature, which you should consider if you decide to visit Guayaquil, the most colorful pearl of the Pacific. My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this fifth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Ecuador where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of PRO ECUADOR, Royaltour DMC travel agency, Hilton Colon Guayaquil in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of local culture and the beauty of everyday life in Guayaquil. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Ecuador.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with many companies and businesses in the tourism sector and I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR and Royaltour DMC travel agency once again for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to feel the beauty of this unusual place in a completely different way Ecuadorian culture and feel the beauty of everyday life in Guayaquil.

How did you like my story about Ecuador and the presentation of Guayaquil, the pearl of the Pacific adorning the south of this unusual country in South America? Have you had the chance to visit Ecuador so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Ecuador, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this exotic country!

With Love from Guayaquil,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by PRO ECUADOR, Royaltour DMC travel agency, Hilton Colon Guayaquil hotel and other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Ecuador: Ingapirca, Gualaceo and Chordeleg, Explore The Beauty of Andean Culture…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of November will be dedicated to an unusual country in the heart of South America, a country known for the highest quality cocoa, bananas and coffee – Ecuador. At the very beginning of today’s travelogue, I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR and Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours as well as other local partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America.

With their help, travelogues from Ecuador and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this November and December, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues and fashion stories from Ecuador or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

  1. Letters from Ecuador: Quito, a city coloured by the art and architecture of the Baroque…(Travelogue)
  2. Sannino Napoli: Discover true Italian craftsmanship with timeless and unique style…(Fashion Story)
  3. Letters from Ecuador: Quito, the pearl of South America in the middle of the world…(Travelogue)
  4. Brett Johnson: Fashion for the modern man with refined and refined taste… (Fashion Story)
  5. Letters from Ecuador: Cuenca, the Vibrant Charming Colonial Gem of South America… (Travelogue)
  6. Appella: Unique Watches that Combine Classic Design and Swiss Functionality… (Fashion Story)

It is very important to note that Cuenca BesTours is a leading tour operator and travel agency based in Cuenca. Their team specializes in organizing and customizing cultural and adventure tours and activities for couples, families and groups in Cuenca and Ecuador. With more than ten years of experience, we have built a reputation for providing personalized and memorable experiences for our guests. The Cuenca BesTours team of local travel experts strives to skilfully bring every detail of every trip to perfection in order to create added value that makes the tourist experience unique and unforgettable.

If you decide to visit Ecuador, Cuenca BesTours offers group and private individual tours in Ecuador with which you can get to know this unusual country in South America. Also, they are organising extraordinary Day Trips from Cuenca, cultural heart of Ecuador. My experience with the travel agency Cuenca BesTours is outstanding and I can praise the work of their team who organised at very short notice a multi-day trip to Cuenca, which I described in a previous travelogue about this charming city, as well as a tour of the ruins of Ingapirca and Gualaceo and Chordeleg towns – villages where I had the opportunity to better explore the beauty of Andean culture and about which I will write to you in more detail today.

A new morning dawned in Guayaquil and my photographer and I knew it was time to continue our adventure. The smiling guide Chris presented us with an itinerary with lots of useful information. Chris kept us company during this trip and did his best to make our adventure in and around Cuenca perfect. He is a living encyclopedia and is very familiar with this part of Ecuador because he lives in Cuenca.

Ingapirca, which means “wall of the Incas” in the Kichwa language, is one of the most important set of pre-Columbian ruins in Republic of Ecuador, located about 80 km north of Cuenca. The Inca Sun Temple located on its hill with an amazing panoramic view of the surrounding nature is a truly unique and impressive landscape, and the ruins themselves have a fascinating history. Ingapirca is an archaeological complex located in the Canar province. It is undoubtedly one of the most famous archaeological sites in the country.

The site was initially a settlement of the Canari culture, although it was later occupied by the Incas, who built most of the structures that have survived to this day. After conducting numerous researches, by interpreting certain archaeologists’ writings, it is considered that this complex must have had a religious function, because it was built on a rocky outcrop that must have been the pacarina (the place of origin of the people according to some local myths) for the Canaries. It is mainly known for the great Sun Temple of Ingapirca, which is a unique building in the entire Inca Empire because it has an oval plan. Such kind of constructions are not known at any other Inca site in pre-Columbian America.

In the province of Canar, in the south of the country, at an altitude of approximately 3160 m and almost 16 km from the city of Canar, there is the most significant archaeological building of Inca origin in the current Republic of Ecuador.

Ingapirca is a Quichua word meaning wall of the Incas. It is an authentic Inca-Canary construction, created at the beginning of the sixteenth century, which is assumed to have been an observatory of the sun and the moon just before the arrival of the Spaniards in the area. The collection of archaeological remains of Ingapirca has been recorded by the outside world since at least the mid-eighteenth century, although there are references to the site where these structures are located – Valle del Canar – as early as the sixteenth century, when it was known as the province of Hatun Canar (Quichua language: Hatun Canar, which means “great place of canaries”).

The model of the house, not originally built in the Ingapirca complex, faithfully shows what one of the houses looked like.

One of the records from 1582, recorded by the parish priest Fray Gaspar de Gallegos, parish priest of San Francisco de Peleusi de Azogues, a town near this site, wrote the following:

“I came to the territory called Canares, because three leagues from here there is a city called Hatum Canar, which in the Inca language means “the great province of Cañas”, and there they say that in the time of the Incas Huain Capac there was a large population of Indians and that there was housed the main chief and it seems so, because today there are large and very luxurious buildings, and among them very strong ones”.

Collective grave of a priestess from Canaria and 10 of her servants.

Today there is no confirmed information for what purpose this building of Inca-Canari origin was built. The only criterion in which several historians and archaeologists agree is that it was built under the direct orders of the former Inca Huain Capac, during the territorial expansion and conquest of the people that the Inca Tupac Yupanqui, his father and ancestor as the emperor of Tahuantinsuyo, began many years ago towards the territories which today make up southern Ecuador.

Some archaeologists believe that this site also played a large role in the military strategies of the Incas, as an outpost and supply of troops in the north of Ecuador, but its most important purpose was to be a place of worship and respect for the cult of the Sun, the greatest god of the Incas, which made itself in Coricancha , dedicated to the ritual of the Incas.

The ruins of Ingapirca were excavated and restored by the Archaeological Mission of Spain between 1974 and 1975. These investigations led to several publications by archaeologists José Alcina, Miguel Rivera and Antonio Fresco.

What is the historical background of Ingapirca? According to what is currently known and verified, the Canaries were present in this region long before the Incas arrived. They are renowned for their fierce fighting spirit and tenacious resistance to invasion, having successfully repelled the Inca ruler Tupac Yupanqui’s army from their territory. Through a combination of wars and marriages, the Inca Empire did not ultimately conquer the Canaries until Huaina Capac, Yupanqui’s son, carried on his father’s campaign.

It’s interesting to note that the conquerors respected the Canaries enough to establish a community with them after their victory and build a Temple of the Sun to go with the Temple of the Moon already in place. In addition to its ceremonial role, Ingapirca is thought to have served astronomical, political, and administrative purposes. Atahualpa, the son of Juana Capac, would sometimes visit the many high-status individuals and families who resided there.

Though its golden age and growth were brief, Ingapirca’s strategic location overlooking the surrounding valley at 3,200 meters above sea level was crucial. It is thought that the complex was destroyed in the conflict between Atahualpa and his brother Huascar in 1532, just before the Spanish conquest. After the site was looted by the Spanish, many of the stone walls were used to construct haciendas and churches in Cuenca and other places. After being abandoned, the site was restored by the Ecuadorian government in the middle of the 20th century, and in 1966 it was made public.

All of the explanations are in Spanish, so it takes creativity and a tour with a guide like Chris to make the most of Ingapirca, which is essentially just stone foundations. The original Kanari settlement is marked by the Pilaloma complex on the south side. Thousands of spondyl shells and the collective tomb of the Canarian priestess and ten of her servants, who were buried alive with her after her death, are the most fascinating features of this complex. The tomb is situated beneath a sizeable stone that is thought to be connected to a number of astronomical computations and may have served as a sacrifice altar.

There is a sizable open area where many devotees congregated for rituals in addition to the communal tomb and temples in the Ingaprit ruins. A portion of the Inca Trail, which formerly linked administrative and religious hubs in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile, still adheres to this belief. Grain storage areas, terraced agricultural terraces, and ceremonial baths are additional features.

Built on top of the ancient ceremonial rock of Canary, the elliptical Temple of the Sun—the only one of its kind in the Inca Empire forms the complex’s focal point. This structure is thought to have served as a location for rituals as well as a means of determining when religious holidays and agricultural labor should take place. Inti Rajmi, the Sun Festival, which is still observed in Ingapirca every June, was the most significant occasion. The volcanic rocks were hand-hewn so precisely that mortar was not required, allowing for the full appreciation of the magnificent stonework that is the hallmark of Inca construction.

The House of the Chosen, where only the most attractive girls from the nearby villages lived as Virgins of the Sun, is located next to the temple in this remarkable complex. These girls learned to dance, knit, weave, and cook after being taken from their homes as young children. They had to prepare ceremonial food, keep the sacred fire going, entertain visiting Inca dignitaries, and weave garments for the emperor and rituals. They would wed high-ranking men like priests, notable soldiers, and Incas.

Interestingly, there is a big stone with 28 holes of varying sizes close to the Sun temple. It is thought that this stone served as the lunar calendar. The holes are thought to have been filled with water, which caused the moonlight to reflect differently throughout the month, telling the date. The Cara del Inca, a massive human face that is thought to be a natural phenomenon, can be seen outlined on a cliff a short stroll from the temple.

After spending two hours at the Ingapirca complex, we continue on to Gualaceo and Chordeleg villages. The South American village of Chordeleg, located in the Azuay region, is well-known for its ceramics and exquisite silver and gold filigree jewelry. Thanks to the local artisans’ workshop, you can learn how this delicate technique is expertly executed to create such beautiful pieces.

Let’s not forget how filigree jewelry is made. Mrs. Mom’s earlier fashion stories, in which she wrote to you about the renowned Filevi 1928 jewelry from North Macedonia, probably taught you about it. One of the most exquisite metalworking techniques is filigree. Over the ages, this method has been employed to create incredibly valuable and exquisite jewelry as well as ornamental objects that are still prized today. Using this technique, the motif is composed of silver, gold, and less frequently copper wire to create jewelry or decorative items. A complex motif is created by bending, interlacing, and tying wire threads together; it can be displayed fully free or on a metal base. Filigree wire was used to create geometric designs, flowers, and circles. These items were occasionally topped with tiny metal balls.

Before traveling to Gualaceo, a village renowned for its amazing textiles, you can explore Chordelega’s center by strolling through Plaza Central or the Main Square and stopping by the numerous artisan stores that line it.

Discover the vibrant colors and unique patterns of the handwoven fabrics sold by locals at Gualaceo’s two traditional markets, where you can immerse yourself in the vibrant pace of everyday life. Visit workshops where textiles are made and try to observe the various looms that the artisans use to enjoy the creation of handicrafts. The renowned ponchos that are represented in this Andean region are frequently made using the pre-Hispanic Ikat weaving technique, which you can learn about here!

In the next post, I will write about the most populated city in Ecuador, which many say is the Pearl of the Pacific – Guayaquil, which you should visit if you decide to visit this unusual country in South America. My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this fourth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Ecuador where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of PRO ECUADOR and Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Ecuadorian and Andean local culture and traditions. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Ecuador.

Being able to travel the world is a sign of a rich soul, and I’m happy that I consistently find project partners who enable me to see new and unusual places in a whole new way.

It is a privilege for me to work with so many organisations and businesses in the tourism industry, and I want to express my gratitude to the Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours once more for this amazing experience and for giving me the chance to appreciate the beauty of this unique Ecuadorian and Andean local culture in a whole new way.

How did you like my story about Ecuador and the presentation of Ingapirca Ruins and as well of Gualaceo and Chordeleg charming villages, which adorns the south of this unusual country in South America? Have you had the chance to visit Ecuador so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Ecuador, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this exotic country!

With Love from Ecuador,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by PRO ECUADOR and Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Ecuador: Cuenca, the Vibrant Charming Colonial Gem of South America…

Adventure Travel 8 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of November will be dedicated to an unusual country in the heart of South America, a country known for the highest quality cocoa, bananas and coffee – Ecuador. At the very beginning of today’s travelogue, I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR, the Tourism Foundation of the Municipality of Cuenca, Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours and Hotel Cruz del Vado as well as other local partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America. With their help, travelogues from Ecuador and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this November and December, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues and fashion stories from Ecuador or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

  1. Letters from Ecuador: Quito, a city coloured by the art and architecture of the Baroque… (Travelogue)
  2. Sannino Napoli: Discover true Italian craftsmanship with timeless and unique style…(Fashion Story)
  3. Letters from Ecuador: Quito, the pearl of South America in the middle of the world… (Travelogue)
  4. Brett Johnson: Fashion for the modern man with refined and refined taste… (Fashion Story)

The Tourism Foundation of the Municipality of Cuenca is a state body whose mission is to develop and promote Cuenca as a tourist product-destination in a high-quality way both at the national and international level. This foundation is recognized as an institution at the national level in the management of responsible and sustainable tourism, showing that tourism is a key part of the economic development of Cuenca.

On the other hand, Cuenca BesTours is a leading tour operator and travel agency based in Cuenca. Their team specialises in organising and customising cultural and adventure tours and activities for couples, families and groups in Cuenca and Ecuador. With more than ten years of experience, we have built a reputation for providing personalized and memorable experiences for our guests. The Cuenca BesTours team of local travel experts strives to skilfully bring every detail of every trip to perfection in order to create added value that makes the tourist experience unique and unforgettable.

The domes of the New Cathedral in Cuenca.

Cuenca, officially known as Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca is an Ecuadorian city, the capital of the canton of the same name and the capital of the province of Azuay, as well as its largest and most populated city. Tomebamba, Tarki, Yanunkay and Macangara rivers pass through the city. The city is located in the center-south of the inter-Andean region of Ecuador in the bed of the Pauta River, at an altitude of 2550 meters.

This city earned its epithet “Athens of Ecuador” due to its amazing colonial architecture, cultural diversity, contribution to Ecuadorian art, science and literature, as well as being the birthplace of many celebrities in Ecuadorian society. Cuenca has about 400,000 inhabitants, making it the third most populous city in Ecuador, just behind Guayaquil and Quito. The city is the core of the metropolitan area of ​​Cuenca, which also consists of nearby rural towns and parishes. This conglomerate has a population of less than 800,000 inhabitants, and also occupies the third position among the conurbations of Ecuador.

The city was founded by Gil Ramirez Davalos on April 12, 1557, on the ruins of the Inca city of Tomebamba and the Canarian city of Guapondelig, by order of the Viceroy of Peru, Andres Hurtado de Mendoza. During the twentieth century, the city maintained its growth, promoting education and culture, and in 1999, its historic center was declared a cultural heritage of humanity. It is one of the most important administrative, economic, financial and commercial centers of Ecuador. The main activities of the city are trade and industry, while in recent years Cuenca has become an international tourist attraction of exceptional importance.

How did the city get its name? The city was named Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca in honor of the city of Cuenca in Spain, the birthplace of the Spanish viceroy of Peru Andres Hurtado de Mendoza, who sent Mr. Gil Ramirez Davalos to found the city and the fact that this place is very similar in its geographical features to Spain the city. In addition, the name includes the fact that it is crossed by the Tomebamba, Tarki, Januncaj and Macangara rivers. The rest of the name comes from the Spanish tradition of consecrating new cities to a saint of the Catholic Church, in this case Saint Anna (Santa Ana).

An example of republican architecture in the historic center of Cuenca.

What is the historical background of this city and where was it created? According to numerous archaeological and anthropological remains, found in Chobshi and Kubilan, it is known that the first inhabitants of this area date back to 8060 BC, who were nomadic hunters and gatherers. They inhabited the area until about 5580 BC. After that period, human settlements disappear and only in 2000 BC, the repopulation of this area begins. This period is called the Cerro Narrio Culture which lasted from 2000 BC. to 500 B.C., this period is often referred to as Chaullabamba. This culture represents small settlements of the organization corresponding to the formative culture, the initial division of social classes, it is also characterized by the presence of agriculture and the mass production of ceramics.

After this period, a new period known as the Regional Development (500 BC-500 AD) begins, the Tuncahuan cultures develop, as well as the first stages of the Tacalshapa (Azuai) and Cashaloma (Canar) phases, corresponding to Canara Culture. This stage is characterized by societies with division of labor and perfectly hierarchical, they use intensive agriculture and their ceramics have certain anthropomorphic figures. The most representative of this phase is the use of metals such as gold, silver and copper.

In the period of integration (500 AD – 1500 AD), this area is characterized by conquests and alliances, so the nuclear part of the Canary culture will be integrated into a diarchy whose main cities were Shabalula (Sigsig) and Hatun Kanar (Kanar city), while the outer parts the territories of the Canaries remained only confederated with the nuclear part, which is why they were politically independent. The Duma dynasty ruled from the capital Shabalula, but the lineage of the Hatun Kanar rulers is unknown. In the mid-nineteenth century, in the cantons of Gualaceo, Chordeleg and Sigsig, a series of tombs of rulers from Canaris, rich in precious metals and ceramics, were found, unfortunately most of what was found was looted and sold, fortunately Marshall Saville wrote a book about the pieces taken out, the book was called ” The Golden Treasure of Sigsig, Ecuador,” as well as other books about the huacas of Chordelega.

