TUNISIA : A DOOR TO NORTH AFRICA : Discovering a Mediterranean crossroads reminiscent of Costa del Solin earlier days

Through the open French doors of our spacious, brick-lined hotel room we could hear the soft sound of waves lapping the shore of the Gulf of Hamamet. The rising sun colored the horizon in shades of apricot as sea gulls drew graceful arcs over the sea. After an early swim in the warm Mediterranean, we breakfasted on hot croissants, freshly squeezed orange juice and cups of steaming cafe au lait by the hotel pool. Breathing in the rose-scented air, we were beginning to understand why many Europeans have a soft spot in their hearts for Tunisia, one of North Africa’s most popular tourist destinations.

Intrigued by glowing descriptions of its miles of pristine coastline and its setting as a crossroads of Mediterranean cultures since antiquity, my cousin, my aunt and I agreed upon Tunisia for our vacation last June. We had been advised by family and friends in Morocco that the country is a gem little explored by Americans.

Like most visitors, we began our odyssey by flying into Tunis, capital of the peaceful North African republic that is bordered by the less serene countries of Algeria on the west and Libya on the east. We picked up a rental car for our three-week excursion and began with a drive to nearby Carthage, now a suburb of Tunis. That afternoon we stepped back 2,000 years as we explored the well-preserved ruins of this ancient city, once the capital of an empire that for centuries before the time of Christ ruled the western Mediterranean. Today, it appears Pompeii-like, a park at sea’s edge filled with silent monuments to an earlier civilization, with excavations, bits of wall, amphitheaters and sands along the shore containing treasures of mosaic that have washed up with the waves.

One afternoon, we drove across the newly built causeway that traverses the Lake of Tunis to the picturesque suburb of Sidi Bou Said. We climbed the town’s steep cobblestone streets, stopping occasionally to take in the cerulean doorways and the intricate ironwork that have inspired such painters as Paul Klee and August Macke. That evening, at the Cafe des Nattes, a local landmark in the heart of the village, we sipped steaming glasses of sweet mint tea that had been sprinkled with roasted pine nuts as we watched twinkling lights along the Gulf of Tunis.

But within a few days we were ready to leave the hot and crowded metropolis for Hamamet, an hour to the south.

As did many towns along the Mediterranean, Hamamet grew out of a small Roman settlement. Pirates laid claim to it in the 15th Century, only to be driven out by the Spanish. It remained a sleepy village until the late 1800s, when the area’s mild climate caught the fancy of European artists such as Klee and Macke. Their vivid paintings and glowing descriptions helped make Hamamet a popular destination for well-heeled visitors from the Continent during the 1920s and ‘30s.

Hamamet is still a holiday center for visitors from Europe--mostly Germans, Italians and French--with a good number of landscaped mini-malls, hip discotheques and restaurants offering the finest Tunisian and continental cuisines. No less appealing are the stylish and reasonably priced hotels, the result of an aggressive government policy to target the middle-class traveler. Indeed, as three women sharing a room, we were pleasantly surprised at the inexpensive price of accommodations, not only in such upscale establishments as the Sheraton Hamamet (where we paid the reduced summer rate of $75 for all three of us), but all the way along the coast.

Although Hamamet and the adjacent coastal area is capable of catering to the whims of the most sybaritic visitors, it has managed to retain a charming, provincial ambience, much like Spain’s Costa del Sol before it was discovered.

One evening, after examining a number of posted menus, we selected Chez Achour, a restaurant well known for its fresh seafood. A heady fragrance of jasmine floated over us as we feasted alfresco on grilled sand dabs smothered in a local specialty, a tomato and caper sauce called kerkennaise. The next evening, our paseo ended at the quaint La Pergola restaurant, overlooking Hamamet harbor. We sat on the restaurant’s terrace, savoring a delicious Tunisian-style bouillabaisse. As delightful as these dining experiences were, however, they paled in comparison to the elegant Dar Lella restaurant, where our meal was served by candlelight to the sound of a trickling fountain. To this day, the subtle flavors of Dar Lella’s tagine malsouka , a savory spinach and egg mixture encased in layers of golden, flaky phyllo pastry remain etched in my memory ($15 a person for a three-course meal without wine).

Over the course of a sunny Thursday morning, we mingled with the crowd swarming the Cite Commerciale, the town’s picturesque shopping mall. When we left the souk, we were wearing colorful straw hats and debating how we would pack the pieces of hand-painted ceramics and colorful wall hangings we had purchased.

