Tunis, Tunisia. Visited on 7-9 February 2025 – Stop 1
After 10 days in Iraq, I was relieved to leave – the security checks throughout the journey suggest the country, while well-guarded, is still unsettled. I flew from Baghdad to Tunis, the capital of Tunisia on 7 February 2025.
In the early 2010s, the Arab Spring started in Tunisia, which later spread across much of the Arab world in protest against corruption and economic stagnation. In my travels, I have met a few Tunisians who were extremely outgoing in their friendliness. I knew then this was no ordinary Arab.
My first stop was the Kabash Square. It is surrounded by various government buildings of Tunisian and colonial-style architecture. Then I wandered back in time to the old city of Tunis, the Medina. The shops and houses are connected by a labyrinth of narrow cobblestone alleys. A historical tower would loom high, an old mosque would appear amid the white houses or a minaret stood tall above all. The old market, the souks, continue to be where people shop like their forefathers. By the walls in the narrow alleys, they came to hang out, to watch soccer on TV over tea and coffee. The Tunis medina and souk is the best place to see the lives of Tunisia, past and present, and in transition.
Eating on the go is very Tunisian. I had a few of the Tunisian baguettes, mostly made with personal touches – with his dexterous fingers, he reached for the moist tuna, pressed it into the bread, then lettuce, onion, jalapeno, olive, tomato, green chili, Tunisian chilly sauce, on and on and on until the baguette could take no more. He then wrapped it with a piece of paper to make sure they stayed together. While his fingers were still juicy, he received my cash, without bothering to first wipe them. Every bite toward the other end tastes different – sometimes you bite into a jalapeno, sometimes an olive, or onion. It was like a journey meant more than the destination.
Tunis has welcomed me with its rich history, culture, great food, and the ultimate friendliness and helpfulness. Great time, great people.
Sousse, Tunisia. Visited on 10-11 February 2025 – Stop 2
From Tunis, I took a pooled local minibus to Sousse, about 150 km south along the Mediterranean coast.
This is off-peak tourist season. I thought I was chasing the desert heat of the Middle East but instead, I drifted into North Africa and into the uncomfortable cold weather for a man of the tropics. The weather has been wet, and the breeze cold. The gritty ones are here but preciously few.
I stayed barely 500m from the Ribat of Sousse, a fortress built in the 8th century. At 8 am, I almost woke up the ticketing person. The place was mine alone. The stones and bricks, yellow with age, looked untouched by modern hands. It is impressive how well-preserved it has been. The sky was grey, the floor still wet, with water droplets still clinging onto the handrails. I climbed the tall tower’s narrow spiral stairs wide only for one. At the top, I stood alone, the city’s limit stretching in all directions, the moment entirely mine.
Just a few hundred meters away was another well-preserved site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Great Mosque of Sousse. I then walked a kilometer to the Sousse Citadel and within it the Sousse Archeological Museum, which contains the world’s second-largest collections of mosaics, including Roman and Byzantine. The old walls and gates that functioned as ramparts in the Medina can be seen in different parts of the old town.
I then headed to the beach by midday. The drizzle fizzled. The sun tried to punch through but barely and sometimes momentarily, only to be affronted by the dark clouds that imposed themselves. In this weather, the beach was good only for solitude and soliloquy.
A vibrant coastal town with many old stories to tell.
Click the link below to go to the next stop:
Click the link below to start from stop 1:
Itinerary for this trip:
Oman Muscat->Dimmah Sinkhole->Wadi Shab->Sur->Ras Al Hadd->Ras Aal Jinz->Al Wasil->Wahid Bani Khalid->Nizwa->Jebel Shams->Iraq Baghdad->Kurdistan Erbil-> Kurdistan Sulaymaniyah->Karbala->Najaf->Babylon->Tunisia Tunis->Sousse->Kairouan->Monastir->El Jem->Carthage->Italy Sicily Palermo->Sicily Syracuse->Sicily Catania->Malta->Madrid->Dominican Republic Punta Cana->Les Terrenas->Santo Domingo->Puerto Rico->Miami
Related Posts
See the unique natural wonders of Oman in 10 days
Muscat, Oman. Visited 16-17, January 2025. I flew into Muscat, the capital of Oman, on January 16. Unlike many of
How is war torn Iraq now, in 2025?
Baghdad, Iraq. Visited on 28 – 29 January 2025. After spending 10 days in Oman, I made a last-minute swerve