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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: 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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Letter from Tunisia: The Magnificent Amphitheater in El Jem…

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 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.

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 first blog post in the series of travelogues about Tunisia will be dedicated to El Jem, the city that is home to the largest amphitheater in Africa. El Jem is a city in Mahdia province in Tunisia. According to the last census, this city has about 22,000 inhabitants. The Roman city of Thysdrus was built, like almost all Roman settlements in old Tunisia, on former Punic settlements. In a less arid climate than today, Thysdrus thrived as an important center of olive oil production and export. It was the seat of a Christian diocese, which is included in the list of titular sees of the Catholic Church. At the beginning of the 3rd century, when the amphitheater was built, Thisdrus rivaled Hadrumetum (present-day Sousse) as the second city of Roman North Africa after Carthage.

However, after a failed rebellion that began there in 238 and Gordianus’ suicide in his villa near Carthage, Roman troops loyal to Emperor Maximinus Thrax sacked the city. The city is shown on Peutinger’s map from the 4th century.

The Amphitheater of El Jem is an oval amphitheater in the present-day city of El Jem in Tunisia, formerly Thysdrus in the Roman province of Africa. It has been on the UNESCO list since 1979 as a world heritage site. The amphitheater was built around 238 AD in Thysdrus, located in the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. It is one of the best preserved Roman stone ruins in the world, and is unique in Africa. Like other amphitheatres in the Roman Empire, it was built for spectator events and is one of the largest amphitheatres in the world. The estimated capacity is 35,000 spectators, and the dimensions of the major and minor axes are 148 meters and 122 meters. The amphitheater is built of stone blocks, is located on level ground and is extremely well preserved.

El Jam amphitheater is the third amphitheater built on the same site. It is believed to have been built by the local proconsul Gordian, who became emperor as Gordian II. In the Middle Ages, it served as a fortress, and the population sought shelter here during the attacks of the Vandals in 430 and the Arabs in 647. Later, in 1695 during the Tunisian revolutions, Mohammed Bey El Mouradi made an opening in one of the walls. to stop the resistance of the followers of his brother Ali Bey al-Muradi who gathered inside the amphitheater. It is believed that the amphitheater was used as a saltpeter factory in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Around 1850, Ahmad I ibn Mustafa widened the breach in the wall to approximately 30 meters. In the second half of the 19th century, the building was used for shops, apartments and grain storage.

The amphitheater probably hosted gladiator fights as well as chariot races and other circus games, but above all wild animal exhibitions and reenactments of particularly popular wild animal hunts. This “Great Amphitheater”, the most famous Roman monument in Tunisia, is the best preserved amphitheater in North Africa. According to official data, the amphitheater hosts around 530,000 visitors every year.

The theater building is the third amphitheater built in the city of Thysdrus, a city enriched by olive growing and trade, it is also the most complete and best preserved. The city is the only one with such a large number of remains of this type, which allows experts to understand their evolution. The second amphitheater, whose presence was already foreseen by Charles Tissot, was discovered in the 1960s, while the first one was discovered thanks to the excavations carried out by Hedi Slim in 1973.

The first amphitheater building with a capacity of 6,000 spectators was described as rudimentary, embryonic or “very old”. Jean-Claude Golvin believes that it dates from the 1st century AD. The place chosen for its construction, where they were buried in pre-Roman times, is the only natural relief in the area suitable for construction. The building is actually carved into a tufa hill without masonry and irregularly shaped.

The stands, limited in number, were carved into the rock and a cavea was excavated there. The arena measured 49 by 40 meters while the bleachers, which seemed to erode rather quickly, were repaired with mud bricks. The presence of the building seems to be linked to the establishment in the city of an Italian theater-loving community, perhaps of Campanian or Etruscan origin, these two regions being the cradle of the amphitheater games. The second building, spread out with a solid construction, was built on the same hill as the previous one at the end of the 1st century AD or the 3rd century, but more elliptical in shape due to the embankment placed on the arena and the tribune of the previous building. The embankment of the arena, 2.50 meters high, made it possible to obtain the correct shape.

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The grandstands are placed in brick compartments, of different sizes and separated by spaces, for a total capacity of 7,000 spectators. There appear to have been 24 sections of which 16 remain in various states of preservation. The arena had dimensions of 60 by 40 meters, and the total size was 92 meters by 72 meters. Golwin evokes both the lodge and the chapel located on the western axis. Aesthetics are absent in the construction, but the technical improvements are significant, making it more functional. At the time of the Severian dynasty, at the beginning of the 3rd century, the city was in strong development, thanks to the flourishing trade in olive oil and wheat, favored by the situation at the crossroads of trade routes.

As the second amphitheater became insufficient, it was replaced by the present building, even more advanced, built on level ground, a method also used in Carthage, Nimes or Rome. Its construction would be connected with the manifestation of the urban elite’s evergetism. For Hedi Slim, his price contradicts several epigraphic traces of local euergetism, especially regarding the organization of the games. The later side of the build led to the correction of problems encountered during previous builds, for greater functionality, and these innovations also accounted for the longevity factor.

Although the city is gradually replacing Suphetul as the economic capital of the region and the trade routes are gradually moving away from it, Tisdrus continues to play a military role due to the transformation of the building into a fortress. Archaeological excavations date the abandonment of the amphitheater to the second half of the 5th century, giving an approximate duration of activity of two centuries. Already in the Byzantine era, the amphitheater became a fortress and refuge, this was witnessed in 647 after the Byzantine defeat of Sbeitla against the Arab armies. The transformation was carried out by blocking the arcade on the ground floor and equipping other installations, including a tower that was found during recent excavations.

The monument is sometimes called “Xar de la Cahenna”, named after a Berber princess from the 7th century. century that gathered the tribes to prevent the advance of the Muslim conqueror. Defeated and persecuted, she took refuge in the amphitheater with her supporters and resisted there for almost four years. According to legend, she was betrayed by her young lover, who stabbed her before sending her embalmed head to the leader of the Arab army. The building is mentioned by Al-Bakri in the 11th century and At-Tiyani, both of whom suggest that it offered effective protection, which is difficult to reconcile with the state of the ruins. The disappearance of the tribune and elements of the upper floor would therefore be later and progressive.

