Tunis Medina — Veil of Modernity

Your journey in Tunis begins at the Place de la Kasbah, the former parade ground of the Husainid beys. Built in the 18th century, it centers around the Kasbah Palace, erected between 1810 and 1820 by Hammouda Pacha. This two-hectare esplanade has been the seat of the Tunisian Government Palace since independence in 1956. The neoclassical administrative buildings surrounding it, dating from the French colonial period (1881-1956), bear witness to the architectural and political layers that have marked Grand Tunis. Here, you begin to perceive the legacy of Ahmad Bey, the last Husainid bey and modernist reformer, who sought to reconcile different worlds.

The itinerary then leads you to the Medina of Tunis, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979 and the first Arab site to receive this distinction. Across its 280 hectares, it houses 700 historical monuments, from mosques to palaces, and its 700 covered souks specializing in leather, spices, or gold. Founded in the 9th century under the Aghlabids, it reached its peak under the Hafsids from the 13th to 15th centuries. This immersion reminds you of the writings of Ibn Khaldoun, born in Tunis in 1332, a theorist of Islamic modernity, whose observations on the cycles of civilizations still resonate in these ancient alleys. It's a journey into the heart of Tunis's history.

Exiting the Medina, you walk along Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the main thoroughfare laid out in 1885 under French colonization, then named Rue de France. Measuring 1.6 km, it connects Bab Bhar to the Municipal Theater and the European quarter. This avenue is a revolutionary site, having witnessed the independence demonstrations in 1956 and the Jasmine Revolution in 2011. The date palm trees, aligned and planted around 1920, line this path that symbolizes Tunis's march towards its contemporary identity, a striking contrast to traditional architecture.

Your route takes you to the Municipal Theater of Tunis, an opera house inaugurated in 1902. Its eclectic architecture, a work by French architects Resplendy and Lavergne, features a 50-meter-long facade adorned with Corinthian columns and a sculpted pediment. The main hall, with its 450 seats and a 20x15m stage, saw its first performance with Verdi's 'Aida'. Classified as a Historic Monument in 1985, this building embodies Tunis's openness to European cultural influences, an important milestone in the heritage of Grand Tunis, and an example of the legacy left by Mustapha Bey, a beylikal reformer.

Finally, you reach Bab Bhar, or the Porte de France, a monumental gate built in 1884 under the French protectorate by Joseph-Alexandre Langlois. Standing 20 meters high, its Neo-Moorish style with Italian Renaissance influences marked the main entrance to the Medina from the port, connecting the Kasbah to the sea over 800 meters. The inscription 'Porte de France 1884' engraved on its arch in Arabic and French is a powerful symbol. Nearby, the Cathedral of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, built between 1882 and 1884 and dedicated to sailors, with its 37-meter bell tower dominating Avenue Habib Bourguiba, concludes your exploration of Tunis, a city of contrasts. This interactive tour of Tunis offers a unique perspective on its history and monuments.