Narrow Streets of Tunis, Tunisia
"Tunisia ...officially the Tunisian Republic... is the northernmost country in Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its size is almost 165,000 km², with an estimated population of just over 10.3 million. Its name is derived from the capital Tunis located in the north-east.
"Tunisia is the smallest of the nations situated along the Atlas mountain range. The south of the country is composed of the Sahara desert, with much of the remainder consisting of particularly fertile soil and 1,300 km of coastline. Both played a prominent role in ancient times, first with the famous Phoenician city of Carthage, then as the Africa Province which was known as the "bread basket" of the Roman Empire. Later, Tunisia was occupied by Vandals during the 5th century AD, Byzantines in the 6th century, and Arabs in the 8th century. Under the Ottoman Empire, Tunisia was known as "Regency of Tunis". It passed under French protectorate in 1881. After obtaining independence in 1956, the country took the official name of the "Kingdom of Tunisia" at the end of the reign of Lamine Bey and the Husainid Dynasty. With the proclamation of the Tunisian republic in July 25, 1957, the nationalist leader Habib Bourguiba became its first president and led the modernization of the country." Link 1.
The narrow streets of old Tunis are lined with residences featuring gaily painted doors and wrought iron balconies. (See photo detail below.) The arches with signs in Arabic, as in the photo above, lead to even narrower streets lined on both sides with stores. Owners hawk their wares beckoning shoppers to come in and bargain. The bargaining can reduce the price of purchase as much as 80%.
Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia
