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A woman in a tiny village, her head and face covered by a veil, pulled a cell phone from beneath a flowing robe and began an animated conversation in a language I could not understand. In a teeming city not far away, high-rise office buildings are interspersed among neighborhoods of bustling markets, imposing mosques and century-old palaces. These are among images that linger in my mind following a visit to Tunisia. For many vacationers, especially from Europe, that North African country is a sun-and-sand destination. They are drawn by its 800-mile coastline dotted by stretches of golden beaches lapped by the Mediterranean Sea. I was more intrigued by a treasure-trove of Roman relics, ancient walled Berber towns, and oasis villages perched in barren landscapes - and the kaleidoscopic culture created by the mixture of people who passed through the area, each leaving their influences. Also appealing is the fact that Tunisia is a safe destination, with a culture that imbues respect for the older generations. The tourism infrastructure includes an efficient transportation system, modern hotels and other conveniences that make travel convenient and stress-free. The seafaring Phoenicians traveled there around 1000 BC and built Carthage, which ruled that part of the world for eight centuries. They were followed by influxes from the Arab and Turkish Ottoman empires, Muslims, Spanish Moors and France, which held sway over the nation as a protectorate from 1881, until it achieved independence in 1956. The opportunity to experience the great Sahara Desert for me was reason enough to travel to Tunisia, one of 11 countries into which that vast sea of sand spills. The rolling dunes and ridges were just as I had pictured them, only whiter in the glare of the searing sun. I learned how camels, the so-called "ships of the desert," are well-suited to exist in that hostile environment. Their nostrils and double eyelashes can close to provide protection from blowing sand, and their soft, broad feet traverse the dunes with ease. Much awaits visitors who travel beyond the Sahara, and the resort towns line the Mediterranean coastline. Some Roman sites rival those found anywhere. Africa, for centuries, was one of Rome's most prosperous and important provinces, and architectural evidence of that place of prominence are everywhere. Dougga is the most extensive Roman site in the country, still in such good condition that I could picture its former inhabitants going about their daily tasks. Depressions gouged into flat stones 2,000 years ago were used in a gambling game similar to dominoes. Many houses still display a distinctive mosaic on doorsteps. They were placed there so male residents, who had a reputation as heavy imbibers of wine, could find their own home after a night of partying. Dougga's relics also include the typical Roman structures, including a graceful capitol building, a 3,500-seat theatre still used for occasional performances, and elaborate baths with separate rooms for hot and cold water. Wealthy residents of the town of Bulla Reggia devised a different way of warding off the summer heat. They built unique two-story villas, one above ground and another below, which was protected from the sun and cooled by air pipes embedded in the walls. Descending 23 steps to the lower level of the House of Amphitrite, I was greeted by rich floor mosaics that, among other scenes, one that depicted Venus and a chubby Cupid astride a dolphin. Finding such exceptional mosaics in their original location is unusual, because many of the finest have been moved to museums. By far the most outstanding collection is at the famous Bardo Museum in Tunis. Mosaics dating from as early as the second century BC have been painstakingly moved there from sites across Tunisia, some so large they cover entire floors and walls. Among personal favorites was a scene depicting a trio of Cyclopes swinging hammers to shape thunderbolts for Jupiter, and images of Bacchus, the god of wine and good times, who shows up often. Tunis is home to about one-fifth of the nation's estimated 9.9 million people. In ways, it exudes the atmosphere more of Mediterranean Spain or Italy than what I expected to find in an Arabic-Muslim culture. For example, I saw many more people wearing Western-style clothing than traditional Arabic dress. Shops selling pizza stand next to restaurants that serve couscous, harysa (red pepper sauce) and other traditional favorites. A focal point of the "old city" is the Great Mosque, which was built over a 130-year span beginning in 732 AD. Its name, which means "olive tree," refers to the mosque's founder, who - the story goes - taught the Koran beneath a tree which stood on that spot. An extensive souk (market) surrounds the mosque, huddled in a labyrinth of winding walkways and arched passageways lined by vendors' stalls. A major attraction for visitors is just outside of Tunis. The scattered remains of Carthage hint at the power and importance that ancient city-state held for centuries. The Phoenicians controlled the coastline of North Africa from that home base from the fifth century BC until Carthage fell to Roman domination in 146 BC. The Romans returned to Carthage 100 years later and rebuilt a splendid city on the ruins of the old. It became their administrative capital for Africa and the second most important urban center in the Empire after Rome. Interesting sites for visitors include the remnants of two ports, one of which accommodated 220 warships, that were staging areas from which the Carthaginians set sail to challenge Rome. The ruins of one of the largest amphitheatres in the Roman Empire serves as a reminder of when Christians were thrown unarmed into the ring to die at the hand of gladiators or the teeth of wild animals. An equally intriguing place, with a much more peaceful history, is Djerba, an island just off Tunisia's southeastern coastline connected to the mainland by a causeway originally built by the Romans. This low-lying island boasts outstanding beaches, and an interior dotted by tiny villages set among groves of date and olive trees. Djerba is home to an enclave of Jewish people whose ancestors arrived there some 2000 years ago. Today, about 1,000 Tunisian Jews live near the Ghriba Synagogue, which was built in 1920 on the site where a place of worship has existed since the first influx of Jews. The Djerban Jews exist in peaceful harmony with a mixed population that includes Arabs, Berbers and moderate Muslims. When I asked a Jewish shop owner how that small community gets along so well with their Muslim neighbors, he replied, "We have been living together for so long. Both Jews and Arabs think of themselves as Tunisian first, and see each other in the same way." I returned home with the hope that this scene of Jews and Muslims living in peace and mutual respect can be duplicated around the world. That memory underscored my conclusion that more than the lovely scenery, intriguing history or magnificent Roman ruins, it is the people of Tunisia that are its greatest asset. They are warm and welcoming, and they receive foreigners cordially and hospitably. For information: July/August 2006 edition
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