To the origins
Haouanet, dating from the Bronze Age, are the oldest structures in Tunisia. These are small cubic burial chambers dug into the rock, examples of which can be seen in the village of Chaouach.
Great masters of urban planning, the Phoenicians and Carthaginians developed large cities with wide avenues intersecting at right angles. Stucco, ceramics and floors combining brick cement and splinters of marble and shell adorn the residences arranged around a patio, which is accessed from the entrance via an angled corridor to preserve privacy. Kerkouane is home to the finest Punic urban remains. The powerful ramparts and defensive moats of the city of Carthage also date from this period. Stylistically, there is an astonishing blend of Egyptian influences (sculpted and painted cornice known as the "Egyptian throat", pyramidion, massive volumes), Greek (Ionic and Doric columns) and Punic (mosaic and decorative art). The mausoleum at Dougga is a fine example. The fortress of the Numidian kings of Makthar, meanwhile, bears witness to the diversity of ritual structures of the period. Dolmen and multi-chamber tombs rub shoulders with tophets, sacred areas dedicated to Baal and Tanit.
The Punics were followed by the Romans. After destroying Carthage, they rebuilt it according to a checkerboard plan that would be adopted by all the cities in the province, which the Romans modernized with powerful infrastructure. The result was kilometers of roads, bridges and, above all, impressive aqueducts, including the Zaghouan aqueduct, which measured almost 125 km in length. These aqueducts supplied water to cisterns, fountains and pools in domestic patios and, of course, thermal baths. Pragmatic, the Romans nonetheless appreciated the monumentality and ostentation of an architecture designed to underline their power. Temples and capitols proliferated, as did theaters and coliseums. Not-to-be-missed sites include the gigantic colosseum at El Jem, the great thermal baths of Bulla Regia, Dougga and Makthar, and the superb three capitoline temples in the city of Sbeïtla. Power was also glorified by the construction of mighty triumphal arches leading to sumptuous forums encircled by porticoes, such as the one in the new Carthage. Roman prosperity can also be seen in the rich patrician residences with their polychrome paintings and mosaics. In Bulla Regia, many wealthy Romans doubled their living space by converting basements to create a second, cooler dwelling in which to endure the summer months! The Roman period also saw the development of early Christian architecture. The catacombs of Sousse, as well as the vaulted chapel, rotunda and basilica of the Damous el Karita site in Carthage, are prime examples.
Tunisiacame under the control of Byzantium, which definitively adopted the Christian faith, and built beautiful churches with a three-nave basilica plan and sumptuous mosaic decorations. The Byzantines also excelled in the art of fortification, as demonstrated by the powerful fortress of Kélibia and the massive citadel of Haïdra.
Splendors of Islam
The earliest examples of Islamic architecture in Tunisia are an astonishing blend of military and religious architecture, such as the ribats, veritable citadels of the faith, which can be spotted by their massive, crenellated silhouette and their watchtower known as a nador. The most impressive are in Sousse and Monastir. The first mosques, often built from materials taken from Roman and Byzantine edifices, also took on the appearance of fortresses, like the Great Mosque of Kairouan, whose powerful minaret, modeled on Mediterranean watchtowers, cannot be missed. The latter, with its porticoed courtyard and T-shaped plan topped by a dome, was to inspire many other mosques, such as those in Tunis and Mahdia. These great mosques are at the heart of the medina, itself protected by imposing ramparts dominated by powerful kasbahs or fortified citadels, as seen in Sousse and Sfax, whose ramparts date back to the 9th century. It's in the heart of this labyrinth of narrow streets that you'll discover the jewels of Islam. Souks, bustling markets sometimes sheltered by barrel vaults, rub shoulders with medersas and zaouïas, religious teaching establishments, as well as caravanserais welcoming merchants and travellers, hammams and dars or town houses. The latter are entirely designed with privacy in mind. The exterior façade has few or no openings, apart from a massive door and a portal whose decoration reflects the owner's social status. The few existing openings are always protected by elegant moucharabiehs. Inside, the residence is organized around a central courtyard, as exemplified by the beautiful Dar Al Jaziri and Dar Ben Gacem Pacha in the Tunis medina, itself a UNESCO World Heritage site. In terms of style, the austerity of the first buildings gradually gave way to a decorative effervescence, particularly between the 13th and 15th centuries, when Tunisia became a refuge for Andalusian artists and craftsmen, who left their mark of twirling arabesques, intertwining arcades and coffered ceilings decorated with muqarnas or stalactites. Under Ottoman rule, Islamic architecture underwent further evolution. Mosques became more and more layered, with domes rising to the sky, and minarets became octagonal, more slender and often topped by a pyramidal lantern. Mosques also added turbets, richly decorated mausoleums topped by a dome and entirely dedicated to the memory of a sovereign. Tunis is home to some superb examples of this Ottoman architecture: the Tourbet El Bey, the Mohamed Bey or Sidi Mahrez mosque, with its tall silhouette, white domes and sumptuous marble, sculpted plaster and ceramic cladding, or the Youssef Dey mosque, with its mausoleum topped by a pyramidal roof covered with glazed tiles and covered in superb marble polychrome. The Ottoman period also saw the renewal of towns, with the proliferation of fondouks - used both as warehouses and inns - medersas, barracks and, above all, sumptuous urban palaces, gradually abandoning local influences in favor of French and Italian influences, notably under the Husseinite dynasty.
