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TUNIS Tunisia
Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and the political, commercial and cultural centre of the c...
published: 29 Jun 2010
Author: TravelVideoStore
TUNIS Tunisia
Tunis is the capital of Tunisia and the political, commercial and cultural centre of the country, the Paris of North Africa and a metropolis with a long history. The centre of the city is the medina, the Arabic old town. Surrounded by the market streets of the souks towers the large mosque of Ez-Zitouna, 'Mosque of the Olive'. Apart from the Mosque of Sidi Oqba of Kairouan, this noble building is the most important religious sanctuary in Tunisia. The central market quarter dates back to the Hafsid Dynasty and Early Christian period and the leisurely ambience of the Moorish coffee houses still exists today. The tall, octagonal minaret of the Sidi Youssef Ben Ali Mosque is the earliest Syric building style in Tunisia. Next to the mosque are the securely guarded government buildings that incorporate the architectural styles of the old town. In the labyrinth of souks, there is a tiny square with red-green pillars, the former slave market in which human captives were sold for profit. The 18th century mausoleum of Tourbet El Bey contains the tombs of the Husseinites Dynasty. Its stucco walls and marble pillars highlight the influence of Italian Renaissance. Even today, the medina of Tunis enchants all those who experience it and it is one of the oldest and most constantly populated areas of the Mediterranean that is as evocative as an oriental fairytale.
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Antique Tunisia / Tunisie Antique
At the beginning of recorded history, Tunisia was inhabited by Berber tribes. Its coast wa...
published: 28 Sep 2008
Author: elvanino
Antique Tunisia / Tunisie Antique
At the beginning of recorded history, Tunisia was inhabited by Berber tribes. Its coast was settled by Phoenicians starting as early as the 10th century BC. The city of Carthage was founded in the 9th century BC by settlers from Tyre, now in modern day Lebanon. Legend says that Dido founded the city in 814 BC, as retold in by the Greek writer Timaeus of Tauromenium. The settlers of Carthage brought their culture and religion from the Phoenicians and other Canaanites. After a series of wars with Greek city-states of Sicily in the 5th century BC, Carthage rose to power and eventually became the dominant civilization in the Western Mediterranean. The people of Carthage worshipped a pantheon of Middle Eastern gods including Baal and Tanit. Tanit's symbol, a simple female figure with extended arms and long dress, is a popular icon found in ancient sites. The founders of Carthage also established a Tophet which was altered in Roman times. Though the Romans referred to the new empire growing in the city of Carthage as Punic or Phoenician, the empire built around Carthage was an independent political entity from the other Phoenician settlements in the Western Mediterranean. Tunis Zitouna Great MosqueA Carthaginian invasion of Italy led by Hannibal during the Second Punic War, one of a series of wars with Rome, nearly crippled the rise of the Roman Empire. Carthage was eventually conquered by Rome in the 2nd century BC, a turning point which led to ancient Mediterranean <b>...</b>