What is now Cuenca was an important state center of the Diarchy of the Canaries, this area was called Guapondelig in the Canarian language, which meant “a wide plain like the sky” and was characterized by agriculture, as the Canary region was not very suitable for this practice, which made Guapondelig one of the most important areas of Kanaris.

Less than half a century before the arrival of the Castilians, the Incas, after a hard fight, conquered the Canaries with massacres and occupied Guapondelig and the surrounding area. The Incas replaced the architecture of the Canaries with their own, suppressing the Canaries and overshadowing their impressive achievements in astronomy and agriculture. As was common for the Incas, they absorbed useful developments into their culture. They changed the name of the town of Guapondelig to Tumipampa or Tomebamba. The city became known as the administrative center of the northern Inca Empire.

Tomebamba is considered a candidate for the mythical city of gold that the Spanish called El Dorado. The Spanish thought that El Dorado was burned by the inhabitants after learning of the Spanish conquests. The destruction of Tomebamba by its inhabitants before the arrival of the Spanish suggests that it may have been what the Spanish called El Dorado.

The civil war won Atahualpa and while he was going to Cuzco to ratify his sovereignty he was captured and killed by Francisco Pizarro in Cajamarca. The Canaries, because of their hatred of Atahualpa and as a reaction to the massacres committed by the Incas during the conquest, allied themselves with the Spanish and helped, with the participation of other ethnic groups, to defeat and conquer the Inca Empire. Sebastián de Benalcazar, persuaded by the Canaries, went to conquer Quito, passed through the ruins of Tomebamba, and received more reinforcements there. Thus, with the help of 11,000 canaries, Benalcazar defeated Ruminhahui and conquered Quito.

The Canarians, due to the mortality caused by Atahualpa and European diseases, as well as the fact that they fought for years in favor of the conquerors, caused that by 1547, when the chronicler Pedro Ciesa de Leon passed through Tomebamba, there was one man for every fifteen women. Likewise, Sieza confirmed that the Kanjars were Christianized. When he passed through the city and the province he saw the ruins of many Inca temples and palaces.

In the current city of Cuenca, you can see remnants of its Inca past, such as the Pumapungo Palace.

What does the Cuenca we know today look like? By the year 2000, the city had more than 270,000 inhabitants across the canton and during the decade began the process of recovering its heritage, especially in the old part of the city, and also started the process of modernization. Remittances sent by immigrants also had a strong impact, both positive and negative in the city, especially in the rural area.

During the following years, Cuenca also consolidated itself as an international tourist attraction. In addition, in January 2011, the National Assembly of Ecuador declared Cuenca as the best university city.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Spanish: Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepcion), commonly called the New Cathedral of Cuenca (Spanish: Nueva Catedral de Cuenca) is the cathedral church of Cuenca. It is located in front of Parque Calderón.

The plan of the cathedral was drawn up by Juan Bautista Stiehle, a friar of German origin who arrived in Cuenca from Alsace in 1873, at the suggestion of Bishop Leon Garrido. The cathedral took over the function of the nearby Old Cathedral, which had become too small. Construction works began in 1885 and lasted almost a century. This building combines many architectural styles, but the Romanesque Revival prevails. The cathedral is surmounted by three giant domes covered with striking blue and white glazed tiles from Czechoslovakia. Its stained glass windows were made by the Spanish artist Guillermo Larrazabal.

Its towers were shortened due to an error in the architect’s calculation. If they were raised to the planned height, the foundation of this church would not be able to withstand the weight. Despite the architect’s huge mistake, the outline of his domes became a symbol of the city. Its facade is made of alabaster and local marble, while the floor is covered with pink marble brought from Italy. When the cathedral was first built, 9,000 of the total 10,000 inhabitants of Cuenca could fit in this religious building.

The crypt of the cathedral is located under the central nave and has three entrances: one through Calle Aguirre, the second through the Sacristy and the third in Calle Mariscal Sucre. The shape of this crypt is that of a long alley with funerary vaults on each side.

Some of the famous people of the city of Cuenca are buried in the crypt, such as: Remigio Crespo Toral, Grail. Antonio Vega, Fray Vicente Solano; as well as the bishops of the city: Miguel Leon, Manuel Maria Politika, Daniel Hermida, Monsignor Manuel Serrano Abad and the builder of the cathedral: Luis Antonio Chicaiza. The crypt has 11 small mausoleums, 192 vaults and 210 urns for remains.

The cathedral in Cuenca has six domes located on the chancel and the central nave. They are divided into three ascents and three lowest levels that are intertwined in their location. All turrets have a flashlight inside. Three high domes and one low one are covered with tiles, while the others maintain a brick structure. The high domes have a Renaissance style, are the largest on the Cruiser and have an internal diameter of 12 meters and a height of 53 meters.

Now I will introduce you to a charming street that captures the essence of this historic Ecuadorian city. As you stroll down this picturesque street, you’ll experience time travel and travel back in time, surrounded by colonial architecture, vibrant local culture and a palpable sense of history.

Santa Ana Street is not just a tourist attraction, it is a real experience just waiting to be discovered. Whether you’re a lover of history, architecture or just a curious traveler, this street has something to offer everyone. This alley holds many legendary secrets of the past to today’s modern appeal, there is much to learn and explore.

Located in the heart of Cuenca, Santa Ana Street is steeped in history dating back to the colonial era. Originally planned by Spanish settlers, this charming street has witnessed many significant events and transformations in this historic city in Ecuador over the centuries.

The street’s history dates back to the mid-16th century when Spanish settlers carefully planned the look of Cuenca. This era marked the beginning of Santa Ana Street’s journey through history, a journey that would see it as a vital part of the city’s cultural and architectural heritage.

St. Anna Street in the heart of Cuenca.

Santa Ana Street was established in 1557, following urban planning guidelines issued by King Charles V of Spain. The street was part of an effort to create a well-organized colonial city in the New World. An orthogonal grid pattern, a hallmark of Renaissance urban planning, was used to ensure orderly development.

During the colonial period, Santa Ana Street became a busy thoroughfare, lined with colonial-style buildings that displayed the architectural prowess of the time. Many of these buildings are still present today, as faithful witnesses of history. Notable buildings from this period include the Old Cathedral and the Governor’s House, both of which are superb examples of colonial architecture.

How can you visit the sights in Cuenca as a tourist? To get around Cuenca, you can use public transportation, a taxi, or you can even visit the sights on foot in the central part of the city. Cuenca is a city very suitable for cyclists. There are great bike paths along the Rio Tomebamba, and on Thursday evenings a two-hour bike ride through the city that leaves at 8pm from Parque de la Madre. Bicycles can easily be rented at the Mallki Hostel or at the Casa do Brasil Cafe.

If you want to get to know the heart of Cuenca, you should visit Parque Abdón Calderón, better known as Abdón Calderón Major Park, and formerly also known as Plaza Republica or Plaza de Armas. Around the park is the Church of El Sagrario, better known as the Old Cathedral and the Church of the Immaculate Conception or the New Cathedral. There are also the buildings of the Government, the Municipality, the Old Seminary and the Palace of the Provincial Court of Justice. It is located between the streets of Benigno Malo, Mariscal Sucre, Luisa Cordero and Simón Bolívar. The government of Eloy Alfaro named the park Plaza Luis Vargas Torres, but later in 1920 it was changed to Abdón Calderón.

In the park there is a roundabout, a monument to Abdón Calderón which was inaugurated on May 24, 1931 and has four semi-circles. Today, the park has become the center of various events of importance to the city, such as Corpus Christi or the commemoration of Cuenca’s independence.

What should you visit in this charming city? There are numerous sights in Cuenca that every tourist should visit, some of them are located in the city itself, while some important sights are located outside the city.

Ingapirca – The most significant northern ruins of the former Inca Empire located on the UNESCO World Heritage List in Ecuador, combining the Inca and Canarian cultures. This is my suggestion for a fantastic day trip that you can organize with Cuenca BesTours. I had the opportunity to visit these ruins, but I will write more about them in a future blog post.

Baños – A beautiful place not far from Cuenca, this place should not be confused with Baños located in the province of Tungurahua, a town located at the very entrance to the rainforest. In this place not far from Cuenca there are thermal baths available in a hotel complex that includes several hot pools at 36 degrees Celsius and Turkish baths. Many people come here to relax in the hot saunas, swim in the hot or cold pool water and relax with family and friends. The newest addition to the thermal resorts is the beautiful Piedra de Agua. Only 40 minutes away from the center of Cuenca.

Turi – An excellent vantage point from which you can enjoy the view of Cuenca, located south of the city. It has a great view of the city both day and night.

Barranco – The Tomebamba River (one of Cuenca’s four rivers) flows through the heart of the city, creating the river area known as Barranco. The walk itself is beautiful, with paved paths on either side connected by numerous bridges. Stairs lead up steep banks into the older part of town on the north side, connecting to the restaurants and clubs of Calle Larga. Puente Roto, literally ‘Broken Bridge’, is also on the north side and is a popular gathering place. Various clubs, bars, shopping center and Parque de la Madre are lined along the south side.

El Sagrario (“the old cathedral”) – The construction of this religious building was started in 1557. Today it is no longer used as a church and has been turned into a museum. A restoration project was recently completed and the original paint and old murals can now be seen in certain areas.

Museo del Banco Central and Pumapungo – Great museum with ethnographic sections (especially interesting section on the Shuar tribe and shrunken heads) and old Ecuadorian money with a good explanation of the history, albeit only in Spanish. Pumapungo is an old site just behind the museum that requires a bit of imagination.

Amaru Zoo – A zoo and also a place where rescued animals stay, as well as those undergoing rehabilitation. This is a very fun place with a huge number of animals from Ecuador, South America and America. Their team rescued animals like lions, pheasants and crocodiles. It is very green and you can fill your time in a quality and interesting way because it looks like you are hiking along the mountain in a large eucalyptus grove.

If you have extra time, I highly recommend you to visit the museum of famous “Panama” hats – Museo del Sombrero de Paja Toquilla. Panama hats do not trace their true original origins to Panama, they are Ecuadorian hats. I believe that then the question arises for all of us, how did they get this name? One legend has it that the Panama hat got its name in the early 1900s when workers in the Panama Canal wore these hats while working on the construction of the canal.

These hats are made from a natural fiber called Paia Tokuilla, a palm-like plant that can only grow at high altitudes, the natives of the Andes have worn these hats for thousands of years. In addition to Paia Tocuillo, Andeans use Carludovica Palmata, another type of Andean straw for their Panama hats.

The first Panama hat factory was opened in Cuenca in 1836 when demand for these hats increased. These lightweight brimmed hats are great for protecting your eyes and face from the sun. A few years later, in 1855 to be precise, Panama hats attracted the attention of the world when they appeared at the World Fair in Paris. The event that transformed this hat and made it legendary was the moment President Roosevelt wore it while inspecting the Panama Canal in 1904, finally becoming famous and officially on the list of valuable Ecuadorian export goods.

Casa Paredes Roldan is a house located on the Tomebamba River and today is the location of the Panama Hat Museum – Museo del Sombrero de Paja Toquilla. It is also where the Barranco Hat Factory was founded in 1942.

Hats are still made by hand today. A live hat-making demonstration is available at the museum. You can buy the hat shown in the store or order a custom panama hat. There are different types of hat quality from basic cheap versions that are good as souvenirs to semi-fine quality hats and deluxe fine. The price of these hats can vary from about 40 US dollars for the cheapest hat to several hundred to several thousand US dollars if you want to have a really special and high-quality Panama hat in your hat collection.

When you have finished your visit to this interesting hat museum, I strongly advise you to go to the nearby market where you will enjoy a rich and varied offer of exotic fruits and vegetables that we do not have the opportunity to see in Europe.

One of the best things to do in Cuenca is to visit a traditional Ecuadorian market. One of the most authentic markets in the whole city is the Mercado 10 de Agosto. This bustling Cuenca market is a destination for hosts from the surrounding villages, and Cuenca locals love to buy fresh vegetables and fruits from the fields, meat from their favourite local butcher, or to buy beautiful flowers. Not only are there amazing stalls with products, but there are also some unusual services to be found here.

People in Ecuador firmly believe in folk herbal medicine and in the markets you can find women who professionally deal with healing using plants and it is a real experience to see and witness the healing process in the market where women in later years gently touch the part of the body where you have a problem with plants. In addition, they have numerous tinctures, herbal mixtures and teas that can treat various medical problems. This is a truly special experience and I must admit that I have not had the opportunity to see it in other parts of the world. Out of respect for the people who came to a public place for treatment because of their problem and personal privacy, I did not want to take pictures or record the healing process at the numerous herbalists in this famous market.

In addition to the rich and excellent offer of fruits, vegetables, plants, meat and flowers, you can also find cocoa and sweets made in Ecuador at this unusual market. I have to admit that sweets in Ecuador are healthier because most of them are handmade and local products are used. Just try to imagine that you can buy chocolate balls that are hand made from high-quality 70% cocoa. The prices are really affordable for this type of product and average between 6 and 8 US dollars for a package from 500g to 1kg.

After 10 years of working on the Mr.M blog, I had the opportunity to visit various parts of the world and get to know many cultures. I am always fascinated again when I expand my horizons and realize how lucky and rich a person I am at heart who has managed to realize the beauty of different cultures. This experience in Cuenca, as well as in Ecuador in general, is really impressive and amazing to me.

Cuenca is truly an unusual and charming town that impresses tourists with its architecture and exciting history. The locals are extremely warm and friendly, no one did not offer me to try their products and you can only feel such warmth of welcome and true hospitality in South America.

El Cajas National Park is a national park in the highlands of Ecuador, located about 30 km west of Cuenca. The area of ​​285.44 km2 located between 3100m and 4450m above sea level is characterized by paramo vegetation on a jagged landscape of hills and valleys. It was declared a national park on November 5, 1996.

How did this national park get its name? The name “Cajas” comes from the Quichua word “cassa”, which means “gateway to the snowy mountains” or “caka” (Quichua: cold). It is also related to the Spanish word “cajas” (boxes).

The park is known for its rugged relief terrain that features landscapes characterized by valleys nestled between mountains and hills. The park is located at an altitude of over 3100 m, which results in tundra vegetation that covers this area.

Tundra vegetation is the dominant type of flora; however, there is the presence of cloud forests and perennial high mountain forests that follow rivers at lower elevations. The Polylepis tree, also called the Paper Tree, is an evergreen with short, thick leaves, and is one of the types of flora for which this national park is famous.

Lakes and lagoons are scattered throughout the park boundaries, making them common encounters for visitors exploring the national park. Luspa is a glacial lake and is the largest of almost 700 bodies of water distributed among the valleys.

The park straddles the continental divide, meaning two rivers flow west to the Pacific Ocean and two east to the Amazon River and into the river. Mixed habitats give way to a variety of wildlife.

Popular species of wild animals such as mountain wolf, fox, ferret, deer, llama and others can be seen here. The park is also known for being home to endangered endemic bird species. The South American condor and the Curicuinga are two large raptors that are vulnerable to extinction from Ecuador. The Giant Hummingbird is another hopeful bird sighting.

Dos Chorreras was born from the inspiration of nature, the passion for hospitality and the harmony between nature and respect for the preservation of the environment. A complex of rustic bungalows, designed for comfort and well-being, is located just 4 km from the heart of the Cajas National Park. Dos Choreras is a stable, efficient, safe company committed to sustainability and community. Their dedicated team strives to meet the expectations of their guests to make their stay unforgettable.

Featuring a restaurant, bar and garden, Hacienda Hosteria Dos Chorreras offers accommodation with panoramic mountain views and free Wi-Fi. The historic center of Cuenca is a 30-minute drive away.

Hacienda Hosteria Dos Chorreras has rooms and bungalows with private bathroom, LCD satellite TV and seating area. There is a 24-hour front desk that can arrange laundry services and bicycle rental. Guests can enjoy activities in the surroundings, including fishing, canoeing and horse riding.

What delighted me in this complex is the Chocolateria, which is located within the Dos Chorreras inn complex, is a magical place that allows you to refresh not only the body but also the soul. Everything from their menu seems quite tasty, the service is very good, and the establishment itself is packed with guests because this place is so popular.

Here you can buy many interesting souvenirs, sweets, coffee, cured meats and cheeses. The prices are adapted to the tourist area and during my visit this complex was extremely visited and there was a lot of crowd. I like the service of their restaurant, the service is good and fast, and the food was delicious.

To end this travelogue, I would like to give you an honest recommendation and review for a hotel to stay in Cuenca. During the trip, the hotel where we stay is very important to all of us, because the hotel is our home in the new destination and therefore it is very important to choose a good hotel in each destination. During my stay in Cuenca, my hotel Cruz del Vado was my home, decorated with style, comfort and a beautiful atmosphere in the old heart of Cuenca.

Hotel Cruz del Vado has always been a building full of history, art and culture. Located in one of the city’s first districts in the immediate vicinity of the Cruz del Vado monument, the eponymous hotel was painstakingly intervened with a combination of traditional and modern construction techniques, preserving the essence and history of this cultural heritage. The facade of the hotel is completely clad in pink marble imported from Italy, an undeniable symbol of the luxurious lifestyle of the period in which it was built.

The interior of the hotel is also full of unique details due to its republican style and the influence of French architecture. Originally, this property was home to Cuenca’s first El Mercurio newspaper and was previously known as “Palacio de El Mercurio”. On the facade, above the main entrance, there is a plaque in honor of the celebrated journalist from Cuenca, Federico Proaño, who is still considered the best from Ecuador, an ultraconservative and champion of liberalism in the region who was exiled by President García Moreno.

