Tunis, The Fascinating Capital of Tunisia

Tunis is the capital of the North African nation of Tunisia, a land filled with historical antiquities and remnants of all the rulers that have left their mark there. Two focal points exist in the capital, those being The Medina, and the ruins of Carthage on the coast just north of the city. These two sites will give you an insight into the richness of Tunisian history and appreciate its cultural heritage.

The Medina ("town" in Arabic) is Tunis's Old City which was founded in the seventh century AD. It continues to serve as the town center until the early Twentieth Century when the French colonists established the new city. UNESCO declared the Medina to be a World Heritage Site in 1979, based on its historical and cultural importance. The atmospheric Old City is surrounded by city ramparts, and its maze-like covered alleyways and lanes filled with animated vendors take you away to another place and time.
Some of the major sites to see within the Medina are the Great Mosque, Bey's Palace, Ziadib-Allah II al Aghlab Palace, and the Bardo Museum housed in the Hasfid Palace. The Bardo Museum's giant collection of artifacts include many relics of the Roman, Greek, and Phoenician civilizations. In total there are more than seven hundred historical places in the Medina. It's impossible to see all of them, but it goes without saying that history is an integral pat of the Medina and you will encounter something historical no matter where you go.

The remnants of ancient Carthage are located just north of Tunis in the suburb called Carthage. The great military warrir Hannibal held Carthage as his power base, and Julius Caesar later controlled the city, making it second in importance only to Rome. In the 7th century Muslim invaders almost totalled the city during the Muslim conquest. Not a whole lot is left of the ancient city except for ruins, because of constant pillaging throughout the centuries. History lovers in particular will find the ruins fascinating, and the beauty of their seaside location makes for a pleasant excursion from Tunis.