Thrilled with our newly acquired treasures, we decided to forgo a day at the beach for an exploratory trip 40 miles inland to Thuburbo Majus (at Tbourba), one of Tunisia’s most impressive Roman sites. Fields of wheat spread out to the horizon as we drove past scattered Berber encampments toward the adjacent hillside town of El Fahs. As we neared the site, the impressive columns of its ancient capitol came into view. The silence that pervaded the ruins was almost palpable, for we were the only ones there except for a local guide. For the next hour, he used his best blend of English, French and Italian words to paint for us vivid pictures of Thuburbo’s forum and its Roman temples as they must have been more than 2,000 years ago.

Such riches are threaded throughout Tunisia’s history. The easternmost country of the Maghreb, the Arabic name for an area that also includes Algeria and Morocco, Tunisia is a Muslim nation, barely the size of Missouri, that is blessed with a climate similar to Southern California’s and stretches more than 800 miles along the Mediterranean coast. Since time immemorial, Tunisia, barely 87 miles off the coast of Sicily, has served as a bridge between East and West. As they did in the rest of the Maghreb, the region’s agricultural riches attracted waves of invaders over the centuries, from the Phoenicians and the Romans to the Arabs, the Spanish, the Normans, the Turks and finally the French, who occupied Tunisia from 1881 until 1957, when the country gained its independence.

One legacy of the French is the country’s excellent network of well-maintained roads. This influenced our decision to rent a car and to explore Tunisia on our own. In three weeks, we covered close to 1,000 miles.

The ancient cobblestone streets of Thuburbo offered a dramatic contrast to the sleek highway we followed the next day on our way to El Kantaoui (cant-ou-WE), but only stopped for refreshments before heading to Sousse. Hotels to suit every taste lined the coastal road between El Kantaoui and Sousse, Tunisia’s third largest city. We had already reserved a room at the Hotel Marhaba, a budget-priced establishment that we found out is heavily favored by Germans. So much so that the staff greeted us in German and expressed surprise upon learning we were Americans.

Our large, yet sparsely furnished room looked out onto the Marhaba’s well-landscaped grounds that extended all the way to the sea. We explored Sousse, driving along the oceanfront boulevard crowded with beach-goers to the Ribat tower, an 8th-Century fortification originally occupied by Islamic leaders whose main duty was to spread the faith.

Scores of sunbathers had vanished by the time we returned to our hotel for a swim before dinner, which, we had been advised, would be served promptly at 8 p.m. At the appointed hour, we joined the small stampede of tour members who surged forward as the doors opened onto a dining facility that had all the charm of a college dining hall. Later, we went to sleep to the throbbing sounds of disco music coming from the underground nightclub.

Many of the groups had already departed by the time we left the next morning to follow the oceanfront boulevard linking Sousse and the ultramodern resort of Monastir (mon-ah-STEER). The lovely crescent-shaped coastline of the zone touristique --an area set aside exclusively for tourist facilities--was lined with dozens of high-rise hotels and even a golf course or two. Once a strategic Phoenician site and later a Roman port, Monastir is now known as the birthplace of former president Habib Bourguiba, who is regarded as the father of modern Tunisia, having led the country’s successful struggle for independence from France in 1957. Our leisurely walk through town culminated with the purchase of sliced ruby-red watermelon dripping with juice. Watermelon in hand, we bade farewell to Monastir to brave the inland heat en route to the Roman Coliseum of El Jemm.

None of the antiquities we had so far visited in Tunisia compared with the enormous Roman coliseum of El Jemm. Seen from several miles away, the massive structure shimmered like a mirage in the heat above the flat Sahel plain. At the height of its power, El Jemm or Thysdrus, as the Romans knew it, was one of the most prosperous cities in North Africa. Local landowners had amassed fortunes from growing and processing olives, causing the central government in Rome to impose a heavy tax on the oil from Thysdrus. In AD 238, these farmers rebelled and elected their own emperor, thereby incurring the wrath of Rome and the almost total destruction of their city.

At the end of the 8th Century, El Jemm once again made history when the coliseum served as a refuge for La Kahena, a legendary Berber heroine who led the resistance to the Arab invasion. Centuries later, the occupying Turks had to blow up part of the coliseum in order to prevent rebels from again seeking safe haven within its walls. Despite the Turkish destruction of yesteryear, however, El Jemm remains in a better state of preservation than the Coliseum in Rome.