Despite the partial destruction due to the use of its stones to build the city of El Djem, the third amphitheater is still remarkably well preserved and is believed to have remained intact until the 17th century. Victor Guerin specifies in his report that around 1695, according to Arab tradition, the outer facade, which had remained almost intact until then, began to collapse. The Bailician power would on this date put down a rebellion of tax origin and make breakthroughs with cannon strikes to prevent the site from serving as a refuge for the local population. The place was nevertheless used for this purpose in the mid-19th century during the last rebellion. After further degradation, the population is largely pulled out of the ruins.

The site has been visited since the 17th century and especially in the 19th century, and then this movement intensified with the establishment of the protection of the remains. Restorations were carried out in the first half of the 20th century, on part of the destroyed facade, as well as the clearing of the arena and underground spaces. Tourism increased in the 20th century, reaching around 530,000 annual visitors in 2008, making it the second most visited place in Tunisia.

In 1979, the site was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The uneven state of preservation of building materials, as well as falling stones and even vaults, made necessary a campaign of consolidation and restoration financed by the Tunisian government and a private foundation. Consolidation made it possible to avoid new rockfalls and to remove irreparably damaged parts. The restoration, using material taken from the excavated ruins, aimed to, in addition to preserving the monument, open it to visitors in the most educational way possible. One of the means for this increased accessibility was the restoration of vaults and stairs.

The restoration of the stands intended for 500 spectators also allows to “contribute to the cultural revitalization of the building”. The work on the reconstruction of the pillars also helped to reconstruct the elliptical shape of the structure. The campaign also made it possible to complete the knowledge of the monument, especially the rainwater recovery system and the foundations. Many fragments of the grandstand in the arena have also been unearthed. Due to the differences in level between the modern city and the building, its immediate surroundings have been developed with both plant and mineral resources.

Due to good acoustics and restorations, the amphitheater has hosted the International Festival of Symphonic Music El Jam every summer since 1985. In November 2019, restoration work began, a project that was realized thanks to funding of half a million dollars from the Ambassador Fund for the Preservation of Culture, which was initiated by the Embassy of the United States of America, to which the Ministry of Culture of Tunisia also contributed aid in the amount of one million Tunisian dinars.

Due to its position in the middle of more or less bare steppe expanses, the amphitheater impresses not only with its massive appearance but also with the beauty of the patina of its walls. It was built on flat land north of the site of the ancient city. In the absence of limestone in this region of Tunisia, the walls and supports of the great amphitheater were built from dune sandstone, a material easily cut from the coastal quarries of Rejiche-Salakta. The building is the only one in the Roman world that was built in hewn stone and the only building in the city built with this material, a sign of prestige attached to the monument.

The material, white at the time of extraction, has become ocher over time. However, the stone used, which is not very resistant, is sensitive to erosion and wear. According to Golvin, this fragility of the stone is the explanation for the thickness of the walls, and therefore for the massive side of the building. Excavations of the foundation revealed that the site was used to carve a large part of its elements, including decorative elements. The precise size of the cutouts of the blocks is responsible for the aesthetic choice, especially for the voussoirs which here have a re-entrant angle, while elsewhere they often have a prominent angle. Despite the unfinished decorative elements, traces of ancient restoration indicate that the monument was used. Vaults were partly built of rubble, while brick was widely used in other buildings of the same type. This way of construction makes it a special building on the African continent.

In addition to the amphitheater, the city had a theater and a circus, which have not been excavated to this day. The monumental fineness of the city allowed the spread of leisure that belonged to the Roman way of life: archaeologists have thus found many representations of amphitheater games in private habitations, especially in mosaics. The three Thisdritan amphitheatres testify to the enduring enthusiasm for the games. Even if the presence of the Italians makes it possible to explain the precocity of placing such a monument in this place, the devotion of the local population was able to express itself especially through tastes for certain types of performances, those that fought against wild animals called venationes and to a lesser extent those that were opposed to gladiators.

Animals are depicted as elements of detail, but sometimes as the main theme: the fights are illustrated by two mosaics discovered in the “House of the Dionysian Procession”, a mosaic of lions devouring a boar and a mosaic of a tiger attacking an onager. Hunting restitutions can also be simple simulations of the capture of wild animals with, in the hands of the supposed hunters, fictitious weapons. The amphitheater could also serve as the place of execution of the delivered beasts, as shown by a mosaic in the El Jem Archaeological Museum.

The large amphitheater was not used for organizing naumahi, due to the difficult water supply of the region and the lack of waterproofing, without which such demonstrations could be dangerous for the building. The amphitheater made it possible for various professional associations called sodalites to develop in the city of Tisdra, which owned animals and made them available to the organizers of the games for a fee. Such competition may have created tensions in the ancient city. The mosaic called the bestiaries feasting in the arena, Bardo National Museum, has been compared to this presence of the sodality: the guests are around the table, in front of them are figures, probably servants, one of which is a sleeping tauri in the foreground lying bulls. These diners have various symbols next to them. The discussion is noisy and results in the awakening of some bulls who all have symbols on their hind legs.

My dear travellers, we have come to the end of this first 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 El Jem, as well as this beautiful amphitheater 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 El Jem,

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 Cuba: Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Santa Clara, the brightest Sparks of the Caribbean…

Adventure Travel 5 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The months of June and July will be dedicated to an unusual island country in the Caribbean, a country known for tobacco and rum – Cuba. At the very beginning of this fourth travelogue about Cuba, I would like to thank the travel agency Disko Travel, better known as Disko Travel Buddies, which is more than a travel agency, it is a real traveling family that provides an incredible experience. This is my first time cooperating with a travel agency from our area and I must admit that it was an unusual experience. With their help, travelogues from Cuba and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this June and July, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

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

  1. Letters from Cuba: Havana, the most Colorful Pearl of the Caribbean…
  2. Letters from Cuba: Havana in the Footsteps of Ernest Hemingway…
  3. Letters from Cuba: Varadero, an Unique Gem of the Caribbean…

Do you want a trip that you will remember for a lifetime? Check out Disko Travel arrangements for far-exotic destinations and choose your dream adventure, just don’t forget your camera and phone to capture unforgettable moments from Zanzibar, Bali, Thailand, Cuba and other destinations that Disco Friend Travel can take you to.

