| Tunis is the capital of the North African nation of | | | | Museum housed in the Hasfid Palace. The museum |
| Tunisia, a country full of historical wonders and relics | | | | contains a large collection of antiquities from the |
| of all the empires that have passed through it. Two | | | | Roman and Greek periods, and from the nearby ruins |
| focal points exist in the capital, those being The | | | | of Carthage. In all, the Medina holds over 700 |
| Medina, and the ruins of Carthage on the coast just | | | | historicalmonuments. You might go crazy if you |
| north of the city. These two sites will give you an | | | | attempt to find all of them, but needless to say that |
| insight into the richness of Tunisian history and | | | | you will encounter something historical at every turn. |
| appreciate its cultural heritage. | | | | The ruins of Carthage lie just north of Tunis on the |
| The Medina (which means "town" in Arabic) is the Old | | | | Gulf of Tunis, in a town called Carthage. The great |
| City of Tunis that was established in the seventh | | | | military general of Hannibal was based here, and it |
| century AD. It remained the city center until the | | | | was later rebuilt by Julius Caesar and became the |
| beginning of the twentieth century when the French | | | | second most important city in his empire after Rome. |
| colonial power built a new city center. The Medina | | | | It was late captured and largely destroyed during the |
| was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, | | | | Muslim conquest in AD 698. Due to being repeatedly |
| because of its historical significance. The Old City is | | | | pillaged, not much is left of ancient Carthage except |
| surrounded by city walls with covered alleys and | | | | for ruins. But archaeological digs have unearthed a |
| streets, tunnels, shopsand street merchants hawking | | | | number of historical antiquities at the site. These |
| their wares, while the scent of Arabic spices fills the | | | | provide an interesting experience to history buffs, |
| air. Some of the major sites to see within the | | | | and the beauty of their seaside location makes for a |
| Medina are the Great Mosque, Bey's Palace, | | | | pleasant excursion from Tunis. |
| Ziadib-Allah II al Aghlab Palace, and the Bardo | | | | |