In 2014, hotel management contracted with the Lloret family of architects, known for renovating and restoring patrimonial properties in Cuenca, Art Hotels Ecuador contracted to begin planning for a rehabilitation project to make the property, which has since been converted into a rental property, they are used for the operation of a top boutique hotel.

This hotel offers a rich content of services and 26 rooms are a true reflection of luxurious hospitality. The facility offers all the services expected from a boutique hotel of this category. All the way to the top floor where there is a rooftop restaurant and bar known for having the best views of the city and excellent cuisine. The Hotel Cruz del Vado team has remained true to the brand concept, as well as their motivation to find and restore buildings of historical importance, drawing attention to and reactivating the iconic sites and traditional settlements of Ecuador.

Hotel Cruz del Vado‘s rooms maintain the traditional Cuenca construction technique with bahrecua walls and are decorated with elements selected from a sublime collection of exclusive works of art that are perfectly paired with fine details such as hand-carved headboards made by skilled craftsmen. I had the opportunity to stay in a luxury apartment with a balcony and a jacuzzi.

All the spacious luxury rooms of Hotel Cruz del Vado have access to a privileged view of the Tomebamba River and the modern part of the city. The high ceilings are filled with high brick walls, which form part of the exclusive decor that can be admired while bathing in the jacuzzi, the perfect detail for any stay. All bed types consist of a plush pillow-top mattress developed by Simmons exclusively for Art Hotels Ecuador. AromaVida’s exclusive Ecuadorian organic line of bath products help rejuvenate body and soul. In this hotel, you can always count on a modern en-suite bathroom with a walk-in shower and a rain shower in which you have bathrobes and slippers that simply tempt you to relax.

Each guest room also includes iHome dual charging (quick charging dock and USB port), alarm clock/radio and access to many international channels via DIRECTV with crystal clear picture quality on 40” TVs for perfect hospitality, saving 30% more energy than conventional televisions. There is a safe in the closet, and the most important thing to know is that Wi-Fi is always free in any Art Hotels Ecuador hotel group.

I would like to give a special thanks to the staff of Hotel Cruz del Vado for their warm welcome and hosting me in their hotel. The stay in their hotel was exceptional, a unique experience that I will remember!

In the next post, I will write about other interesting localities located in the immediate vicinity of Cuenca that you should visit, if you decide to spend some time in this part of Ecuador. My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this third special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Ecuador where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of PRO ECUADOR, the Tourism Foundation of the Municipality of Cuenca, Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours and Hotel Cruz del Vado in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Ecuadorian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Ecuador.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with many companies and businessmen in the tourism sector and I would like to thank the Tourist Foundation of the Municipality of Cuenca once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Ecuadorian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Ecuador and the presentation of Cuenca, which adorns the south of this unusual country in South America? Have you had the chance to visit Ecuador so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Ecuador, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this exotic country!

With Love from Cuenca,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by PRO ECUADOR, the Tourism Foundation of the Municipality of Cuenca, Tour Operator Cuenca BesTours and Hotel Cruz del Vado as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Ecuador: Quito, the Pearl of South America in the Middle of the World…

Adventure Travel 9 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. This November will be dedicated to an unusual country in the heart of South America, a country known for the best cocoa, bananas and coffee – Ecuador. At the very beginning of this series of travelogues, I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR, the tourism board of the city of Quito – Visit Quito, the Dutch national airline KLM, as well as other partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America. With their help, travelogues from Ecuador and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this November and December, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous posts about the travelogue and fashion story from Ecuador or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

During every trip, the hotel where we stay is very important to all of us, because the hotel is our home in the new destination and therefore it is very important to choose a good hotel in each destination. During my stay in the capital of Ecuador, my Hotel Patio Andaluz was my home, decorated with style, comfort and a beautiful atmosphere in the old heart of Quito.

Hotel Patio Andaluz is an elegant boutique hotel housed in a late 16th century colonial style house, a national monument whose walls hide centuries of history and art with exceptional architecture adorned with grand arches and interior courtyards filled with bright and colourful gardens. Because of all these unusual details, this hotel has charm and provides a pleasant atmosphere for all guests and visitors. The Rincon de Cantuna restaurant, inside its main courtyard, offers excellent options of Ecuadorian and international dishes.

Hotel Patio Andaluz has an exceptional location in the Colonial heart of Quito just 150 meters from the Main Square also known as Independence Square, a few minutes walk to San Francisco’s most famous church and square and a 5 minute walk to La Compania Church and its impressive golden interior and among other places of great importance in the colonial old part of Quito, such as museums, churches and numerous historical sites.

The hotel is spacious and in every lobby of the hotel there are living rooms and areas to relax, enjoy a drink and admire all the decorative pieces, plants and architectural details that give the hotel warmth and feel like you are at home. The Guayasamin reading room has a wide selection of literature and has a station for hot drinks, coffee and tea. This wonderful reading room is decorated with paintings by the famous Ecuadorian painter Osvaldo Guayasamino.

Make yourself at home in one of the 32 air-conditioned rooms featuring LED televisions. Free WiFi internet will keep you connected to family, friends and the world, and cable TV is available for your entertainment and learning about Ecuadorian culture and local daily life. All bathrooms have a shower and have all the necessary toiletries and a hair dryer.

I was accommodated in a Superior Premium room which has a view that is simply breathtaking as you can see the whole old part of Quito like in the palm of your hand. Located on the 4th floor, with a spectacular view of the historic center of Quito, it has a French king-sized bed measuring 2m x 2m, cable channels on a 32-inch LCD TV and air conditioning. In addition to air conditioning, the hotel also has portable heaters that can keep you warm during your stay if outside temperatures are lower than usual.

I would like to give a special thanks to the staff of Hotel Patio Andaluz for their warm welcome and hosting me in their hotel. The stay in their hotel was exceptional, a unique experience that I will remember!

Today we continue with getting to know the capital of Ecuador and recommending which places you should visit during your stay in this charming pearl of South America, which is located in the very “middle of the world”.

Today’s acquaintance with Quito begins with the most famous cathedral in Quito, which I had the opportunity to see every morning from my room’s window – Basilica of the National Vow. This basilica is also known as the Basilica of the Consecration of Jesus or the Basilica of San Juan (after the part of the city in which it is located) or simply La Basilica. This basilica is a neo-Gothic religious building in the historic center of Quito. Due to its dimensions and style, it was considered the largest neo-Gothic temple in America. In addition to being the highest religious temple in Latin America until 2017, when the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary was built in Manizales.

The Basilica of the National Vow arose from the idea to build a monument as an eternal memory of the consecration of the Republic of Ecuador to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, proposed by Father Julio Matovele, a representative of the Republic in 1883.

The project was contracted in France by the French architect Emilio Tarlier, who already had experience in similar constructions in Spain, France and England, who was inspired by the Paris Cathedral of Notre Dame, made plans between 1890 and 1896. President Luis Cordero Crespo issued a decree on the start of work on July 23, 1883, although in practice it was carried out during the time of President José María Placido Camaña, who ratified the decree on March 5, 1884.

The construction of the facility was originally planned in the El Belen sector, north of La Alameda Park, for which in 1884 the Convention provided for the purchase of land located in this area, but after preliminary studies it was determined that the soil was not suitable to build a facility of the desired size and that construction on that site would require extremely high costs. It was then decided to change the location of the building, suggesting the fifth part of the Hurtado family, located at the foot of the San Juan Hill, whose soil was strong enough to support the weight of this religious building.

During the construction of the basilica, donations were received from the faithful who gave money, participated in the construction or gave building materials in exchange for carving their names on the stone. In 1895, the state introduced a tax on the purchase of salt for the continuation of construction.

A few years later, in 1901, Father Matovele and his community of Oblate missionaries took over the construction at the request of Archbishop Pedro Rafael González Callisto, and officially on July 10, 1892, the first stone was laid. From 1892 to 1909, the Chapel of the Sacred Heart of Mary was built.

Although decorative details are still missing, it can be said that this religious building, as it is known today, was completed in 1924, when masses and bells on the towers began to be celebrated in the central part. Certain folk beliefs say that the day the basilica is finished, the end of the world will come or the Republic of Ecuador will disappear as a free and sovereign state.

The basilica was blessed by Pope John Paul II on January 30, 1985, although it was officially consecrated and inaugurated on July 12, 1988.

The Basilica of the National Vow is the most important work of Ecuadorian neo-Gothic architecture and one of the most representative on the American continent, and at the same time the largest religious building in the countries of the New World. Due to its structure and style, it is compared to two great cathedrals around the world: St. Patrick’s Cathedral (New York) and Notre Dame Cathedral (Paris).

The central part of the cathedral (nave) is 140 meters long, 35 meters wide and 30 meters high, in addition to the 74-meter height in the transept. The two front towers are each 115 meters high.

The cathedral has seven entrances, three on the facade and four on the side. A solid underground public crypt, with a kind of chapel of the same characteristics. It also has an elegant and national pantheon where the remains of several heads of state rest.

Located below the basilica, with access from the west side, there is the National Pantheon of the Heads of State of Ecuador, although not all of them are buried in this place, but only four:

  • Andres F. Cordoba (1892-1983)
  • Camilo Ponce Enriquez (1912-1976)
  • Mariano Suarez Veintimila (1897-1980)
  • Antonio Flores Gijon (1833-1915)

The construction of this pantheon is in accordance with the visit of Father Matovele to the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of El Escorial, where the remains of the kings, queens and babies of Spain rest, and was started five years after the temple, and completed by Father Rigoberto Correa.

The crypt consists of 50 French marble tombs for bodies and 150 for urns, all with tombstones with the gold shield of Ecuador. Since 2002, there has been a ceremony to ensure the eternal rest of the remains of heads of state in this place, unless the deceased or his heirs have an express will to bury it elsewhere.

After the Cathedral, my advice is to visit the Our Lady of the City of Quito, which you can see from absolutely every part of Quito – Our Lady of El Panesil. The protector of the city is also known as the Virgin of Whales because of the name of the sculpture she was inspired by. It is located at the top of the hill of El Panecillo, an unusual elevation in the shape of a small loaf of bread located in the heart of the city and serving as a backdrop to the historic center.

At 41 meters tall, if the base is added, it is the tallest statue in Ecuador and one of the tallest in South America, surpassing even the famous Christ the Redeemer in the city of Rio de Janeiro. It is also the tallest aluminum sculpture on the planet.

When the statue of the Virgin was installed, the ancient hill of El Panecillo, which is traditionally associated with indigenous culture, took on Catholic religious connotations, which is why during the Christmas season a giant illuminated nativity scene is set up and a traditional Christmas novena is held.

As a tourist spot, the Virgin of El Panesillo has become one of the main tourist attractions of the city of Quito, where you can get a privileged 180-degree view from the observation deck. The photos at the foot of the monument are one of the most popular souvenirs that local and foreign tourists take with them.

The Ecuadorian film Behind (2011) used the iconography of the monument for its promotional posters, although it is represented by the bare back of a woman pretending to be a virgin with her back to the south of the city, where the action takes place. Interestingly, the film Proof of Life (2000), starring Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan, uses an aerial shot of this monument at the end of the film. Also, the t-shirts of the Ecuadorian company Macueno used the sculpture of the Virgin Mary in their design.

The view from the viewpoint is truly magnificent and this was truly an amazing experience for me.

In addition to many natural resources and an astonishing variety of fruits and vegetables, Ecuador is also known for the Avenue of Volcanoes – as many as 61 volcanoes are located in this country, 12 of which, with as many as six active ones, are in the capital.

Ecuador is one of the smallest countries in the Americas. It lies in both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres and is divided by the Equator, after which it got its name. It borders Colombia and Peru, and on the West side it opens to the Pacific Ocean. Why is it considered that Quito is the pearl of South America in the middle of the world?

Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (The City in the Middle of the World) is a land owned by the prefecture of the province of Pichincha, Ecuador. It is located about 26 km north of the center of Quito. The grounds contain the Equator Monument, which highlights the exact location of the Equator and commemorates the eighteenth-century Franco-Spanish surveying mission that determined its approximate location. It is also home to the Ethnographic Museum of Middle Earth, a museum about the ethnography of the indigenous people of Ecuador.

The 30-meter-tall monument was built between 1979 and 1982 by architect and contractor Alfredo Fabián Páez with Carlos Manchen as president of the Pichincha Provincial Council to replace an older, smaller monument built by the Government of Ecuador under the direction of geographer Luis Tufinho in 1936. The monument is made of iron and concrete and covered with hewn and polished andesite stone. The monument was erected in memory of the first geodetic mission of the French Academy of Sciences, led by Louis Godin, Pierre Bouguer and Charles Marie de La Condamine, who in 1736 conducted experiments to test the flattening of the poles and prove the shape of the Earth by comparing the distance between the meridians degrees in the equatorial zone with the second level measured in Sweden. The older monument was moved 7 km to a small town nearby called Kalakali.

The Intiñan Museum is located just outside of Quito, right next to the Mitad del Mundo monument. Most people know that the Mitada del Mundo equatorial line is a bit far. Intiñan has his marker and is closer to the right place.

In addition to the opportunity to make great photos, this museum also offers great fun with numerous experiments! This is a great place for travelers with children who want to learn something new. You can take a tour of this museum with a guide in Spanish or English and it is included in the ticket price.

Although there are only a few actual exhibits, this museum is really well done and organized. This museum focuses on the indigenous tribes of Ecuador, including the Shuar and Waorani. There are replicas of typical houses of some of the tribes… This museum also has an interesting farm of guinea pigs, which are one of the symbols of Ecuador. There is also a tomb where your guide will explain some of the rituals that come with death for the Tsáchila people.

The main attraction of the museum is the various scientific experiments that are a hands-on experience for those who visit the museum. Here you can find interesting interactive exhibits on how the Incas determined the center of the earth, plus numerous interesting science experiments such as balancing an egg on a fingernail and the effect of the Coriolis force on the earth.

You usually start your tour of the Intiñan Museum by visiting several huts that contain everything from shrunken heads to pottery. You will also find various types of flowers and plants that can be used for medicinal purposes and are also beautiful. There are depictions of everyday life as well as various works of art. The cultural exhibits only take about thirty minutes to see and are really just an introduction to the fun of actually doing the experiments.

The first experiment was to close your eyes and walk along the equator line. Strangely, almost all visitors found it difficult to keep their balance and walk in a straight line. The guide explained to us that this is because of the conflicting pulls from the northern and southern hemispheres that make you want to lean in one direction or the other. We then watched the water being poured into the sink in each of the hemispheres and although there are ways to make it spin the way you want, when nature is left to its own design, it spins in different directions. The same is true for hurricanes and typhoons where in the Northern Hemisphere things spin counterclockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere they spin clockwise. Water going down the drain does the same thing, counterclockwise north of the equator and clockwise south of the equator.

This was followed by another experiment that I’m not sure if it works or why it works, but our guide had us put his hands down until we were at the equator and some managed to get his hands down. We then moved to the equator line and he used one finger and was able to stop the visitors taking part in the experiment from pushing his hand down. For the end, they left the most interesting experiment balancing an egg on a nail on the equator line, which is not easy, but one visitor succeeded. All the experiments are more interesting and definitely not something you can do at home, unless you happen to live on the equator. 🙂

The visit to this museum was very interesting, I learned a lot of facts about the tribes that inhabit the part of Ecuador around the Amazon and it was a really pleasant experience and a fulfilling day. I definitely recommend making time to go to the Intiñan Museum if you are visiting Quito.

Now follows the most interesting part for all lovers of mountains and an incredible view of the heart of Ecuador. If you want unusual and great photos for social networks and to share with your family and friends an unforgettable experience from Quito, then the Teleferico or “TeleferiKo” is the ideal means of transportation for you.

The Teleferico is the famous cable car in Quito and it really needs to be on the list of every tourist visiting Quito. The lower station of the cable car is located on the northwest side of the city center of Quito. If you are arriving by Uber or taxi, be sure to ask to be dropped off at “Park Vulcano”. Vulcano Park is an amusement park, but your anyone who lives in Quito will understand that you want to go to the cable car and that this is the best way to get to the cable car and enjoy the magnificent view of the city and the amazing nature.

Once you arrive at Vulcano Park, it’s a short walk uphill and a few steps to get to the main Teleferico cable car station. This cable car is positioned high and is one of the highest in the world. The ride itself starts very high, because Quito is the second largest capital city in the world, which I explained to you in a previous travelogue. When you board the cable car, you start your ride at 3,117 meters and climb to less than 4,000 meters above sea level. The cable car trip to the top takes between 10 – 15 minutes and the view is incredible.

One small explanation for all visitors, it’s not a mountain you’re going to, it’s a volcano. The Pichincha volcano last erupted in 1999 and covered the city with several layers of ash, but did not cause serious damage. In fact, the Ecuadorian province that is home to Quito is named “Pichincha” after this volcano.

Once you’re up at the top, there are a number of vantage points depending on what part of the city you want to see. The guide explained to us that on a clear day, you can see a number of mountains in the distance, including the famous Cotopaxi. It wasn’t a particularly clear day during my visit, so I wasn’t able to see much outside the city limits. If you decide to explore the top of the hill there you can see some open space, the famous swing that is at the top where you can take great photos and some small restaurants, a bunch of picnic tables with people and some animals.