Trinidad is a city in the province of Sancti Spiritus, central Cuba. Along with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1988, due to its historical importance as a center of the sugar trade in the 18th and 19th centuries. Trinidad is one of the best-preserved cities in the Caribbean from a time when the sugar trade was a major industry in the region.

What is the story and history of this extraordinary town? Trinidad was founded on December 23, 1514 by Diego Velázquez de Cuellar under the name Villa de la Santisima Trinidad. Hernán Cortés recruited men for his expedition from the house of Juan de Grijalva in Trinidad and Sancti Spiritus, at the beginning of his expedition in 1518. This included Pedro de Alvarado and his five brothers. After ten days, Cortés sailed away, and alcaide Francisco Verdugo was unable to prevent Cortés from leaving, despite orders from Diego Velázquez.

The Narvaez expedition came to Trinidad in 1527 on their way to Florida. Caught in a hurricane, the expedition lost two ships, twenty horses and sixty men due to the strong storm. Francisco Iznaga, a Basque landowner in the southern part of Cuba during the first 30 years of the colonization of Cuba, was elected mayor of Bayam in 1540. Iznaga was the originator of a powerful lineage that finally settled in Trinidad where the Tore Iznaga tower is today. His descendants fought for the independence of Cuba and its annexation to the USA from 1820 to 1900.

The city itself is divided into barrios (quarters) Primero, Segundo and Tercero. The entire municipality counts consejos populares (wards) Centro, Zona Monumento, Armando Mestre, La Purisima, Casilda, Federacion Nacional de Trabajadores Azucareros (FNTA), Condado, Topes de Collante, San Pedro, Manacas – Iznaga, Algarrobo, Pitanes and Caracuzí.

Today, Trinidad’s main industry is tobacco processing. The older parts of the city are well preserved, because the Cuban tourism industry has benefited from the many tourists who visit this charming town every day. In contrast, some parts of the city outside the tourist areas are very dilapidated and neglected, especially in the center. Tourism from Western countries is the main source of income in the city. The city is located on the Caribbean coast near the Escambray Mountains.

The Plaza Mayor of Trinidad is an open-air plaza and museum of Spanish colonial architecture. Just a few square blocks in size, the historic plaza area features cobblestone streets, pastel-colored houses with wrought-iron latticework, and colonial-era buildings such as the Santisima Trinidad Cathedral and the Convento de San Francisco. There is also a Municipal History Museum in the city. There are several casas de musica, including one next to the cathedral in the Plaza Mayor. There are also discos, including one in the ruins of a church; the other is in a large cave formerly used as a war hospital.

Romantic Museum or Palace Brunet, get to know one of the most beautiful palaces in Cuba and admire its Andalusian style of courtyard decoration. The Museum of Romance, or Palace Brunet, is the first museum opened in Trinidad in 1973. It is located in the heart of the historic center of Trinidad, on one side of the Plaza Mayor. The building is one of the most beautiful palaces in Cuba, which previously belonged to Count Brunet, a rich Creole who completed the construction of the building in 1808. It is distinguished by its Andalusian courtyard, which at the time was considered the most beautiful in the Caribbean country. and it is characterized by a mixture of Mudejar and neoclassical styles. Inside there is a valuable collection of objects from the 19th century. It consists of fourteen rooms displaying works of decorative art, such as crockery, antique furniture, porcelain, silverware, underwear and other luxury items of the time.

Municipal Museum of Trinidad or Cantero Palace, don’t miss one of the best views of the city of Trinidad from the tower of the Municipal Museum. The Trinidad Municipal Museum is popularly known as the Cantero Palace. It is a building completely alien to tradition, which reflects the most cosmopolitan tastes of the 19th century. The palace’s interesting history recalls that it first belonged to the Borrell family from 1827 to 1830, until the building passed into the hands of the German Kanter or Doctor Justus Kanter, who acquired large sugar plantations after poisoning a slave trader and marrying his widow, who also died prematurely. Kanter’s wealth is on display in every room decorated in a neoclassical style.

The Cantero Palace was opened as a museum in 1980. There you can learn about the history of Trinidad from its founding, through the slave trade, the glory of the sugar industry, the struggle for independence or the crisis of the sugar sector, through documents, works of art and other objects. The museum is divided into four rooms, the first of which is set up in a similar way as the palace was in the last century. The following rooms show the development of the city’s history, the armory hall showing the harbor fortifications and artillery with cannons to protect against pirates and corsairs and another room dedicated to the sugar industry showing the basic economic basis of the site One of the greatest attractions of the Trinidad City Museum is the magnificent view of the city that extends from his tower.

Cienfuegos and Santa Clara (optional tour)

With Disko Travel Buddies, you can go on a full-day optional excursion that includes a tour of Cienfuegos and Santa Clara. The first stop is Cienfuegos, a small town that Cubans call the Pearl of the South, and literally translated into Serbian, it means “One Hundred Fires”. You will visit the city center, which is under the protection of UNESCO, and enjoy viewing the perfectly preserved Spanish neoclassical buildings.

Cienfuegos, the capital of the province Cienfuegos is a city on the southern coast of Cuba. It is located about 250 km from Havana and has about 165,000 inhabitants. Since the late 1960s, Cienfuegos has become one of Cuba’s main industrial centers, especially in the energy and sugar sectors. The city was called La Perla del Sur (Pearl of the South). Although it is known as an industrial city of factories and various nuclear-power plants, and the name Cienfuegos literally translates to “hundred fires”, the city actually takes its name from the surname of Jose Cienfuegos, the Captain General of Cuba.

In 2005, UNESCO inscribed the urban historic center of Cienfuegos on the World Heritage List, citing Cienfuegos as the best existing example of the application of the Spanish Enlightenment in the early 19th century in urban planning. In the city center there are six buildings from the period 1819–50, 327 buildings from 1851–1900. year and 1188 buildings from the 20th century. No other place in the Caribbean contains such a remarkable collection of neoclassical structures.

