Tunisia: Tunis Medina

Medina of Tunis (aka old town) is a tightly packed concentration of old buildings, mosques, monuments, madrasahs, mausoleums, palaces, and souqs (markets) – more then 700 of them – all dating to the period from 8-13th century when during the Almohads and the Hafsids dynasties Tunis was considered the richest city of the Islamic world. It’s so tightly packed that walking the narrow and twisting cobblestone streets you hardly see the light above, while the atmosphere is bustling with all the shops and exotic goods. But if you get to the rooftops – there are terraces with panoramic views of the medina and all the mosques. Just outside the medina, there are several large wide-open squares with monuments and fountains. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. © Copyright Rus Margolin/All rights reserved.