The medina is by far the most popular part of the city for tourists, and with good reason. The Arabic old town, featuring sinuous alleyways with blank walls, beautiful vaulted alleys and famous monumental doors hiding palaces, is the historical core of Tunis. It is a true architectural wonder and became a UNESCO Humanity World Heritage site in 1979. Restoration is constantly in progress on many buildings in order to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the city. The medina mainly encompasses animated Souks selling spice blends, incense, perfume extract, and tanned leather, where the finest handicrafts share space with "Made in China" baubles. Throughout the passing of the centuries, the Souks remained as dynamic as ever, as can be seen for example in the Souk El Attarine , the Souk El Berka , the Souk El Koumach (Souk des Etoffes) , the Souk El Trouk or the Souk Ech-Chaouachiya . In this bewitching universe weighed down by small shops, the merchants and the customers haggle hard for Tunisian green and yellow pottery or a new pair of shoes.
Arabic in culture and tradition, Tunisia is one of the most liberal and tolerant Muslim countries. Although the nomadic Bedouin still follow their traditional way of life in the southern desert, the country's diverse origins can be seen in its architecture, crafts, music and regional folk dances. Tunisia has also developed an international reputation as an intellectual and cultural centre.
With a population of around 1. 5 million people, the capital city of Tunis is a mixture of different things. Its authentic medina (a World-Heritage site) is a large display of Islamic architecture, some dating back more than 1, 000 years. There is also a strong presence of French colonialism, including architecture (and some churches), food and other goods, and the near bi-lingual status of most citizens of Tunis. In contrast to most capitals of Islamic countries, Tunis is surprisingly modern and liberal. Tunis is of mixed identity- not quite Arab, nor African, and not European. Tour through the medina with its many mosques and traditional souks, and you will feel the Arab presence. When you visit the spectacular Bardo Museum or nearby Carthage, you will get a sense of the Roman (and prior to that, the Punic) presence that still strongly influences architecture in the country. Just up the road from Carthage is Sidi Bou Saïd, a whitewashed town with brilliant blue doors and bougainvillea that could easily be mistaken for a small Greek town by the sea.
Tunis is great for shoppers. Popular souvenirs include traditional ceramic bowls, babouches (leather slippers) and djellabas (ankle length robes). Tunisian dates are justifiably famous, while jasmine perfume is a true scent of the country.
Tunis est la ville la plus peuplée et la capitale de la Tunisie. Elle est aussi le chef-lieu du gouvernorat du même nom depuis sa création en 1956. Située au nord du pays, au fond du golfe de Tunis dont elle est séparée par le lac de Tunis, la cité s’étend sur la plaine côtière et les collines avoisinantes.
Bourgade modeste placée dans l’ombre de Carthage, Kairouan puis Mahdia, elle est finalement désignée capitale le 20 septembre 1159 (5 ramadan 554 du calendrier musulman), sous l’impulsion des Almohades, puis confirmée dans son statut sous la dynastie des Hafsides en 1228 et à l’indépendance du pays le 20 mars 1956.
Tunis est la capitale économique et commerciale de la Tunisie. La densité de son réseau routier, autoroutier et sa structure aéroportuaire en font un point de convergence pour les transports nationaux. Cette situation est issue d’une longue évolution, en particulier des conceptions centralisatrices qui donnent un rôle considérable à la capitale et tendent à y concentrer à l’extrême les institutions.
En 2004, la population de la municipalité de Tunis est de habitants — appelés « Tunisois » — d’après le recensement de l’Institut national de la statistique. Néanmoins, au cours du, l’agglomération s’est largement développée hors des limites de la municipalité, s’étendant sur une trentaine de kilomètres de diamètre pour atteindre les banlieues de l’Ariana au nord, La Marsa à l’est ou Soliman au sud. Son aire urbaine compte quelque habitants en 2004 Elle est constituée de la population urbaine des quatre gouvernorats formant le Grand Tunis : Tunis, Ben Arous, l’Ariana et La Manouba., soit près de 20 % de la population du pays.
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