After visiting Cienfuegos, you continue your journey to Santa Clara, the city where one of the decisive battles for victory in the revolution took place. In Santa Clara, you go on a tour of the Che Guevara memorial complex (Memorial Che Guevara), where there is a museum on one side and the remains of the famous revolutionary and his comrades from the war in Bolivia in 1967 on the other. After that, you will visit the Armored Train museum, where Che and the local population disabled the train’s sons and intercepted and then subdued Batista’s army that went to Santiago de Cuba to help the army led by Fidel Castro and his comrades attacked.

Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15, 1689. 138 of them represented two large families who already lived in the area, who owned land next to the new town. The other 37 came from seven other families, including a priest and a governor, all originally from the coastal town of San Juan de los Remedios. The population of Remedios had to choose between leaving their city, being constantly besieged by pirates, or staying. While the majority decided to stay, 37 people traveled south to the interior. According to tradition, mass was celebrated under a tamarind tree and Santa Clara was founded. Since then, the place under the tree has been known as Loma del Carmen (translation  Carmen’s Hill). The church of the second generation was built in the park along the square. A monument commemorating the event is surrounded by a fourth-generation tamarind tree. The settlement was originally called Cayo Nuevo, which was changed to Dos Cayos, Vila Nueva de Santa Clara, Pueblo Nuevo de Anton Diaz, Villa Clara and finally Santa Clara.

Santa Clara was the site of the last battle of the Cuban Revolution at the end of 1958. Two guerrilla columns attacked the city, one led by Ernesto Che Guevara and the other by Camilo Cienfuegos. Guevara’s column first captured the garrison at Fomento. Using a bulldozer, Guevara’s soldiers destroyed the railroad tracks and derailed a train full of troops and supplies sent by Batista. At the same time, Cienfuegos’ column defeated a military garrison at the Battle of Yaguay just outside the city. On December 31, 1958, the combined forces of Guevara and Cienfuegos, along with other revolutionaries under William Alexander Morgan, attacked Santa Clara. The battle was chaotic, and the defenders were demoralized. Some fought, others surrendered without a bullet. By afternoon the city is occupied. This victory for Castro’s troops is considered a defining moment in the Cuban Revolution, as Batista fled Cuba less than 12 hours later.

Che Guevara Mausoleum is a memorial in Santa Clara, located in “Plaza Che Guevara” (Che Guevara Square). It houses the remains of revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara and 29 fellow fighters killed in 1967 during Guevara’s attempt to foment an armed rebellion in Bolivia. The entire area, which contains a nearly 7-meter bronze statue of Guevara, is called the Ernesto Guevara Sculpture Complex.

Guevara was buried with full military honors on October 17, 1997, after his remains were discovered in Bolivia, exhumed and returned to Cuba. In that place there is a museum dedicated to Guevara’s life and the eternal flame lit by Fidel Castro in his memory. Santa Clara was chosen as the location to commemorate Guevara’s troops who captured the city on December 31, 1958, during the Battle of Santa Clara. The result of this last battle of the Cuban Revolution was the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista who fled into exile. Nearby, in another part of town, Fulgencio Batista’s military supply train that Guevara derailed during the battle also remains in its original location.

Work on the complex began in 1982, and it was officially opened upon completion on December 28, 1988 in the presence of Raul Castro. The project was conceived by the architects Jorge Cao Campos, Blanca Hernandez and Jose Ramon Linares together with the sculptors Jose de Lázaro Bencoma and Jose Delara (its main creator). In addition, Santa Clara’s 500,000 residents contributed more than 400,000 hours of volunteer labor to the construction of the sculptural complex, working alongside the skilled artisans of the Eliseo Diaz Machado Foundry in Guanabacoa.

Many different aspects of Guevara’s life are presented throughout the complex. For example, his time in Guatemala and the United Nations is sculpted, while his farewell letter to Fidel is written in full. An adjacent decorative wall depicts him in the Sierra Maestra conferring with Fidel, next to Camillo Cienfuegos, and in the mountains on horseback. The second part shows Guevara as Minister of Industry doing his usual volunteer work. Finally, literacy teachers, school children and young pioneers are shown daily greeting all Cuban children reciting “We will be like Che.” every morning.

The complex of structures rests on a rolling hilltop overlooking the city of Santa Clara and features a large tiled plaza. At the end of the square there are two large billboards with quotes from Fidel Castro announcing “Che – it was the star that put you here and made this nation”, and “We want everyone to be like Che” carved into the stone below the statue is good Guevara’s famous statement that “One thing I learned in Guatemala from Arbenz is that if I want to be a revolutionary doctor, or just a revolutionary, first there must be a revolution.

At the end of this incredible Cuban adventure, treat yourself to a visit to the island of Cayo Iguana by catamaran, it is an unforgettable experience during which you will be able to enjoy the blue of the Caribbean Sea. Kayo Iguana (Iguana Island) which is known for having hundreds of iguanas living there who are already used to humans and are eagerly waiting for them to steal part of their lunch. In addition to iguanas, there are also beautiful beaches with fine white sand where we will lie down while the waves of the turquoise sea wash over us. On the way back from the island, you will go snorkeling in one of the hidden lagoons, where you will explore the underwater world rich in different species of fish and coral.

People say that yellow is color of optimism and happiness and attracts positive energy, so I decided to take my FPM Milano Bank Zip Spinner 55 glacier grey cabin suitcase with grey leather details on my trip to Cuba which brought me good luck this year. Not only is it practical, lightweight, but it’s also a photogenic suitcase that many people asked me about at the airport where I bought it.

FPM Milano luggage offers travelers practicality and style, all in one trolley and backpack. Designed by Mark Sadler, these lightweight aluminum-clad and reinforced suitcases are inspired by vintage trunks, purpose-built to give you the durability you need on your travels. The combination of Avante-Garde materials and Italian design motifs give these FPM suitcases a robust and secure look.

This incredible FPM Milano Bank Zip Spinner 55 is made of 100% Makrolon© polycarbonate. The 4 wheels guarantee great stability and smoothness. The suitcase has a TSA lock incorporated (ideal for travelers to the USA) combined with a zipper closure with water resistant treatment. The elastic belt comes with the suitcase and closes with the iconic butterfly lock. The two handles are in Italian fine leather and are embellished with the FPM logo. The internal organization comes with a soft elastic belt with a buckle with FPM logo engraved on one side, and a zip pocket in the other side.ideal for 1-2 day trip.