Of course, I found my favorite animals for which I came to South America and took one of the most beautiful pictures from this trip – with llamas. One photography tip, we all know that these animals have a habit of spitting when they are scared which is a normal reaction, but try to take pictures with female llamas as they don’t have a habit of spitting and are much calmer and love to take pictures. Males can be aggressive and spit, so it’s best to take photos with females and talk to him in a sweet, low tone so the animals don’t get nervous. You should always take care of your position and body language when approaching animals that don’t know you because you have to gain their trust in a short time so that the photo turns out to be a nice memory from the trip.

In addition to llamas, you have the opportunity to ride horses on certain trails and enjoy the view. Since the weather was quite windy and foggy, I didn’t ride this time even though I love horses and learned to ride horses as a child. If you decide to come here, check the weather forecast and try to find a period when the weather is sunny to be able to enjoy this adventure, purely for the better experience.

Of course, you can enjoy long walks here, just dress well because the weather here is changeable. The scenery is truly magnificent and I am sure you will enjoy the natural beauty outside the city limits.

In the next post I will write about other interesting cities in Ecuador. My dear travelers, we have come to the end of this second special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Ecuador where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of PRO ECUADOR, the Tourism Board of the City of Quito – Visit Quito, the Hotel Patio Andaluz, as well as the airline company KLM in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Ecuadorian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Ecuador.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

It is an honour for me to have the opportunity to cooperate with many companies and businessmen in the tourism sector and I would like to thank the Tourism Board of Quito – Visit Quito for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Ecuadorian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like this story of mine about Ecuador and the presentation of Kita, which adorns the heart of this unusual country in South America? Have you had the chance to visit Ecuador so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT ME page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Ecuador, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this far away country!

Blogger greetings from Quito,

Mr. M

This post is sponsored by the Quito Tourism Board – Visit Quito, PRO ECUADOR, Hotel Patio Andaluz, the airline KLM and other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Tunisia: Tozeur, Monastir, Chott el Djerid Lake, the best for the end…

Adventure Travel 6 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of August will be dedicated to an unusual country on the African continent – Tunisia, a country known for its olives. At the very beginning of this seventh and the last post in the series of travelogues, I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia for the kind invitation and hospitality. With their help, travelogues and fashion stories were created that you could read during the months of July and August as well, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the rest of summer season of posts on the Mr.M blog.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues from Tunisia or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordering Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It houses the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Tunisia is known for its ancient architecture, markets and blue shores, it covers approximately 164,000 km2 and has a population of around 12 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern part of the Sahara Desert, and much of the remaining territory of Tunisia is arable land. With almost 1,300 km of coastline, it includes the African junction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin. Tunisia is home to the northernmost point of Africa – Cape Angel, and its capital and largest city is Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, after which the country gets its name.

The seventh and also the last blog post from the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to the cities of Tozeur and Monastir, as well as the famous large Endorean salt lake in southern Tunisia – Chott el Djerid. As the title of the travelogue says, I saved the best for last! Tozer is a city in Tunisia on the border of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert, the largest of the five oases that make up the Djerid. Gradually built around its palm grove, it is the capital of the province of the same name. Located northwest of Chot el Djerid, near the border with Algeria.

A city with an important religious past, welcomes many scientists. Ibn Chabbat bequeathed him an irrigation system for palm groves, and the poet Abou el Kacem Chebbi composed his famous Ela Toghat Al Alaam there, in the midst of the French protectorate. The modern topography of Tozeur pays tribute to them, as well as the marabouts. The city experienced significant demographic growth, along with significant expansion, during the second half of the 20th century, with the sedentarization of the Bedouin. It moves from about 11,000 inhabitants to 37,365 inhabitants in a few decades, according to the 2014 census.

The architecture of its architectural heritage, especially that of its medina characterized by raised brick patterns, is unique in Tunisia, along with that of the neighboring city of Neft. Agriculture, especially the monoculture of dates of the Deglet Nour variety, represents its main resource, which represents a third of the production of dates in Tunisia. The brickyard is still in operation, for the needs of many construction sites. Since the 1990s, the municipality of Tozeur has been developing tourism, under the leadership of the then mayor, Abderrazak Cherait. This development is based, among other things, on the presence of an international airport and numerous hotels, on the promotion of heritage and filming locations, as well as on the organization of the Oasis International Festival.

“Tozeur” is the official transcription of the city’s name in Latin letters; another transcription of Tunisian Arabic was “Tuzer”. According to Vincent Batesti, the name of the city is pronounced “Tuzor”. Count Antoine-Auguste du Pati de Clam, officer, colonial administrator, archaeologist and member of the Paris Geographical Society, put forward four hypotheses about the origin of the name Tozeur: The first assumes that the name already existed in ancient Egypt in the form Tes-Hor, meaning “city of the sun “, which the Greeks later transformed into Apollonites; a colony from this city could bear the same name.

Another hypothesis indicates that it comes from the name of the pharaoh Tauserta – which means “powerful” in Egyptian – who ascended the throne after the death of her husband Seti II (pharaoh from the XIX dynasty and grandson of the famous pharaoh Ramses II). The city of Tozeur would represent the tribute that a Cushitic colony paid to this queen, who was the last representative of the dynasty. This hypothesis is confirmed by the architecture of Tozer, which is characterized by the use of earthen bricks dried in the sun and then baked. Ancient Egypt is known to have used such knowledge in its urban constructions.

A third hypothesis indicates that the word would be a Berber feminine form of the adjective “strong”, Taouser, which form would mean “strong”. In 205 BC, the Berber kingdom of Massinis extended to this city. Charles-Joseph Tiso also defends this etymology.

The last hypothesis assumes that the name Tozeur is one of the forms of the name Ucuur, which means “that of Asura” or “that which comes from Asura”, because the name of the city would be a tribute that the Assyrian would return the colony to its original homeland.

Tozeur is located along an elongated hill of several kilometers, which separates two salt lakes, Chott el-Jerid in the south and Chott el-Gharsa in the northwest. It is part of Jerida or Djerida, the most important of the five oases, on the borders of the Sahara desert. A small mountain range, Jebel Mora, is located east of the city. As such, Tozer is part of the Atlas fold, which stretches from Morocco to western Tunisia. The Tozeur region belongs to the southern Tunisian Atlas, which is characterized by chots composed of Upper Carboniferous sedimentary basins.

This region is known for its lush oases in the middle of the desert and is of geological and geomorphological interest. Sebkhas, characterized by fine moist saltwater sediments in winter, and cracked surfaces of mud with salt and gypsum crusts in summer, cover the bottom of the chota, where very sparse vegetation is found. The city, which covers 1,256 hectares, is surrounded by a palm grove that is connected to its urban center, an area of about 1,000 hectares, which covers about 400,000 trees. The main plant species that grows naturally in Tozeur is prosopis, a fodder and bee plant that reaches a height of five meters at the age of fifteen.

The region has an ancient settlement, especially during the prehistoric civilization of the Capsians and, like the whole of North Africa, it is based on a Berber origin, even if the local tradition does not claim it: it is really positioned on the Arab that makes the connection with the prophet Muhammad. The first scientific descriptions of Tozeur date from the end of the 19th century, and these writings are marked by an obsession with the search for Roman ruins. The history of Jerrid remains rather poorly known, Pati du Clam’s Chronological Fastes of Tozeur in 1890 being the main source available on Tozeur’s past.

In ancient times, Tozer quickly became an active center of the trans-Saharan caravan trade, frequented by the Carthaginians. In 148 BC, he is cited by Ptolemy, who calls him “Tisouros”. The Romans, in full conquest of the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, settled there in 33 BC, the city was then named “Thusuros” in the Peitinger table. Apart from that, only the testimonies of Pliny the Elder remain, lyrical but precious, describing the heavenly beauty of this place. The city became a post office on the Saharan Limes, on the Roman road leading from Gabes to Biskra, specializing in the trade of dates and slaves. From the Christian influence under St. Augustine, there are remains of the church taken over by the El Qasr Mosque, located in Bled el Hadar, and certain rites such as the Sidi Juba which consists of the baptism of boys before circumcision.

The arrival of Muslims in VII. century coincides with the peak of agriculture and trade. During the Middle Ages, the Tozeur region was called “the land of Castile”, as mentioned by the famous Arab geographer Al-Bakri, who also points out that Tozeur, surrounded by a large stone wall, is a metropolis. This name comes from a series of fortified villages called castella. Over time, Tozeur and its surroundings became a refuge for various dissidents (Christian Donatists, Shiites and Kharijites). The protesting spirit of the inhabitants, who had developed a strong identity, encouraged them to encourage the twelve-year rebellion led by Abu Yazid against the Fatimid regime (935-947). They also established principalities independent of the central government, which were eventually reconquered by the Hafsids.

By the 12th century, Tozer was a flourishing cultural center. The city welcomed many theologians which led to the development of an oral tradition that was among the richest in the Maghreb, as well as a poetic tradition that continued until the 20th century, especially through the great poet Abu el Katsem Shebi. We also owe to Ibn Chabbat — whose real name is Abou Abdallah Ibn Ali Ibn Al Chabbat Al Touzri, born in 1221 in Tozeur — the conception and realization of important avant-garde works on palm cultivation and the significant improvement of the water distribution system that still functions in several an oasis in southern Tunisia.

Its 12th-century plan is on display at the Dar Cherait Museum. This irrigation plan, through the seguia, ensures a free distribution of water measured by the gadous (hydraulic hourglass) whose name comes from the Latin cadus (water clock), which itself comes from the Greek kados. In the 13th century, the city was destroyed by the Hafsids and then rebuilt outside the oasis. The city experienced a great economic boom, until its peak in the 14th century.

In the 16th century, the el Hadef family arrived in Tozer from today’s Algeria and took control of the city. She created neighboring houchs (traditional residential houses). Since the place of passage of trade caravans remained the same, the place of exchange and negotiation was located in front of the district of Uled el Hadef, which gradually became the most important part of the city. Zebda, of Arab origin, arrived in the 17th century and created another urban group. Ouled Sidi Abid settled at the same time in the northwest of Ouled el Hadef district, with which they were allies.

In the period from 1984 to 1987, the National Tourist Service renovated certain streets in the medina. In the early 1990s, the Tunisian government and Abderrazak Cherait developed tourism, using a priority national development plan aimed at reducing congestion on Tunisia’s coasts. In 1990, Abderrazak Cherait created the first theme park complex in Tozeur, a museum and a luxury hotel, Dar Cherait. A dozen luxury hotels have been created to attract tourists, with turnkey stays, and its development has been noticeable since 1994.

Residents demanded, for example, that goats be banned from roaming freely in the streets. In the late 1990s, the Tunisian state promoted the notion of heritage in Tozeur. Various developments and a festival funded by Cherait make Tozeur a popular tourist destination.

Tourist activity disrupts habits, putting an end, among other things, to residents bathing in a large spring, because their privacy can be violated. According to information gathered by press correspondent Benoit Delmas, tourism has globally enriched Tozer residents during the year 2000.

According to the urban planning plan, the architectural heritage of the city of Tozer has become an economic issue. It is an important pillar for the tourism industry. Old descriptions of travelers passing through Tozer are contradictory, Deffontaine in 1754 speaking of “houses of mud”, while Gilles Daumas in 1845 described “one of the most beautiful towns in Jerrid with well-built houses”. Charles de Foucault drew these houses, which can be seen in his Maison ancien d’El Tozeur, kept in the National Library of France. Iconographic documents circulating at the beginning of the 20th century show that the apartments of Tozeura were large and well-maintained. The average size of apartments has evolved, the large residences of traditional patriarchal families have become smaller, in favor of the proliferation of multi-storey structures, since 1980.

The district of Ouled el-Hadef, which dates its oldest remains from the 14th century, is considered the most interesting and traditional of Tozer. Accessible from Avenue Farhat-Hached and Avenue Habib-Bourguiba, it forms the old town or medina of Tozeur, one of the best-preserved medinas in all of Tunisia. It starts on Kairouan Street, at the level of the Museum of Popular Art and Tradition, and ends on El-Walid Street, with the madrasah of Sidi Abdullah Bu Jemr. The inhabitants of this district are quite poor according to Daher, Ouled el-Hadef is now less a place of life than a place of landscape.

It is surrounded by a high wall of small rectangular bricks, quite bright, without windows, whose function is to preserve the privacy of the inhabitants. Its facades decorated with patterns in terracotta bricks are presented in documents from the beginning of the 20th century. This district is entirely built with traditional clay bricks, giving an architecture with a cachet valued for tourism: with the medina of Neft, this style is unique in Tunisia. The small arched streets of this district form a veritable labyrinth.

Medina Tozeur has a palm wood mashrabiya that is considered exceptional, as well as one of the oldest doors in Tunisia, also made of palm wood. The poorest residents have palm wood doors, which are cheaper, only the richest can afford “real” wooden doors. This door used to have a knocker for each type of person: men, women and children, that is, up to three knockers that emit a different sound, two if the family had no children: their role is to identify who is at home. A door for the appropriate family member to open. Green doors indicate the presence of religious places. The neighboring mosque is the Sidi Abdesalem Mosque. In Medina, there is a bey’s house, which served as a set for the filming of the film The English Patient.

The souk is located in the south of the city, it forms the city center of Tozeur, so it is the souk that most often corresponds to the name “Tozeur”. It revolves around the central square of Ibn-Chabbat, where the market and the post office are located. It is located near the historical districts of Tozeur, Ouled el-Hadef and Zebda; the architecture here is less traditional than in the medina further east. The city’s main mosque, the Farkous (or Ferkous) Mosque, although recent, has the tallest and most distinctive minaret in Tozeur. There is another mosque in the souk, which is located near the tourist office, the Sidi Mouldi mosque, whose minaret, similar in style to that of the Farkous mosque, was restored in 1944. The souk is dedicated to both walking and shopping, and the local expression “descending the souk” is synonymous with “strolling”. The souk was renovated in the early 2000s.

Chott el-Jerid is the largest salt plain or Tunisian sebkha with an area of about 5,000 km. Chott el Djerid is a large endoreic salt lake in southern Tunisia. The name can be translated from Arabic to English as “Lagoon of the Palm Land”. On May 28, 2008, the Tunisian government proposed the site for future classification on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The bottom of Chott el Djerida is between 10 and 25 meters below sea level. The width of the lake varies greatly; at its narrowest point, it is only 20 km in diameter, compared to its total length of 250 km. Sometimes its parts appear in various shades of white, green and purple. The narrow eastern entrance to Chott is also known as Chott el Fejej. It is the largest salt pan in the Sahara desert, with an area of over 7,000 km2, while some sources state 5,000 km2. The locality has a typical hot desert climate.

Due to the harsh climate with an average annual rainfall of less than 100 mm and daily temperatures that sometimes reach 50 °C or more during the summer with intense solar radiation, water evaporates from the lake. In summer, Chott el Djerid almost completely dries up, and numerous mirages appear. It is located between the towns of Tozer and Kebili. During the winter, small tributaries of water can be seen emptying into the lake.

Because the floodplain is highly variable, the values shown for the area of the lake (or its basin, which is almost always dry), can vary widely. Some sources give values up to 10,000 km². Similarly, the figures given for altitude vary between 10 meters above and 25 meters below sea level. Fresh water irrigation schemes are currently being implemented in the region to help eliminate salt from the soil and increase productive area.

The lake can be crossed on foot and even by car, but it is very dangerous because the salt crust is not always solid. In winter, when the lake is full, it can be crossed by boat. Piles of salt on its edges are collected for the processing of salt production. Relict populations of West African crocodiles persisted in Chott el Djeridu until the beginning of the 20th century. Pink flamingos are known to use the shores of the lake as nesting sites in the spring.

Chott el Djerid is the namesake of Djerid Lacuna, an endorheic hydrocarbon lake on Saturn’s moon Titan that contains liquid methane and ethane instead of water.

Monastir is a coastal city in the Tunisian Sahel, in central-eastern Tunisia, located on a peninsula southeast of the Gulf of Hammamet, twenty kilometers east of Sousse and south of the capital of Tunisia. In 2014, the population of the municipality reached almost 100,000 inhabitants. The city has been the capital of the province of the same name since 1974.

The name of the city comes from the word “monastery” (in Latin monasterium) even if it is still a matter of debate. According to Hasan Hosni Abdelwaheb, the name is of Arabic origin, only borrowed from the Greek term monastrion, meaning monastery and widespread in the Byzantine Empire to describe fortifications built on the Mediterranean coast. Before the Muslim conquest and immediately after the decline of the ancient Punic-Roman city of Ruspina, Monastir was a city built by a community of Christian monks, recognized by their abbey, which occupied a completely autonomous monastery. After the conquest, the Muslims kept the name.

The Ribat of Monastir was built by the Wali of Hartham Ibn Ayun on the orders of the Abbasid caliph Harun ar-Rashid in 796 as a means of defense against the attacks of the Byzantine fleet in the Mediterranean. It represents, along with the ribat from Sousse, one of the two most important fortresses on the coast of the Sahel. According to messages related to local history and dating from the beginning of the 10th century, it is a merit to stay in this ribat known as the Great Fortress. The three-day guard service at the monastery ribat is then considered a great religious action, because Muslims are obliged to protect their homeland.

This merit was reinforced during the Crusades. The fortress was perceived, both among fighters and ascetics, as a place of pilgrimage and meditation for religious holidays such as Achura or Ramadan. On the upper floor of the southeast wing was a small mosque with a mihrab. It is now used as a museum displaying items from the region and from Kairouan. Among the important monuments of the city is the Great Mosque in Monastir, a stone building of sober architecture built in the 9th century and then expanded during the 11th and 18th centuries. In the city of Monastir there is also a mausoleum which was ceremonially opened in 1963 by the then president Habib Bourguiba. The building, framed by two minarets 25 meters high, is surmounted by a golden dome, which is itself surrounded by two green domes. The entrance door and the gate that separates it from the rest of the cemetery are two examples of Tunisian art.

