Bab El Bahr: Tunis

Forget the oriental charm of the Arabic medina and immerse yourself in this animated, Europeanized and Mediterranean-lifestyle downtown. The construction of the New Town started in the beginning of the French colonial times after the lagoon was drained, filled and converted to buildable land. The core of it consists in the most famous Avenue in Tunis, namely the Habib Bourguiba Avenue, which plots a central axis from the east to the west, starting from the medina entrance (Paris Avenue) to the Tunis Lake (by the TGM Station to La Marsa). From Bab El Bahr to the monumental clock of the Place du 7 Novembre (in reference to November 7, 1987, when the current president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali took the power), the Bourguiba Avenue welcomes waves of pedestrians, growing in number as the day wears on. This urban epicenter features some distinct architectural landmarks, such as the Porte de France and the Cathédrale Saint Vincent de Paul that both date from the end of the 19th Century. It also features a few modern buildings, such as the Hôtel Africa Meridien, though they tend to pale in comparison to the more historical locations. But the most outstanding architectural features of the New Town are from Art Deco style. Lose yourself in Art Deco buildings on your way to the streets south of Bourguiba Avenue, such as the Carthage Avenue or the Yougoslavie Street. There is also Art Deco architecture right on the Bourguiba avenue, which is the Théâtre Municipal. A detour to the Marché Central de Tunis and its vicinity gives the opportunity to appreciate the dynamism of the popular trading activity of a downtown which also encompasses the biggest part of the economic activity of the capital city, despite the growing competition of the new suburb of the Berges du Lac. © WCities