Luxury, Tailormade Holidays to Tunisia
Savour the smooth taste of mint tea as you overlook the Sidi Bou Said marina from the cafés. Walk through the same corridors that gladiators once negotiated before fighting in front of a packed Amphitheatre the size of Rome’s Colosseum. Climb to the top of a desert watchtower and watch the sun descend, changing the colours of the dunes against the green oasis palms. Sit for a moment in the naturally air-conditioned chambers of a troglodyte house in the desert as the smell of freshly-baked bread reaches your nose. These are glimpses of the real Tunisia, a world apart from the beach destination it once was known as, and a world you need to experience!
Carthago delenda est! (Carthage must be destroyed!) – Cato the Elder, Roman Senator, 2nd century BC
Cato’s impassioned ending to almost every speech he gave in the Senate serves to remind us for how long what is now Tunisia has been important in world history. The Carthaginian Empire was a great one, and though Cato would eventually get his wish, the Romans emphatically left their mark here, which in turn only recalls the Carthaginians.
Tunisia is home to a collection of Roman ruins as rich and varied as one might find in Italy itself, though even the most celebrated sites in the country are still surprisingly unfrequented. From the hillside majesty of Dougga in the northwest to the enormous Colosseum of El Jem, there are surprises and works of art. But the eventual departure of the Romans did not signify the end of what Tunisia so fascinating. The onset of Islam developed the mercantile city of Tunis in the north, creating a labyrinthine medina, while to the south Kairouan became the fourth most holy city in Islam.
With Europe so near, Islam prevalent, and its history so rich, the mix of cultures and backgrounds is what makes Tunisia so fascinating. The cosmopolitan Tunisia of today is the product of this myriad of influences, and deserves exploration. Too often, however, tourists think of and follow the herd along the beach spots of the country. The most beautiful and engaging sites, and the best accommodation in Tunisia lie elsewhere.
Some of Tunisia’s highlights:
- Dougga, the charming hilltop Roman town
- Sidi Bou Said, a quaint coastal village looking over the Mediterranean
- Bulla Regia, underground villas dating back to Roman times
- Oases: Chebika, Tamerza and Mides wonderful examples of the dramatic southern Tunisian landscape
- Bardo Museum, an extensive collection of the mosaics and statues found from northern Tunisia
- Kairouan, Islam’s fourth holiest city, home to some beautiful mosques
- El Jem, an astonishing Amphitheatre that could host 35,000 people in its pomp
- Carthage, once the seat of a powerful civilisation
- Chott El Jerid, a beautiful salt lake in the Tunisian south
- Ksour, the other-worldly granaries of south-eastern Tunisia which inspired the setting of Star Wars