Monastir has a Museum of Islamic Art, opened on August 5, 1958 and located on the first floor of the south wing of the ribat; it includes nearly 300 works (fragments of wood, funerary stelae, brilliant ceramics) and is visited by almost 100,000 visitors every year. The Monastir summer festival is organized every year as part of the ribat and lasts from three to four weeks, offering many musical, theatrical and even cinematographic performances. A few kilometers from the city center, the cultural center of Monastir, founded in 2000, hosts various cultural events.

Within it, several cultural societies, which mainly deal with painting, music and theater, carry out their activities. This center replaces the old cultural center located in the very heart of the city; retains some essentially student activities. The Association of Monastic Writers is an association whose premises are located in the town of Čraka of the old town. It welcomes several members and organizes various cultural meetings.

My dear travelelrs, we have come to the end of this seventh special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Tunisia where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the northern part of the African continent. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Tunisian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Tunisia.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Tunisian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Tunisia and the presentation of Tozeur, Monastir, Chott el Djerid Lake that adorn the heart of this unusual country? Have you had the chance to visit Tunisia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Tunisia, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey takes you to this unusual country!

From Love from Tunisia,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Tunisia: Carthage, the Center of Ancient Power…

Adventure Travel 4 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of August will be dedicated to an unusual country on the African continent – Tunisia, a country known for its olives. At the very beginning of this sixth post in the series of travelogues, I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia for the kind invitation and hospitality. With their help, travelogues and fashion stories were created that you could read during the month of July, but you will have the opportunity to read them during August as well, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the summer season of posts on the Mr.M blog.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues from Tunisia or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordering Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It houses the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Tunisia is known for its ancient architecture, markets and blue shores, it covers approximately 164,000 km2 and has a population of around 12 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern part of the Sahara Desert, and much of the remaining territory of Tunisia is arable land. With almost 1,300 km of coastline, it includes the African junction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin. Tunisia is home to the northernmost point of Africa – Cape Angel, and its capital and largest city is Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, after which the country gets its name.

The sixth blog post in the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to Carthage, the center of ancient power. Carthage is a city in Tunisia located northeast of the capital city of Tunis. The ancient Punic city was destroyed and then rebuilt by the Romans who made it the capital of the province of Proconsular Africa, today it is one of the most exclusive municipalities of Greater Tunisia, the official residence of the President of the Republic, which consists of many residences of ambassadors, wealthy Tunisians and expatriates.

The city still has many archaeological sites, mostly Roman with some Punic elements, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 27, 1979. The municipality of Carthage, which in 2014 had a little over 17,000 inhabitants, is today home to the presidential palace, the Malik ibn Anas mosque, the national museum of Carthage and the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts.

How did Carthage get its name? The name Carthage comes from the Phoenician Karth-Hadasht, meaning “New City”, which might suggest “New Tyr”. Under Roman rule, the city was named Carthage. Carthage was founded by Phoenician settlers from Tire in 814 BC. According to legend, Queen Dido or Elyssa, sister of King Tyre, Pygmalion, founded the city. It is said that the queen asked the neighboring ruler Hiarbas, a Berber king, for permission to establish a kingdom on her land. Then he offered him a piece of land as big as a cow hide. The cleverer queen had a cowhide cut into very thin strips and drew the boundaries of Carthage. In reference to this mythical founder, the Carthaginians are sometimes called “the children of Dido” in literature.

The city became the dominant power in the western Mediterranean in the 4th century BC. The Carthaginians practiced a polytheistic cult originating in the Middle East. They especially worshiped Baal and Tanith. Rome has long accused them of child sacrifice (ceremony of silence). One hypothesis, among others, suggests that the ritual of cremation was mainly intended to return the souls of deceased children by the shortest route to Ba’al Hamon, at a time when infant mortality was more than high despite advances in hygiene.

According to other sources, it seems that the sacrifice of living children, usually the eldest in a noble’s family, to prove the sincerity of their loyalty to Carthage, gave rise to the custom of the latter adopting a child slave for this purpose. The Carthaginians introduced the short iron sword into the Mediterranean Sea, because until then warriors fought with spears and slings. Carthage conquers Hispania as well as Sicily where it meets the Romans. The ancient city of Carthage is at the heart of the novel Salambo, written in 1862 by Gustave Flaubert, and the action takes place in the time of Hamilcar Barca, that is, in the youth of Hannibal Barca.

The Carthaginians were defeated by the general Scipio, called Africanus, in alliance with the Numidian king Massinis at the Battle of Zama. Indeed, a series of three conflicts between the two powers, better known as the Punic Wars – the Romans called the Carthaginians Poeni. The conflict begins in the 3rd century BC. BC and ends with the victory of Rome and the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. AD, after four years of siege. After an aborted attempt by Gracchi, Julius Caesar later founded a city on the ruins of the Punic city. This becomes the capital of the new African province. In the Lower Kingdom, the city, favored for Christianity, suffered imperial persecution. In the 4th century, Carthage became one of the greatest spiritual capitals of the West. It was conquered in 439 by the Vandals led by Genseric, who established a kingdom there.

At that time, the Church was a victim of persecution and suffered especially. The takeover by the Romans (Eastern Roman Empire) in 533 brought prosperity back to the African capital. Emperor Justinian I made it the seat of his African diocese, but after the Monothelite crisis, the emperors of Byzantium, opposed to the African Church, quickly turned away from Carthage, which became the seat of the Exarchate. Carthage then gives Constantinople a succession of emperors following Heraclius, the son of the Exarch of Carthage.

At the time of the Arab conquests, the latter took the city in 698, but they preferred Tunis, the neighboring city, which gave its name to the country, the African which henceforth denoted the whole continent. After this siege led by Hassan Ibn Numan, the city was sacked and the population moved to Tunisia. Materials from the destruction of Carthage would later be used to expand the infrastructure of the neighboring city.

In the Middle Ages, Saint Louis captures the city during the Eighth Crusade, during which he dies of dysentery; he then hoped to convert the Hafsid sultan to Christianity and oppose him to the ruler of Egypt in order to force him to withdraw from Jerusalem. The failure of this strategy marks the end of the Crusades. The cathedral was built in the 19th century on Birsa Hill, on the supposed site of his burial. Until the rediscovery of Carthage in the 19th century, the ruins were looted for marble to build public or religious buildings in Africa as in Europe. As a place of residence, there are only two hamlets left, inhabited by peasants and farmers, located in Douar Chott and La Malga.

It was in the 19th century that certain high dignitaries of the Beylik state chose Carthage for their summer vacation. The first to settle there was Mustafa Haznadar with a palace in Salambo, next to the sea near the Punic ports, then another one on the heights of Birsa, which became a school for managers. Then, the Mamluk general Ahmed Zarruk builds the Zarruk Palace, which became the official residence of Lamina Beg, then a nightclub after the abolition of the monarchy, to become the seat of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts.

An influential favorite of Sadok Bey, the minister Mustapha Ben Ismail also built the palace, which became the police academy in Douar Chott after being owned by Hedi Bey and his descendants from 1882 until the confiscation of the palace. These Tunisian-style residences were gradually surrounded by smaller summer residences belonging to the Tunisian nobility and bourgeoisie.

It was only in 1906 that we note the appearance of the first villas in the European style, the most important of which are those of the Secretary General of the Tunisian government, a French colonial official and the real prime minister of the country. Habib Bourguiba will choose this villa to become the presidential palace of Carthage in 1960. We also note in Salambo, near the Punic ports, around 1930, the construction of the villa of General Lanjelo, the commander of the French army and the Bey’s minister, which became the Villa Terzi, as well as the villa of Caid Habib. Djelluli and Salem Snadli near Birsa Hill. Between 1928 and 1929, Le Corbusier produced his only Tunisian work in the Carthage-Presidence: Villa Bezo.

The municipality of Carthage was created by the Beylic decree on June 15, 1919. The development of its communal perimeter, as well as the growth of its population, led to the creation of the Carthage-Mohammed municipal district. In February 1985, Ugo Vetere and Chedley Klibi, mayors of Rome and Carthage, symbolically signed the Treaty of Carthage, a peace treaty that officially ended the last war between the two cities, the Third Punic War. Since then, Carthage has become a small residential city in Greater Tunis. It became a sought-after place of residence for high-ranking civil servants, diplomats and industrialists. The Malik ibn Anas Mosque was inaugurated on November 11, 2003, on Odeon Hill after the destruction of residential buildings from the colonial period.

The archaeological site of Carthage, scattered throughout the modern city, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. The archeological site is dominated by the hill of Birsa, which was the center of the Punic city, and is distinguished by the massive silhouette of the Saint-Louis Cathedral built on the supposed burial site of King Louis IX, who died there during the Eighth Crusade. For the record, King Louis-Philippe I, descended from Louis IX, sent an architect to Carthage to find the most precise location.

Given the impossibility of such a mission, he simply chooses the most beautiful place. Near the cathedral, opposite this empty tomb, the remains of which were returned to France, are the remains of the most important quarter of the city, of which only a few foundations and a few fragments of columns remain. Based on its historical heritage, Carthage has developed into a vast residential suburb of Tunis around the presidential palace. However, the rapid development of the modern city risks destroying the remains forever, leading Tunisian archaeologists alarmed public opinion and between 1972 and 1992 UNESCO launched a huge international campaign to save Carthage. This milestone was completed by the World Heritage classification. The difficulty for today’s visitor lies in the extreme dispersion of remains even if specific remains can be distinguished.

The Malik ibn Anas mosque was built on a place called “the hill of the cloak”, on a site of three hectares. The then President of the Republic of Tunisia, Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, opened it on November 11, 2003. Built on a 2,500 m 2 esplanade, it has a 55-meter high minaret and a prayer room that can accommodate more than 1,000 worshipers 22 . St. Louis Cathedral in Carthage, located atop Beersa Hill, is a former Catholic cathedral that is no longer used for worship. The building is of Byzantine-Moorish style in the shape of a Latin cross and a facade framed by two square towers. On the walls are the coats of arms of the donors for the construction of the basilica. The windows are also decorated with arabesques. Built between 1884 and 1890, under the French protectorate, the cathedral became the Primate of Africa when the title of Primate of Africa was restored in favor of Cardinal Lavigerie.

The Carthage International Festival is a renowned cultural event held every summer in the Ancient Theater. The Carthage Cinematography Days, a biennial film festival launched in 1966 by the Tunisian Ministry of Culture, has been held continuously since its inception, alternating with the Carthage Theatrical Days. On Birsa Hill is the National Museum of Carthage in the premises occupied by the White Fathers. It allows the visitor to understand the extent of the city’s buildings during the Punic and then Roman periods.

Some of the most beautiful pieces found in excavations since the 19th century are there, and others are presented in the Bardo National Museum near Tunis. In the immediate vicinity, the former Saint-Louis Cathedral is today used as a cultural space and is called the Acropolis. It regularly hosts exhibitions and concerts, especially the Jazz a Carthage festival created in 2005.

Among the other institutions located in Carthage is the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, which has been installed since 1983 in the old palace, the property of General Zarrouq, Minister of War Sadok Bey, acquired in 1922 by Habib Bey and bequeathed to Lamine Bey, the last representative of the Hussein dynasty. The National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies, founded in 1924, is a public research institution based in Salambo. It has a small museum: Salambo Oceanographic Museum. In terms of education, the city is home to some renowned institutions such as the Carthage Institute of Advanced Commercial Studies and the Higher Institute of Childhood Executives. The educational network also includes five schools and four high schools including Carthage Presidency High School built in 1952.

My dear travelelrs, we have come to the end of this sixth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Tunisia where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the northern part of the African continent. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Tunisian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Tunisia.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Tunisian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Tunisia and the presentation of Carthage, the center of ancient power that adorn the heart of this unusual country? Have you had the chance to visit Tunisia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Tunisia, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey takes you to this unusual country!

From Love from Carthage,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

SHARE THIS POST

Letters from Tunisia: The Sahara, Oasis of Chebika and Nefta, the lost desert Jewels of North Africa

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of August will be dedicated to an unusual country on the African continent – Tunisia, a country known for its olives. At the very beginning of this fifth post in the series of travelogues, I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia for the kind invitation and hospitality. With their help, travelogues and fashion stories were created that you could read during the month of July, but you will have the opportunity to read them during August as well, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the summer season of posts on the Mr.M blog.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues from Tunisia or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordering Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It houses the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Tunisia is known for its ancient architecture, markets and blue shores, it covers approximately 164,000 km2 and has a population of around 12 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern part of the Sahara Desert, and much of the remaining territory of Tunisia is arable land. With almost 1,300 km of coastline, it includes the African junction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin. Tunisia is home to the northernmost point of Africa – Cape Angel, and its capital and largest city is Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, after which the country gets its name.

The fifth blog post in the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to the lost desert gems of North Africa that we can find in Tunisia: Sahara, Chebika Oasis, Nefta. The Sahara is a desert on the African continent. This desert with its area of 9,200,000 square kilometers is the largest hot desert in the world and the third largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Arctic. The desert got its name “Sahara” through the derivation of the Arabic word for “desert” in the irregular feminine form, singular sahra’. The desert covers most of North Africa, excluding the fertile Mediterranean coastal region, the Atlas Mountains of the Maghreb, and the Nile Valley in Egypt and Sudan.

It stretches from the Red Sea in the east and the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the west, where the landscape gradually changes from desert to coastal plain. It is bordered to the south by the Sahel, a belt of semi-arid tropical savanna around the Niger River valley, and the Sudan region in sub-Saharan Africa. The Sahara can be divided into several regions, including the Western Sahara, the central Ahagar Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, the Air Mountains, the Tenere Desert, and the Libyan Desert. For several hundred thousand years, the Sahara has alternated between desert and savannah grasslands in a 20,000-year cycle caused by the precession of the Earth’s axis as it rotates around the Sun, which changes the location of the north African monsoon.

Chebika is a mountain oasis located in the south of Tunisia, in the delegation of Tamerza in the western part of Tozeur province. The name Chebika means “small net” in Tunisian Arabic because the water flowing in the waterfalls of the oasis forms flowing nets and webs. The oasis itself covers 25 hectares and forms, with Tamerza and Mides, the smallest of the three main mountain oases in the southwest of the country, located on the Tunisian-Algerian border. Čebika is located in a deep valley, excavated in Upper Cretaceous limestone during water from a natural spring of good quality for irrigation. This valley is occasionally penetrated by runoff from a large mountain basin that has been exposed and hollowed out by erosion.

This geography is suitable for the occurrence of sudden torrents of rainwater and their rapid concentration at the level of the source, upstream of the oasis. In 1969, after the deadly floods that killed more than 400 people in Tunisia, the current village of Chebika was built near the abandoned village. The urban part of the current village is summarized in a chessboard, the lines of which form streets that intersect at the level of the market.

Prehistoric remains are numerous in the region, but the site of Chebika gained special importance in Roman times when it became an important link on the border: the Saharan limes connecting Thebes with Gafsa, both borders overseeing the movement of tribes and the collection of taxes. A number of military milestones and a Roman fossatum (defensive ditch) are found around the oasis itself, as well as cisterns and works from the same period and various traces of ancient roads and cultures leading to the surrounding fortresses and towards Ain el Khanga and Seguia el Rouma (“Christian Cistern for irrigation”).

Chebika can without too much doubt be identified with the ancient outpost Ad Speculum (literal translation “place of the mirror” in Latin): the garrisons used the mirror to communicate with other positions and to signal possible enemy incursions. The site of Chebika formed an optical relay, which would have a metal mirror installed in a place called Kasr al chams (“Fort of the Sun”). The locality received the title of civitas within the Roman province of Africa, which it held from 30 BC to 640 AD.

The traditional agricultural system of Chebika consists of three floors, with palm trees (especially those producing dates of the deglet nour variety) which are characterized by high density (500-600 trees per hectare), a great diversity of tree and shrub species on the second level and food grain crops, horticulture and forage at a lower level. The system also integrates family farming of sheep and goats, producing the manure necessary to maintain soil fertility, as well as camel farming in the pastures between the palm grove and the desert.

The irrigation water of the oasis is the collective property of the farmers who capture the spring and distribute it free of charge according to agreed secular methods giving the right to a certain amount of water, previously determined by the clepsydra. The maintenance of canals and hydraulic structures for distribution mainly by gravity, previously the collective responsibility of farmers, was revised in 2000 to reduce water losses in the canals and is now managed by the Tozeur Regional Commissariat for Agricultural Development.

Revising the irrigation schedule to match the reality of the plot is a difficult but necessary subject to ensure the future of the oasis. In this context, the population of Chebika is socially and economically disadvantaged and benefits little from transient tourism that uses few products obtained from the oasis. The unemployment rate is high, especially among young people, which causes a rural exodus from the oasis or even emigration abroad. This emigration or the search for a paid activity outside of agriculture leads to the deterioration of the infrastructure of the oasis and to the strengthening of the absence or even the abandonment of certain plots. The grove of palm trees is getting old and too tall palm trees need to be restored. Knowledge in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry and craft knowledge in the development of products from the oasis and the steppe environment is also being lost.

I would like to share an interesting fact with you, namely that the village of Chebika served as a set for the famous movie The English Patient. Today the village is abandoned, but it is used for tourist purposes and as a film set. One of the famous legends is how Chebika became famous when, on his way back from Mecca, Marabut, sensing his imminent death, asked to be placed on his camel, to let the animal go where it wanted and to bury it where it would stop. A Marabut is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically served as a chaplain in Islamic armies, particularly in North Africa and the Sahara, West Africa and historically in the Maghreb.

