Colors of Tunisia: Sea, sand, medinas and the Arab Spring
Posted April 23, 2018 7:00 am
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) - The colors of Tunisia's landscape change hourly with the light of the Mediterranean sun. Vermilion, sapphire, olive green, white and gold can all be seen in the sky, sea and sand.
Visitors may be surprised by the varied hues of these contrasting landscapes: azure sea and white-sand beaches; verdant plains, olive orchards and vineyards; deserts with oases of date palm trees; forests in the north and the rugged Atlas mountains. They complement a nation where a fusion of cultures birthed one of the Arab world's most vibrant, and inspiring, examples of democracy.
In Sfax, the second-largest city, a walled medieval Arab quarter known as a medina reveals covered markets, winding streets and an old courtyard.
A melange of French and Arab cultures reflects Tunisia's 75 years as a French colony.
This Feb. 3, 2018 photo shows doors brightly painted in Sidi Bou Said, a popular town to visit outside of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 3, 2018 photo shows a sunset as seen from inside the Moorish-style Café des Nattes, a popular place to drink tea and coffee and eat pastries in Sidi Bou Said, a popular town to visit outside of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 2, 2018 photo shows bread for sale, made by Marwa Harch, a woman who sells sandwiches on a highway in Kairouan, a Tunisian city famous in Islamic history. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows a traditional underground Berber home that's been turned into a museum. The home is near Matmata, a town in southern Tunisia known both for its Berber inhabitants and as a setting for the filming of the original Star Wars. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 1, 2018 photo shows a 4-by-4 vehicle taking tourists down a sand dune to visit an abandoned Star Wars film location in the Sahara Desert near Tozeur in southern Tunisia. Southern Tunisia is a remote and otherworldly region that extends into the dunes of the Sahara Desert. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 2, 2018 photo shows a busy and colorful street inside the medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 28, 2018 photo shows Becher Amduni sweeping in front of a sandwich and pizza store he works at in the medina of Tunis in Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 28, 2018 photo shows wedding shoes hanging in the store of Zied Khdrhaoui, a shoe maker inside the medina of Tunis in Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 30, 2018 photo shows Hamouda Hamdi, a caretaker and guard on an olive orchard estate north of Sfax, Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 2, 2018 photo shows young vendors selling fruit on the side of a highway south of Tunis in central Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 2, 2018 photo shows Geleni Ben Hasan, a merchant in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, standing at the entrance to a food store he works in. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 3, 2018 photo shows the inside of the Moorish-style Café des Nattes, a popular place to drink tea and coffee and eat pastries in Sidi Bou Said, a popular town to visit outside of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. The café was frequented by many famous European artists and writers before World War II. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 30, 2018 photo shows a massive amphitheater built by the Romans at a town now called El Jem in Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 28, 2018 photo shows Zied Khdrhaoui, a shoe maker, working at his store inside the medina of Tunis in Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 31, 2018 photo shows a fishing boat on a beach near Sfax, Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Jan. 30, 2018 photo shows a mosque juxtaposed to a massive amphitheater built by the Romans at a town now called El Jem in Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 3, 2018 photo shows the rooftops of the medina of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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This Feb. 3, 2018 photo shows a man selling doughnuts called bombalouni in Sidi Bou Said, a popular town to visit outside of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Tunisia is a fascinating blend of white sand beaches, green flowering plains, wild deserts, date palm tree oases and ancient cities and Mediterranean and Arab civilizations. (Cain Burdeau via AP)
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