Tunisia (Page 4: Kairouan, and the Sahel)

Kairouan - the Great Mosque; one of Islam's holiest sites, construction began in the late 9C and continued for several centuries.  Kairouan is Tunisia's oldest Arabic settlement.

Kairouan - courtyard of the Great Mosque.  It does double duty as a catchment for rainwater.  The minaret is believed to predate the rest of the mosque.

Kairouan - a graveyard by the side of the Great Mosque.  As in all Muslim cemeteries, the tombstones face in the direction of Mecca.

Kairouan - the Bab Tunis (Tunis Gate), at one of the entrances to the town.

Kairouan - a typical scene.

Kairouan - the Mosque of Sidi Sahab (Mosque of the Prophet), dating mostly from the 17-19C.  A much venerated place of local pilgrimmage.

The Sahel - the transition zone between Mediterranean and Sahara climate zones in the central part of Tunisia.

Mahdia - located some 50km south of Sousse, this picturesque town was founded in 909 by the new Fatimid ruler of Tunisia, Mahdi.

Mahdia - the view from along the waterfront.  The town extends along a narrow peninsula nearly 2km, and is still one of Tunisia's more unspoiled towns.

Mahdia - the Great Mosque; originally built in the 10C, but heavily restored in the 1960s.

Mahdia - the fortress, or Borj el Kebir, completed 1595 and surrounded by a cemetery.

Mahdia - the view from atop the fortress takes in nearly the entire town.

Takrouna - a small Berber village perched on a rocky outcrop just inland from Sousse.

Takrouna - this nice Berber man invited me into his home for tea, for which privilege I had to pay!

Sfax - founded in 849, this is Tunisia's third largest city.  This view is of the wall which surrounds the medina, or old city.

Sfax - view of the Bab Gharbi, westernmost entrance to the medina.

Sfax - outdoor market next to the medina wall.

Sfax - fishmongers in one of the city's markets.

Thuburbo Majus - a Berber-Carthaginian settlement before its colonization by the Romans, this site was only rediscovered in 1875.

Thuburbo Majus - view of the Forum and the Capitol, laid out between 161 and 192AD.

Thuburbo Majus - this is the Palaestra of the Petronii, built 225AD to accomodate boxing, wrestling, and other sporting events.

Map courtesy of maps.com.