This cheerful yellow butterfly elastic belt has changed the look of this trolley and it is an interesting accessories. You can choose your favorite color red of yellow and I believe you will be satisfied like me.

If you want to stay up to date and find out which models of suitcases and travel accessories the FPM Milano brand has in its offer, visit their official online store and follow them on the social networks Facebook and Instagram.

My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this fourth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Cuba where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the Caribbean. Today’s travelogue would not have been possible without the selfless help of the tourist agency Disko Travel in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Cuban culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Cuba.

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 cooperate with many companies and businessmen in the tourism sector and I would like to thank the Disko Travel travel agency once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Cuban culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Cuba and the presentation of the Trinidad, Cienfuegos and Santa Clara which adorns the heart of Caribbean? Have you had a chance to visit Cuba 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 Cuba, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this far away Caribbean country!

With Love From Trinidad,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Disko Travel and Air France airline as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

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Letters from Cuba: Varadero, an Unique Gem of the Caribbean…

Adventure Travel 6 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual trips, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of June will be dedicated to an unusual island country in the Caribbean, a country known for tobacco and rum – Cuba. At the very beginning of this third travelogue about Cuba, I would like to thank the travel agency Disko Travel, better known as Disko Travel Buddies, which is more than a travel agency, it is a real traveling family that provides an incredible experience. This is my first time cooperating with a travel agency from our area and I must admit that it was an unusual experience. With their help, travelogues from Cuba and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this June and July, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

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

  1. Letters from Cuba: Havana, the most Colorful Pearl of the Caribbean…
  2. Letters from Cuba: Havana in the Footsteps of Ernest Hemingway…

Do you want a trip that you will remember for a lifetime? Check out Disko Travel arrangements for far-exotic destinations and choose your dream adventure, just don’t forget your camera and phone to capture unforgettable moments from Zanzibar, Bali, Thailand, Cuba and other destinations that Disco Friend Travel can take you to.

After visiting Havana, it was our turn to visit the most famous resort in Cuba and one of the fashionable resorts in the Caribbean – Varadero. Varadero, also known as Blue Beach, is the most famous resort in the province of Matanzas in Cuba and one of the largest resorts in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach has been rated as one of the world’s best beaches by TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards since 2019. Common activities include fishing and excursions to Matanzas, Cardenas and the Zapata Peninsula.

Varadero is about a two-hour drive east of central Havana. It is located on the Hikakos Peninsula, between the Gulf of Cardenas and the Strait of Florida, about 140 km east of Havana, at the eastern end of the Via Blanca highway. The peninsula is only 1.2 km wide at its widest point and is separated from the island of Cuba by the Cavama Channel, separated from the mainland by the Paso Malo Lagoon.

This land extends more than 20 kilometers from the mainland in a northeasterly direction, and its tip, Punta Hikakos, is the northernmost point of the island of Cuba. The city of Varadero has three longitudinal avenues, intersected by 69 cross streets. At the northeastern end of the peninsula there is a nature reserve with untouched forests and beaches. Hicacos Point Nature Park is an ecological reserve with an area of 3 km2, established in 1974. It contains the 250m long Ambrosio Cave, Mangon Lake which is home to 31 species of birds and 24 species of reptiles, and the ruins of La Calavera (Skull) Saltworks, one of the first saltworks built by the Spanish in the New World.

Havana and Varadero have the most development in Cuba. Varadero creates and provides over 50,000 jobs with over 52 hotel facilities. Canada’s Blue Island and the Spanish hotel chain Meliá, Iberostar and Globalia are just some of the foreign companies that contribute to Varadero’s economy. According to some research, a record 1.7 million foreign tourists visited Varadero in 2017. Future plans: to build at least 3,000 more rooms in five-star hotels, to add amenities including a theme park and shopping mall, and to bring back the famous music festival Festival de la Cancion.

Varadero was first mentioned as a place in 1555. The site was first used as a dry dock, and the peninsula’s salt mines (closed in 1961) supplied most of the Spanish Latin American fleet from 1587. However, the founding date of Varadero as a city was only in December 1887, when ten families from the town of Cardenas received permission to build their cottages between today’s 42nd and 48th streets. The village of Varadero was created in the 1880s as a resort.

The first houses with red wooden roofs can still be seen today along 1st Avenue. Varadero was established as a municipality by administrative redistribution on July 3, 1976, with territories that were previously part of Cárdenas. In August 2010, the municipality of Varadero was abolished in accordance with a law approved by the Cuban National Assembly, which once again became part of the municipality of Cárdenas.

Varadero is known as a tourist resort with more than 20 km of white sandy beaches. The first tourists visited Varadero in the 1870s, and for years it was considered an elite resort. Later, in 1910, the annual rowing regatta began, five years later the first hotel named Varadero was built, which was later renamed Club Nautico. Tourism increased in the early 1930s when Irene du Pont, an American millionaire, built his estate on the peninsula (now Maison Xanadu or DuPont House). People who stayed in the area include Al Capone. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, many villas were expropriated from their wealthy owners. These mansions soon became museums. As a symbol of the new integrated tourism for Cubans and foreign visitors of all walks of life, the Park of 8000 Cabins (Parkue de las 8000 Takuillas) was built in 1960.

In addition to the beach, Varadero has natural attractions such as caves and a chain of easily accessible virgin coves. Nearby are also cultural, historical and environmental attractions, such as the cities of Matanzas and Cardenas, the Zapata Peninsula and the resort of San Miguel de los Baños. Varadero, which is a free port, also has facilities for diving, deep sea fishing, yachting and other water sports. Varadero receives more than a million tourists a year. Varadero is primarily visited by European and Canadian tourists. The number of American tourists visiting Varadero, although increasing, is limited by US government restrictions that make it difficult for US citizens to visit Cuba as “tourists”, as defined by US rules.

Hotels in Varadero offer catamaran cruises with diving and a visit to the dolphinarium, the Delfinario, a coral-encrusted lagoon located 400 meters east of Marina Chapelin. Swimming and interacting with dolphins along with dolphin shows are also available here. Hotels can also provide kayaks or small boats for their guests. Fishing charters are available at Marlin Nautica and Marinas at Marina Chapelin. They also have windsurf boards and kite boards. Other attractions in the area include the Centro Todo En Uno theme park, Puente Bacunaiagua and the Hershey Electric Train. Diving is another attraction in Varadero. There are more than 30 dive sites, such as Parque Marino Caio Piedras del Norte, where divers can see a sunken warship and a Soviet AN-24 military aircraft, and Oyo de Megano, which has an underwater cave east of Varadero.

