Text and photos: Nguyen Chi Linh
travel
I smell the scents of spices on counters, view the colorful traditional
scarves and shoes and admire the art of stone mosaic in some old houses.
In the early morning, I savor the greasy taste of goat cheese served with
aromatic bread and a cup of traditional hot cinnamon tea. These are also
the most interesting things of Tunis in the heart of the Medina.
I arrived in Tunisia from Casablanca,
Morocco on a bitingly cold night in late
winter. In my eyes, Tunis is quite modern
with influences of the Persian Islamic
architecture. Like other houses in the
capital Tunis, the hotel where I stay is
adorned with blue windows and white
walls with colorful bougainvillea flowers
hanging down in front of the gate. This
is the distinctive architectural style of the
Mediterranean.
Every morning, I am awakened up by
the clamping sounds of wheelbarrows
delivering bread at 5am. The Medina
preserves its antique beauty stones in the
17th century, which is cut into squares and
tiled unevenly. The early morning sounds
of wheelbarrows on the bumpy roads is a
unique alarm of this land.
It’s easy to understand why the Medina
is called a fortress. Going deep into the
city, houses are built high up. Streets are
connected by antique stone staircases,
making Medina a labyrinthine with
countless gates. I even had to take a
photo of the place I was staying before
entering any gate in the Medina so that if
I got lost, I would just show the photo to
locals who are able to guide me.
TRAVELLIVE
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