We left El Jemm to its ghosts and continued our southern trek to Sfax. In Sfax, the air was heavy with the aroma of olive oil coming from mills located in and around the city.

Like their Spanish counterparts who savor tapas in neighborhood bars, the local people thrive on the flavorful snacks provided by dozens of street vendors manning fast-food stands lining the arcades of the main boulevard. Eager to sample the local fare, we lined up behind the locals to purchase a hot fricassee, a sort of fried sandwich filled with capers and hard-cooked eggs. The maze of narrow streets was lined with tiny stores selling shoes, bolts of fabric and cassette tapes blaring the latest American hits.

In contrast to Sfax, Gabes (gab-ESS), the southernmost city we visited, welcomed us with streets almost traffic-free. A favorite holiday spot for Tunisians, Gabes lies slightly off the beaten path, a factor that benefits the foreigners who do come. Not only did we enjoy beautiful beachfront accommodations, but we also found prices locked in a ‘60s time warp. At the Hotel Chems, where we stayed, the going summer rate of $60 a night for three people covered the rental of an airy (and air-conditioned) room with a large balcony facing the Mediterranean, as well as breakfast.

The only seaside oasis in North Africa, the city is nestled within half a million palm trees and is reputed to produce the sweetest fruits in Tunisia. What struck us most, however, was the genuine hospitality of its people. On one of our excursions into town, we ventured into the Librairie Bechraoui, a treasure trove of books on Tunisian history and lore on the Avenue Bourguiba. The owner, a Mr. Bechraoui, welcomed us warmly, and although we had never met he insisted on introducing us to his good friend Youssef Amori, the chef-owner of the restaurant Chez Amori across the street. He, in turn, prepared for us a unique Tunisian couscous topped with chunks of freshly caught fish simmered in a fragrant broth and laced with a palate-tingling hot sauce. The friendly chef, noticing our taste for the local sauce called hrouss, insisted on giving us several small containers to take home.

A similar spirit of friendliness greeted us the next day when we boarded the car ferry for Jerba Island, at the tiny port of Ras El Jorf, in the company of a donkey cart, a few bicyclists and a pickup truck carrying sheep. Ten minutes later, we drove off the ferry at Agim, happy that our newfound Gabes acquaintances had given us several recommendations on places to eat and shop in Jerba.

Unlike the undiscovered Gabes, Jerba--the largest island off the North African coast--is one of the most popular vacation spots for foreigners who visit Tunisia. Indeed, when Europeans speak of Tunisia, they usually mean Jerba, which some scholars believe may have been the land of the lotus eaters described in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Some surmise that Ulysses and his crew were enticed to stray from their course by the fruit of a local bush that was purported to help those who bit into it forget the tribulations of their past life.

Time and distance seemed suspended as we drove from one village to another. Nowhere on the island was the feeling more apparent than in Erriadh, where the spirit of Andalusian Spain still permeates the air. Erriadh is renowned for its fine filigree--a legacy of the Andalusian Jews who settled in Jerba in the 17th Century. It is also home to Jerba’s best-known synagogue. No one knows exactly when the structure called La Ghriba (meaning “the one who works wonders”) was built. Yet the historic structure remains a living memorial to Jerba’s longstanding Jewish presence, which according to historians predates the time of Christ.

We were asked to remove our shoes and to cover our heads and shoulders with shawls, provided by the resident rabbis, before we could step through the blue Moorish archways into the small synagogue. Intricate and colorful tile work brightened the dark interior that sheltered a unique collection of precious Torahs. One of the best-attended events on Jerba is the weekly souk in Houmt-Souk, the island’s capital. The souk grounds, already an explosion of color and activity by 8 p.m., rang with a cacophony of shouts and animal sounds. Farmers in from the surrounding countryside unloaded sacks of tomatoes and zucchini and large burlap bags bursting with dried chiles for harissa . Vendors engaged in animated conversations with groups of veiled Jerbian women shrouded in heavy white sefsaris (the Tunisian word for their sheetlike garments) and wearing straw hats.

Meanwhile, on the beaches nearby, enterprising young men did a brisk business selling camel rides to tourists.