Vernacular architecture
Tunisia's identity is also reflected in the richness of its vernacular architecture. In the north, you'll discover traditional gourbis, made of branches and thatch, or elaborate with mud bricks and straw. In the fishermen's villages, the dwellings delight the eye with their whiteness punctuated by bright colors - found on balconies and moucharabiehs - their flat roofs and elegant patios. Sidi-Bou-Saïd is a proud example. The island of Djerba has its own distinctive architecture, that of the menzels, large farms protected by high walls housing stables, granaries and workshops around the main house, the houch, organized around a central patio. Saharan architecture has developed on the edge of the desert, and can be recognized by its ochre brick facades, arranged to create beautiful geometric patterns, as in Tozeur. But the most astonishing vernacular dwellings are to be found in southern Tunisia. This is where the Berbers, trying to escape the Arab conquest, devised an underground habitat. In Matmata, they actually dug underground, creating troglodyte dwellings. Seen from the air, the village resembles a lunar landscape, with its giant craters, up to 10 m deep, at the bottom of which are the patios of these astonishing dwellings. When they couldn't dig into the ground, the Berbers dug into the cliffs and erected astonishing fortified villages, the ksour, whose mysterious silhouettes dominate the ridges. Chenini, for example, consists of three storeys of troglodyte houses integrated into a colossal structure whose citadel seems to be an extension of the stone. In the ksour, the houses have an enclosed stone courtyard to ensure the privacy of the home. But the most visible structures in these villages are their ghorfas, fortified granaries whose vaulted cells overlap one another like the cells of a beehive. Used as workshops and warehouses, some have also been transformed into dwellings. The finest examples of this architecture can be seen at Ksar Ouled Soltane, Douiret and Ghomrassen.
Colonial architecture
Under the French protectorate, Tunis and Sfax were endowed with new extensions called "European cities", characterized by a checkerboard layout and wide tree-lined avenues. At first, neo-styles were favored by the authorities. The ancient Cathedral of Saint-Louis in Carthage is an astonishing blend of Byzantine and Moorish styles, with its polychrome friezes, horseshoe arches and blue earthenware domes. Neo-Moorish buildings then proliferated, combining traditional Orientalist motifs with the new technical possibilities offered by cast iron, steel and concrete. Architect Raphaël Guy is the leading exponent of this trend. The Bab-Souika Post Office in Tunis, with its minaret-shaped bell tower, is one of his most famous creations. Neo styles gave way to an astonishing Art Nouveau effervescence that, once again, combined oriental ornamentation. The leading figure in this movement was the architect Emile Resplandy, who designed the Théâtre Municipal de Tunis, with its superbly chiselled ironwork ramps and boxes protected by moucharabiehs. The buildings on rue Oum Kalthoum are also proud representatives of this trend, with their elaborate stairwells, floral and animal motifs and mosaic facades. The Italians also played a part in this architectural revival, like Giuseppe Abita and his buildings recognizable by their balconies and rotundas and their wealth of ornamentation. The Italian community was so large in Tunisia, and Tunis in particular, that neighborhoods like Petite Sicile sprang up. Here, you'll find small one- and two-room houses reminiscent of the modest traditional dwellings of Sicily. But there were also important buildings such as the Palazzo Gnecco, the Rossini Italian-style theater and the Italian Consulate, whose simple, sober volumes are a perfect illustration of Fascist architecture. Art Deco was more subdued, but the Grande Synagogue de Tunis, with its geometrically patterned, brightly colored walls, and other interesting buildings in the city center, stood out. Between 1928 and 1932, billionaire George Sebastian built a superb villa in Hammamet, blending traditional architecture with European design... and unknowingly began the transformation of the peaceful town into a popular tourist resort.
Contemporary Tunisia
In architecture, independence meant brutalism and international style. The Hôtel du Lac in Tunis, a glass, concrete and steel structure whose floors are linked by cantilevered staircases at each end, creating an inverted pyramid, is one of the most famous examples. As is the Hôtel Africa and its glass curtain, designed by Olivier Clément Cacoub, the great architect of the time, who also built many presidential palaces - between sober lines and monumental volumes - the El Menzah Olympic complex, and the Hôtel des Congrès de Tunis. In 1979, Cacoub was also responsible for the creation of the country's first integrated tourist resort, Port El Kantaoui, modelled on Sidi Bou Saïd. By the 1960s, the Tunisian Riviera had seen a proliferation of hotels and marinas, a concrete development linked to mass tourism that continued into the 1990s with the creation of the Yasmine Hammamet resort and its hundreds of hotels and "fake" medina. Fortunately, these concrete giants in no way detracted from the charm of the original medinas! By this time, the population of Tunis was still growing. To accommodate them, the city built more and more concrete buildings on the outskirts, while developing new areas such as the Perle du Lac, around the newly reclaimed lake. At the same time, the city has become aware of the importance of enhancing and revitalizing its historic center, and has stepped up its preservation campaigns. This concern for the past has not stopped the city from dreaming up the wildest projects. In 2011, the Cité de la Culture baffled many with its blend of futuristic architecture and oriental decor. Less extravagant and more respectful of tradition, the Art Village Arena project in Utique was imagined by the MOA agency, featuring an amphitheatre with a wooden slat façade in homage to local craftsmanship. The same respect for tradition can be found at the Dar Hi Hotel in Nefta, a superb ecolodge whose troglodyte rooms are directly inspired by Tunisian vernacular architecture. In fact, Tunisia is increasingly converting to ecotourism... a great way to discover a unique heritage!