The camel stopped at Chebika, and at the place where the water comes out of the spring in Ain el Naga. There is a traditional belief that women go to the grave of a marabout to ask for healing, to give birth to a boy, to help with childbirth, for a selfless husband to love his wife again, or to bring back a husband or son after a period of absence. In general, the legend attributes to the marabout the power to protect people and herds from the evil spirits that haunt the chote and that regularly rise towards Mount Chebika.

The Zarda Festival continues to be celebrated today in the form of the annual Sidi Soltane Festival. Once celebrated on Fridays in summer (now in autumn), it begins with animal sacrifices, followed by men’s prayers in the mosque and the sharing of meals outdoors. The population of Chebika, Tamerza, El Hamma du Yerid or neighboring tribes (Ouled Sidi Abid) participate in this demonstration. Some practices are less respected, but tend to become secularized, turning into socio-cultural activities of defending oasis cultures and generating income thanks to the participation of international and domestic tourism in Tunisia.

Nefta is an oasis town in Djerid located in southwestern Tunisia. The municipality is located in the southwest of Tunisia, between Tozer and Hazou, which is located on the Tunisian-Algerian border, and the latter is 33 kilometers from Nefta. The oil is located between Chot el Jerid and the Sahara dunes. The city is characterized by the presence of the “Nefta basket”, which is a natural depression dug into the rock.

According to some historical writings, the site was occupied since prehistoric times, as evidenced by several archaeological discoveries. The city later became a Numidian and then a Roman city. Nefta was the seat of the diocese under the Byzantines, and today it is the titular diocese of the Catholic Church in Tunisia since 1933. After the Muslim conquest, it became a high place of Sufism: the Qadiriya Sufi brotherhood is known throughout the Maghreb. The influence of this religious current has remained present to this day. The city is also home to a hundred marabouts including the famous Sidi Bou Ali who took over the city from the Ibadi Muslims and converted it to Sunni Islam in the 13th century. He founded an influential religious brotherhood, whereby a pilgrimage is organized around the shrine of this saint every year.

Nefta is home to Mos Espa, an abandoned film location for a remote spaceport in a galaxy far, far away hidden in the Tunisian desert near Nefta. This set is located between two salt lakes, the larger Chott El Djerid and the smaller Chott El Ghars, Mos Espa is an abandoned film set created as a remote spaceport location in a galaxy far, far away. Surreal surroundings and dramatic otherworldly structures make Mos Espa a must-visit if you’re a big fan of the Hollywood blockbuster “Star Wars.” However, you can even visit this set if you are not a fan of movies because you will enjoy the amazing scenery.

As one of the largest spaceports in Star Wars, Mos Epsa is depicted in the films as a city bustling with the daily lives of various aliens from across the galaxy. Home to the hero Anakin Skywalker from Episodes I, II and III, we’re told the location is on a distant planet known as Tatooine – named after the very real nearby Tunisian city of Tataouine.

This is where Anakin Skywalker and his mother live as slaves, and the foundations are laid for all the huge stories of the older Star Wars movies. Although some parts of the city of Mos Espa were added in post-production using modern technology during the filming of science fiction films of the era, here on the edge of the Sahara, all the main buildings from the films have been preserved. Dozens of structures line the city’s main streets, including many “moisture vaporizers”—in Star Wars, these devices were used to collect atmospheric moisture and produce water that is very expensive.

Currently, Mos Espa is slowly swallowing the sand that comes with every passing dust storm. Over the years, the harsh climate of the Sahara, the shifting sand dunes and the stream of tourists began to take their toll. Unlike other more traditional Star Wars filming locations, the city of Mos Espa was built in the middle of nowhere. Although nothing here is designed to last, thanks to the work of local and foreign enthusiasts, you can still walk the streets Qui-Gon Jinn walked to meet Anakin.

I have one very important piece of advice for all visitors to this site. Since the Mos Espa set is remote in the middle of the desert, it is important to bring a significant amount of water, especially during the summer period. The easiest way to Mos Espa is via the newly reconstructed road—leaving the town of Naftah to the north, take the road that goes slightly left and go north until you reach the end. There is another way, which is much more fun, but requires an expert guide and a reliable 4-wheel drive jeep safari vehicle. Professional drivers drive you in a straight line wherever you are, across the desert sand and the dry bed of the salt lake, so you can enjoy a sand safari.

During this press visit to Tunisia, I met the team of the national Slovenian television, who were reporting on Tunisia. In these pictures, you have the opportunity to see presenter Mojca Mavec, who recorded an incredible reportage for the new season of her show “Čez Planke“. Dear Mojca made homemade desert bread with a local and enjoyed desert coffee.

My dear travelelrs, we have come to the end of this fifth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Tunisia where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the northern part of the African continent. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Tunisian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Tunisia.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Tunisian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Tunisia and the presentation of The Sahara, Oasis of Chebika and Nefta, the lost desert Jewels of North Africa that adorn the heart of this unusual country? Have you had the chance to visit Tunisia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Tunisia, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey takes you to this unusual country!

From Love from Tunisia,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Tunisia: Kairouan, the holiest Muslim City on the African Continent…

Adventure Travel 6 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of August will be dedicated to an unusual country on the African continent – Tunisia, a country known for its olives. At the very beginning of this fourth post in the series of travelogues, I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia for the warm invitation and hospitality. With their help, travelogues and fashion stories were created that you could read during the month of July, but you will have the opportunity to read them during August as well, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the summer season of posts on the Mr.M blog.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues from Tunisia or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordering Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It houses the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Tunisia is known for its ancient architecture, markets and blue shores, it covers approximately 164,000 km2 and has a population of around 12 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern part of the Sahara Desert, and much of the remaining territory of Tunisia is arable land. With almost 1,300 km of coastline, it includes the African junction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin. Tunisia is home to the northernmost point of Africa – Cape Angel, and its capital and largest city is Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, after which the country gets its name.

The fourth blog post in the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to the holiest Muslim city on the African continent – Kairouan. It is known that Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem are the holy triumvirate of holy cities that Islam has. After them, according to some sources, the fourth holy city of Islam is Kairouan in Tunisia. This city is considered the first Muslim city of the Maghreb and also the holiest Muslim city on the African continent.

Kairouan is a city in central Tunisia and the capital of the province of the same name. It is located 150 kilometers southwest of the capital of Tunis and fifty kilometers west of Sousse. Inhabited by approximately 140,000 inhabitants, it is often referred to as the fourth holiest (or holy) city of Islam and the first holy city of the Maghreb. The first Arab city in North Africa, a city that was an important Islamic center in Muslim North Africa, Ifrikiia until the 11th century.

With its medina and markets organized by oriental-style corporations, its mosques and other religious buildings, Kairouan has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988. Later, in 2009, it was declared the capital of Islamic culture by the Organization of the Islamic World for Education, Science and Culture. The town is also famous for its handmade woolen carpets and pastries including makroud.

Makroud is a cake consisting of a series of layers of dough filled with couscous semolina and date palm paste, there are also variants in which walnuts, almonds or pecans are used instead of date palm.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan, also called the Mosque of Oqba Ibn Nafi was founded in memory of Oqba Ibn Nafi is one of the most important mosques in Tunisia. Historically the first Muslim metropolis in the Maghreb, Kairouan, whose political and intellectual heyday was in the 9th century, is reputed to be the spiritual and religious center of Tunisia, also sometimes considered the fourth holiest city in Sunni Islam. Representing the emblematic edifice of the city, the Great Mosque remains the oldest and most prestigious shrine in the Muslim West. Figurant, from the Beylic Decree of March 13, 1912, in the list of historical and archaeological monuments classified and protected in Tunisia was also classified, with the historical ensemble of Kairouan, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Originally built by Oqba Ibn Nafi in the year 670 (corresponding to the year 50 of the Hegira) when the city of Kairouan was founded, it was expanded and rebuilt in the 8th and 9th centuries. This mosque is considered in the Maghreb, the progenitor of all mosques in the region, as well as one of the most important Islamic monuments and a universal masterpiece of architecture. From an aesthetic point of view, the Great Mosque of Kairouan appears to be the most beautiful building of Muslim civilization in the Maghreb. The age and quality of the architecture make it a jewel of Islamic art. There are many works and handbooks of Muslim art related to the history of the mosque. In addition to its artistic and architectural importance, according to the Tunisian scientist and Islamologist Mohamed Talbi, “it played a key role in the Islamization of the entire Muslim West, including Spain, and the spread of Malikism.”

During the reign of the Aghlabid dynasty in the 9th century, with the help of major works on reconstruction and beautification, the Great Mosque got its present appearance. Remarkable in its overall unity, as well as in its enormous dimensions, the fame and prestige of this place of prayer derives from its contribution to the acquisition and transmission of knowledge, especially between the 9th and 11th centuries. century. The university, composed of scholars and jurists who teach their teachings in the mosque, is a training center for both the teaching of Muslim thought and the secular sciences. With the decline of Kairouan, which began in the second half of the 11th century, the center for intellectual training then moved to the University of Zitouna in Tunis.

I will tell you something more about the origin and history of this mosque. When Kairouan was founded in 670, the general and Arab conqueror Oqba Ibn Nafi (the founder of the city himself) chose the location of his mosque in the center of the city near the seat of the governor. This initial place of worship was built between 670 and 675. Shortly after its construction, the mosque seems to have survived, between 683 and 686, during the short-lived occupation of Kairouan by the Berbers led by Koceila. Later, the mosque was rebuilt by the Ghassanid general Hasan Ibn Numan.

With the gradual increase in the population of Kairouan and faced with the consequent increase in the number of believers, the mosque was no longer sufficient to accommodate them, Hisham, the Umayyad caliph of Damascus, carried out numerous reconstructions through his governor Bichr Ibn Safwan. The process includes the renovation and expansion of the mosque in the period between 724-728. years. In order to expand it, he first goes to buy the neighboring land belonging to Banu Fihr, the Quraysh clan whose most prominent representative is Oqba Ibn Nafi.

He then allowed the mosque to be demolished and then rebuilt, all but the mihrab. Construction of the minaret began under his auspices. After that, in 774, a new reconstruction followed by changes and beautification was carried out under the administration of the Abbasid governor Yazid Ibn Hatim. Under the rule of the Aglabid rulers, Kairouan was at its peak and the mosque took advantage of this period of peace and prosperity. Not long after that, in 836, Ziadet Allah I rebuilt the mosque again and for the last time, it was at that time that this religious building got, at least in its entirety, the look we know today.

Thus, the current state of the mosque dates back to the 9th century, during the reign of the Aghlabids, with the exception of some partial restorations and some later additions that were made at the end of the 11th century and after. During the 20th century, several actions of conservation and restoration were carried out, first between 1910 and 1920 by the Service of Antiquities et des Arts de la Regence, and then during the first half of the 1960s, especially in 1964-1965. department of historical monuments of the National Institute of Archeology and Art. Not long after that, in 1967, major restoration works were started on the entire monument, which lasted five years.

The latter, led by the Department of Historical Monuments of the National Institute of Archeology and Art in collaboration with the Italian architects Riccardo Gizdulich and Paolo Donati, ended with the official reopening of the mosque, in the presence of Habib Bourguiba, the first president of the Republic of Tunisia, and his Algerian counterpart, Houari Boumediene, during the celebration of Mouled 1972 . years. In the middle of the 1980s, the building underwent additional restoration work, which mainly related to the exterior walls and their buttresses, the ceilings of the prayer hall, as well as the minaret.

Kairouan was founded on the line of confrontation between the Byzantines and the Muslims with the aim of becoming a foothold in their campaign to conquer North Africa. The location chosen for its establishment, inland, seemed particularly inhospitable, but it was far enough from the coast to avoid the attacks of the Byzantine fleet that then controlled the Mediterranean Sea. It also overlooks the mountains that are the refuge of the Berbers. Kairavan or the name for the garrison camp, gave its name to the locality and later to the city. Kairouan then had a dual military and religious function, ensuring holy war and defense of the newly conquered lands. The city is thus the first Arab city in North Africa.

After fighting between the Berbers and the Arabs during the Arab conquest, Okba Ibn Nafi was killed by the Berber chief Koceila, who occupied the city of Kairouan from 682 to 684. He renamed the city by inserting his name into Takirvant. A few years later, an Arab army led by Zuhayr ibn Qays defeated the Koceila army at Mames and captured Kairouan between 687 and 689. Okba Ibn Nafi builds the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Kairouan. Legend has it that at the site of the future Kairuan, a soldier from Okba would come across a golden cup buried in the sand. This cup would have been recognized as missing from Mecca a few years earlier, and when it was unearthed, a spring of water would have erupted, providing water that would have come from the same source as the holy Zamzam in Mecca.

This story made Kairouan a place of pilgrimage and then a holy city. Around 775, Abu Qura besieged Kairouan and spread Sufrit Kharidism there for a while. Having become the capital of the Aghlabids, the city prospered rapidly during the 9th century to become the main seat of power in Ifriqia and a great center of influence for Arab culture and Islam, rivaling other centers of the Mediterranean basin. It is a major city of trade and science known for its Malikite school of law and medical school formed by Ishaq Ibn Imran.

Kairouan also plays a significant role in the Arabization of the Berber and Latin-speaking population of Ifrikia. In 909 the Fatimids, the Ismaili Shiites, led by Abu Abd Allah ah-Chi’i, captured Ifriqiyya and made Kairouan their residence. But the city lost its status with the establishment of the Mahdiyya on the east coast and its declaration as the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate.

But ethno-religious tensions with the city’s strictly Sunni population forced the Fatimids to abandon the stronghold they had built to join Egypt around 972-973. year, where he will establish Cairo, the new center of the caliphate. Meanwhile, Kairouan is captured by Ibadi Abu Yazid who, with the help of the city’s Sunni population, manages to briefly break the Fatimid hegemony between 944 and 946.

In the middle of the 10th century, Kairouan had more than 100,000 inhabitants. The city’s water supply is provided by a network of pipes coming from the surrounding mountains and a large number of cisterns distributed in the city and under the mosque. Large reservoirs dating from the Aglabid era are still visible today. After the final retreat of the Fatimids, it was a vassal dynasty of the latter, the Zirids, that took power in Ifrikiya. Al-Mu’iz ben Badis, its most famous representative, led a policy in favor of the Sunni population. The city then experienced the last period of development in its history. Indeed, in 1054 the Fatimids of Cairo organized a punitive expedition against the Zirids who had become dissidents: the Bedouin tribes of Hilal and Banu Sulayma attacked the city, destroying it almost completely.

Later, in 1057, Al-Mu’iz ben Badis fled to Mahdi and surrendered Kairouan and its surroundings to plunder. With the rise of coastal cities under Hafsid rule, and mainly Tunisia, Kairouan inevitably declined. In 1702, Husein I er Bey rebuilt the fence and many mosques 26 . During the French offensive to take control of the country, troops under the command of General Etienne occupied Kairouan on October 26, 188127. The occupation of the city paralyzed the resistance and accelerated the subjugation of Tunisia. During the French protectorate, the city nevertheless became one of the centers of nationalist resistance.

Since December 9, 1988, Medina of Kairouan has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List by fulfilling five out of six evaluation criteria. It should be noted that in order to be classified as a World Heritage site, a site needs to meet only one of the six criteria, and among the sites classified around the world, few, like Kairouan, meet all five criteria. On the one hand, the Great Mosque is one of the main monuments of Islam and a masterpiece of universal architecture. It served as a model for several mosques in North Africa, especially in terms of decorative motifs.

On the other hand, the Three Gate Mosque, built in 866, is the oldest of the carved facade mosques in Islam. Kairouan also offers a remarkable testimony of the civilization of the first centuries of the Hegir in Ifriqia and its traditional Islamic architecture, linked to its spatial configuration, has become vulnerable under the influence of economic changes and represents a precious heritage. Finally, Kairouan is one of the holy cities and spiritual capitals of Islam.

In the heart of the old part of Kairouan there are several mosques, sometimes without minarets, which at that time were used as places of prayer for the inhabitants of the district. The oldest is probably the Ansar mosque, which, according to local chronicles, was founded by the Prophet’s companion Ruwaifi ibn Thabit al-Ansari. This is more a matter of legend because the foundation of this small courtyard mosque, with its open prayer hall and archaic mihrab, could not be determined by previous archaeological excavations. In addition, the site was renovated in 1650. Al-Dabbagh, a local historian, mentions in some writings that the mosque was very popular among Muslims seeking blessings: clay handprints on the white outer wall testify to this very common practice of worship in popular Islam, including until today. There are other mosques in the medina that originate from the Beylik period, such as the Al Malek Mosque (18th century) or the Al Bey Mosque, whose construction dates back to the end of the 17th century.

Under the northwestern wall of the city, behind the imposing minaret of the Great Mosque, lies the cemetery of the little-known Tunisian tribe Avlad Farhan, whose specialty is the special arrangement of their graves, unusual for a Muslim cemetery. Some, rows in pairs and surrounded by a low wall, are the last resting place of the patron saints of the tribe. At the end of the tombstone, the name of Allah is added in clay.

Members of the tribe now live throughout Tunisia, but continue to bury their dead in this cemetery set up beneath the city walls. On the anniversary of their death, as well as on certain holidays, candles are lit in a small niche placed in the tombstones.