At the Restaurant Jerba Nova, one of the numerous cozy establishments lining the square, we feasted on steamed clams, as well as ojja, a Tunisian dish of fried peppers, tomatoes and scrambled eggs.

Soon after we were seated, we followed the example of the local patrons around us and purchased a small bouquet of jasmine from the vendor who paused at our table. The full moon, visible through the lacy wrought iron grillwork decorating the restaurant’s windows, flooded the roof of one of Jerba’s mosques. As we gazed upon the moonlit dome, the scent of fresh jasmine wrapped around us like a fragrant shawl in a fitting conclusion to our Tunisian explorations.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

GUIDEBOOK

Coasting in Tunisia

Getting there: From LAX fly to major European cities, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, and connect to Tunis on Tunis Air. Or fly Lufthansa to Frankfurt, which flies to Tunis every day but Wednesday. From New York, Lufthansa, KLM, Iberia, Air France and Swissair have connecting flights to Tunis through European cities. Lowest advance-purchase, round-trip fares start at about $1,175.

Car rentals: We rented a car from Avis at our hotel in Tunis (National and Hertz also have offices in Tunis.) Driving in Tunis, where traffic is heavy and unpredictable, should be avoided but outside the city, traffic is light and the roads are well maintained. Most of the roads we traveled were paved and had two lanes, except for a four-lane freeway between Tunis and Sfax.

Where to stay: For best rates, contact hotels directly. Off season is mid-November to the end of March, and also (in Tunis) June, July and August.

Hotel Chems, Gabes. Rates about $36 per person, per night including all meals for a double room with ocean view; telephone 011-216-5270-547, fax 011-216-5274-485.

Hotel Marhaba Beach, Sousse. Rates about $50 for a double; tel. 011-216-3240-111 or fax 011-216-3240-688.

Hotel Meridien Africa, 50 Avenue Habib Bourguiba, Tunis. Rates $85-$315 per night for a double; from the United States telephone 011-216-134-7477 or (800) 543-4300.

Hotel Syphax, Jardin Public, Sfax. Rates about $60 to $75 for a double; tel. 011-216-4243-258, fax 011-216-4245-226.

Sheraton Hamamet, Hamamet. Rates $75-$125 per night for a double with ocean view; tel. (800) 325-3535.

Tunis Hilton. Rates $105-$130 per night for a double; tel. 011-216-178-2800, fax 011-216-178-2208 or (800) 445-8667.

Ulysse Palace Hotel, B.P. 79, Jerba. About $60 per person with half board; tel. 011-216-5657-422, fax 011-216-5657-850.

Where to eat: Chez Achour, Restaurant International, Hamamet. Dinner for two without wine about $30; local telephone 280-140.

Dar Lella, Rue Patrice Lumumba, par Avenue des Nations Unies, Hamamet. Dinner for two about $40; reservations necessary; tel. 280-871.

La Pergola restaurant, Tunisian and international cuisine, Cite Commerciale, Hamamet. Dinner for two about $25; tel. (02) 280-993.

Restaurant Le Corail, 39, Rue Habib Maazoun, Sfax. Dinner for two about $40. tel. 27-301.

Restaurant Jerba Nova, Place Sidi Brahim, Houmt-Souk, Jerba. Dinner about $7 per person. (No telephone number available.)

La Princesse d’Haroun. Lovely seaside restaurant at the port of Houmt-Souk. Seafood specialties. Dinner about $10 per person; tel. 650-488.

Shopping: The Office National de l’Artisanat Tunisien (ONAT) has showrooms in most major cities. The one on Avenue Mohammed V in Tunis is the largest and carries a wide assortment of Tunisian handicrafts such as rugs, wall hangings, carved wood and brass objects, and especially, the white and blue wire bird cages that are a trademark of Tunisia. The town of Kairouan is renowned for its fine, Persian-like carpets, while Nabeul and Jerba are both centers for pottery. The ONAT in Monastir is also noteworthy for its large and attractive display of hand-painted ceramics. Check out the government-set prices in the local ONAT before bargaining in bazaars and souvenir stores.

Weather: In June when we were there, the weather was cool and breezy along the coast (70-degree days and evenings) but quite hot and dry (90-100 degrees) inland. Summer weather in Tunis can be oppressive and muggy.

For more information: Embassy of Tunisia, Information Office, 1515 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., 20005; tel. (202) 466-2546 fax (202) 466-2553.