Some of the main attractions in Varadero are:

  • The Xanadu Mansion is a hotel and restaurant that was formerly a three-story mansion built by American millionaire Irenee du Pont. The construction of this mansion cost Dupont $338,000. After the 1959 revolution, Dupont fled Cuba and left the villa to the Cuban government. In 1963, it was named Las Americas, turning it into a luxury restaurant that served French cuisine. The dining room still has the original furniture.
  • Parque Retiro Josone, located on Avenida Primera and Calle 56, was founded in 1942 by Jose Iturrioz, general manager of Arechabal Ronera, a rum factory not far from Cárdenas.
  • Museo Municipal de Varadero located on Calle 57. Furniture and history are displayed in Leopoldo Abreu’s 1920s summer house.
  • The Church of Santa Elvira, a building built of stone and wood, is a Catholic church dating back to 1938. The half arch of a horseshoe, which ends with a cross at the top, serves as the belfry.
  • The Ecologico Varahicacos Reserve is located at the eastern end of the island near Punta Hikacos and covers 730 hectares, which has long trails that lead to different caves. Cueva Ambrosio, discovered in the 1960s, has Indian drawings along with 47 pre-Columbian symbols that are more than 3,000 years old. Cueva de los Musulmanes (Cave of the Muslims) is on the second trail. It was once used as a native tomb.
  • Playa de Varadero (Beach of Varadero).
  • Cueva de Ambrosio (Ambrosio Cave). The cave contains, over its 300 meters, about 47 pre-Columbian paintings.
  • Dolphinarium

Playa Larga (optional excursion)

You start this fantastic trip with a Disko Travel guide with a short drive through the province of Matanzas. After that, you go on a speedboat ride along the Hatiguanico River. During the ride, you will enjoy the unreal landscapes that will surround you. The first stop is Fiesta Campesina, a hacienda that is a mixture of hotel, farm and museum where you can see typical flora and fauna characteristic of the Caribbean area as well as animals specific to this area. You will see the Cuban gar, that is, the oldest aquatic animal on the island, Hutia, that is, a rat that lives in a tree, and its appearance most resembles a fox.

After a tour of this beautiful farm, lunch will follow at a local restaurant, where you will have the opportunity to enjoy one of the best coffees with sugar cane in addition to great Cuban food. The next destination is the crocodile farm. Here you will have the opportunity to see the process of feeding the crocodiles, and of course you can enjoy watching the animals at an ever-smaller distance from you!

After hanging out with the crocodiles, you continue the boat ride all the way to the tourist center of Guam, i.e. to the Taino village, where you will see a real Indian village. Life in these areas years ago is presented in a vivid way. Improvised huts, statues, lots of pelicans will take you back several centuries in the past. A visit to a Taino village in Guam which is a recreation of the original inhabitants of Cuba. Entering the village is a welcome center with coconuts flavored with Cuban rum. The village features life-size sculptures created by famed Cuban sculptor Rita Long, depicting Aboriginal people performing the daily duties of fishing, hunting and domestic chores.

Every year, in June, Varadero hosts the Josone World Music Festival. Artists come to perform from different parts of Latin America and beyond. Open-air concerts and shows are held in different places of Varadero every year. The Varadero Gourmet Festival takes place every year between April and June. The five-day Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Show and Event is held every February through Harlistas Cubanas (“Cuban Harley Riders”). Varadero hosts the Melia Golf Club Cup event, which takes place every year in the third week of October. Next up is the Los Cactus Varadero Golf Tournament, a two-day tournament held at the Varadero Golf Club of the Los Cactus Hotel.

My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this third special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Cuba where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the Caribbean. Today’s travelogue would not have been possible without the selfless help of the tourist agency Disko Travel in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Cuban culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Cuba.

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 cooperate with many companies and businessmen in the tourism sector and I would like to thank the Disko Travel travel agency once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Cuban culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Cuba and the presentation of the Varadero resort which adorns the heart of Caribbean? Have you had a chance to visit Cuba 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 Cuba, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this far away Caribbean country!

With Love From Varadero,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by Disko Travel and Air France airline as well as other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.

SHARE THIS POST

Letters from Cuba: Havana, the most Colorful Pearl of the Caribbean…

Adventure Travel 4 Comments

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of June will be dedicated to an unusual island country in the Caribbean, a country known for tobacco and rum – Cuba. At the very beginning of this series of travelogues, I would like to thank the travel agency Disco Travel, which is more than a travel agency, it is a real traveling family that provides an incredible experience. This is my first time cooperating with a travel agency and I must admit that it was an unusual experience. With their help, travelogues from Cuba and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this June and July, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

Do you want a trip that you will remember for a lifetime? Check out Disco Travel trip arrangements for distant exotic destinations and choose your adventure that you could only dream of, just don’t forget your camera and phone to capture unforgettable moments from Zanzibar, Bali, Thailand, Cuba and other destinations that Disco Friend Travel can take you to.

How to get to Cuba? The best and fastest way to get to Havana is through the City of Light with Air France. Even in addition to the rich flight network of the KLM group covering almost the entire world, Belgrade is a very important destination for Air France. Namely, since the founding of Air France in 1933, this airline has been flying to Belgrade. I’m sure you’re wondering how long was the flight from Paris to Belgrade back then? It is interesting that one daily flight in 1936 from Paris-Le Bourget airport left at half past seven in the morning, stopped in Strasbourg at 8:35, Nuremberg at 11:10, Prague at 12:40, Vienna at 2:15 p.m., Budapest at 3:35 p.m., while arriving in Belgrade at 5:25 p.m. Conclusion: the flight from Paris to Belgrade took almost 11 hours, much longer than my flight to Havana! 🙂

KLM Group, founded in 2004, consists of three independent airlines Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Transavia. The KLM group has a loyalty program FLYING BLUE that is important for all frequent travelers of KLM and Air France airlines. When you become a member of this loyalty program and start collecting miles every time you fly with Air France and KLM or members of the Sky Team alliance, you have the opportunity to achieve numerous benefits, and as your status increases, your benefits increase with it. Membership is completely free, and you can spend the miles you earn as money and use them to pay for additional services on the flight, on the ground, services of numerous partners such as hotels and car rental agencies, but also the airline tickets themselves, for more information about this program loyalty, read on the LINK.

