One of the reasons to travel to Tunisia is to view their ancient archaeological sites.
Our adventure in the country continued with a visit to the Grand Mosque, built in A.D. 670 at the highest point in the old town of Kairouan. Its majestic courtyard acted as a protection in time of war, a gathering place for the town and most importantly, the largest place for prayer in the country.
Kairouan was chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as the location for the Islamic, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization conference for 2009 because of its uniqueness.
When we were there in April it was easy to visit, with few tour buses filling the parking lots. But our guide alerted us about the conferences and speakers that were gathering there from all over the world, and they began by decorating the town square with red-and-white Tunisian flags for the festivities.
Out hotel, the Kasbah Hotel, although modernized, was built within the ancient walls and retains the old world feeling.
Our room had handsome, ceramic-tiled walls from floor to ceiling and the balcony overlooking the pool had latticed wood shutters that opened only partially, because years ago, women were not to be seen.
The hotel has several dining rooms, including a plentiful buffet dining room, and across the pool area, a charming room that made me feel like I was dining in a space hundreds of years old. Music serenaded us, making it feel like a scene from the Arabian Nights. The hotel has wisely retained the historic bones of the building
Stu had wanted to buy some rugs for the house because on his previous trips to Morocco, Turkey and India he enjoyed the purchase of rugs.
Since Kairouan is the “capital” of the rug trade in Tunisia, we began our “hunt.”
We found a style we liked and negotiated to buy them and have them made in colors for our home. They’ll be shipped, so we’ll see if they are what they said and worth the hours of searching and negotiating.
Our next stop was over a very bumpy hour-and-a-half ride to see the third largest and one of the best preserved amphitheatres in the world, the Amphitheatre of El Jem. It was worth the hazardous trip. The limestone structure, build in A.D. 220, is approximately six stories high and the interior is about the size of a football field. I tried to listen for sounds of the gladiators who fought gallantly for their lives!
The weather had been picture-perfect, with no clouds in the sky and 60 to 65 degree temperatures, making touring easy. Once again, I find Tunisia an amazingly underrated tourist destination.
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