In their 1882 report detailing their scientific mission to Tunisia, published in the Bulletin of African Correspondence, the French Orientalists Octave Hudas and René Basse called upon a collection of manuscripts they could see in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, in a closed room. near the mihrab. In 1897, the ministerial official of Tunisia, Muhammad Bek Bajram, presented to the Geographical Society of Egypt a report on his mission to Kairouan where he presented the details of this collection of manuscripts, which, according to his information, would be stored in an arranged maksura by Al-Muizz ben Badis in the mosque.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia has provided premises for the conservation of manuscripts, photographic laboratories and restoration of documents in the former summer residence of President Habib Bourguiba located in Raqada, twelve kilometers from Kairouan. There is also the Center for the Study of Islamic Civilization and Art, to which a small National Museum of Islamic Art has been added, which exhibits works from the Aghlabid and Zirid times.

The vast majority of the manuscripts relate to Islamic law and represent the world’s oldest documentary collection of 9th-century Malikite legal literature. Some were written during the founding period of Malikism, between the writing of Al-Muwatta by Malik ibn Anas and Al Mudawwana by Imam Sahnoun in 854. Biographical and bibliographical studies of the orientalist Miklos Muranii published in 1997 represent the current state of research on the scientific world of Kairouan. Also, the library has one of the richest collections of ancient Qur’anic codices, including fragments of the Blue Qur’an, written in an archaic script without diacritical marks, dating from the late 9th and early 10th centuries.

From the inventory of 1293-1294, there were several copies of the Blue Koran, some parts of which are now in private collections. Although the origin of these codices still remains unclear, it is now accepted that the blue parchment sheets and their golden illumination were made in Kairouan. A Hebrew document, the Genizah of Cairo, which dates from the tenth century and is therefore contemporary with the creation of the Blue Qur’an, mentions the export of Egyptian indigo to Tunisia. This product was the raw material used to dye leather when making parchment. However, we know nothing about the commissioner behind this business.

In the first centuries of the Islamic era, the Aghlabite Emirate of Kairouan partially paid the tribute of sovereignty to the Caliph of Baghdad with carpets. The production of the “Kairouan carpet” really begins in the 19th century, and the city remains the main production center of the country. At the beginning of the 20th century, the quality of carpets deteriorated due to the abuse of artificial dyes, which led a Kairouan family to produce allouch, a new type of hand-knotted carpet that took on the colors of sheep’s wool. of which the hexagonal field occupies the center with a diamond-shaped pattern. Little by little, alucha evolves towards complexity and polychromy, texture increases and Persian influences are felt with the appearance of zarbia recognizable by its brown-red color.

A Kairouan rug is a knotted non-woven rug made of wool or cotton – especially for the weft and warp – and less commonly of linen. It can be painted in natural shades from white to brown to beige gray when it is of the alucha type. The wool is always thick, because it is sheep, but dromedary or goat hair can be used. The patterns are geometric, but they can also be stylized flowers, giving the whole a symmetrical look with a predominance of the diamond shape.

My dear travellers and adventurers, we have come to the end of this fourth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Tunisia where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the northern part of the African continent. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Tunisian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Tunisia.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Tunisian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Tunisia and the presentation of Kairouan, the holiest Muslim city on the African continent that adorns the heart of this unusual country? Have you had the chance to visit Tunisia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Tunisia, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey takes you to this unusual country!

From Love from Kairouan,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Tunisia: Tunis and Sidi Bou Said, places you must visit…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of July will be dedicated to an unusual country on the African continent – Tunisia, a country known for its olives. At the very beginning of this third post in the series of travelogues, I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia for the kind invitation and hospitality. With their help, the travelogues and fashion stories that you will have the opportunity to read this July were created and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy them.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues from Tunisia or you want to remind yourself of some interesting moments and information, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordering Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It houses the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Tunisia is known for its ancient architecture, markets and blue shores, it covers approximately 164,000 km2 and has a population of around 12 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern part of the Sahara Desert, and much of the remaining territory of Tunisia is arable land. With almost 1,300 km of coastline, it includes the African junction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin. Tunisia is home to the northernmost point of Africa – Cape Angel, and its capital and largest city is Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, after which the country gets its name.

The third blog post in the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to the capital of this unusual North African country – Tunis, as well as an extraordinary town that reminds many of Santorini in Greece – Sidi Bou Said. Tunis is the most populated city and also the capital of the Republic of Tunisia. It is also the capital of the province of the same name since its creation in 1956. Located in the north of the country, at the bottom of the Gulf of Tunis, from which it is separated by Lake Tunis, the city stretches over the coastal plain and the surrounding hills. Its historical heart is the medina, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. A modest town placed in the shadow of Carthage, Kairouan, then Mahdia, was finally designated as the capital on September 20, 1159, under the impulse of the Almohads, and then confirmed in its status under the Hafsid Dynasty in 1228 and the country’s independence on March 20, 1956.

Tunis is the economic and commercial capital of the Republic of Tunisia. The density of the network of roads and highways and the structure of the airport make it the central point of national transport. This situation is the result of a long evolution, especially of centralized conceptions that give a significant role to capital and tend to concentrate institutions there to the extreme. In 2014, the population of the municipality of Tunis was approximately 650,000 inhabitants according to the census of the National Institute of Statistics. However, during the 20th century, the agglomeration developed to a great extent outside the municipality’s borders, spreading over four governorates, Tunis, Ariana, Ben Arous and La Manouba. Greater Tunis had 2,643,695 inhabitants in 2014, or about 14% of the country’s population. In 2017, Tunisia was ranked as the fifth Arab city in which to live well

The city of Tunis is built on a series of hills, which culminates at forty meters above sea level and slopes gently towards Lake Tunis, but presents a steep slope in the opposite direction. These hills, which follow the slopes of the Ariane and correspond to the places called Notre-Dame de Tunis, Ras Tabia, La Rabta, La Kasbah, Montfleuri and La Manoubia, have altitudes that barely exceed 50 meters.

The city was born, a long time ago, at the intersection of the roads that naturally form through a narrow strip of land stretched between the vast basins of Lake Tunis and Sejmouia. The isthmus that separates them forms what geologists call the “Tunisia dome”, which includes hills of limestone rocks and sediments of wind and lake origin. It is a kind of natural bridge through which, since antiquity, passed several important roads that connected Berberia with Egypt and whose Tunisian part passes through Utica and Hadrumetum.

The second road is that of Bejaw, which goes along Medjerda and joins the road to Utica in Tunisia. The third is the Sica road that connects Numidia with Hadrumet. These routes obviously depend on Carthage once it asserts its political and economic primacy in Africa. On these road routes, the traffic flows favored the birth of relays and stages, among which is Tunisia. In an area of 300,000 hectares, 30,000 are urbanized, and the rest is divided between water areas (20,000 hectares of lagoons or sebkha, the most important of which are Lake Tunis, sebkha Ariana and sebkha Sejoumi) and agricultural or natural areas (250,000 hectares). However, urban growth, which is estimated at 500 hectares per year, is to the detriment of this space. It is all the more expensive because it consumes the most interesting lowland land for cultivation.

The metropolis of Tunis, whose area increased significantly during the second half of the 20th century, is now spread over several governorates: the Tunis governorate is home to a minority of the population of the agglomeration, while the suburbs spread across the governorates of Ben Arous, Ariana and La Manouba. The municipality of Tunis is divided into fifteen municipal districts: Bab El Bhar, Bab Souika, Cite El Khadra, Djebel Jelloud, El Kabaria, El Menzah, El Omrane, Gornji El Omrane, El Ouardia, Ettahrir, Ezzouh, Ezzouh Sejoumi and Sidi El Bechir.

The existence of the site is attested from the beginning of the 4th century BC. Situated on its hill, Tunis is an excellent observatory from where Libyans can easily follow the outward manifestations of Carthaginian life such as the comings and goings of ships or caravans inland. Tunis is one of the first Libyan cities to come under Carthaginian domination, given its proximity to a large city and its strategic position.

More than once, in the following centuries, Tunis is mentioned in the military history of Carthage. Thus, during the expedition of Agathocles from Syracuse, who landed in Cap Bon in 310 BC, Tunisia changed hands several times. Moreover, its role during the Mercenary War suggests that it was then “one of the chief centers of the aboriginal race”. In all likelihood, the bulk of its population then consisted of peasants, fishermen and artisans. However, compared to Punic Carthage, the ancient tunes remain very modest in size.

Destroyed according to Strabo by the Romans during the Third Punic War, it would have been rebuilt before Carthage. However, it is only the subject of rare testimonies, including that of the Peitinger chart, which mentions Tuni. In the route system of the Province of Africa, Tunes is only the name of a mutation (post office). The Latinized city is gradually Christianized and becomes the seat of the bishopric. However, Tunes will likely remain a modest city as long as Carthage exists.

The region was conquered by Arab troops led by the Ghassanid general Hasan Ibn Numan in the 7th century. Indeed, the city has a privileged position at the bottom of the bay and at the crossroads of trade flows with Europe and its hinterland. Tunis very early on plays a military role for which the Arabs chose it because from now on it is the only important city near the Strait of Sicily. From the first years of the 8th century, the capital of Okrug, which was then Tunis, experienced a strengthening of its military role: it became the naval base of the Arabs in the western Mediterranean, and assumed significant military importance. Under Aghlabid rule, Tunisians rebelled on many occasions, but Tunis took advantage of the economic boom and quickly became the kingdom’s second city. It became the country’s capital at the end of Ibrahim II’s reign, remaining so until 909, when the Shiite Berbers captured Ifriqia and founded the Fatimid dynasty, then again became the capital of the district.

Its role in opposition to the existing government intensified from September 945, when the Kharijite insurgents captured Tunis and gave it over to plunder. With the arrival of the Zirid dynasty, Tunisia gained importance, but the Sunni population increasingly supported Shiite rule and carried out massacres against this community. Therefore, in 1048, Zirid Al-Muizz ben Badis rejected Fatimid obedience and restored the Sunni rite throughout Ifriqia. This decision angered the Shia caliph Al-Mustansir Bilah. To punish the Zirids, he unleashed Arab tribes on Ifrikiya, including the Hilals. Much of Ifriqia was burned and bloodshed, the Zirid capital Kairouan was destroyed in 1057, and only a few coastal cities, including Tunis and Mahdia, escaped destruction. Nevertheless, exposed to the atrocities of the hostile tribes encamped around the city, the Tunisian population, no longer recognizing the authority of the Zirids who had retreated to the Mahdi, swore allegiance to the Hamadid prince El Nasser ibn Alenas, based in Bougie. Later, in 1059, the Governor appointed by the latter, after establishing order in the country, lost no time in getting rid of the Hamadids and founded the Khurasanid dynasty with Tunis as its capital. The small independent kingdom then reconnects with foreign trade and restores peace and prosperity.

After that in 1159, the Almohad Abd al-Mu’min captured Tunis, deposed the last Khurasanid ruler and installed in his place a government responsible for the administration of all of Ifriqia, which sat in a kasbah built for the occasion. The conquest of the Almohads opens a new period in the history of Tunisia. The city, which until then played a secondary role behind Kairouan and Mahdia, was promoted to the rank of provincial capital. In 1228, governor Abu Zakariyya Yahya took power, and a year later he freed himself from Almohad rule, took the title of emir and founded the Hafsid dynasty. With the arrival of this dynasty, the city became the capital of a kingdom that gradually expanded towards Tripoli and Fez.

To the prime city, important suburbs are added to the north and south enclosed by another fence surrounding the medina, the kasbah and these new suburbs. Later, in 1270, Tunisia found itself caught up in the Eighth Crusade: Louis IX, hoping to convert the Hafsid ruler to Christianity and pit him against the Egyptian sultan, easily captured Carthage, but his army quickly fell victim to an epidemic of dysentery. Louis IX himself died of it on August 25, 1270, in front of the ramparts of the capital. At the same time, expelled by the Spanish Reconquest, the first Muslim and Jewish Andalusians arrived in Tunisia and took an active part in the economic prosperity and development of intellectual life in the Hafsid capital.

The medina, built on a hill with gentle slopes that descend towards Lake Tunis, is the historic heart of the city and is home to many monuments including palaces such as Dar Ben Abdallah and Dar Hussein, the Beylik Mausoleum of Turbet El Bey or many mosques including the Great Mosque of Zituna . Formerly surrounded by its fortifications, now largely gone, they are framed by the two working-class suburbs of Bab Souik to the north and Bab El Jazeera to the south.

Located in the immediate vicinity of Bab Souika, the popular district of Halfauines known to have been the subject of international attention thanks to the spread of the film Halfauine, child of the terraces. But to the east of this original core, first with the construction of the French consulate, the modern city is gradually constituted, with the establishment of the French protectorate at the end of the 19th century, on the land left free between the medina and the lake because it serves as a reservoir for the waste water of the medieval city.

The axis of the structure of this part of the city is the avenues France and Habib-Bourguib, designed as the Tunisian equivalents of rue Rivoli and Champs Elysées with their cafés, grand hotels, shops and cultural facilities. On either side of this tree-lined axis, north and south, the metropolis has expanded to form different districts with different faces, the north welcoming fairly residential and business districts, while the south welcomes industrial districts. and poorer.

North of Avenue Bourguiba is the Lafayette quarter, which still houses the Great Synagogue of Tunis and the Habib-Thameur Garden, located on the site of an old Jewish cemetery outside the walls. To the southeast, the district of Little Sicily borders the old port area and owes its name to the original settlement of workers from Italy. It is now the subject of a reconstruction project that includes the construction of two twin towers.

North of it, the long Mohammed-V avenue that leads to the African Square or 14 January 2011 crosses the district of the great banks where there are hotels of lakes and congresses, as well as the old headquarters of the party in power. It leads to the residential area Belvedere, which is located around Pasteur Square. Belvedere Park opens here – the largest in the city and its zoo, as well as the Pasteur Institute founded by Adrien Loir in 1893.

Thus, at the beginning of the 21st century, the medina was one of the best-preserved traditional urban units in the Arab world. With an area of 270 hectares (plus 29 hectares for the Kasbah district) and more than 100,000 inhabitants, the Medina represents a tenth of the population of Tunisia and one sixth of the urbanized area of the agglomeration. The urban planning of the Tunisian medina has a peculiarity in that it does not respect geometric layouts or formal compositions.

The complex organization of the urban fabric inspired a whole colonial literature where the dangerous, anarchic and chaotic medina seemed like an ambush territory. However, studies started in the 1930s with the arrival of the first ethnologists showed that the articulation of space in the medina is not random: houses are articulated in a socio-cultural way, codified according to complex types of human relationships. The built-up area is generally characterized by the contiguity of large lots and common ownership.

Domestic (palaces and bourgeois houses), official and civil (libraries and administrations), religious (mosques, tours and zauias) and service (shops and fondues) architectures are very porous despite the clear zoning between shops and apartments. The notion of public space is therefore ambiguous in the case of the medina where streets are considered extensions of houses and subject to social beacons. The concept of individual property is weak and market stalls often overflow onto the public road.

The Souq in Tunisia consists of a veritable network of covered alleys in which there are shops of merchants and artisans grouped by specialty. “Clean” trades are located near the Zitouna mosque because they do not cause any disturbances with smell, noise or water use. These are cloth merchants, perfumers, dried fruit merchants, booksellers and wool merchants, as opposed to tanners, fishermen, potters and blacksmiths who are relegated to the periphery. Thus, there is a codified hierarchy of trades: perfusion trade silk weaving, saddlery, clothing making, slipper production, weaving, pottery and finally blacksmiths and dyers.

North of the Zitouna mosque, which it partly passes by, opens the El Attarine souk (fragrances) built at the beginning of the 18th century. It surprises with its stalls full of bottles containing a wide selection of essences and perfumes. From this souk, the street leads to the Ech-Chaouachine souk (chechias) whose corporation, that of chaouachi, is one of the oldest in the country. They are mostly descendants of Andalusian emigrants expelled from Spain. Two other markets open onto the El Attarine market: the first, which runs along the west facade of the Zitouna Mosque, is the El Kmach souk (fabrics), and the second, the 17th-century El Berka souk, which houses embroideries. but especially goldsmiths. This is why it is the only souk whose doors are still closed and guarded at night.

In the heart of the souq there is a square where the old slave market was located until the middle of the 19th century. The market of El Berka leads to the souk of El Leffa, where all kinds of rugs, blankets and other weavings are sold, and is extended by the souk of Es Sekajine (saddlers), built at the beginning of the 15th century, specializing in leather. On the outskirts are the markets of El Trouk, El Blat, El Blaghgia, El Kebabjia, En Nhas, Es Sabbaghine and El Grana, which sell clothes and blankets and were occupied by Livorno Jews.

Sidi Bou Said is a village in Tunisia, located twenty kilometers northeast of Tunis. It has almost 6000 inhabitants according to the last census. Located on a cliff overlooking Carthage and the Gulf of Tunisia, it rises 130 meters above sea level and bears the name of a Muslim saint in the region: Sidi Bou Said.

The Punic Carthaginians, then the Romans, would use the height of the current Sidi Bou Said to place a fire tower there. A mosaic measuring six by five meters and coins from the time of Augustus also prove the ancient existence of the Roman villa. In antiquity, the village was nicknamed the Cape of Cartagena. After the Arab conquest in the 7th century and the fall of Carthage, this cape maintained its strategic position through the construction of fortifications (ribata) and lighthouses. In the 11th century, the heights of the village were chosen by the Almoravids to defend the northeastern coast of Tunisia. Watchtowers and fire towers are built there. They also give the hill its name: Djebel El Manar (“Mountain of Fire” or “Lighthouse”).

