Washington – Forty-nine years ago last month, a small group of Germans and I flew from Stuttgart to North Africa to see Nabeul, Hammamet, Kairouan, Tunis, and Carthage (what's left of it).
We traveled by Atlantis Air to Tunis, then took rickety vans late into the night, over rough roads lined with prickly-pear cactus, to our hotel on the sea at Nabeul, known as Tunisia's ceramics capital. From there we spent several days venturing to Hammamet, known for its beaches, and then to the Islamic holy city of Kairouan, founded inland in 670 a.d.
Kairouan, which seemed closer in culture and economy to the 7th century than the 20th, is known for its oriental carpets. We spent much time in darkened rooms admiring thick wool masterpieces, learning how many years each took to make by hand. My travel companions went on a buying spree. I was satisfied to take back a few tiles from Nabeul and a chance to meet and enjoy the company and culture of Tunisians.
Carthage was destroyed by the Romans and remains a ruin, outside Tunis. Also near Tunis is Sidi-bou Said, an artists' colony. Tunisia is noted for its unusual light, captured best by August Macke, a German artist who died in WWI.
Tunis was the site of the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2010. I was not surprised and imagined the streets where it took place.
The nearly fifty year old photographs below show Nabeul, Hammamet, and, in Kairouan, a street scene and carpet wares.