When I read the travel program for Cuba put together by the Disco Travel travel agency I was very excited to spend a few hours in my favorite city in Europe – Paris. If you decide on this program, be sure to take the opportunity to visit Paris, don’t worry about time, but schedule your Uber ride and enjoy the charms of Paris for at least a few hours.

Use your precious time to walk down the avenues, enjoy the beauty of the displays of the world’s most famous fashion houses and be sure to buy the power adapters that are needed if you want to use your electronic devices in Cuba. Just look for Fnac in Paris or their store at the airport and you’re free to relax. Of course, in addition, do not forget to buy mosquito spray, but the special one for exotic species to protect yourself and your loved ones on this long exotic trip. If you have done your shopping, then you can sit in the garden of one of the many cafes and enjoy your morning cappuccino and croissant.

After the extraordinary Paris, get ready for a completely different contrast of colors and social arrangements that you don’t get a chance to see in Europe. The flight from Paris to Havana takes about 10 hours and make sure you are comfortable because it is extremely important on these long flights. When you land in Havana, you are entering a tropical climate zone and be prepared when you step out of the Havana airport and use your Spanish language skills that we have all learned well over the years with series like Cassandra, Rubi, Esmeralda and others. Cubans are extremely pleasant and hospitable people, you will win their heart, you only need to say “Hola!” and your adventure in Cuba has officially begun.

All arrangements organized by the Disco Travel travel agency for Cuba include a visit to Havana, Varadero and Trinidad, so you will have the opportunity to get to know this island country in the best possible way. Today’s post will be dedicated to the capital of Cuba – Havana, and this is also the first part of the story about the colorful pearl of the Caribbean.

Now I’ll tell you a little more about the country we’ll be visiting together on the Mr.M blog for the next few weeks. Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island nation that includes the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several smaller archipelagos. Cuba is located at the point where the northern Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Cuba is located east of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico), south of the US state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic) and north of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Havana is the largest city and the capital; other big cities are Santiago de Cuba and Camaguey. The official area of the Republic of Cuba is 110,000 km2, excluding territorial waters, but a total of 350,000 km2 including the exclusive economic zone. Cuba is the second most populous country in the Caribbean, after Haiti, with over 11 million inhabitants.

Havana is the capital and largest city of Cuba, it forms the heart of the province of La Habana. Havana is the main port and commercial center of the country. The city has a population of almost 2.5 million inhabitants and covers a total area of 730 km2, making it the largest city by area, the most populated city and the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region. How was Havana created? The city of Havana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century. It served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, becoming a stopover for Spanish galleons returning to Spain. Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of capital in 1607. Walls and fortifications were built to protect the city. The city is the center of the Cuban government and is home to various ministries, corporate headquarters and over 100 diplomatic offices.

Urban Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburbs. The city extends mainly to the west and south of the bay, which is entered through a narrow bay and which is divided into three main ports: Marimelena, Guanabacoa and Antares. The Almendares River runs through the city from south to north, entering the Straits of Florida a few miles west of the bay. The interesting thing is that Havana attracts over a million tourists a year. Old Havana (the old part of the city) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is also known for its history, culture, architecture and numerous monuments.

Havana has different styles of architecture, from castles built in the 16th century, to modernist high-rises. The current condition of many buildings has deteriorated since 1959 or many have even been demolished, including the demolition of the Plaza del Vapor, built in 1835 by Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba architect Eugenio Raineri Sorrentino, father of Eugenio Raineri Piedra, architect of El Capitolio in 1929 . years. Plaza del Vapor was demolished in 1959 by the new, revolutionary government. Due to the country’s dire financial situation, there have been numerous building collapses across the city that have led to serious injuries and deaths of local residents due to lack of maintenance.

With an experienced local guide in English, your first encounter with Havana will be a tour of the old part of Havana (La Habana Vieja). It is one of the best-preserved colonial complexes in America and has been under the protection of UNESCO since 1982. Old Havana is mostly a pedestrian zone, and at the same time, it is the most visited touristic part of the city. There are many parks, squares and narrow streets. You will be surrounded on all sides by old buildings, painted in vibrant colors.

You may notice that the paint on the facade is worn and that the walls of the buildings are cracked, but the age of the buildings in no way detracts from their beauty. We walk to the Plaza de Armas, one of the oldest and most important squares in Cuban history. It was built at the beginning of the 16th century, recently after Havana was founded. In the center of the square there is a marble statue of Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a national hero and fighter for Cuban independence. Then follows a tour of the Museum of the Revolution. Previously, this building was the presidential palace where Flugencio Batista lived, who was ousted from power by the Cuban Revolution.

The walk continues to the Cathedral of San Cristobal in the Plaza de la Catedral. It is interesting that the remains of Christopher Columbus were kept in this cathedral from 1796 to 1898, after which they were transferred to the Seville Cathedral in Spain. El Template chapel, where Havana was founded, is also worthy of attention. If you want to get to know Havana and feel the true spirit of Havana, make an effort to visit some other major sights such as the Museum of the City of Havana – Palacio de los Capitanes Generales, the Rum Museum, the so-called Havana Club, the Cuban Art Factory – a place where exhibitions, concerts and film screenings are held. projections.

If you want to go back to the golden age of Havana, I recommend you to pay for the optional tour of the panoramic view of Havana and driving in convertibles. You will have the opportunity to drive through the streets of Havana along the Malecón, an 8 kilometer long promenade, one of the main symbols of Havana. There is a beautiful view of colorful houses of different styles, and on the other side you will see the turquoise sea. The promenade is usually crowded with artists, bohemians and couples who come to wait for the striking sunset.

During this excursion, the Disco Travel group stops at Revolution Square to take authentic pictures. After that, we continue with the sightseeing of the Avenue of the President, the University of Havana and the Malecón. After visiting the modern part of Havana, we will go to the old part of Havana, which is under the protection of UNESCO, and visit the Great Theater, Central Park, Capitol, Avenida Del Prado and finish sightseeing in Moro.

