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Tunisia, A Study in Blue and White
By Yvonne Mason

“We are the Switzerland of the Arab world.” Tunisians said many times as we touring last spring. The Tunisian people are gentle, smart, peaceful, good looking and very proud of their beautiful clean country. Almost as clean as Singapore. And, for the same reason, the people in each country like it clean. Most buildings are white with medium blue doors, window frames, balconies and decorative motifs, especially in Tunis and Sidi bou Said.. Blue sky, blue sea, the coast is a dream.

The Bardo Museum, located in the old Palace of the Bey in Tunis, is famous for its most excellent collection of Roman mosaics. The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa, Malibu, California has been working in collaboration with the Bardo to preserve the stunning mosaics.

The northeastern area of Tunisia was dominated by Punic, Roman and Christian periods. Carthage, with the amazing Antonine Spas, amphitheater, theatre, Punic Port and Roman villas was originally a Phoenician capital from about 800 B.C. Carthage was sacked by Rome in 146 B.C., then colonized again in 105 B.C. by Augustus.

Carthage location is splendid and one of the most beautiful Roman ruins around the Mediterranean.

Sidi Bou Said, is a delightful Moorish village perched high above cliffs over the Gulf of Tunis. The buildings doors are particularly ornate and blue with stars, moons, minarets and crescents. Sidi Bou Said has been a favorite of the avant-garde since the 1920’s. Andre Gide, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and Paul Klee were all fond of Sidi Bou Said. Bright flowers drape the buildings and we found Sidi Bou Said to be the best shopping.

Sidi Oqba, The Great Mosque ( one of Islam’s four holy sites, started in 670 A.D.) located in Kairouan, is one of the most beautiful and oldest monuments in the Moslem world. We continued west to the desert.

The desert is vast, heat ripples over the sand, the sky is as turquoise as the gem, we are on the edge of the Sahara. Signs point to Frontiere Algierienne and Libya.

Nomadic tribes, berber tents, herds of camels and blue, blue sky carry one away to an otherworldly place.

At Metiaoui we board the Red Lizard train, a narrow gauge railway opened in 1899 by the Bey of Tunis. The carriages are early 20th century fitted with red leather seats. The train runs the nine mile Gorges of Selja a dramatic mountain oasis and otherwise inaccessible gorges. Close to the railway is the stunning Tamerza Palace Hotel for fine dining or staying.

Past more oasis and further into the desert we arrived at Tozeur. The mythical town of Tozeur is like a dream with the poetic Belvedere palms, the old Medina and the superb Dar Chraiet Museum of art, architecture and culture.

Chott El Jerid salt lake is truly one of the most surrealistic sights we have seen. Nearer to the Algerian border (surreal in itself), the lake shimmers with iridescent shades that change from one side of the road running through the lake to the other side. One side pink, the other green, one side rust the other blue or silver. The magical changing colors are the work of the sun shinning on salt crystals.

Douz is the gateway to the Sahara, the end of the road, four wheel drive is needed to go south from here. Taureg (blue men, because of their blue garments), tents and herds of camels with a few clumps of grass and a few Libyan gas stations (Libya has lots of gas and delivers it in cans and barrels to these stations in the middle of the desert). At the hotel hundreds of sparrows fly with the wind out of the oleander bushes.

The star of the Tunisian South, it is said is Matmata. Although the underground Troglodyte dwellings were used by Steven Spielberg in Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Matmata looked like a set in the desert to us.

Farther east and a ferry ride away is the charming island of Djerba. Many lovely beaches circle Djerba, but access may be limited by tourist hotels. Guelleia is the islands village of potters and economic center and Houmt Souk is famous for artisans cloth, blankets, silver and filagree gold jewelry. We treated ourselves to the Radisson SAS Resort, probably the most beautiful hotel we’ve seen and we have stayed at five and six star hotels all over the world, El Jem is the site of the third largest coliseum in the Roman world. The third century gem is better preserved than the coliseum in Rome.

The food is some of the best in the world. Couscous with meat, chicken, squab, and veggies; lamb; beef; fresh seafood; game, vegetables such as eggplant, salads, olives; fruits including figs, dates, oranges; and the most amazing pastries and desserts.

The wines are quite good.

Tunisia is a beautiful country, especially along the coast. The people are kind, friendly and the dollar is worth something in Tunisia.

Last update Wed May 5, 2010 7:13 PM