Abu Said Khalaf Ibn Yahya el-Tamimi el-Beji (1156-1231), alias Sidi Bou Said, learns on the street that he lives in Tunisia and has since kept his name. Towards the end of his life, he retired to Jebel Menara, a ribat built on a hill above Cape Carthage, to keep watch and teach Sufism there. Considered an authentic Sufi, he was then nicknamed “Lord of the Seas” because of the protection that sailors sailing near the place thought they received. He died in 1231 and was buried on the hill. In the 18th century, Husein I er Bey (1705-1740) built the current mosque in which he furnished the saint’s zaujiya, which was undoubtedly the first element of the village that would bear his name. Archaeological traces identified on the northern slope suggest that the surrounding wall then bypassed the site. Today, the veneration of saints is alive. From the 17th century, the charm of this village seduced the Tunisian bourgeoisie and the Beylikalle Husseini family, who built luxurious residences in the Arab-Muslim style there, such as Dar Delagi, Dar Mohsen, Dar Thameur, Dar Arif, Dar Lasram, Dar Debbagh, Dar Cherif , Dar Bahri, Naceur Bei Palace, etc.

The village was named Sidi Bou Said when it became the seat of the municipality in 1893. Later, on August 28, 1915, a decree was issued to ensure the protection of the village, imposing the blue color of Sidi Bou Said and the white color so dear to the Baron d’Erlanger and prohibiting any anarchic construction on the cape. Sidi Bou Said is related to the location of Carthage, which UNESCO classified as a world heritage site in 1979. However, UNESCO guidelines are giving way to urbanization that is developing from Sidi Bou Said to La Malga and Salambo; overhead power and telephone lines also mar the landscape.

In addition, the municipality is not able to control the development of the village market. Until 1825, the village of Sidi Bou Said was off limits to non-Muslims. Since that date, Sidi Bou Said has attracted a number of artists, musicians and writers, including Chateaubriand, Gustave Flaubert, Paul Klee, Auguste Mack, Alphonse de Lamartine, Georges Diamel, Jean Divino, Max-Paul Fouche, Colette and Simon, Gideon de Beauvoir .

The houses of Sidi Bou Said, which combine Arabic and Andalusian architecture, with dazzling white exteriors and blue doors, are scattered randomly along the winding streets. Inside, there is often a paved courtyard, T-shaped reception rooms, slender columns, arcades and walls of colored ceramics arranged up to the ceiling. A tourist hotspot in the colors of the Mediterranean Sea, listed since 1915, this place is nicknamed “little white and blue paradise”.

The gift of Ismailia was offered to Bey Hamud Pasha’s slave, freed for her legendary beauty, Leyla Zina bent Abdallah El Genaoui. However, in 1799, Hamuda Pasha put the house up for sale, which passed through the hands of several families, and now belongs to the artist diplomat. Dar El Anabi, the grand residence of Mufti Mohammed Taib El Anabi, formerly Dar Enaifer, was built in the 18th century and remodeled in 1955. It consists of fifty rooms and is nicknamed the “palace of a thousand and one nights”. His library of great value contains essentially Arabic works. It has been converted into a museum featuring traditional Arab-Muslim items and clothing displayed in different rooms, including a 22-kilogram wedding dress. Naceur Bey Palace, originally called Dar Essalam, was owned by Sheikh Ben Achour. Sadok Bey offers it to his nephew, Naceur Bey, who enlarges it to suit his summer beylic requirements.

Home of music, the village is also home to the Center for Arabic and Mediterranean Music in the Rodolphe d’Erlanger (1872-1932) palace, originally Enejmo Ezzahr (“The Shining Star”), also called the “House of the Baron”. French-British baron, painter, musicologist, esthete. At the beginning of the protection of the city and its musical enrichment, he greatly contributes to the notoriety of the locality by upgrading the traditional Tunisian architecture. Utilizing refined interior decoration that he drew and designed himself and a lavish garden whose layout was inspired by the best garden arts in Islamic countries, Erlanger Palace has been open to the public since 1992.

Other large bourgeois summer residences in Arab-Muslim style, also with some Italian inspiration, were built in the 19th century and gradually became the main residences in the 20th century: Dar Essid (purchased in 1955 by Hedi Essid of the Jaafar family) 21, Dar Delagi, Dar Thameur (from Mahmud Bey, sold to the Thameur family), Dar Mohsen, Dar Toumi (now Dar Said Hotel), Dar Sfar, Dar Senoussi, Dar Cherif, Dar Bahri (built and still inhabited by descendants of the Bahri Family), Dar Lasram , Dar Khalsi, Dar Laroussi. Later, in 1973, the US government decided to build its embassy on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Carthage and the Gulf of Tunisia. The construction was entrusted to Brahim Taktak, a Tunisian who graduated in Belgium, whose mission was to update the local architecture to make it comfortable for holding large receptions.

The municipal gallery was originally housed in the former barn of Dar Lasram. It initially became Baron d’Erlanger’s museum, with a permanent display of Andalusian musical instruments Erlanger bought in Spain and his paintings, as well as the art collections held there. they were patiently gathered by the designer of the place and later by his heirs. After the independence of Tunisia, the museum was transformed into a pottery club for children and then into an exhibition gallery available to Tunisian and foreign artists who wish to exhibit. In addition to several art studios, there are other galleries in the village: the Ammar-Farhat Gallery created in 1988 by Abdelaziz Gorgi, the Azzedine Alaia Gallery located in his former house or the Cherif Fine Arts Gallery founded in 1979 by Hamadi Sherif in his father’s house.

Sidi Bou Said is also famous for its cafes whose terraces are very popular places for Tunisians to relax:

  • Cafe Halija (or Cafe des mats) in the center of the village, which used to be the entrance to the mosque, hosted Malouf evenings organized by music lovers from the village.
  • Cafe du Nadhour (from the lighthouse) gathers customers who come to listen to a popular storyteller (fdaoui).
  • Cafe de Sidi Chaabane (or Cafe des Delices), which opened in the late 1960s, offers a unique view of the Gulf of Tunisia.
  • A cafe in the village square that was the domain reserved for the elders of Sidi Bou Said.

Every year in mid-August there is a mystical festival – called Kharja – that mobilizes the whole village, with processions of different religious brotherhoods coming from all over Tunisia to pay their respects and seek blessings in Sidi Bou Said.

My dear travellers and adventurers, we have come to the end of this third special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Tunisia where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the northern part of the African continent. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Tunisian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Tunisia.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Tunisian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Tunisia and the presentation of Tunis and Sidi Bou Said that adorns the heart of this unusual country on the African continent? Have you had the chance to visit Tunisia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Tunisia, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey takes you to this unusual country!

From Love from Tunis,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Tunisia: Sousse and Port El Kantaoui, meet the beauties of the African Mediterranean…

Adventure Travel 3 Comments

My dear travellers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of July will be dedicated to an unusual country on the African continent – Tunisia, a country known for its olives. At the very beginning of this second post in the series of travelogues, I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia for the warm invitation and hospitality. With their help, the travelogues and fashion stories that you will have the opportunity to read this July were created and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy them.

If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogue from Tunisia or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:

The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country in Africa. It is part of the Maghreb region of North Africa, bordering Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It houses the archaeological sites of Carthage dating back to the 9th century BC, as well as the Great Mosque of Kairouan.

Tunisia is known for its ancient architecture, markets and blue shores, it covers approximately 164,000 km2 and has a population of around 12 million. It contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern part of the Sahara Desert, and much of the remaining territory of Tunisia is arable land. With almost 1,300 km of coastline, it includes the African junction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean basin. Tunisia is home to the northernmost point of Africa – Cape Angel, and its capital and largest city is Tunis, located on its northeastern coast, after which the country gets its name.

The second blog post in the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to the city of Sousse and Port el Kantaoui, which represent the true beauties of the African Mediterranean. Sousse is a port city in eastern Tunisia, located 143 kilometers south of Tunis, open to the Gulf of Hammamet in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the Tunisian Sahel – sometimes called the “pearl of the Sahel” and the capital of the governor of the same name, it is the third municipality in the country after Tunis and Sfax and the fourth agglomeration, Nabul is the third. Medina in Sousse has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988.

Similar city names can be found in Libya and southern Morocco, such as the Sousse region. Souss in Moroccan is synonymous with rief, which means nomads or village dwellers in general. However, the term Sous is here attributed to the city, which at that time was a symbol of power and sedentarism.

The municipality of Sousse is the capital of the province, which covers an area of 2,669 square kilometers. It is divided into four municipal districts: Sousse North, Sousse South, Sousse Medina and Sousse Riadh. The first two were founded on February 11, 1976, and the last two on February 19, 1982. Its main constituencies and delegations are four in number: Sousse Sidi Abdelhamid, Sousse Medina, Sousse Jawhara and Sousse Riadh.

I will tell you a little about the history of this unusual city. If the peoples of the sea (a people from ancient Egyptian history) undoubtedly settled earlier in the region of Susa, the Phoenicians are credited with the first known name of the city. In the eleventh century BC, the toponym Hadrim appears, indicating, according to M’hamed Hassine Fantar, an enclosure or a residential area. However, the archaeological remains of the site hardly date from the 6th century BC, the period when Hadrim came under the rule of Carthage and lived with it during the Punic War, retaining its Phoenician identity as evidenced by local burial customs. After losing the battle of Zama, Hannibal Barka, who had estates in the vicinity of Hadrim, forced his soldiers to perform civilian duties and started the planting of many olive trees in the area.

Hadrim gradually freed itself from Carthaginian influence by establishing direct economic and diplomatic relations with Rome, on whose side it sided during the Third Punic War. After the destruction of Carthage, the Hadrumetians became, according to Appian’s expression, “friends of the Roman people”, and the city, renamed Hadrumetum (Hadrumetum), became a privileged and free Roman city, enriched with the decorations of the Roman people. time visible even today.

Later in 46 B.C. she loses some of her privileges and receives a great punishment when she chooses the side of the Pompeians against the victorious Julius Caesar. At the end of the 1st century, Hadrumetum was the first African city to receive the status of an honorary colony granted by the emperor Trajan. As a sign of recognition, monuments are erected that glorify the generous emperor: a triumphal arch, a theater, an amphitheater, thermal baths, etc. The prosperity of the city reached its peak in the 3rd century during the reign of the Severan dynasty.

The trade in olive oil flourished after the founder of the dynasty established free and daily oil distribution in Rome. The city even mints its own currency. When in 238 the city supports the “usurper” Capellianus, it must be subjected to the repression of the new emperor Gordian II. Public monuments and mansions are being demolished, and the once active port is losing its importance. The city regained relative prosperity when, in 297, Emperor Diocletian made Hadrumetum the capital of the new province of Byzacene, which stretched across the center of the country.

When the Vandals expelled the Romans and destroyed the city walls in 439, Hadrumetum took the name Hunerikopolis, taken from the name of Hunericus (son of the Vandal chief Gensericus). Vegetated for a century before it was destroyed by marauders from the south of the country and just before the arrival of Byzantine troops. The port, completely cloudy, was rehabilitated by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, whose name the city took in 535 (Justinianopolis) and became the capital of one of the seven provinces of the African Eparchy. The Byzantine period lasts about 135 years.

The beginning of the Arab-Muslim period can be said to start from the year 670, when Okba Ibn Nafi al-Fihri besieged the city which was named Susa. It is primarily an agglomeration that received a ribat in 787 and was populated mainly by ascetics in charge of coastal defense. The new development of Susa comes from the second Aglabid prince Ziadet-Allah I, who provided the city with a shipyard from which ships set out to conquer Sardinia, Malta, Sicily and Rome. In the 9th century, the city opened up and accepted Muslims, Christians and Jews. Then it becomes the second city of Ifrikiia and the first in the Sahel. During the Fatimid period, the prosperity of Susa suffered only moderately from the establishment of the Mahdiyya. The city, which exports its fabrics to the east and west, is also a prosperous olive-growing town.

By 1159, Sousse was attacked and then occupied by the Normans from Sicily who conquered it in 1148. But its decline, from the twelfth century, was mainly due to the promotion of Tunis as the capital under the Hafsid rule, the impoverishment of the hinterland whose seafaring represented a maritime outlet and in the thirteenth century, competition from textiles exported from Europe, the period during which the Genoese settled in Sousse. The city was subjected to a short Spanish occupation between 1537 and 1574. During the Ottoman era (1574-1881), the city regained its importance. At that time, in the 17th century, Sousse was the second trading port in the country.

In addition to embroiderers and weavers, there are also artisan potters who export their production throughout the Mediterranean basin. At the end of the 18th century, the city suffered from French (1770) and Venetian (1784 and 1786) bombardments. The city fell into decline after 1864 when it sided with Sadok Beg in a rebellion against taxes. It passed, like the whole of Tunisia, under the French protectorate from 1881. However, with the creation of a new port in 1884, the role of a maritime sales point for products from the steppe was restored.

The municipality of Sousse was founded on July 16, 1884. Since this date in the late 19th century, Sousse has seen the arrival and settlement of many Europeans, especially of French and Italian origin, who had to leave the country after its independence.

The eastern part of the medina is completed by the expanded port from 1899. Further north stretches the new town built under the French protectorate and is characterized by wide straight streets and a promenade overlooking the sea where the hotels are lined up towards Port El-Kantaoui. The Medina in Sousse, like the one in Tunisia, was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. One of the elements that sets it apart is the location of the main mosque, which is not in the city center. Like the ribat, it was responsible for protecting the arsenal’s artificial pool, which explains its military appearance.

Ribat was originally a small fortress built in the early days of the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb to protect the city’s borders. The term also refers to places that are home to Sufis. Over time, they become lodges for travelers, but also refuges for mystics. In this sense, the ribats are perhaps the source of the first streams of Sufism. In this sense, we can assimilate these places with zaouias. A marabout, a term used indiscriminately in North Africa to refer to saints, tribal chiefs and folk healers, is therefore someone who lives in a ribat.

Ribat was created during the reign of the Aghlabid dynasty, but after the construction of the city walls in 859, it gradually lost its military function. While there is a small mosque on the first floor, the basement has been converted into various rooms and warehouses, while traces of the olive press remain. The imposing entrance, flanked by two columns in the Corinthian style, was designed as a double door, which served to block access to the fortress. As for the Kasbah, it is located in the highest part of the medina and dates back to the year 844. In 853, the 30-meter-high lighthouse was named after the eunuch of the Aglabid sovereign Ziadet-Allah I (Khalaf El Fata). Since 1951, the Archaeological Museum in Sus has been housed in its walls.

The Souq in Sousse is amazing, a tangle of alleys where you can find everything from interesting souvenirs to jewelry made of semi-precious and precious stones, as well as jewelry made of precious metals. Of course, the market in Sousse has a rich selection of clothes and shoes that you can easily fit into your style and bring the spirit of North African fashion into your wardrobe.

For lovers of handicrafts, pottery and home items, here you can find a lot of interesting pieces with which you can beautify and enrich your living space. As for the prices, as in every market and bazaar there is the possibility of haggling, so you can show and practice your negotiation skills.

Port El-Kantaoui is a marina located northwest of the city of Sousse, which has become one of the most important seaside resorts of Tunisia. The project to create an integrated tourist resort on 307 hectares stems from the idea of Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba, who wants to develop tourism in the Sahel region.

It was studied in 1971 by the Tunisian tourist finance company in the area of Sidi El-Kantaoui, which is located in the territory of the Hammam Sousse municipality, north of Sousse. It is up to the Societe d’etudes et de developpement de Sousse-Nord to study the economic and financial possibilities of the project and to assume the role of general promoter. When work began under the direction of Olivier-Clement Cacoub, the port was excavated and small residential buildings (Maisons de la Mer) were built around its perimeter. The hotel complex is a structure that marks the entrance to the port. The port was opened in 1979 and the Societe hoteliere et tourisme du Port El-Kantaoui delegated the task of developing and managing the resort to the Societe d’etudes et de developpement de Sousse-Nord.

An 18-hole golf course was installed in 1980 on 130 hectares on the hillside, and in the late 1990s, the land occupied by the parking lot at the entrance to the harbor allowed the complex to be expanded by construction. a new district (Houses of the Gardens) and a permanent fairground (Hannibal Park) that allows diversification of the activities offered in free time. Three to five star hotels are being built around the complex and along the coast towards Chott Meriem in the north and Hammam Sousse in the south.

The port is a real village, mostly pedestrian, built according to an architecture reminiscent of the village of Sidi Bou Said in its Arabic-Moorish style, the whiteness of its walls, arcades, arches and alleys decorated with flowers. The resort has many shops, including restaurants, cafes and shops for foreign tourists who visit the place for its seven kilometers of beach. In addition, during the summer period, the port hosts many events, including the International Summer Internet Festival, regattas, music stages and numerous other activities.

These riches also attract many Sahelians who come to relax a bit during weekends or holidays. The construction of Yasmina Hammamet in the early 2000s did not cause a decline in attendance. The harbor can accommodate up to 340 boats on a total area of four hectares.

My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this second special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Tunisia where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the northern part of the African continent. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Tunisian culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Tunisia.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

I am honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with companies that are the very top of the tourism industry and I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Tunisian culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Tunisia and the presentation of Sousse and Port El Kantaoui that adorns the heart of this unusual country on the African continent? Have you had the chance to visit Tunisia so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

In the following stories from Tunisia, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey takes you to this far-flung, unusual country!

From Love from Sousse,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of the Republic of Tunisia – Discover Tunisia, as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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