Plaza de la Revolucion – “Revolution Square”, is a municipality and square in Havana. The municipality, one of the 15 that make up the city, stretches from the square to the sea on the Malecón and includes the district of Vedado. The location of the monument was agreed upon by Fulgencio Batista at Loma de Los Catalanes, taking into account the urbanization studies of architect Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier from 1926 which indicated the location as ideal for a larger city. The avenues were conceived to connect Vedado with Serra and Jesus del Monte, as planned by the architects Otero, Varela and Labatur. It would be like the center of a system of avenues and squares, surrounded by large public buildings, such as the National Library, various ministries, a museum, the School of Fine Arts, etc. This is exactly what was done to give birth to the famous Plaza Civica, which is its real name.

This project was conceived as part of a wave of architectural and infrastructural works carried out by the government of Fulgencio Batista. Plaza Civica, as it was originally called, was built during the decade of the 1950s and was part of an old and ambitious project that aimed to make Plaza Civica the center of the city’s traffic with four avenues that would connect the main points of the city. starting from him. The square and the memorial were completed in 1959 and were originally called Plaza Civica. An elevator provides access to the top of the monument at 109 m, one of the highest points in the city.

Revolution Square is the 60th largest city square in the world, with an area of 72,000 square meters. The square is significant for the fact that many political rallies are held, and Fidel Castro and other political figures have addressed Cubans on this square. Fidel Castro addressed more than a million Cubans on many important occasions, such as May 1 and July 26 each year. Pope John Paul II, during his first papal visit in 1998, and Pope Francis in 2015, held high masses there during papal visits to Cuba. The square is dominated by the José Martí Memorial, which has a tower 109 m high and a statue of 18 m.

The National Library, many government ministries and other buildings are located around the square itself. Behind the monument is the Palace of the Revolution, the seat of the Cuban government and the Communist Party. Opposite the monument are the offices of the Ministries of the Interior and Communications, on the facades of which there are corresponding steel memorials to the two most important deceased heroes of the Cuban Revolution: Che Guevara, with the quote “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” (Always forward to victory) and Camilo Cienfuegos, with the quote ” Vas bien, Fidel” (You are doing well, Fidel). It is also home to several cultural institutions.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic Spanish eclectic style hotel in Havana, Cuba, opened in 1930. Located on the seafront in the Vedado district, it is located on Taganana hill, offering a fantastic view of the sea and the city. It has been declared a national monument and has been granted the status of Memory of the World at the national level by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

In the garden of the hotel, you can still see the two cannons of the Santa Clara battery that belonged to the defense system of Havana at the end of the Spanish colonial period, and are now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List together with Old Havana.

In its 92 years, the magnificent Hotel Nacional de Cuba has witnessed some of the most important events in the history of Cuba, linking the republican and revolutionary stages, and has a long list of famous guests, including Gary Cooper, Johnny Weissmuller, Buster Keaton, Errol Flynn, Duke of Windsor and Jose Raul Capablanca in the 1930s, Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Winston Churchill, as well as Italian-American mob bosses and Mexican film stars such as Maria Felix, Jorge Negrete and Agustin Lara in the 1940s and Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Nat King Cole and Walt Disney in the 1950s, Yuri Gagarin, Gabriel García Márquez, Jean-Paul Sartre and his wife, Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara in the 1960s.

From 1979 to the present, it has been the venue for the International Latin American Film Festival, becoming a meeting place for contemporary actors and filmmakers such as Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Francis Ford Coppola, Danny Glover, Steven Spielberg, Imanol Arias, Geraldine Chaplin, Kevin Costner and Gloria Pires. Hundreds of famous people, including more than 100 heads of state, have been guests of the hotel, their photos, as well as historical objects are displayed in the Hall of Fame, a must-see place when in the capital of Cuba.

El Capitolio or the National Capitol Building (Capitolio Nacional de La Habana) is a public building in the heart of Havana. The building was commissioned by Cuban President Gerardo Machado and was built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction of Eugenio Rainieri Piedra. It is located on Paseo del Prado, Dragones, Industria and San Jose streets in the very center of Havana. The building of the Capitol of Havana was built on land that was a railway terminal and once belonged to the Villanueva Railway. The project began in April 1926, during the administration of Gerard Machado. The construction was supervised by the American firm Purdy and Henderson.

Before the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Congress was housed in the building, Congress was abolished and dissolved after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and the building fell into disrepair. Although its design is often compared to the United States Capitol, it is not a replica, locals claim that it is similar to the one in Washington, D.C., but a meter taller, a meter wider and a meter longer, and much more detailed. To complete its construction, they needed more than 5000 workers, 3 years, 3 months and 20 days, as well as approximately 17 million US dollars. Completed in 1929, it was the tallest building in Havana until the 1950s. It houses the third largest indoor statue in the world.

Viñales – tobacco valley

During this full-day excursion, you have the opportunity to visit the Viñales Valley, located in the province of Pinar del Río and known for the largest tobacco production in Cuba. The main feature of the valley is the limestone formations – mogotes, which emerge all around like sugarcane heads hidden under lush vegetation. The first stop is Los Hazmines viewpoint, which offers an extraordinary view of the valley.

After the lookout, you continue to the Cueva del Indio cave (Cave of the Indians) where you will go boating and see very interesting rock formations. This is followed by a visit to a rural household engaged in tobacco production. While you listen to an interesting story about tobacco production, the host’s wife serves you coffee and tompus. After you have learned a lot about tobacco, you continue to explore the surroundings and enjoy the untouched nature at lunch prepared for you by friendly locals.

My dear travelers, we have come to the end of this first special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Cuba where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in the Caribbean. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the tourist agency Disco Travel in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of Cuban culture and tradition. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Cuba.

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 cooperate with many companies and businessmen in the tourism sector and I would like to thank the Disco Travel travel agency once again for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to experience the beauty of this unusual Cuban culture in a completely different way.

How did you like my story about Cuba and the presentation of the capital of Havana, which adorns the heart of this unusual country in the Caribbean? Have you had a chance to visit Cuba 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 Cuba, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this far away Caribbean country!

With Love From Havana,

Mr.M